Vow of Surrender

Chapter Thirty-One

Caedance looked back at the house one last time, reluctant to leave Adam alone. She knew how anxious he was about tonight, and she wished there was more she could do to put his mind at ease. At least he would be able to see the whole thing. She wouldn't do anything to betray him, and yet she wanted to be extra careful how she acted.

Being a Primal Dom often got intense, especially when Koda was in the picture. It wasn't rare for them to get caught up in a scene and completely forget everything and everyone around them. Tonight was more about showing Adam another side to herself. It was also about finally putting her bond to Koda to rest.

"You good?" Koda asked, breaking her chain of thought.

She turned to him, and for a moment she almost called it all off. But the fire inside her was burning, aching to be set free. To run through the cold night air and become one with the forest. To fight for power. To chase the prey who eagerly awaited them somewhere out there in the dark.

"Yeah. Go on ahead. I don't want you cheatingand seeing which way I go."

Koda chuckled. "Me cheat? Never!"

He took off into the woods, and Caedance's hesitance quickly turned into competitiveness. She ran to the right since Koda had gone left. She was wearing her best running shoes since her feet weren't used to the rough ground like Koda's were. His callouses were rock hard, and he refused to get a pedicure to smooth them out.

Once she'd been running for quite a while, she slowed her pace and started the second part of the game: finding the prey. Penelope had been in the scene for almost as long as Caedance had, so she would be a tough one to catch. Caedance only knew her from Scorched Earth, but they had never spent time together or done a scene together.

Caedance hid behind a tree and held her breath as she listened for movement. The last time she was here, she had been the prey, so this was a different side of things. At least she had stayed in shape, thanks to Sam and her dislike for doing anything alone. They went to the gym together, running, yoga, anything exercise related. She would have suggested Sam be the prey tonight to make Adam more at ease, but Sam was a big baby when it came to the dark.

After some time, she got a sense of where she was. She used to know these woods backward and front, but it had been a while. Koda let her walk around earlier to jog her memory. He'd had a company carve out paths to make it somewhat easier, and the trees had been thinned as well since this was supposed to be fun, not a real-live Survivor episode.

She heard rustling further off to her left. Someone was moving quickly on the ground, and it wasn't an animal. An animal would be quieter.

Careful not to give herself away, Caedance moved toward the path so she wouldn't make noise with the crunching of leaves. She ran toward where the trees were thickest before making a sharp turn toward where she heard the noise. If she'd heard it, she knew Koda did as well. She would have to--

Someone jumped down from a tree in the line of her path, and the man himself charged at her. She didn't have time to dodge his attack as he tackled her, turning their bodies so when they hit the ground, he landed underneath her to cushion her blow.

Animal instinct kicked in to gear, and she growled in frustration. When they came to a stop, she wriggled from his grasp, taking several steps back.

"Nice attack," she jabbed.

"Nice escape. But if you had been my target, I wouldn't have gone so easy on you."

"I'm not as rusty as you think. And you'll realize that when I catch her first."

Caedance took off running, and Koda ran parallel, matching her pace. She knew they were getting close to the target, or Koda wouldn't have tried to distract her. He picked up his pace, running far ahead, and she slowed down.

"What do you know that I don't?"

She stopped, trying to figure out what Koda was doing. The game had only just begun, and he wouldn't try to catch the prey that easily.

***

Adam was sitting forward, clenching the iPad in his hands with a death grip as he watched the scene before him. Koda had just executed a frontal assault on Caedance, and just watching them made him cringe. That had to hurt, no matter how good of shape someone was in. She seemed to be okay, but he wished Koda wouldn't be so rough.

The two exchanged words, circling one another like two lion vying for the same deer. Adam wasn't sure how long he had been watching, but it felt like forever. He spent some of his time trying to learn the area and he found the woman they were looking for.

They needed to move further East if they were going to catch up to her. But strangely, the woman had stopped hiding and was straying more towards open areas. Either she was being brave or she wanted to get caught. Was she giving up so soon? Unless that was the whole point. To run for the thrill only to eventually give herself away. The question was, which Dom would she submit to?

Koda sped up, and Adam noticed his brother figured out what he needed to do. He was coming in from behind where the woman was hiding. Caedance stopped, hiding behind a tree, probably listening for movement. They had picked the perfect night to do this. There was no rain, or wind. The skies were clear but covered by the treetops.

"Just a little closer," he said aloud, though he knew neither could hear him. "She's almost to you, Caedy. Just wait where you are."

The woman ran once again, and as Adam hoped she was heading straight toward Caedance. But Koda was not far behind.

"Hurry!"

The woman ran right passed where Caedance was, and he expected his woman to pounce, but she just watched.

"Wait . . . what are you doing? She's right--"

Koda was almost to the tree, and Caedance came out form her hiding place. Koda barely had time to stop. He glared at her, and a growl one would expect from an animal roared in his throat.

"YOU'RE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE!"

"Not on my account! I've spotter her, and now I can track her moves. She's mine!"

"YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME?" Koda grabbed her arm, twisting her around, then forced her to her knees. "I am the alpha Dom here. You WILL not challenge my authority!"

Caedance bent forward, throwing him over herself then wrenched her hands free. While Koda was sprawled on his back, she got on top of him, straddling him and pinning his arms on either side of him. Adam's stomach turned, and jealousy coursed through him. Seeing her on top of his brother like that reminded him that they had once been sexually involved. He'd been able to forget until now.

"YOUR authority?" Caedance challenged. "Have you forgotten who I am?"

Koda growled again, snapping at her with his teeth, but she moved back fast enough to dodge it.

"Am I going to have to remind you of your place? I've done it once. I can do it again!"

He turned them over so he was on top of her. She pushed him backward then rolled over, but as she stood up, he grabbed her by the neck, yanking her head back.

"I will not submit to you!" Caedance snarled. "And I will not let you have her!"

Koda growled in her ear then pushed her forward so she was on her hands and knees with her backside in the air.

"I said . . . remember your place. Must I remind you?"

Adam folded his hand, resting his elbows on his knees as he bounced his legs up and down. He didn't like this. In fact, he hated it. This wasn't intriguing anymore now that Caedance was the object of his brother's attention and not the other woman.

Caedance may have been playin galong, but this wasn't a power struggle for Koda. It was a fight for her submission. Her expression had changed from determined to concerned, and she bowed her head as she breathed heavily, her hair brushing the leave-covered ground. Adam's stomach turned as he waited for what would happen next.