Chapter Nine

Bunny followed Demetrius out of the tack room into the regal aisle housing animals she had previously only dreamed of sitting on.

The only sounds were horses softly munching on hay and the occasional swishing tail. It was pure bliss after she had been living a seemingly neverending nightmare. The sweet scent of grain and second-cut hay was rich in the air, mingling with leather and horse sweat.

"Pick one." Demetrius broke the quiet, stopping with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Excuse me?" She said, coming to a sudden halt to avoid running into him. The plug sat heavy inside of her and she was still warm with desperate need between her legs.

"You get to pick any one of them you like. Take your time and feel free to go in the stall with them. There's no rush. This is your treat." His voice was as soft as ever. He was not the type of man who needed to raise it. She suspected he was used to prompt obedience from others without having to resort to yelling.

Her heart was beating harder. This was everything she had ever wanted, handed to her on a platter. After a moment, though, her heart was sinking in her chest. Demetrius turned his head around to look at her from the corner of his eye. "Are you not pleased?" His voice was tight, riding on the line of annoyance.

"No, no I just- It's a complicated situation," She whispered, throat tightening as reality crashed around her.

"Hm." The only response.

Before he had a chance to change his mind, Bunny turned on heel and walked as quickly as was appropriate for a barn to the stall at the head of the aisle. The horse had caught her eye. She had a soft spot for a beautiful grey, especially one frosted with deep, dark dapples.

Bunny clucked her tongue to get his attention and the magnificent animal lifted his head, jaw working the hay he had pulled into his mouth. It was best to ensure a horse's attention was on you before entering a stall; you don't want to be stuck in a small room with a startled horse.

Once his eyes were safely on her, she opened the stall door and stepped onto the cedar shavings on the stall floor. The scent was divine. His bedding was so thick that her boots sunk in.

The nameplate said, "Maximus."

"Hi, baby," Bunny crooned, holding the back of her hand to his nose. Maximus breathed in her scent as his kind eyes studied her face. He had a gorgeous Roman nose and a thick neck. She loved how he was put together- a perfect example of desired confirmation.

She immediately decided that this was the one she wanted to ride today.

Bunny leaned out of the stall door and snatched the leather halter and lead rope When she went to slide it over his head, the stallion flung it upwards.

"Absolutely not, fucker," She growled, jumping up and curving her hand over the middle of his nose. Holding firmly until she could feel the bone, she pulled him back down and got the halter secured. It was annoying, and she could tell this horse would be fresh. Bunny didn't mind. She liked a challenge.

To be safe, she slid the shank chain through the halter, over his nose, and out the other side. Once it was clipped in place, she gave them enough slack for him to have his head and walked out of the stall.

Maximus pranced next to her but she paid him no mind. It was all for show. You couldn't punish a stallion for doing what it was born to do. This was a high-energy athlete who loved his job, and he knew it was time to go to work.

She led him to the cross-ties, throwing the lead rope over his neck just in case.

"I assume all of his supplies are in his trunk?" Bunny called cooly down the aisle to Demetrius, who was in a stall grabbing his own mount.

"They are, yes." Came the short reply.

With that, she moved over to the elegant, wooden tack box. It was tall enough to come up to her waist and as ornate as she had ever seen. The cherry wood was seamless, a gold nameplate proudly displaying the horse's show name: Maximum Overdrive.

As she flung open the locking mechanism, Bunny let out a yelp and jerked her hips forward. An incredible buzzing had come to life in her ass.

A dark chuckle echoed through the cavernous aisle and her head whipped around, lips pursed and eyes alight with anger.

"I suppose I forgot to mention that," Demetrius said, flashing a dazzling smile.

Bunny breathed hard through her nose, shaking slightly once more as hunger flared in her belly and desire began welling. In her excitement, she had somehow forgotten about the toy filling her.

Tacking up went smoothly without any interruptions of the vibratory type. First, she briskly whisked away dust using a dandy brush. She wasn't sure this animal had ever needed a curry in his life, which was incredible considering he was older and lighter because of it.

Dappled gray horses "greyed out" as they aged. This meant that they lost their dappling the older they became. She would guess he was around six, but she hadn't checked his teeth. She could always just ask Demetrius… but she'd rather stick nine-inch nails in her eyes than willingly speak to the psycho.

Once she had picked his hooves and checked his legs over, she saw Demetrius approaching from the corner of her eye. He had a handsome brown saddle draped over his forearm with the matching bridle hanging on his shoulder. The tack was gorgeous.

"Be careful when you cinch his girth. He likes to bite." His tone was casual, and it made her weary. She didn't like the idea of relaxing her guard around him. Although she had originally attempted to humanize herself in his eyes, Bunny had begun to suspect that she was already fully human to Demetrius.

It made the entire situation even stranger. If he didn't see her as a possession, a prize, then how could he stomach the torment he was putting her through?

Snapping out of her thoughts, Bunny turned to the horse as Demetrius arranged the tack on the saddle rack attached to his stall. He walked away without another another word.

Bunny plucked the saddle pad up, placing it so that it was high on his withers. She plopped the saddle on top and slid both back, smoothing the hair on his back, before pulling the front of the pad to tent it so it wouldn't pinch his withers.

Maximus swung his head around and pinned his ears as Demetrius had warned when she began doing up the girth. "Don't even fucking think about it," Bunny grumbled, turning to stare him down threateningly.

The horse seemed to think better of it and contented himself with pinned ears and snapping teeth instead. Bunny wasn't one to make a fuss where it was unnecessary. So long as he wasn't truly intending to bite her, she wouldn't react.

Once ready, she slipped the reins over Maximus' head and followed Demetrius outside. Michael lounged like a lazy cat on a chair in front of the arena, taking long drags of a cigarette.

She briefly wondered how many that made today. Maybe if she was lucky his lungs would shrivel up and she could make her escape while Demetrius tried to revive his poor assistant... But she honestly wasn't sure if Demetrius would even pay heed to Michael or just start phoning around for a new helper as his current staff lay dying.

The arena was gorgeous, freshly swept, and impeccably maintained. It was surrounded on three sides by seamless mirrors to help riders judge their position and the movements of their mounts. Jumps were set up in the middle. She slowly took in her surroundings, savoring every second she could spend surrounded by splendor.

While Demetrius mounted his own stallion, Bunny stiffened as she remembered that she was wearing a vibrating plug. Apparently, life-or-death situations were also a turn-on for the resident psycho because horseback riding was unsafe at the best of times, let alone when you were playing sick games.

She slid the stirrups down their leathers, measuring them to her arm, then mounted.

Bunny was one to land softly on a horse's back, an act of kindness for an animal who did so much for the person sitting astride them. Even so, she could feel the plug push further inside of her, and she bit her lip, stomach tightening.

Demetrius called out to her, "We'll ride for a half hour or so. If you're good, we can go on the trails next time."

She didn't respond, instead letting Maximus walk while her hands slid to the buckle of her reins. This was her element. The buttery leather felt wonderfully pliable in her hands. Bunny's heels were stretched down on instinct, leg long and solid even as it swayed lightly, perfectly in rhythm with the horse's stride.

For the first time in what felt like years, she felt peace settle over her.

After a few passes at an extended walk, she pressed her heels into his sides and sat deep, asking for a trot. He complied immediately and she began rising and falling to his outside leg.

Immediately. she regretted it as the plug inside of her woke up. Bunny gasped, faltering and picking up the wrong lead. Her movements became jerky and Maximus answered immediately with a couple of gentle bunny hops. Naturally, he was not the type who would put up with nonsense.

She should have asked for a schoolmaster.

Laughter sounded across the arena and she realized it was two voices, not just one. Bunny shot a venomous glare at Michael, who immediately shut his mouth.

"Come now, Bunny," Demetrius said as he rode up to her on the outside, "I thought you were a better rider than that."

"Fuck you. Eat shit," She growled, curling her upper lip.

"I think the only one who'll be eating shit today is you," He chuckled, eyes heavy with mirth. With that, he cantered off.

"Passing is left shoulder to left shoulder, asshole!" She crowed after him, bristling.

The next thirty minutes passed with the occasional buzz, and Bunny faltering when it happened. She was, for the first time, relieved when the ride ended. Bunny dismounted, landing heavily on the ground and feeling the shock shoot up her legs to her ass, gritting her teeth.

Michael was approaching, already holding Demetrius' horse. He reached his hands out for the reins and she waved him off.

"I take care of my own horses," She said.

"I don't think he's giving you a choice," Michael countered, jerking a thumb over at Demetrius, standing a few feet away. He used a finger to beckon her, and she knew she was to crawl.

In the arena dirt.

Where horses shit and pissed.

Wonderful.

Bunny huffed and dropped to all fours, slowly closing the distance between them.

"Look at you, my sweet Bunny," He said, crouching down and taking her chin in his hand, "You're learning so quickly. Such a smart girl."

Bunny set her jaw, skin tingling at the point of contact between her and her captor. It wasn't a pleasant burn.

His face was set into a wicked grin that made her skin crawl. She wasn't sure where this was going, but it couldn't be good.

The mirror, she thought suddenly, The motherfucker wants to fuck me in front of the mirror.

"Get undressed, Bunny. Slowly. I want to savor every inch of that beautiful body," Demetrius spoke so softly it was almost a sigh.

Bunny also felt like sighing. And screaming. And crying. Instead, she rose to her knees. Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth nervously, she used shaking hands to unzip her breeches, thumbs pushing them apart to expose naked skin underneath.

She then fell back onto her ass with a decidedly unsexy thud and winced. When she glanced wearily at her captor, he only seemed to be lightly amused at her misstep.

Bunny shed her boots, then the rest of her clothing in slow succession. The cool breeze raised goosebumps along her exposed flesh.

"Run."

His command was growled faintly, wolfish eyes burning with excitement. Bunny stammered for a moment, unsure she had heard him correctly. But she had, and she didn't second guess the opportunity to get the fuck away from this deranged asshole.

Turning on heel, she took off across the arena, careening toward the tree line that undoubtedly had the trails he had mentioned earlier. Her feet sank into the sand, making for a punishing journey as her calves began to ache from the strain of her movements.

She threw a glance over her shoulder to see Demetrius walking toward her, the distance between them growing as she made it to the grass and pushed faster still.

Running was something she relished. Even given the current circumstances, it provided a feeling of freedom she had been chasing her entire life. Riding horses was a wonderful source of connection and partnership. But running? Every success was entirely her, and something was endlessly satisfying about that.

With each step, Bunny felt herself opening to joy, and the horrors of her most recent days began melting away again. Even as she felt the crisp spring air nipping her most sensitive parts, she couldn't help but fall into the steady rhythm she had grown accustomed to over her years of daily practice in the sport.

Finally, she reached the tree line and stopped to look back.

Demetrius had stopped walking. He was watching her, face unreadable from the distance between them. The sight of his looming presence snapped her quickly from the trance she had entered and Bunny whipped around to make her way into the woods.

Bunny chose a trail that looked well-worn. It was the least likely to damage her, and she could change direction as she moved further into the woods. With any luck, she'd find a way off the property and safely into a stranger's car.

This was a pipe dream, though. This was obviously a remote location surrounded by a large swath of property. There were likely many miles of meandering trails that connected and diverged repeatedly. However, she was not one to stop believing in the impossible, especially when the sanctity of her body was on the line.

She picked up a steady pace, pulling into form and steeling herself for the rough ground. Her feet were already prickling with pine needles and debris that ground into her soles painfully.

This wouldn't be a pleasant stroll through the woods by any means. But what else could she do? She was losing this battle no matter how she moved the pieces on the board.

Bunny hadn't expected him to chase her through the woods again. No, she had thought he wanted to watch her face in the mirror of the arena while he buried himself inside of her.

Briefly, she wondered if he'd come faster if she pretended to be in pain while he watched; if he could see her face contort in anguish as he drove his cock as deep as he could force it to go.

Probably, She thought bitterly.

Soft sunlight fell in shimmering streams to the forest floor. The heady scents of dirt and the earliest traces of this season's greenery were thick in the air, comforting even as she felt her feet throb in protest from the harsh terrain. Although she tried to quiet her footsteps, Bunny seemed to crash through the undergrowth, every noise ringing clear through the still air. She winced at every snap and creak.