Sacrifice of the Septimus: Part 1 (Afterlife saga Book 7) (22 page)

The word Gym was kind of a swear word in my world and after being coerced to go by my sister, who thought the gym would be a good idea to do together, I had hated every second of it. I still had the membership card in my wallet gathering dust and no doubt jealous of all the other cards that were seeing the light of day. Even my national insurance card got more action than that did, and the only time I needed that was to fill out a form.

I don’t know what had been worse, that damn treadmill that I loathed or the sports bra that just ended up giving me an Omniboob! And trust me, that ‘one giant boob look’ made me feel about as sexy as dressing up as a giant piece of broccoli…uncomfortable and top heavy.

But this time I had a feeling when I walked into Draven’s gym I would be gulping for a new reason to dread. At least I didn’t have to worry about him being alone, considering it was for his use only. Even if it hadn’t been, given his dangerous mood, I doubt anyone would have been first in line to give him company.

I heard the angry grunted shouts followed by the sound of something being hit, so I knew I was close. At least it was a good sign that I was right and there were no cries of pain after each hit, I thought wryly.

I walked through his massive training room which was surrounded by every type of bladed weapon imaginable and there were even ones you couldn’t imagine…well actually there were more of those than the regular looking ones. I remembered the day I saw him fighting and how intense it had been to watch.

Draven was like a machine when facing an opponent and the bag he was currently hammering into was no exception. The pounding sound of the huge bag being hit over and over was almost deafening. Even the sounds of the chains trying to hold on to the battered weight were making strained noises. In fact, it was only when Draven roared out one last time that the chains gave up, snapping open and the bag dropped to the floor. The thunderous bang as it then toppled over made me jump and the wooden floor beneath it cracked under the pressure.

I took in the rest of the room and saw that it wasn’t as high tech as I would have thought belonging to someone as rich as Draven. If anything it looked quite primitive and gave it a dark, crude edge, telling me that this room was more about keeping battle fit than counting the amount of calories burned or keeping an eye on your heart rate. The only luxury was the large plunge pool and sauna room that had been half sectioned off by a frosted glass wall.

Other than that, the room was lined with various weights benches, with shabby taped poles that held massive concrete circular weights and most of them looked bigger than me. In the centre of the room eight bags of different sizes all hung down on the railing system he had in place. There were even hoops high up which I could only imagine were for body pull ups. Looking at it all, I couldn’t help but wonder if Ragnar’s bedroom looked like this or did he just have a truck he used to bench press?

Draven stood there panting over the defeated bag and staring down at it as if it represented the enemy. He looked so raw and pumped up I was surprised he wasn’t glowing purple. Sweat trickled from his wet hair and dripped on top of the destroyed punch bag.

His black vest clung to his wet skin, showing me the rippled abs beneath it and I was fascinated as I watched beads of perspiration follow the contours of his bulging biceps. His workout trousers hung low to his waist and he looked as vicious as he did exquisitely handsome. I was frozen, captured by the savage beauty of the man.

He didn’t realise I was there and I watched him turn away from the bag, kicking it like it was the cause of all his anger and it was heartbreaking to witness. Then came the shock of seeing just how deep his anger ran as he walked along, hitting his way through the rest of the hanging bags. One by one they all snapped their chains, proving he had clearly been holding back before. The crash of each one made me wince every time until the silence told me it was over.

I opened my eyes to see him walk behind the glass wall and I heard the splash, at the same time watching the silhouette of him diving in, telling me it was deeper than it looked. He must have only done this to cool down, as just as quickly as he entered it, he was now walking up the steps to come back out again. I watched his shadowed figure push all his hair back and I gulped, knowing it was now or never.

Never!  

Suddenly I didn’t think I could do this anymore and quickly spun on my heel, slipping to the side in my intoxicated state and knocking over a hanging rail full of towels. The metal stand crashed to the floor just as I tried to save it. My cover and quiet escape went up in invisible flames, exploding with an almighty bang, splitting even more of the floor.

I looked back in panic and saw Draven’s figure had stopped dead behind the glass, knowing now he wasn’t as alone as he first thought.

So how did Draven finally find me, the seductive Vixen I was obviously so good at?

The sexy way Draven found me was half bent with my ass sticking out at an awkward angle thanks to the dress, with my hands out as if still waiting for the bloody thing to fall!

Yep, that’s how.

I gave him a nervous giggle when I hear
d
the primal growl he released and I knew it wasn’t looking very favourable for me right now.  I watched as he emerged and the only genius thing I could think of to say…

“You’re very wet.”

Chapter 21

Tired of Being Alone

“HOW DARE ANYONE DISTURB…
Keira?”
I winced, closing my eyes at the sound of his exploding wrath and only sneaked a look when he uttered my name in obvious shock. I opened my eyes fully to see his had gone wide and I almost laughed as his mouth had dropped. He then looked me up and down as if trying to penetrate my jacket to see what was beneath it.

“Take off your jacket” he ordered suddenly and I grinned, feeling the power exchange start to flip in my favour. I shook my head slowly and started to walk towards him, saying this time in my mind ‘Don’t slip, don’t fall, don’t slip, don’t fall’ which thankfully I didn’t. I decided to keep some distance between us as I needed to remain in control of this situation, well as much as I could around Draven. Meanwhile the man in question still hadn’t moved as if he was trying to first confirm in his mind whether or not he was dreaming this.

This was proven when he said,

“You’re here.”

“I am,” I told him softly, all the while telling myself that I could do this. He was about to speak but I held up a single finger to stop him then I delivered my first order,

“Sit down.” He arched an eyebrow at my command and when he didn’t do this I folded my arms, nodded to one of the benches and added a firm,

“Now, Draven.” He turned his head slightly to the side as if trying to figure out if he had heard me right.

“Very well,” he said and I backed up, giving both him and myself much needed space between us. He didn’t take his eyes off me as he threw his leg over to straddle the bench and I swallowed hard at how damn sexy he looked right now. ‘You can do this Keira, embrace the vixen’ I told myself again.

So I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and knew if I could get through the first step, then I would be fine…I just had to take off my jacket. Take it off! Come on! Do it! Okay fine! I told myself and commanded my hands to stop shaking as I undid my jacket. At first I couldn’t look at him but then I knew that was just showing my weakness.

I could totally do this…

Own the room Keira!

So I did.

I looked up, giving him a searing look and I unbuttoned my jacket, teasingly slow. His eyes were so eager and I almost laughed at the way all this control made me feel. It was like a drug and I knew the feeling of light headedness wasn’t only due to the tequila. Once the jacket was open I let it slide over my bare shoulders, baring my body for his pleasure.

“Gods”
He hissed through his teeth and I took that as a good sign but being me, I wanted to push it.

“Like what you see?” I asked, turning round and rolling my hips as I looked back at him over my shoulder, which obviously took him by surprise.

“I…uh…I…Oh yeah, I like what I see,” he said having first to clear his throat. I bit my lip and gave him a sideways glance, noticing how now his focus was solely on my red lush lips.

“I think I may be dreaming,” he confessed and I laughed once, thankfully not ruining the affect with a snort.

“Is this what you usually dream of then?” I asked noticing how confident my voice now sounded.

“I always dream of you.” He told me and again this made me bite my lip at how beautiful that sounded.

“Well this time you’re not dreaming and I will soon prove that as I have a few gifts for you.”

“Sweetheart, you being here right now and looking like that is a gift.” I smothered a grin before I said,

“Oh you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Then I gave him a wink, keeping my back to him.

“You’re looking the wrong way,” he teased and I glared at him over my shoulder and took great pleasure in shushing him. Then I continued getting ready and pulled two things from my pocket. One was Pip’s phone and the other was my trusty hair brush.

Oh yes, I was
so
doing this.

I turned on the music and started swaying to the beat, tapping my thigh until turning around just when Al Green started to sing. I held my hairbrush away from my mouth and started mouthing the words, whilst trying to ignore the utter shock on his face. If I thought he was surprised earlier, then this was the next few levels up from that.

‘I’m so tired of being alone, I’m so tired of on my own, won’t you help me
boy
just as soon as you can?’ I did this changing the word girl to boy and dragging out the lip sync of the word ‘can’ just like he did in the song. I started to really get into it and my swaying hips really started to go for it. Then came the actions,

‘People say, that I’ve found a way, to make you say, that you love meeeee’ I lowered my gloved hand as the ‘me’ in the song was dragged out and then continued on shaking my finger at him as I fake sang the next bit… ‘hey baby, you didn’t go for that, it’s a natural fact, that I want to come back, show me where it’s atttt baby.’ At the high pitched bits, I would bend my body back and hold the brush high just as though I was really singing it. Then came the chorus and I started clicking my fingers and shaking my head back and forth, totally losing myself in the song. ‘I guess you know I uh, I love you so, even though you don’t want me no more…’

“Oh I want you.”
Draven said through my performance. I grinned shaking my finger again at him. Then rubbed away the fake tears when I mouthed,

‘and I’m crying tears, all through the years, I’ll tell you like it is, honey love me if you willlll’ I shook my body, forgetting the words for a moment as I really started to dance as the music really kicked in and bending over as I sang into my makeshift microphone and flapping one hand as if bringing the beat on home.

I think at one point I even got a few power pulls in there and I wasn’t even looking at what Draven thought of all this. I was lost. Lost to the music and the words that seemed so significant to how I felt at that moment. Letting him know this with the passion I was putting into every silent word I sang, every hand gesture and every sway of my hips. And by the time the song finished I was panting, my hair had come loose and I looked up to see him staring at me as though he had just discovered a new part of me, one he liked…

Immensely.

“That was…” Draven tried to find his words and I smirked at seeing him struggle. In the end he couldn’t tell me what it was, forgetting it at the sight of what he wanted,

“Gods, can I have my other gift now?”
he rasped out, his voice thick with hunger.

“Oh yes.” I told him just as the next song started, one that Pip had told me was a ‘sure thing’. I had asked her at the time what it was but she told me one bit of worldly ‘Pip’ advice and that was to just ‘Roll with it’! Well now the song had started I certainly knew what she meant by rolling with it as my hips had already started up their seductive moves.

It was the sexiest damn song I had ever heard!

I kept eye contact with him this time as I reached behind my back to slowly unzip my dress and once I knew it was far enough, I reached up and pulled on the bow, letting the dress fall down in one soft rippling motion.

“Fuck.”
  This was the next word hissed through Draven’s teeth and he looked ready to move.

“Uh uh. You stay right there, Mr Draven.” I told him and he lowered himself back to the bench with a growl.

“Good boy, now sit back and enjoy the show.” Then I gave him a cheeky wink before I started dancing once more. I started off slow, stepping out of my dress and kicking it aside, hoping it wasn’t one of Sophia’s favourites.

Then I started to run my hands down the tight bones of my blood red satin corset, one that pulled me in at the waist
,
exaggerating my curves and pushing my breasts up higher than ever before. The thick cord that tied up the back kept it in place and I couldn’t wait until Draven would tear it from my body as if freeing me from this restraint.

The thought made me hot and wet and from the sounds of his demonic growl, he knew it too. Even I could feel it, like some erotic current charging the air, making it thick and hard to breathe. So my chest would rise and fall in rhythm to the erratic beating of my heart, one that went in time with the tempo. Maybe it was the explicit sounds of the woman singing as she also pleasured herself trying to chase her release. And with the perfect lyrics that sang…

‘You make me feel like a candy apple, red and horny’ this was the perfect time to bite my red apple lips as I ran my gloved hands up over the top of my breasts and with the next line…

‘You make me feel like I wanna be a dumb blonde, in a centrefold, the girl next door’ my other hand snaked down touching the top of my thighs as I threw my blonde head back. My bare thighs felt hot even through my gloves, as the stockings only reached half way up my thigh, held there by the ribbons attached to my corset.

I felt like a burlesque dancer as even my briefs were made from delicate black ruffles of lace and when I turned around and bent down to run a hand up my leg, Draven groaned seeing them for himself. I knew my cheeks just peeked out enough to be a tease for him and I loved it. The power I felt was intoxicating. 

I bent down again as the song’s lyrics got even sexier…

‘And I would open the door and I’d be all wet… with my tits soaking through this tiny t-shirt, that I’m wearing… and you would open the door and tie me up to the bed’. Still bent down I took my time before coming back up, caressing my legs as I went and looking to the side at him. Still with that utter shock on his face at both my moves and the song’s erotic words, I threw all my hair over to one side so it hung down, touching the ground. Then when I looked at him again, my dark angel had appeared, with his wings out and veins pumping hot purple flames under the skin. Oh yeah, he liked what he saw alright! But not as much as I liked being able to do this to him.

“Come here!”
he ordered slicing the thick air with two simple words, words said in such a way they quickly became heart pounding.

“But Mr Draven, I haven’t finished my dance for you.” I said in a sweet innocent voice, whilst putting a finger to my lips and biting the tip of my glove. He ended up snapping two fist sized holes each side of the bench before he commanded me to do his will once more,

“Now!”
And this was when I knew I could do as I was told, or I could have some more fun and push it…

So I pushed it…
and ran.

I looked back behind me and said,

“If you can catch me, you can have me!” But when I looked he was gone. I ran to the glass wall, put my back to it and panted in both excitement and trepidation. I knew I wouldn’t have been able to make it far, not in these shoes. I wanted to laugh nervously as my heart pounded and meanwhile the same sexy song I had just danced to was still playing as if Pip had set it to repeat. It was the perfect song for what I hoped was coming next and no wonder considering the singer orgasms at the end!

“Draven?” I called out his name looking around and not finding him.

“I can hear your heart fluttering, little dove,”
his voice whispered and it sounded as if it came from every direction in the room. Where was he? I knew one thing and that was by the time he actually showed himself I would be a shaking mess, I was so turned on right now, all I wanted to do was touch myself and go off like a rocket. There was something about getting dressed up and playing a part, knowing what the sight of you could do to a man like Draven. It wasn’t just the power balance that you gained it was pushing it to its limits and waiting for it to tip over until the man you teased could simply take no more. And for me right now, there was nothing that turned me on more than knowing I was being stalked because I had pushed him too far.

So now it was my turn to play the innocent victim and Draven sounded very much game to play the hungry beast.

“I can’t wait to taste you.”
I moaned at the sound of his voice so close to me, throwing my head back against the frosted glass as I started to sway my body to the music. Well if he wanted to watch from afar then I could give him another show.

“Why don’t you come and have a lick then.” I challenged.

“I’m admiring the view.”
I couldn’t help but grin.

“Besides, you do not rush perfection when perfection chooses to entertain you.” 
He whispered and I swear that I could feel his seducing words caressing my skin. It was making me blush and I felt the heat not just on my cheeks but also at my core.  

“I look forward to seeing if that tantalising blush of yours blooms when I feast in between those creamy white thighs of yours.”

“Draven.”
I whispered his name as a plea as his words alone were going to make me come and I hadn’t even been touched yet.

“Turn around and raise your hands above your head.”
I opened my eyes and finally I saw him, looming in the shadows with only his purple eyes to warn me of his presence.

“Why?” I asked in a soft, unsure voice, one that I knew the predator in him would enjoy.

“Are you or are you not here for my enjoyment?” 
This time his whispered voice had a rougher edge to it, as if his demon was also itching to come out and play.