Sweet Lullaby

Chapter Five

The sweet smell of mangoes mixed with Cierra Speares' already provocative natural scent filled Hunter's nose as she returned to the room, locking it behind her. She sat on the edge of the bed, eating the last of the oatmeal that Hunter had left for her. She was mildly pleased that she was eating; although she wouldn't have cared much if she hadn't, she wanted Cierra to be as healthy as possible so that she could take the full brunt of what Hunter would soon deal to her.

Biting her lip, Hunter had to restrain herself from jumping the Detective. Normally, she would take her as she pleased; however she would save it for later after she had explained the rules to her new captive.

Hunter never usually kept up with the people she slept with. Catherine Porter had been one of her more lasting flings, simply because she loved to see how her husband reacted to the marks that she would leave on the porcelain skin that he believed was solely his. The same marks that now peppered Cierra's body. In the end, Hunter had gotten bored with Catherine and had ended her life, as to be expected.

She wondered how long Cierra would last. Her body would no doubt be unable to handle what Hunter would begin to dish out, especially when she paid a trip to her dungeon.

"Why are you doing this?" The question roused Hunter from her thoughts, her gaze flickering towards the woman on the bed. She seemed genuinely curious.

Her hair, tainted a darker color from the remnants of her shower, hung down her back, already curling wildly. Hunter absentmindedly wondered which material she would look best bound by; chains or rope. She herself had a preference for the aesthetic value that chains gave.

Later, She promised herself.

Moving slowly towards the bed, she took a seat near the Detective, eyeing her thighs, which were on full display from the way that she was sitting. There were about three distinct bite marks on the mocha colored skin there, along with multiple slightly red scratch marks and fingerprints that Hunter had left behind. Licking her lips, she knew that she would leave more.

She liked how they looked on her.

"Why am I doing this?" She repeated, wondering if the woman had connected the dots yet. If she hadn't, she wasn't going to alert her just yet. "Well, I could give you a number of answers for that question, all of which would be lies. So instead, I'll just tell you this; because I felt like it."

Her expression remained neutral, probably a learned trait of her profession. "So what's going to happen then?"

Hunter smiled, but it was anything but comforting. "That depends on you. I've got some things to explain to you, so listen closely, and we won't have any problems." Pausing, she made sure she had the other woman's full attention before continuing. "Rule one: I can touch you, do whatever to you, anytime I like," She stated bluntly.

Cierra's face was obviously already displeased, but Hunter pressed on.

"Rule two: You will speak only when spoken to, and you will not disrespect me." This rule was really just a catalyst; Hunter knew from the little interaction that she'd had with Cierra that she wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut for too long when provoked. It would give Hunter a reason to punish her, not that she needed one.

Leaning over, she reached into the nightstand drawer. When she pulled it out, Cierra's mouth fell open.

In her hand was a simple black leather collar less than an inch wide, a single silver ring connecting both the sides together.

"Rule three: You will wear this collar at all times unless I permit you to take it off."

Up until then, Cierra had been silent. She hadn't wanted to risk another spanking, or something worse. But upon seeing the collar, her silence was broken.

"What the f**k? I'm not some animal, I'm not wearing that thing!" She protested, standing from the bed.

Hunter watched her with only a hint of irritation on her inhumanly beautiful face. The rest was amusement at the fact that this woman thought that she could resist her will. In one swift moment, she had Cierra pinned against the far wall, caging her between it and her body. The woman yelped at the sudden change, Hunter's greyish green eyes putting her under what seemed like a spell.

She suddenly couldn't find anything wrong in wearing the collar. What was this woman doing to her? Shaking her head, Cierra tried weakly to look away, hoping that if she could she would regain some of her sense. She didn't want to bend for Hunter.

Grasping her chin, Hunter forced her to maintain eye contact, the collar still in her free hand. "You will wear it. And another thing, I don't want to hear you cursing." She frowned. "Such words shouldn't come from such a pretty mouth." Releasing her momentarily, she used Cierra's dazed state to her advantage, lifting her hair and slipping the collar around her neck. She still hadn't recovered when she locked it into place.

Taking a moment to examine it, Hunter nodded in approval.

"Don't take that off," She warned again, then continued. "There's one more rule; the rest you can learn on the job. Rule four, the most important one," She paused, pressing her body so close to Cierra that there wasn't even a hairs length of space between them. "You belong to me now. You can't escape, so I suggest you get used to it. Violation of any of these rules will result in immediate punishment."

She smirked as she felt Cierra's body temperature rise underneath her fingertips, signaling that she was becoming turned on. Leaning forward, she allowed her lips to touch Cierra's. She tried to resist but ultimately ended up kissing her back reluctantly, her hands locked behind her. Moments later, Hunter pulled away, biting the other woman's lip promisingly before letting go.

Rubbing her thumb against the Detective's cheek, she smiled. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you, little one."

Those eyes almost seemed to sparkle with the sadistic statement, but Cierra couldn't seem to find it in herself to move away.

Hunter exited the room soon after that without another word, leaving Cierra alone with her thoughts.

The first thing she did was remove the collar, tossing it on the bed with disdain. She most definitely would not be wearing that thing; she wasn't some pet, and she wasn't about to allow herself to be treated like one. Now that Hunter was gone, she finally seemed to have a clear mind to think properly once again.

She wondered what time it was; there was no window, so she couldn't even see the position of the sun. She wondered if anyone had noticed her absence yet. She knew it was likely that her partner Jessie would have shown up at her home to chew her out for slacking off when she was supposed to be finding a serial killer; something much more important than sleeping with someone.

At the memory of what she was supposed to have done, she scowled in utter disappointment at herself. Had she been focused, this never would have happened. Now that serial killer was still running amuck, probably choosing another victim.

What would he do when he didn't find her? Tell the captain, have a search team assembled? She doubted it would be that easy.

This didn't seem like this was something that Hunter was new to; she was no doubt locked away in a house secluded from the city. Again, she found herself wondering who exactly Hunter Drakes was.

How long would it be until someone found her, or she managed to escape? She highly doubted the latter would happen based on the set of skills that Hunter had already employed on her. She seemed to be both stronger and faster than Cierra, who had gone through training as well as upheld her own fitness regime; it baffled her.

Hours seemed to pass. Cierra grew tired and the aching in her body faded, but she refused to sleep in case Hunter entered again while she was and did things to her while she was asleep. Settling on the bed, she prepared herself for a long consciousness.