Rise to Submit [Rise of the Changelings, Book 4] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (26 page)

“Not back yet,” he said, and Mason could tell the man was worried. Sasha and Mason went looking for them. Not only was it a bad thing to linger, but Mason wanted to get back to Ian.

The enforcers’ scents led them to a small clinic one block over. Mason was getting a really bad feeling about this. He now recognized the strange smell he had scented back at the store. The closer they were to Miguel and Benito, the stronger it became until the smell of rotting flesh was overwhelming.

Mason’s first instinct was to get the hell away from the place as fast as he could, but he had to find the two enforcers. There was no way in hell he was leaving the two behind.

Sasha pushed open the glass door, glancing around as he walked inside. Mason looked around the outside of the clinic and then followed the leopard.

The smell hit Mason so hard he nearly doubled over. The sound of flies was all around him as he scanned the waiting area.

“This is not good,” Sasha hissed low. “We need to get out of here.”

“Not until we find Miguel and Benito.” Mason forced himself to walk down the hallway until he reached the first room. He found the two enforcers in the first room, thank fuck.

But he also found half a dozen rotting bodies.

“Holy shit,” Sasha said as he walked into the room. “It’s a fucking massacre.”

Miguel was standing there with the front of his shirt over his nose and mouth, his eyes filled with horror.

Benito was bent over the side of the desk, and Mason could smell vomit mixed in with the stench of death.

“Let’s go,” Sasha said as he grabbed Benito. “Something isn’t right here, and we don’t need to stick around to find out.”

Mason grabbed Miguel’s arm and pulled. The enforcer nodded. Mason let him go and Miguel followed as they hurried from the clinic.

“There was more,” Miguel said as he finally lowered his shirt. “The back room had twice as many bodies.”

“What in the hell happened in there?” Mason asked as he hurried toward the car one block over.

Miguel gave him a look that said he would see those bodies in his nightmares for a very long time. “I checked the first body I came to. Those were changeling mercenaries. They had the red wristbands. It looks like they were ambushed.”

“Breed Hunters,” Sasha hissed.

“I agree,” Mason replied.

“No,” Sasha said as he dropped low behind a small divider wall that sat between a drugstore and a restaurant.

Mason didn’t see anyone but followed Sasha. The two enforcers did as well. Just as Miguel dropped out of sight, a truck rolled down the middle of the street, men sitting in the back with shotguns in their arms.

The truck pulled in front of the drugstore and the men in the back jumped out. Mason’s eyes flickered over each man, burning their faces to memory.

“Get what you need, men,” the driver called out and then glanced around. “I don’t want to hang around here too long.”

One of the Breed Hunters turned and laughed. “Trust me, those animals are dead. You still afraid they’re gonna get up and come after you?”

“Shut up, Roger,” the driver snarled. “Just get moving.”

Mason ducked back down when the driver glanced over toward him. He pressed his back into the concrete wall, looking at the three men with him.

He could see Sasha’s green eyes shifting into his leopard eyes. Shards of yellow began to emerge as the man quickly made one long braid of his blond strands.

He was gearing up for battle. Mason hoped it didn’t come to that. There were four of them and at least nine of the Breed Hunters. Not bad odds, but Mason would rather get back to Ian without incident.

“I hear the military is going to be doing a sweep through here in the next day or two,” someone said on the other side of the wall. “Even though we’re sanctioned to kill those animals, I don’t want to be here when they show up. The last group we ran into was conducting tests with their BAT machines.”

“Don’t worry, Sammy. No one is going to find out your mom fucked an animal. We took care of her, and I won’t let them get anywhere near you,” a second male said.

Mason glanced at Sasha.

“If Scott finds out I’m a half breed, he’ll pull my guts out while I’m still alive like he did that mercenary,” the first man said, and Mason could hear the terror in the man’s voice. “I don’t want to die, Chris.”

“Then when we reach the next town, we’ll take off.”

The voices fell silent.

Mason wasn’t sure what that was all about, and he didn’t care. He prayed the two died. They had killed only god knows how many changelings. He had no sympathy for them.

“Hey, Scott!” another unfamiliar voice shouted. “I just got a call from my uncle in Albuquerque. He says something big is going down. You want to head that way?”

“Sounds like a plan,” the driver called out. “Let’s get out of here.”

The truck roared to life, and Mason heard them pull out.

“The detention center is close by there in Coyote Canyon,” Miguel pointed out. “Do you think that
something big
has anything to do with the center?”

“Not sure,” Mason answered as he peered over the wall and saw that they were alone once more. “But we need to get the fuck ghost.”

All four took off, heading back toward the car. They needed to warn Rick that something was going on, but Mason also needed to get back to Ian. If those Breed Hunters drove past the Suburban, all hell was going to break loose.

And Mason was going to make sure he was there for the party.

“Where are we, Sir?” Ian asked as he slid from the truck and followed Mason into yet another motel. He wasn’t sure how this group had done this for almost five months. Ian was getting tired of motels already, and he hadn’t been with this group that long.

He wasn’t used to moving around so much. Waking up in a strange place was still very unsettling.

Mason set a silk bag on the bed and then turned to Ian. “We are close to Coyote Canyon. Right now I want you to take a nice, long, hot shower and then come lie on the bed when you are finished.”

“Yes, Sir,” Ian replied as he glanced around the room and then headed toward the bathroom. Mason had been very quiet since he had come back from that small town. Ian could tell something was bothering him and wondered what it could be.

He hadn’t done anything wrong that he could think of, but Ian secretly wondered if Mason was upset with him about something. Being in a relationship was new to him and Ian was still trying to find his way around the dynamics. He wasn’t sure if he should ask Mason or just let it be.

Undressing, Ian regulated the water and then grabbed the small towel meant for stepping on, lying it on the floor. Once he had his washcloth, he stepped into the stall. The water felt so damn good as soon as it hit his body. His injuries had almost healed, and Ian was grateful he could sit down without being in pain.

He hated pain.

Ian was glad as hell he had remembered to add that into his contract. There was no way he could withstand any kind of beating from Mason. Dealing with beatings from the vampires had been hell. Ian knew if Mason had laid his heavy hand on Ian, he would have suffered ten times worse.

But Mason wasn’t into hitting and Ian was thankful for that.

Lathering up the cloth, Ian pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He was safe now. Mason was taking good care of him. Too bad they weren’t in their own place. Ian would have a better grasp of what he should do. It would be a more stable environment than all this moving around—half the time he wasn’t sure what he should do since everything changed from one day to the next. Maybe Mason could assign him some small job to keep himself busy. Ian didn’t like wondering what his task was in this Rebellion group.

He washed down every inch of his body and then scrubbed his hair clean. It needed to be cut. The strands were touching his shoulders.

Toweling off, Ian finished in the bathroom and then walked into the other room and almost froze.

He did as Mason instructed and got onto the bed, lying down. But his eyes kept wandering over to the pile of items on the dresser. Mason didn’t say a word. He just stood there and unraveled the mess. Ian could see highly polished chains and a load of black leather. He was curious as hell, but kept his lips sealed tight.

Mason turned, and Ian saw his mate carrying a small portion of the large pile in his hands as he strode over to the bed.

“On your knees.”

Ian pushed to his knees, gazing up at Mason’s blue eyes as a minute amount of apprehension began to fill him. Mason set the small pile on the bed. “Did I do something wrong?” It was eating away at him that Mason was so sullen. Ian wasn’t sure how mates acted with one another, but he had been kept quiet most of the time he had been at the club. Silence bothered him.

“If you’ve done something wrong, Ian, I’ll let you know. I’ve just had a lot on my mind. There were some things I saw in that small town that disturbed me.”

Ian nodded, feeling a bit better knowing he wasn’t the cause of Mason’s quietness.

Mason ran his hand over Ian’s hair in a gentle manner, his blue eyes softening as he gazed into Ian’s eyes. “I’m collaring you, Ian. The leather is padded, and won’t hurt, but it will be locked into place and only I will have the key.”

Ian swallowed hard as he watched Mason lift the black leather. It was thick but well padded from what he could see. The chains dangled in the air, and two small cuffs swung loose on each end. Ian could see the cuffs had locks on them as well.

Once Mason put everything into place, there was no way Ian would be able to remove them.

And he didn’t want to. This was the most solid commitment he had ever gotten from anyone. Mason was placing ownership on him for all to see. His heart was beating erratically. His pulse was thumping hard. Ian could feel himself trembling as the collar came around his neck. He closed his eyes briefly, savoring the moment as Mason’s fingers brushed over Ian’s neck and shoulders.

He watched as Mason grabbed a small padlock and then his mate’s hand disappeared behind Ian’s back. There was a small snick, and Ian could no longer stop himself from shaking with nerves.

Mason either didn’t notice or didn’t comment.

“Hold your hands in front of you.”

Ian did as Mason commanded and watched as Mason placed the cuffs on his wrists one at a time, locking them into place with a small padlock on each cuff.

He was bound, owned, and drowning in complete euphoria. Mason gave the chains a tug. “Does it feel comfortable?”

Ian pulled his arms as far apart as he could. The chains gave a small noise—which was music to his ears—and then he nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“Good, because I’m not finished.”

Ian frowned as Mason walked back over to the dresser, picked another piece of black leather up, and then came back to him. “Spread your legs apart.”

Ian did as he was told.

Mason began to wind the leather around his waist, down around each butt cheek, and then up through the apex of his legs, on either side of his balls, locking the piece of leather into place.

Next he attached a smaller chain to the front of Ian’s collar and then affixed the other end to a small metal loop close to his pelvis bone.

“This is to be worn daily.” Mason took one of Ian’s wrists in hand and then attached the cuff to a loop Ian hadn’t noticed on his hip. Mason did the other wrist as well. “But binding your hands to your sides is for other things.” His mate winked at him.

Ian was officially bound by leather and chains. He could see the deep approval in Mason’s eyes. He knelt there on the bed, his cock growing stiff, a reaction he wasn’t used to when a dominant male was in front of him.

“I see you like it as well.”

“I do, Sir.”

Mason was watching Ian closely, his blue eyes glittering, savage, hot. He leaned forward and licked at Ian’s lips. “I’m going to show you many hours of pleasure, Ian,” Mason whispered against Ian’s lips. A rumble of pleasure echoed through Ian’s chest, making him shiver. Mason leaned back and then walked to the dresser.

Ian’s heart beat hard and fast, bursting through his veins, a pleasure in and of itself. His cock grew thicker, standing out in contrast to all the black leather and chains.

Mason grabbed two large cuffs from the dresser. Ian hadn’t a clue what they were for. His mate came back to the bed and helped Ian lie down until his back was pressed into the mattress.

He lay there as Mason slid one cuff over his thigh and then strapped it into place, and then the other. “These are just for playing.”

Mason lifted one leg, attaching the thigh cuff to Ian’s wrist. He did the same with the other.

The soft padding felt like heaven on Ian—all of it. Ian’s lashes lowered as Mason’s eyes became heavy with sexuality, his lips turning up into a wicked grin.

He stood back, gazing down at Ian.

Ian felt exposed, his most intimate parts on display as his legs spread out on either side of him and high in the air. Mason stepped forward and then the tips of his fingers glided over Ian’s erection.

Ian heard the chains clinking as he shivered.

“Tell me, Ian. What part of sex bothers you?”

Images Ian would rather forget swamped his mind, making him fight not to curl into himself. He couldn’t. He was studiously bound, not only by Mason’s presence, but by the leather, chains, and locks as well.

But the images were free to torture him as he thought about Calico and then Newman. The sadistic way they had taken him, forced him, and humiliated him, he would rather die than reveal.

“All,” he whispered out in a tortured breath. “I hate every last aspect of the act.”

“But you like when I suck your cock,” Mason reminded him.

Ian fought not to be taken under by the memories still crashing through his mind like violent waves. He tried to remember the pleasure Mason had given him just last night, but the memories were too many, too bloody, too shameful in their power and wouldn’t let go.

Ian could feel the tears falling as he struggled to breathe. His chest became so tight he felt like he couldn’t pull in enough air. The craving slammed into his gut like a sledgehammer, shattering his newfound feelings for the restraints resting gently against his skin.