And then there was Cross. He never punished, but always soothed. He took his duty of aftercare seriously. He kissed, he held me close and cuddled me into his muscled chest while stroking my hair repeatedly. He bathed me, dressed me, cared for me in ways I didn’t know possible. The more Pike punished, the more Cross loved. The yin and yang of the brothers was more than I could ask for. 700 hours of the most fulfilling relationship—other than with Trinity—that I had ever experienced. The two of them joined together as one into my soul.
I tried my best not think about the day I would have to leave them both. If I brought it up in conversation, Pike would bend me over and sear my behind. It was not to be spoken of in his presence. And even Cross didn’t like to talk about it. They had a mission. A duty.
Fighting back tears, I decided that I needed to speak with Pike, even though I knew it would result in comeuppance. “Pike,” I said tentatively. “I was hoping I could discuss something with you.” I had to act now. Tomorrow we would be arriving at Canary.
He looked up from his meal with annoyance in his eyes. “No.”
His sharp answer took me by surprise, but I swallowed back the lump in my throat and carried on. “Allow me to stay on your vessel as your slave. I promise you that—”
Pike swallowed the last bite of his meal before speaking in a deep and menacing voice. “I told you that I did not want to discuss this.”
“But I have to. We arrive in Canary tomorrow. What can I do to convince you to allow me to stay? I’m sure Cross will be fine with it, and when he gets out of the shower, we can tell him.”
“No.”
“How can you stare at me like that and feel nothing?” I asked as my voice cracked and wavered. “Am I truly nothing more than a Pallid Slave to you? Simply a delivery?”
“That is what you are.”
His words shattered my heart. Why did he have the power over me to do so? Why did I feel this pull toward a man who had never shown me any form of kindness at all? He had only caused me pain—both physically and mentally. So why? Why did his words stab at me?
“I have sat across from you at this table for a month. We have had sex. You have demanded my submission in the most intimate of ways, and I have given it to you. Please. I know you have to feel something more. I can feel it in your touch.”
“I touch you in order to keep you in line. Nothing more.”
“Not true.”
He looked at me with the most severe warning look I had yet seen.
I cleared my throat and tried to keep my voice calm and steady. “I can see. I notice what you do. When you spank me, you also dip your finger between my folds to see that I am wet. My arousal is important to you. You have never put the collar back on me because you know that is my one true fear. You have granted me that reprieve. When a punishment is over and I’m crying, you wait with me until Cross comes in and takes over. You want him to care for me. You want him to give me comfort because you aren’t capable. You want this because you do feel something for me.”
“Truth…” His warning sent a shiver up my spine but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I had one day left. Only one day to convince him that he wanted to fly right past Canary and keep going.
“I’m not asking for love. I’m not asking for you to be someone you aren’t or can’t be. I can get all that I need in regards to love and tenderness from Cross. But you are able to offer something that Cross can’t. I hunger for you. You wake up a passion inside of me that salivates to be quenched. You spark a flame inside. When we made love—”
“We fucked,” he interrupted, his voice vibrating off the metal walls.
“Maybe,” I said calmly. “But your lifeblood entered me. I felt it just as I know you did. I had your brother’s gold, and your red blending within me. Something happened at that moment. A bond. I can’t imagine losing it forever tomorrow. I already lost it with my own twin sister. You and Cross gave me a small taste of what I lost. I want more.” I paused for a moment, preparing for the rejection that I was sure would follow my next question. “Was I the only one who felt it? Did you not feel the connection from the gold and red blending within me?”