I follow his line of sight, and I feel a little bad when I see the tension in Elina’s shoulders and the deep frown on her brow as Evelina asks her something. I got too caught up in wielding my control over her to truly see how it affected her. After getting a taste of the depth of her submission and her reactions to me a few weeks ago, I’ve felt like an addict needing his next fix. Even so, I must say, I didn’t expect her to react that strongly tonight. It was just a small touch and a few exchanged looks. But Elina is not just any sub. She doesn’t react to me the same way other women do—smiling shyly and flirting purposefully. She capitulates instinctively and immediately. And it makes me so damn hard I can barely breathe.
“I’ll dial back,” I say with a nod. I need to regain my control—for my sake and for hers.
“Thank you,” Asbjörn says.
He’s about to leave, but I stop him with a hand on his arm. “Are you planning on playing with her tonight?”
“If it’s okay with you.”
“Good. But not in the courtyard. It will be too much for her.”
“I agree. I was thinking the dungeon. You could discreetly slip in and watch.”
“No, tie her up in your window. You still have the chains there, right?”
A slow smile spreads over his lips as he rubs his beard. “And you’ll be watching from outside?”
“I will. And she’ll be facing me—watching me.”
“I like it. It will be new, but not too much.”
“And use a butt plug on her.”
His smile fades. “Are you sure she’s ready for that?”
“She is,” I say with confidence. Her tight opening might be unused, but the way she reacted when Asbjörn slipped a finger between her ass cheeks and toyed at the edge of her opening last week told me she desired it. She doesn’t want to crave it, but the shame also isn’t too great. And I’ll be there, anchoring her through the turbulent mix of humiliation and desire—only with my gaze, but I know that will be more than enough.
I watch Asbjörn study her across the table. He’s worried about her. She’s no longer just a passing interest. She hasn’t been since the first time he put her up on the cross and flogged her. He’s still growing more caring of her. I can’t quite gauge whether it’s love or desire, but he knows what the deal is. He’s known from the start.
But I don’t want him to be miserable, and I can tell he’s horny as hell from the hard-on he’s sporting every time we talk about anything remotely related to dominance and sadism. I can’t have him being the first to take her—that part has become sacred—but I can offer him something else.
“If you’d like, I can find you a pretty woman who’ll spend the night with you. Maybe Astrid. She’s had her eye on you for a while.”
A switch flips. He gets into my face, a sneer twitching on his lips. “Who the hell do you take me for? A weakling with no restraint? No honor?”
I smile. Asbjörn’s simmering rage is a magnificent sight. So is his restraint and honor. He truly is worthy of his title as second-in-command. Hell, he’d be more than worthy of the chieftain title. But that is already taken.
I slap his shoulder. “I’ll fight you in the barn on Monday. Then we’ll go shoot one of those wild boars up at the ridge.” He needs to let off some steam.
He gives me a tight-lipped nod, then leaves.
I watch Elina as Asbjörn goes to sit beside her. She softens when he wraps a hand around her and strokes her skin. I wonder if my touch would have the same effect. I’ll have to put that to the test. Soon.
11
Elina
After dinner, Asbjörn takes me on a tour of the grounds—or, the closest parts. Because the place is huge. It’s like a small village with houses of various sizes, small gardens, and bigger common areas between the buildings. And Asbjörn tells me that they even own a huge chunk of the mountain.
“This is the original farm,” he says when we’re standing in the courtyard between three huge old timber buildings. “We’ve built all the houses around it after we bought the grounds. Some of the houses at the edges are old ones too—adjoining land we acquired after we moved here. And we’re still building as the community grows. You see that building over there?” He points to a two-story wooden house half-covered in plywood boards and tarp, scaffolding wrapped around one side. “That’s our newest addition. Lea and three other girls will move in there at the end of the summer.”
He points to the building with the dining hall and tells me that it also has other common areas, such as a large living room and a big kitchen. The old barn holds other common areas, such as a gym and a dungeon. And the last building has been converted to apartments. The latter has several bump-outs with tall windows that look like modern additions to the otherwiseold building, but the walls are kept in the same dark wood as the old parts, making them fit perfectly.
Asbjörn tells me that the building is where Ulf’s closest men and their subs live—except for those who have families.
“The ones with kids get to live on the outskirts of the community because, well, the activities going on here on weekends aren’t exactly child-friendly.” He winks at me, and I look around the large lawn between the buildings with wide eyes. When I came, the place was empty, save for a few poles and some benches. Now, men are carrying all kinds of BDSM gear out here. Cages, spanking benches, a pillory, and crosses that they attach to tall poles for stability.
“Isn’t it too cold to play outside?” I hug my sweater closer. The late May air may be comfortable for a stroll, but I can’t imagine being naked and playing outside. Especially not as the evening wears on.
