Wes set our bags down on the front porch without acknowledging Jayne with more than a nod. He reached for the black box I still carried in my hand, his movements slow and controlled, as if he had all the time in the world.
“Turn for me,” he commanded gently.
I turned, shivering when Wes brushed my hair out of the way. I gathered my waves and lifted them up for him as he secured my new collar into place. A jolt of pleasure shot down my body, awakening the bundle of nerves between my thighs.
Wes’s lips gently brushed against my shoulder. He reached for my hand, and I let my hair fall back down.
When we faced Archer and Jayne again, I’d nearly forgotten they were there. All I felt now was the subtle weight and grip of leather around my throat—the symbol I belonged to someone.
It was the one thing I thought I would die before experiencing for myself.
Archer stared at my throat, and Jayne watched Archer. Both of them worked hard to conceal any reaction to Wes’s blatant display of his claim on me.
“Will everyone be participating in the hunt?” I asked as Wes picked our bags off the porch and we stepped toward the cult power couple.
“Of course,” Jayne said. “Except our safety volunteers and security.”
And the staff who would be cooking and cleaning for us, I was sure she failed to mention.
They led us inside, where I gaped at the massive foyer. This place screamed old money. I wouldn’t have been shocked if there were servants’ quarters.
“Someone will take your bags up to your room. There is one couple’s room left,” Jayne explained.
“And we will need to take your phones, of course,” Archer said evenly, his charming smile sharply contrasting with the calculation in his eyes.
Wes handed Archer his flip phone with extreme reluctance. “Nova left hers in the car.”
Archer nodded. “You mind if we search?—”
“Yes, I do,” Wes hissed. “In fact, no one on this estate is to touch Nova except me.”
Archer’s eyes flashed with something akin to amusement.
“Understood,” Jayne chirped. “We will ensure she wears the correct bracelet to show she is off-limits.” Her tone was clipped, clearly still concerned about her perfect schedule. “Nova, is there anything you need from your bag to get ready? Most of the prey are wearing lingerie or nothing at all.”
I looked to Wes, my nerves alighting with pleasure every time I ceded decisions to him.
“The dress stays on. Shoes too.” He released a breath. “We need to talk.”
Jayne cleared her throat. “I really must insist I separate you two lovebirds now, as this night has been meticulously planned out. You will have all the time in the world to chat once you’ve captured her again.” She winked, softening her clear undermining of Wes’s authority.
Wes and I locked eyes. He wasn’t pleased, but he nodded. We’d already discussed ahead of time limits and desires for this kinky game.
We didn’thaveto participate. Wes had certainly argued against it, but I knew we’d be pressured to. And if I were being honest… IwantedWes to hunt me in the woods. The last three events, I hadn’t been able to participate in anything. I’d only allowed myself to be an observer. In the end, Wes allowed it, perhaps because he was so proud of me for being honest and voicing my desire in the first place.
“Okay. We’ll talk after,” Wes said, though his tension didn’t melt an inch.
I nodded, just as bothered that I hadn’t come clean before his collar was locked into place.
“See you out there, Nova,” Archer said.
It felt like a taunt, but Wes didn’t react as Jayne led me away.
40
NOVA
As I stood in a circle of twenty nude or nearly nude women and four men in a forest in the Hudson Valley, I questioned the decisions I’d made in my life that had led me here. I was already shivering in my short, black knockoff Selkie dress and platform Mary Janes, so I couldn’t imagine how the naked subs felt.
