The Beast Enslaved

Catherina

AN: Hey you guys, I am so so so so so so so sorry for the long wait! It seems as though writing is becoming more and more of a chore for me and I'm just not being as creative. I don't want to just write something for the sake of updating though, either. I hope I can somehow find a way to motivate myself again with this story... to be entirely honest, I didn't really have a plan for it after Aram leaves New York for the first time. Since then, I've just been winging it. I finally sat down and mapped out how the rest of the story is supposed to go, but I'm not happy with it. Bear with me guys, I will figure something out. Anyway, enough for now, here's another little mushy filler chapter, in which you get to know Elliott's fiancé a little bit better! Enjoy!

And don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT!

DON'T BE A SILENT READER!

xoxo m

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I woke up, slightly disoriented but content nonetheless. The past day came rushing back to my mind. I had finally met El's fiancé, Aram and he had had a heartwarming reunion and I was currently tucked away safely in Aram's arms, lying in a soft fluffy bed with sunrays tickling my nose. From outside our room door I could here the familiar clanking of pots and pans, meaning somebody was making breakfast. I carefully untangled myself from Aram and slid out of bed, not wanting to wake him. He might have thought I hadn't noticed but he had had some trouble sleeping ever since we'd decided to visit Elliott. The past couple weeks whenever I woke up, he would already be lying awake next to me, staring at the ceiling. If he could finally sleep here, I wouldn't wake him.

Making my way down the stairs to the kitchen I could already smell pancakes and bacon. The idea of family making breakfast together made a smile appear on my face. As I strolled into the kitchen I caught the sound of female laughter, accompanied by my brother's low chuckle.

"Good morning!" El smiled at me as I walked into the kitchen.

He and Joanna stood at the stove, each tending to a pan. The table was set and it looked like somebody had been preparing to make fresh orange juice.

"Morning." I greeted back.

Joanna smiled at me before shooing Elliott away, telling him she wanted to have a girl talk with me. Grinning, he left the kitchen, but not before he'd placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Sooooo...." I started, dragging the o out.

She just smiled at me.

"I just wanted to get to know my future sister in law a little bit better without her overprotective brother hanging around."

I chuckled at that.

"That he is." I agreed.

She nodded.

"Coffee?"

A little while later, we were standing in front of the stove finishing making breakfast while talking about our men.

"So Aram..." She began. "He's... intimidating."

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"When I first met him, I was so scared." I admitted. "I thought if I got too close, he'd eat me alive."

"I can see how that would happen." Joanna grinned, winking. "How did you two meet, anyway?"

For a moment, I didn't know what to say, but I forced myself to smile away the awkwardness.

"It's a long story. I only knew him for a couple days before he disappeared. I only met him again this year - two years after he left."

Sadly, while I had been trying to curb Joanna's interst in Aram's and my history, I had only managed to make it bigger.

"Oh my gosh, really? That's so intriguing! Do you know what happened to him? Why did he leave? And how did you guys meet again after two years? Did you just happen to walk into a bar, and there he was?"

"It was more like of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walked into mine." A smooth, deep voice interrupted her inquisition.

"Casablanca, Aram?" Joanna shot back.

Aram just chuckled. "It's the truth."

I felt calmness wash over me at the sound of his voice. I hadn't even realized how tense Joanna's questions were making me until the tenseness fell off me.

"Jo, don't interrogate people, it's rude." Elliott chastised.

The atmosphere in the kitchen shifted a bit for a moment - going from to women speaking to one another on a friendly level to two Dominants entering and demanding attention from their subs. It wasn't an uncomfortable shift, but it was noticeable. It was nice to have a fellow submissive, I realized. My only true friend was Carmen, and although she was in the lifestyle, sometimes she couldn't understand my struggles.

Joanna batted her eyelashes at my brother and pouted a little, making him melt and go to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her. Taking that as his cue, Aram came over to me and kissed me, gently cupping my face.

"Good morning, Sir." I whispered.

"Good morning, pet." He murmured back, digging his nose into the crook of my shoulder. "You smell yummy."

His breath tickled my skin and a giggled a little.

"It's the smell of home made breakfast." I explained.

"Hmmm." He hummed. "I'm pretty sure it's the smell of the beautiful woman I call mine."

"Well aren't you being charming today."

"I woke up without you by my side for the first time in weeks." He mumbled. "It reminded me of what I have and how I never want to lose you."

"You won't." I assured.

Smiling down at me, he pulled back.

"Daw, that's cute." My brother mocked. "Now come sit down so we can eat, or go get a room."

Chuckling, we exchanged a grin and plopped ourselves down at the table while El and Jo brought over the food and a fresh pot of coffee.

"o, wha a ou gus anning on oing o-ay?" El asked with his mouth full.

I sent a glare over to him. Although my brother usually was big on table manners, somehow breakfast didn't count for him.

"I did not understand a word you just said." I claimed, eyeing the pancake he was about to stuff in his mouth.

"I said, what are you guys planning on doing today." He corrected, before proceeding to stuff his face.

Aram chuckled next to me while shaking his head.

"We hadn't really thought that much about it." Aram answered. "But I was hoping to maybe relax a little bit, not head straight into the city."

Falling comfortably into the division of power and control between us, I let Aram answer for the both of us and devoted my mind to my food. Sitting across from me, Joanna seemed to do the same. We exchanged a small smile as our Doms planned the rest of the day for us.

We ended up going on a tour of the area, El and Jo showing us all of their favorite places. We grabbed lunch at a little family owned diner and then caught a movie that both Aram and I had been wanting to see but hadn't gotten around to in L.A. By the time we got back home, all four of us were spent and went straight to our rooms. Aram and I both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows, the couple hours of time difference between L.A. and New York finally catching up to us.