Chapter 1 -Savior

FLASHBACK - June 2009

Kai is 20 years old, suspended in ropes on full display at a kink club. While her Dom and abusive ex-boyfriend whips her with a bullwhip. Several welts are already forming across her shoulders and ass, the pain was exquisite but Kai also knew this was just the beginning, Beast was out for blood tonight. She knew she had to get out, she had to get away from him. But to anyone that saw them together, she was the perfect submissive.

How would anyone believe her, that he beat her on a daily basis? Especially anyone with inside the kink community, who saw that she was the ultimate pain slut for her Dominant.

What would her martial art Masters say? They knew she could take down three or four opponents without even breaking a sweat. So why would she let any man beat her?

There was only one thing keeping her grounded in the scene and not spiraling  was those hazel eyes that night, the man sitting in the front chair watching the exhibition. His mask showed only his eyes and yet it was the only thing she could focus on while she took her punishment and that is exactly what Beast was handing out, punishment for daring to run.

There was a knowing in his eyes and almost a sixth sense that he knew something wasn't quite right.

Kai tried to communicate him that she needed help but whether or not he understood her plea was another matter.

As the exhibition came to an end, Beast took her backstage for off the kid to tend to the welts that were forming, some of them have broken skin and blood was pooling around the edges, threatening to drip down her back. After cleaning off the open wounds and applying crème, Beast left the room and Kai was quick to pull her dress and black feather mask back on and rushed to the door cracking it open to see what he had gone.

I should pull the door open a little more, to hopefully sneak out of the club without anyone noticing; a wall of muscle appeared in front of her and she looked up into the same hazel eyes of the man, who she can only assume was a Dom, from the front row. A current passed between them, something fierce and electrifying. Kai opened her mouth to beg for help, yet before she could get a sound out, or take another breathe, this mystery Dom has her wrapped in his overcoat, tucked under his arm and hurried out the back door of the club before anyone was wiser.

Parked in the alley is a sleek Porshe Cayenne GTS, where a 6’5” line backer jumps out of the driver seat, rips open the back door just as Mystery Dom reaches the vehicle and slides Kai into back seat; following quickly pulling her back under his arm. The driver returns to the front seat, rapidly taking off, making the tires squeal. Kai clings to his shirt, trying to slow her hyperventilating, trying to desperately remember her therapists technique for calming her panic attacks.

“Look at me,” his voice has the timbre of iron, deep and raw; with a sting that reverberates through your entire soul. Kai can’t help but obey, her eyes snapping up to his as if a bolt of electricity had run up her spine. His mask still on, yet his hazel eyes bore into her, his hands reaching up to cup the sides of her face. Playing with the feathers in the edge of her mask before sliding his fingers round to the back of her head, threading through her hair, pressing his fingers into the points at the base of her skull.

“Breathe with me,” starting to match her own panicked breathing, he takes one breathe for two of hers. Breathing in for 3 and out for 3, “Breathe in long and out longer as if blowing bubbles.”

It could have been hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. This seemingly fierce and dominate man talked Kai through the sight, feeling and colors of watching those bubbles float through the air. There was no impatience and not once did this man avert his eyes from hers.

As their breathing fell into sync, Kai’s eyelids started to droop and she pressed her face towards the middle of his chest. Her savior released his hold on her hair and neck, letting his hands trail down over the backs of her shoulders and come to rest between Kai’s shoulder blades, anchoring to her body.

She had never felt to safe and secure against a stranger's body before.

Time seemed to suspend as he held her pressed towards him. Starting to feel like a burden, dragging this man, this savior, into her problems, Kai flexed her fingers out to press her palms against his chest. Pushing with a little force she tried to pull away, yet the wall of muscle in front of her merely locked his arms and continued to hold her in place.

“Don’t,” his raw iron voice taking on a deeper tone vibrating through the car, “Tell me where you need to go.” But she couldn’t.. Could she?

She couldn’t lead him back to her dormitory, not dressed like she was now. Nor did she want them to randomly drop her at one of her friends houses, which would give Beast a way to find her again, everyone knew each other in the friend circle.

Kai started shaking her head, tears spilling over her cheeks, dropping down onto his lap. Sobs started to wrack her body making her breathing hitch at the top of her lungs again. Who was she going to call? Who wouldn’t ask too many questions or judge for her dress attire? Just one person..

“Need.. My phone.” Kai drops her hands to her lap, reaching and fumbling with the clasp on her purse. Mr M, this is who she was calling him in her head, removes his hands from her back, taking the purse gently from her hands pulling her phone out and swiping the screen to unlock it.

“Pin?” Kai reached for her phone with shaky hands but he merely brushed them away, collecting both her hands in one of his, “No baby, let me.”

Taking 2 breathes to try and steady her voice, “1... 2.. 4... 8” she managed to stutter out, one of her hands sliding out of his and into the gaps between the buttons on his shirt and gripping until her knuckles turned white, the other hand reaching for her phone again. Holding on to him was the only thing keeping her grounded, “S-search con...t-tacts... Sara T-t...”

She was rapidly blinking her eyes, trying to stay awake and not be pulled under by black spots, she briefly saw Mr M press the contact before she could hear the phone ringing on speaker phone. Kai held the back of his hand that held her phone, keeping her head resting her on his chest, the steady rise and fall of his chest a constant emanating presence of calm and protection. After five rings, the line picks up, “Kai it’s a little late don’t you...” a women’s groggy voice starts from the other end of the phone but Mr M cut’s her off.

“Kai is in trouble,” his voice brings an instant stillness to any objection. It was only at this moment that Kai realized she hadn’t told him what her name was. He was taking the lead from Sara, “She is running and told me to call you for help. I need an address to bring her to you.”

“Sara.. P-ple...ease..” Kai groaned out past the breath still caught in her throat. There was a long moment of silence through the other end of the phone. Kai was slowly counting the breathes she and Mr M took in the time before Sara answered. 1.......2........3............4.......

“How do i know you aren’t the danger?” it almost came through the phone as a snarl.

“I pulled her out of Midnight,” Mr M stated flatly sliding his free up and down Kai’s back slowly, fingers flexing and closing as he went, “Where can i bring her?”

“Who are you?” Sara’s voice was gaining concern and irritation at not receiving a straight answer. It didn’t escape his attention that she didn’t question what type of club Midnight was.

“Call me Duke,” he finally placed Kai’s phone in her hand underneath his, trailing his fingers up the outside of her arms and up over her shoulders to cup her cheeks again, lifting her head up to see him, “Where do we go?” He searches Kai’s eyes for something, his thumbs alternating between running over her bottom lip, not covered by her mask, and brushing up under the mask against her cheeks.

“(insert apartment complex address here)”Sara starts to rattle off her address after an audible deep breathe “Take the first parking entrance on the right, go down to purple, park near H34 and i will meet you at the elevator.”

“We will see you in 12 minutes,” Duke doesn’t bother to repeat the address, the driver has already punched it into GPS. The phone call ends but Duke hasn’t taken his eyes off Kai again. He continued to hold her gaze, thumbs slowly moving across her skin. Kai started to flutter her eyelids closed. There was something about him that made her feel very safe. The heavier her eyes became, he shifted Kai in the seat to lay her head against his shoulder, keeping her tucked against his side, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other lazily draped over her back and sides.  He keeps his hands respectful at all times.

Silence filled the vehicle as they headed towards what Kai could only assume to be Sara’s apartment. It felt like no time has passed after she closed her eyes, yet she was awoken by strong arms lifting her out of the back, swaying gently, the person was walking.

“What happened to her?” She could hear Sara’s voice, straining to blink open her eyes, Kai tipped her head back against the strong arm under her neck to see Duke above her, eyes trained on the display panel of an elevator and when she rolled to her right slightly she connected with the piercing intensity of Ice blue eyes, Sara’s.

“Sara.... Beast.. C-can't,” Kai was struggling to stay awake, the adrenalin in her body had depleted, exhaustion was sweeping through her body making it impossible to stay awake.

“Don’t talk right now,” Duke finally looked down at Kai in his arms, “You can tell her all about it tomorrow. You can go to sleep you are safe.”

The last thing Kai saw before her eyes closed, was Duke’s hazel eyes filled with something dark and fierce, it could almost be mistaken as rage; as he lay her down on a couch in Sara’s apartment.

“Im going to leave my number,” he turned to Sara pulling a business card from his pocket and sliding it onto the coffee table, “If she needs anything, call me.” He looked pointedly at Sara, who crossed her arms and shifted her weight over her right foot hip jutting out to the side. She nodded watching his every move as he turned, leaned back down and pressed his lips gently to the top of Kai’s hair, “You will see me again.”

He didn’t know if she heard him or not, but he turned on his heel towards the elevator again, stepped in and pressed the button for the parking garage. Sara watched his every movement, locking eye contact with him as the doors started to close.

“Sara.”

“Duke.”

The doors closed and the nights savior was gone.