Shattered (Koa #5)

Lila

I ’ve been appointed the makeup artist for the wedding, and Juliet does the hair. I’m pretty good with makeup, though I don’t wear much on a daily basis. It reminds me of when Macy first came to Alton, and I helped her find some makeup to cover the bruises on her face.

That feels like a lifetime ago.

When I arrive, Allegra’s hair is already done, so I can work on her while Juliet does Macy and Neela’s hair. Her hair is done up in an elegant sock bun.

“I could’ve done your hair, you know,” Juliet fires off to me.

“I know, but I like it when Asher does it.”

“She’s in love ,” Macy says, flashing a smile.

“You do look really happy,” Allegra says as I brush some blush over her cheeks.

“So do you, beautiful bride. How did last night go? ”

She smiles. “You should’ve seen Ian meet my mom. Was he a nervous dork when he met your parents as well?”

“Oh, a complete fool,” I laugh.

“Right!?” She giggles, and I have to back off her face for a moment so I don’t mess it up. “My mom adores Ian.”

“I think he’s a parent’s dream for their daughter. He’s soft-spoken and gentle; not many men come off that way.”

“, thank you for being so cool about all of this. I was worried you’d feel awkward at the wedding, and I didn’t want that.”

“There’s no awkward feelings,” I say honestly. “You found your prince charming, and I found mine. Honestly, I was a little panicked when I heard you two were getting married. I just felt like I was falling behind everyone else, alone. But I don’t feel that way anymore.”

“Do you think you and Asher will get married eventually?” Allegra asks.

“It’s a little soon. But we’re both in it for the long haul.”

“What about you and Ty?” Juliet asks Neela.

“Maybe someday. We’re happy as we are right now,” Neela says.

Macy stands up from Juliet’s chair, her hair in an elegant, thick updo with thick curls. The sunlight hitting her from the window turns her golden.

“Mace, you look so beautiful,” Allegra says.

“You really are glowing.” The moment the words are out of my mouth, I freeze, my eyes drifting down to her stomach in her dress. I hadn’t noticed it, but with her tight sage green dress, she’s either put on a few or...

She shoots me a warning glare. “.”

“Macy! ”

She shakes her head as every set of eyes falls on her. “This is Allegra’s day, guys, let’s move on.”

“Are you PREGNANT!?” Allegra blurts.

Macy folds, her smile caving in her face. “Allegra!”

“I don’t care if it’s my wedding day, you tell us RIGHT NOW!” she blurts.

Finally, Macy caves. “I’m pregnant. We’re having a baby.”

Turner is officiating the ceremony like he did for Macy and Gareth. There’s no wedding party or ring bearer, but Neela walks Marina up the aisle with flower petals. The chairs are filled with our friends and family. I wave to Ian’s parents in the front row.

Ian was getting ready at home so he wouldn’t see Allegra, and he arrives near the beginning of the ceremony. He crosses the lawn to the back, and we watch as he approaches. He’s so dashing, in a full black suit with a sparkling white tie. I guarantee Allegra got it so that he could match her dress.

Turner stands at the makeshift altar, a simple podium Neela decorated with flowers. He shakes Ian’s hand as he joins him and greets the crowd with a friendly smile. When his eyes meet mine, he winks, and I smile back, squeezing Asher’s hand in my lap.

Allegra joins us a few minutes later, and everyone stands as she enters. She looks incredible. She’s in a floor-length mermaid dress that shows off her curves, and she sparkles like a gem in the sunlight. Her chocolate brown hair is in an elegant updo, and her makeup is light, emphasizing her gorgeous eyes and pretty pink lips .

I didn’t know how I’d feel watching Ian get married. As much as I’m over him, I wondered if watching him marry another would hurt. But my heart is so full that I can’t feel anything but happiness for them. Allegra and Ian bring out the best in each other.

And with Asher at my side, I’m not lonely anymore.

Trauma can bring people together in incredible ways. I’ve seen that firsthand. I just never thought I’d be in the middle of it. Asher and I went through hell, and we’re still getting through it. He still tears up when Bane is mentioned, and I still can’t wash my damn hair, but we’re getting there together.

It’s our love story. It’s dark and fucked up, but it’s ours.

“Allegra, do you take Ian Miller to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Turner announces.

Allegra smiles into Ian’s eyes, glowing. “I do.”

“And Ian, do you take Allegra Webber to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Ian reaches out to cup her cheek, stroking it in a way that makes her melt. “I do.”

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

They crash into each other like they’ve been waiting all day, desperate for air, ready for a breath. And when they do, our gathering erupts into cheer. I’ve made it my mission to cheer the loudest, and when I do, they both separate, smiling down at me.

The next day:

Asher wanted to bring me to Turner’s today but wouldn’t tell me why. While I’m confused, I go with the flow, until he punches a code into the door to open it.

“You have a code?”

He flashes a smile at me. “I have more than that.”

We cross the kitchen, and he reaches into his pocket for a key to Koa.

What. The. Fuck?

“I thought you couldn’t do these stairs!” I blurt.

When he opens the door, I see what he wanted to show me. I’m guessing this is what the man in the van was installing that day.

A stair lift.

“Age before beauty,” he says, folding the chair and sitting down. I laugh as he places his cane in his lap and descends, and I follow.

“Turner hooked me up,” he says happily.

“That doesn’t surprise me one bit. That’s Turner for you.”

A room at the end of the hall hasn’t been claimed for a long time, and it’s adorned with Asher’s name.

Asher. My Dom. My love.

“Turner wanted me to show you this yesterday, but it was too busy to sneak down here with everyone in the kitchen.”

The door opens, and the inside comes to life as he forces me inside from behind. A passionate red lights the room. There’s a wooden X frame with cuffs against the wall. Our standard bondage table sits in the center of the room, fitted with chains, at a lower level than the others. A foldable wheelchair is parked near the door .

“I asked him to put some stuff in here for me, but the equipment was his doing. Do I want to know why Turner assumed you like bondage?”

I turn to him, smiling deviously. “Probably not.”

While my heart races, Asher grabs my wrist, and he must feel my throbbing pulse. “You okay?”

I take a breath. This is what I’ve wanted for the longest time. We’ve been intimate but haven’t returned to the original us. But now that I’m standing in our room in Koa, staring at a table fitted with chains, it’s actually becoming real.

“Are you ready for this?” he asks when I don’t respond.

I nod shakily. “Yes.”

“Only if this is what you want. You need to tell me if I need to stop.”

“I will. I promise.”

“What’s our safeword?”

“Exactly what it was before. Dirty little slut,” I say with a smirk before settling. “Can we have a pause, too? In case I need a minute to breathe?”

“Whatever you need, Sunshine.”

I take a minute to go to the bathroom and collect myself. When I head back, I open the door, and Asher’s gone.

What the fuck ?

The door suddenly shuts behind me, nearly knocking me over, and I’m grabbed by the throat and slammed against the wall, where some padding protects my head. Whoever thought of that is a genius.

I struggle against his hold, but he’s far stronger than I am. His body presses mine into the wall, and he holds my neck so I can still breathe but can’t move. His eyes burn into mine, tearing back the layers to see underneath.

“What’s the problem, little cunt? Scared of me?”

“No!” I growl.

A cryptic smile stretches across his face. “You should be. Take off your clothes and get on the table.”

“Go fuck yourself!”

“I’d rather fuck you, Sunshine. Now you can take off your fucking clothes and get on the table, or I’ll be forced to do it for you, and you won’t like that. What’ll it be?”

When I wad up some spit in my mouth and fire it past Asher’s head, his eyes flare with anger. Real anger.

This. This is what I’ve been desperate to get back to.

“You’re gonna regret that, Sunshine. Don’t forget, I still have that video on my phone.”

He grabs me by the arms and forces me back. Before I know it, I’m on my back on the bondage table, and he’s lying on top of me, both of us fully clothed. He’s so strong that chaining my first wrist down to the table takes little effort. Once that’s done, I’m fucked. He’s able to secure my other three limbs easily, so I’m trapped on the table in unwavering chains, unable to move an inch. My legs are comfortably spread apart, so I’m open but not stretched.

I turn my head to watch him as he moves, settling in his wheelchair and rolling over to me, leaving his cane on his lap.

“I’ve been thinking about all the best ways to punish you.”

I gawk. “Punish me for what!?”

He strokes my cheek, and I squirm away from his touch.

“I think you enjoyed that foursome we had way too much, Sunshine. I can’t just let you get away with that.”

“You motherfucker!”

He slaps my cheek hard enough to stun me, and I glare at him.

“Did you hear the noises you were making while you were stuffed with three cocks at once? I was a little worried you’d choke. That’s the price I had to risk paying, I guess. The best-loved toys always have wear, after all.”

“God, I hate you. LET ME THE FUCK GO!”

“No, Sunshine, you know that’s not what I want to hear. You’ve got two options here. One: You can just admit that you’re a dirty little slut, and I’ll let you go. Or Two: You can keep glaring at me all you want while I fuck your pretty little cunt. Your choice.”

He smiles cryptically when I don’t fold, and I know I’m in for it. He crosses the room to the cabinet, searching for something. He finds some wipes and uses them to clean the bottom of his cane. It’s a metal one, with a round rubber base.

Oh no.

“Asher!” I growl.

“What?”

“You fucking wouldn’t.”

He chuckles as he continues cleaning his cane, making a show of it. “You know the magic words. ”

“Fuck you.”

“Not the right words, little cunt.”

He returns with a pair of giant scissors in his hands. When he grabs the bottom of my pants and snips the fabric, I see red.

“Asher!”

“I hope you didn’t like these clothes. Should’ve just taken them off.”

He cuts me out of my clothes with ease, leaving me exposed on the table, unable to cover myself up. That’s when my chest tightens.

“Pause.”

The room goes still while my head spins. Asher doesn’t move or speak; he waits. Once I feel like I can breathe again, I nod at him to continue. He explodes right back into character.

I crane my neck to watch as he places a hand on my hip, the other hand controlling his cane. He rubs the bottom of it around my entrance in small circles, gathering the heaps of moisture that have gathered there. His hand slides across my stomach as he gently inserts the cane. It’s wide and unforgiving, though it glides easily through me.

“Asher! LET ME GO!”

A few shallow thrusts have me moaning and my core tightening furiously, going deeper each time until he’s filling me up nearly to the top.

“Next time, when I tell you to do something, you do it . Unless you’d rather be fucked by my cane like the dirty little slut you are.”

I feel my core growing close, beginning to tighten. “Ash, I’m gonna come…”

“Of course you are, filthy little bitch. ”

When I come, he doesn’t let up, fucking me mercilessly while I squirt everywhere.

Once we’re finished, he immediately helps me off the table, and we move into bed. He pulls me right on top of him, and I rest my head on his chest as he props himself up on pillows. Then he surrounds me, wrapping me in a blanket and his warm arms that I feel so small in—so cared for.

“For the record, I deleted your sex tape. But I’ll never stop threatening you with it,” he says.

“I wouldn’t want you to.”

He grins. “You did so good, Sunshine.”

Sunshine… It started as an insulting nickname but turned into something sweet. Especially now that Asher’s showing more of his sweet side.

This man made me crazy when I first met him. I fucking hated him. Now, I can’t see myself without him. Life’s weird like that sometimes. Meeting Asher has been the craziest roller coaster of my life.

I love this man. He cares for me like a partner but fucks me like a slut. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.