On the Edge of Fear Read online

  On the Edge of Fear

  Elan Isle, Book Three

  By

  Thianna D.

  Copyright 2017 Thianna D.

  Smashwords Edition

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  Words Copyright © 2017 Thianna D.

  Cover Design: © 2017 Thianna Durston

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons living or dead, or places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to offer a sincere thank you to my betas, Ruth & Angela. Your help is invaluable!

  Table of Contents

  About the Book

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Epilogue

  Have You Read?

  Coming Soon

  Author’s Note

  About the Book

  Having survived the streets for five years, Alexis Amari knows that staying safe means keeping to herself and not getting attached to anyone. All her training and logic come to nothing the day she visits Ye Olde Kinke Faire, intent on picking as many pockets as she can, and meets Ryan Walston.

  At twenty, Ryan has a good life and is training to be a Dom. He’s at home at Elan Isle and Ye Olde Kinke Faire and when he meets Alexis, falls head over heels. When he finds out about her past, he gets her a job on the island. He hopes to be a good Dom someday. With them starting out on a D/s relationship, someday is now today and he struggles with the gaping holes in his experience.

  Real work is harder than Alexis anticipated and she finds it more difficult to follow the rules than she expects. They both worry they will mess things up. The best night of their lives is blown apart and their entire future hovers on the edge of a knife. To move forward, Ryan and Alexis must face their deepest fears without falling apart. The sacrifices they make will either save their relationship or send them careening over the edge.

  Chapter One

  From her spot leaning against the railing, Alexis Amari had a pretty good view of the people around her. Each one was excited for what lay ahead. Alexis was excited too, though not for the reason they were. They were headed to Elan Isle to partake in something called Ye Olde Kinke Faire. She’d been to several renaissance fairs in her lifetime so it would be old hat. Every day at such an event was good for her pocketbook. With cash sticking out of pockets, and billfolds peeking out of purses, renaissance fairs were the perfect place to pick a pocket or ten.

  A part of her felt badly for what she was about to do, but like every other time her conscience stood up and tried to tell her she was a good girl and that “Good girls don’t steal,” she pushed it away. After all, that voice sounded remarkably like her grandmother and her grandmother had never been in her situation. Good girls might not steal, but she’d rather steal than other courses she’d had to take at times.

  Since they had another fifteen minutes before they docked at Elan Isle, she people watched. Part of her was keeping an eye out for the most likely to lose their money. They were easy to spot as their billfolds already showed. In this group, a lot more showed than she’d ever seen before. The men wore skintight pants and the women had on such short skirts that if they bent over, Alexis turned away. Looking at pussy wasn’t her thing and from what she could tell, none of the women in the short skirts wore underwear.

  They made her feel overdressed in jeans and a camisole top.

  Besides the tacky clothes, she noticed a few women in period garb. Well, period garb was an overstatement. Their dresses might have looked eighteenth century-ish, if it weren’t for the fact their breasts were outside of their corsets waving in the wind. How brazen—and fascinating. She watched them out of the corner of her eye and saw one of them bring out a book. Alexis recognized the cover right off. It had been on the bestseller shelves for a few years. Something about kinky romance, if she remembered correctly.

  While she could understand people’s right to read what they wanted, the whole romance angle bothered her. There was no such thing as happily ever after. None. She should know. At nineteen, she’d been on her own for five years. Ever since the day her father kicked her out of the house. Alexis had been lucky. A few other homeless teens taught her the ropes. She’d learned how to pickpockets and where people left out good food.

  Unfortunately gangs had moved in wanting the money, and she’d had to move out. On her way out of town, she’d found out what a treasure a renaissance fair was. Every day the foot traffic changed. She was free to pickpockets all day long as those people wouldn’t be back the next day. Renaissance fairs had supported her through some rough winters. Nobody believed the pretty girl with the straight black hair, olive skin, and doe eyes would steal a thing. If they only knew.

  Alexis looked back at the woman with the romance. She was laughing and waving the book about as she appeared to be reading from it. Whatever she said sent a roar of laughter up from those around her. Nobody seemed to be taking the book seriously. Huh. Maybe they weren’t into romance either.

  Turning away from the people, she gazed out over the water at the approaching island. She’d never heard of a renaissance fair on an island before. It made her a little queasy as getting away would be nigh difficult if she was caught. The ferry only went three times daily. But surely on an island there would be places to hide. She was banking on it as there was no way to turn back now. She’d seen enough money on the boat to pay for the next week’s food.

  The ferry docked and she waited for most everyone to leave before she stepped out onto the rocky beach. A path of gravel led up past a few buildings to a large set of wooden gates. As she passed by one of the buildings, a door opened and a man stepped out wearing nothing. Her mouth fell open in shock but he didn’t seem to notice. Technically he wasn’t wearing nothing. There was a leather collar around his neck. He walked up to a woman who connected a leash to it and s
macked him on the ass.

  What was going on? One quick glance around told her everyone was acting or dressed oddly. Skintight pants and beaming breasts were the least of the problem. One guy walked by in leather pants where the crotch was emphasized, surrounded in fake jewels, his cock filled out in an arc. It kind of looked like the nose of that one Muppet she recalled from her childhood. He liked chickens if she remembered correctly. Shaking her head to rid herself of that image, she followed the large group toward the gates.

  A man in period garb leaned on a wall above the gates, grinning down at them. “Ah,” he said in a nice British accent, “well, once you’ve had a chance to look around, Lords and Ladies, come to the Altar. I’ll help your subs find some repentance.”

  The lords and ladies remark was right for a renaissance fair. What was a sub?

  “A switch does wonders,” one of the guys nearby shouted.

  “Aye,” responded the brit. “But it’s amazing what a switch, combined with a few words from the good book, can do for a recalcitrant sub.”

  “You gonna preach at us?” said a guy in a deep booming voice.

  “Aye.” The guy grinned. “Perhaps I should introduce myself. I’m Father Mark Able. I work hard to make sure every sub’s soul’s been saved. I preach out of every good book. The Bible for those who really need it, The Story of O for the shy ones, and from the master of all masters, the Marquis de Sade, himself. Libertines, huzzah!” he shouted and everyone shouted “Huzzah!” back.

  Alexis scratched her head. Was the Marquis de Sade the head of the fair? This was the strangest renaissance fair she’d ever seen. And she hadn’t even gotten inside yet.

  Chapter Two

  “All set, Ryan?”

  Ryan Walston looked up from his booth and grinned at Alec Rowland as he strode by. “Think so. Four paddles. Sign. Money box. Spanking bench. I should be good to go.”

  Alec gave him a thumbs up. “Need anything, send me a text.”

  He’d heard that a lot that morning. As it was his first ever time doing anything like this, he appreciated their offers. Considering what everyone else offered, his spanking booth was calm by comparison. It was a cheap way for those who were just sticking their nose in the kink pool to get a little heat. Perfect for a guy training to be a Dom.

  Kendrick had given him a good spot. He was at the first split on the right after people entered the gates. They would all flow past him and even if they didn’t take advantage right off, hopefully they’d remember him and come back for a smack or two.

  “Five minutes,” came a shout from further down and he trembled in excitement. The previous summer he’d delivered lunch and dinner to the shopkeepers since they couldn’t leave to get their food. While he was still doing that this summer, he was also running his own booth a few hours a day. Ryan knew he was fortunate. What other horny twenty-year-old got lucky enough to live in a kink community and work in a Kink Faire every summer?

  “Have fun, Ryan.”

  With a snort, he waved at Becca as she walked by. Becca was Kendrick Finleigh’s sub and one of his favorite people. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Kendrick?” he called back.

  She sent him a wicked grin. “He mentioned something about playing hide and seek to Master Neil. I thought I’d give him a head start.”

  “You’re so going to get your butt blistered,” he said with a laugh.

  Becca struck a pose, her bawdy wench uniform leaving nothing to the imagination. “He has to find me first.” She trotted off. He chuckled and once again made sure everything was within easy reach.

  “Opening the gates,” came the yell and a frisson of excitement went up his spine. This was it.

  Ryan drew in a deep breath and took his stance in front of the gazebo that housed his booth. He’d chosen to wear off-white pantaloons and a shirt that would have fit well for a nineteenth-century gentleman. The shirt was tucked in but not buttoned up so it showed off his abs. The pantaloons left little to the imagination as to his size. He’d lucked out on the large side and loved it when people noticed.

  It was day two of the Faire’s season but he’d been unfortunate to be knocked out with the flu for the last three days. When his mother put the kibosh on him running his booth the day before, he’d turned to his father and to Kendrick for help. After all, he was feeling better. Both of them had basically raised their hands up and backed off. Apparently a mother’s demand eclipsed a Dom’s every time.

  A wave of people rushed through the gates and for a moment, he felt a bit of panic at the thought of all those people rushing by him at the same moment. Almost instantly, the mob diminished as some people took a different fork or went to check out a store. The first few people to stride his way were a group of ladies in what looked like saloon girl outfits. Their bustiers were body-hugging and shoved their tits up nice and tight. Their skirts, though, came all the way down to mid-thigh. A shame.

  “Good day, ladies,” he said loudly to get their attention. Ryan wasn’t egotistical, but he knew he looked good. He had reddish-brown hair that fell to his shoulders and baby blue eyes. His looks had gotten him what he wanted quite often growing up. The four women looked in his direction and the giggles started. They were mid-twenties maybe, but by their giggles he knew they were either not kinky at all and had come as a lark, or were kinky but had never stuck their toe in the pool. That type of giggling might make them gang up on one of them. Well, he could work either angle. He hoped. Time to put aside his nerves and act like the Dom he hoped to be one day. “It’s a fine morning for a spanking, isn’t it?”

  More titters and one of the women cocked her hip out to the side. “Spanking?”

  “Ah yes. An overheated ass is the best way to enjoy the day.”

  She turned slightly pink. “I’m a good girl.”

  Right. He slowly looked down her body, letting his eyes settle on her breasts and then her legs. Then he looked back into her eyes and winked. “A good girl definitely deserves a spanking. Wouldn’t you rather have the breeze lift that skirt right up and cool off the heat along those cheeks?”

  “Go on, Melanie,” one of the women said. “Try it. It’s only a couple bucks.”

  The others added in their encouragement. Melanie lifted her chin and stepped forward. “Fine. I’ll bet it doesn’t even hurt.”

  He hid a grin. Oh it would hurt all right. Though he wasn’t into giving severe pain, he did enjoy the squeaks, grunts, and cries of a well-spanked bottom.

  “Do you want a leather paddle or a wooden one?” he asked as he stepped into his booth.

  Her eyes darted around the space, taking in the large leather paddles, the large wooden paddle, and the thin wooden paddle. “The small one.”

  “The leather will hurt less,” he offered, trying to help. She cocked her head to the side and gave him a look that clearly proclaimed him an idiot. Well, he tried. “Three bucks. Straddle the bench, wench.”

  Her friends giggled and crowded around the gazebo. She handed him the money and straddled the thin bench. “Bend over.” She lay her body down gingerly along the leather, her entire body screaming that she was uncomfortable. Ryan grabbed the thin wooden paddle and flipped up her skirt. He managed not to show his surprise at the off-white granny panties she wore.

  “One spank for the lovely wench,” he said loudly and brought the wood down with a loud smack. Ryan had purposefully not put his force behind it, but by her scream and the way she yanked to her feet, one would think he did.

  Her eyes were wide and she pulled her skirt down as she stepped away.

  Several people had paused at her scream and stared as she walked away, her hands over her rump, her friends following along laughing. It seemed her scream had created interest.

  “Lords, Ladies, welcome to Ye Olde Kinke Faire,” he said, hoping he hadn’t accidentally harmed her. “And to the Spanking Booth. Just two or three dollars a spank. What a way to start the day for your subs.”

  It seemed they agreed.

  For
almost two hours straight, he had a steady stream of customers. When his phone buzzed, he took a look at it. “Ah, I’m afraid I have to take a break. Have to serve all the wonderful shopkeepers their lunch. Don’t want anyone falling down faint from hunger. Someone might think that’s an offer.” Guffaws met his words and with a grin, he locked his money bag and hung it from his shoulder. He put up the sign that said he would be back that afternoon and turned away… only to spot the prettiest girl he’d ever seen.

  Standing over by one of the shops, she watched him. The sun glinted off raven black hair that ran straight to her shoulders. Brown eyes watched him out of a soft oval face. Her olive skin tone sent tingles running down his spine. Ryan was too young to have a type, but he had to admit, sweet-looking definitely rang his bell. With people waiting for their food, he couldn’t dawdle, so as he walked by, he winked at her. “I’ll be back later if you need a spanking, cutie.” Then he forced himself to jog toward the township.

  Hopefully he’d see her later. When he had the chance to flirt.

  Chapter Three

  Alexis pulled back as if struck. Idiota, she chided herself. The best pickpocket was the one who never got noticed. The sexy guy had definitely noticed her. Or, maybe not. He didn’t look over his shoulder as he jogged away. Perhaps he flirted with everyone he came in contact with. Her heart rate began to slow.

  Yes. That was it. He was like all the other odd people she’d seen since she arrived. Flirting seemed to come natural to them, when they weren’t telling someone to kneel or demanding that another suck their cock. She was still reeling from seeing that interchange. Giving head had helped her raise money at times, but something about the way those men ordered and the women sunk to their knees with their mouths opened had seemed different. More enticing, somehow. She wasn’t sure why.

  As it turned out, Ye Olde Kinke Faire wasn’t a regular old renaissance fair. No. It seemed to be a fair for the kinky set. She was stuck there until the ferry returned at five o’clock. That was a good thing. She’d already managed to gather enough for a motel room for the night and her evening meal. By five, she should be set for the week if not more. If she didn’t get distracted by cute guys wielding paddles.