Wolfe walked out of the great hall and into the open courtyard. He stood there completely alone. Total silence surrounded him, as his mind attempted to determine his next course of action. His body ached with need and an overwhelming desire to reach the dungeon and partake of the pleasures awaiting him there. His mind wanted to turn back the hands on the clock and return to a moment three days ago, a moment before this mess had started. He'd known she would reject collaring, known it would turn ugly, so why had he pushed her so soon?
“Damn!” he said to no one. “Take back control, you idiot, and make the lady yours.”
Those words spoken aloud to the empty air seemed to bring him out of the trance he was in. Deciding the lady could await his pleasure a while longer, he headed down the stairs. Taking the steps two at a time, he descended to the yard and turned for the stables.
Moments later, a white stallion broke from the corral at a dead run, its rider laying low over the saddle as man and beast thundered out the gates into the valley below. The darkness swallowed them, as they raced for the dunes on the other side of the valley and the pounding surf which lay beyond.
Arriving at the incoming tide, Wolfe pulled up on the reins and slowed to a steady gait. Riding the lip where ocean met sand, he traveled several miles before halting the horse and dismounting. Letting the horse move further up the beach, Thomas stood at the water's edge looking out into the blackness of night. His mind was crowded with mixed feelings, all struggling to surface.
Why had he even started this, gone along with the idea of an alternate reality? His old life, the one before the secrecy of the palace had not been so terrible. He had made good money, invested wisely, and was able to retire to a more peaceful existence at an early age. He could be living it up on a beach in Mexico, or enjoying the slow pace of the Florida Keys. Instead, here he was living day and night at the palace.
He'd been introduced to Anthony Hart over two years ago and after only a few hours they discovered their beliefs were similar. Both had a desire to experience the pleasure of having a submissive woman in their bed. Hart told him of his plans to build the palace. It all seemed so easy. Find a group of men and women who believed in a simpler time, an age when men ruled with an iron fist and women wanted to be cared for, controlled, and dominated.
It had taken several months to find others willing to give up the modern way of life and embrace a new existence. They'd built a community to be proud of and yet, Thomas felt his role as dominant unfulfilling. He wanted a woman to share his life, a woman to be his partner. Oh God! He realized the truth: he wanted a wife.
Turning quickly away from the water, he whistled for his horse. Walking swiftly up the beach to meet the animal's return, Wolfe lifted his foot into the stirrup. Pulling himself into the saddle, he dug his heels into the soft flesh of the horse's side and turned its head in the direction of Castle Hart.