“It's all right, girl,” I called to her as my mate carried me back to bed.
Chapter Forty-Four
“What the fuck is this?”
I blinked, coming out of my daze, and looked over to see Rian at my bureau, holding . . . I jerked upright. “Put that back!”
“This isn't for Vashana, is it?!” He shook the dog collar at me, his fist so tight around the leather that I could hear it creak.
I shot out of bed and reached for the collar. “Give it to me!”
“I smell another man on it.” Rian bent his head to me as he held the collar out of my reach. “A fucking Ricarri.” His free hand latched around my throat.
I went still, my body innately recognizing his domination. I couldn't even swallow past his grip.
“Rontor gave this to you, didn't he?”
All I could do was nod.
“Is that what you want, Mate?” He forced me backward to the bed. “You want to be collared?”
I shook my head.
“Oh, that was only for him, was it?!” Rian tossed me onto the bed.
“Rian,” I whispered.
But his eyes were on fire, his dragon in full control, and there was no man left to appeal to. The beast pounced, caging me with Rian's body, and he roughly strapped the collar on.
That was all it took to send me fully back into my old self. No back and forth. No protest. I was Lord Galin again, wanting only to be another man's plaything. I wasn't even Rian's mate anymore. The collar made me his possession. All the love between us got buried beneath slavery.
“Let's see how you look.” Rian drew back and glared at the collar. “Did he lead you around by this?” He hooked a finger in the metal loop and pulled.
I made a soft sound as I was drawn up by him.
“He did,” Rian concluded. He jerked me even closer by the ring. “I'm going to make this mine too, Mate. I'll give you what you need, but I'm taking what I need as well. Now, lift your legs.”
He let go, and I fell back onto the pillow. Lowering my stare, I lifted my legs, grabbed the back of my knees, and pulled up and out to expose myself.
“Further!” He smacked the back of my thighs. “Is this how you served your old master? If so, he was sloppy in his training.” He gripped my left thigh and pushed until my ass left the bed, then he slapped my ass cheek. “Up! Open that ass for me. Show me your entrance.”
“Yes, Mate.” I opened myself.
“Not mate,” Rian snarled. “Now, I'm your master. Say it!”
The last of the strong Galin died as I said, “Yes, Master.”
Holding myself open, I stared up at the ceiling as my new master used me. Snarling and growling, grunting and thrusting, Rian became a wild thing, pausing only to admonish me for doing something wrong. I corrected my behavior instantly and gave him the submissive replies he needed, but it didn't hold the pleasure it once had for me. Because it wasn't what I needed anymore. I had told Rian what I needed, and he'd given me a glimpse of perfection. Submission without slavery. Adoration without derision. Love.
My body rocked with every slam of my master's hips and by the time he came, I was lost. Gone. Empty until he filled me with his release. The collar became a vise, cutting off all confidence. All will. When he got through with me, there would be no Galin left, not the old nor the new. Just a shell.
Chapter Forty-Five
In the morning, I woke beside my master, his arm flung across my chest. The collar was still on. Too tight. I could barely breathe. I stared up at my ceiling, feeling like . . .
“No,” I whispered, a spark alighting in my chest.
Beneath the collar hung the Inner Eye, and its cool metal refreshed me. My mind cleared. I had a choice. I always had a choice. Dragon magic didn't bind me; it bound Rian. And if Rian wasn't treating me the way I wanted to be treated, I didn't have to stay with him. I knew why he had reacted as he had, but did that matter? It still left me unhappy. This should have been the greatest days of my life. Mating the man I loved. Settling into eternity with him. I should have been gloriously happy. But I wasn't. And I'd be damned if I let him turn me back into the person I didn't want to be.
