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Chapter 17
Niko
I stilled Miguel’s hands as he started to remove Amelia’s clothing. “I agree, but we have recognized that communication and honesty are important.” It was hard to force the words from my mouth. I have never been one to share about myself, but Amelia deserved to know the whole truth.
I scooted back against the headboard, putting space between my mates and me. My tiger screamed inside, wanting to dominate and claim what was his. I pulled on the dominant within me to control both my tiger and my sexual needs. Miguel was right; we needed to focus on Amelia. In order to do that, I needed to share every part of me.
“Amelia, tell me what you know about the club and what you have learned since joining our pride.”
She pulled away from Miguel, and her eyes darted between us. “Is this a trick question?”
“No, I don’t play games. I am just asking about your depth of knowledge, so I know where to start in my explanation.” Her evasion was wearing on my patience. Logically, I recognized her questions as the defense mechanism they were. It was time to rip the band-aid off and stop treating her with kid gloves.
“Well, I know that the pride runs an adult club, a BDSM club, and Kat has kind of explained the lifestyle.” She paused. “Betty has shared a few stories as well.” I watched the blush rise up her neck.
I nodded. “Well...”
She interrupted me before I could go on. “But I’m not into that kind of thing.” I could see the wariness in her eyes as she spoke. Her words send a jolt of fear through me.
Miguel moved around so that his left knee touched my calf, and his right knee touched Amelia’s bent left knee. “What kind of thing are you talking about? Share with us what you aren’t into.”
“Whips and chains, and public displays of sex. Being tied up or down, kneeling naked. None of it is my thing.” She shook as she spoke; nervousness washed through our bond, followed by the sharp tang in her scent signifying arousal.
“Have you ever been to a club? Have you looked past the exterior of a couple to find out what connects them on a deeper level?” Miguel glanced at me as he went on. “Have you ever asked the questions that I know are bouncing around in your head?”
If she couldn’t accept the lifestyle, then how could she ever fully accept me? I had tried a vanilla relationship before, and it was fine for a while, but I always felt a void, a sort of disconnect, because I ignored my dominant side and his needs.
“Well, no, but Kat gave me the basics, and I decided then it wasn’t for me. Include what Betty has shared. No names,” she quickly added. “I know that’s not allowed, but I have no desire to be paraded around naked or almost naked. Why are you asking me about this?” Amelia tilted her head to the side as she studied me.
“Because I am a dom.” I let the words hang in the air between us.
“Okay.” She screwed her eyebrows together. “Ohhh.” Her eyes rounded as her mind caught up with my words. “What does that mean? If you want me to bow to you, kneel before you, or whatever, you can forget it.” She crossed her arms. “Like I said, that’s not for me.”
“Did Kat explain to you what she gets and how she feels submitting to Leo?” Miguel’s voice was the calm in the storm brewing between Amelia and me. “What the true meaning of submission is?”
“Well, no,” Amelia replied.
“Is Kat a strong woman, a strong shifter in her own right? Does she command a room when she walks in? Can she also calm a room with her presence?”
“Yes, she does all that and more. Kat is one of the most amazing, confident, and strong-willed women I know. And her lioness is a force to be reckoned with,” Amelia agreed.
“Exactly, and when she scenes with Leo, she submits all of that and trusts him to take care of her, push her only as far as she needs, provide punishments and rewards that deep down she craves. That’s why Leo built the club, to provide a safe space for our kind and others to fulfill the needs deep within us in a safe place. We can’t go to a normal human club. Our supernatural abilities would cause scandal and provide one more avenue for us to be hunted from.” Miguel absently massaged my calf as he spoke. His touch calmed the anger and fear building inside me.
“Okay, I can respect that, but I don’t feel the need to submit to anyone.” My heart began to break as she continued, “I have been forced to submit against my will, and I won’t let that happen again.”
“We would never do anything against your will,” Miguel began. “You may not realize it, but the submissive holds all the power in a relationship.”
“The relationship between a dom and his or her sub is not one of forced submission,” I growled. “I would never force you or anyone to submit against their will.”
“Isn’t that how submission works? You force your partner to submit?” Amelia’s innocence was sweet.
“No. There are a lot of factors that go into deciding on a partner, whether dominant or submissive. Factors that we will gladly work through with you, but for explanation’s sake, right now, the step after that is one of the most important. A dom has to earn the true submission of his or her partner. When that happens, it’s a glorious feeling for both.” I glanced at Miguel with a smile. “Knowing someone trusts you completely to read and fulfill their needs, especially needs they don’t consciously realize they have, is a high in and of itself. Seeing those needs met, the pleasure that comes from that, also known as subspace, can be more gratifying to the dominant than sex sometimes.”
“So, submissives don’t get forced?” Amelia was still hung up on how and why submission happened.
“No, unless that is part of the agreement between the dom and sub. Some crave forceful domination. Every relationship is unique in its own way, and there is no set formula for the lifestyle. The only real rule is that it must be safe, sane, and consensual between all parties.”
I could almost see the wheels turning in her head and the unasked questions in her mind. I tried to connect mentally, thinking maybe the intimacy of our bond might encourage her to ask what was on her mind, but instead of an open connection, I ran up against that damn mental block she used to protect herself.
