The Claiming by Tara Sue Me Page A

with a white tablecloth.
    Most shocking was Fritz, standing beside the table. She looked up at Cole, but he only winked at her.
    â€œCole and Sasha,” Fritz started, when they came to a stop before him. “Is it your intent to enter into a Dominant/submissive relationship?”
    Cole gave her hand a squeeze. “It is.”
    â€œYes, Sir,” she replied.
    Fritz stepped to the side and waved Cole to the table. She felt his absence when he dropped her hand to lift up the white cloth. Underneath was a bowl. She couldn’t figure out what that was for. She’d been to a few collaring ceremonies and she’d never seen a bowl used before.
    Cole took the bowl and handed it to her. She looked down into it as she took it.
Water?
    What was she going to do with water? Was she supposed to drink it?
    Before her, Cole simply gave her the smile that always lifted her mood and eased her fears. She was being crazy. Cole knew what he was doing. He had the entire ceremony under control. She needed to relax and enjoy it.
    â€œSasha, my dearest little one, when you came to me, you were frightened and unsure. There were issues in your past that clouded your vision of the future.” He took a sponge from the table and put it in the bowl. He squeezed some water out of the sponge so it was only the slightest bit damp. “You are mine now and I am the one who will carry your fears and worries, letting there be only light for your journey forward. With this water, I wash all the pains of yesterday away.”
    With the gentlest touch, he ran the sponge across the bare skin of her neck and down her arms.
    â€œThe nightmares that have haunted you are gone, washed away.” He knelt down and dribbled water across her feet. “The doubts you had, the fear, and all the secret things you kept hidden in your soul. They are all gone. There is only you and you are mine.”
    He stood up and took the bowl, but she could barely see him for the tears gathering in her eyes. His words healed the remaining dark spaces inside her and she knew the past wouldn’t bother her anymore. She had a feeling her panic attacks were gone forever, too.
    He put the bowl back on the table and took both her hands. “I vow to you today, in front of our friends that I will protect you, love you, cherish you, and pamper you.” The corner of his mouth lifted up with just a hint of smile. “I also promise to correct you when needed, push you when called for, and to ensure you never have trouble falling asleep. Knowing this, do you consent to be my submissive and to wear my collar as a symbol of my dominance?”
    â€œYes, Sir,” she managed to get out.
    Cole nodded to Fritz and the German Dom took a pillow from under the table and placed it on the ground beside Cole.
    â€œThough I once told you about why I would ask my submissive to kneel on rocks,” he said so low she knew no one else could hear. “Tonight it would please me more for you to use a pillow.”
    When she knelt down before him, it felt right. Sure, she’d enjoyed walking in beside him and standing face to face holding hands, but it was when she knelt for him that her world felt like everything was in its place.
    He briefly touched her hair, the small act filling her with even more peace. But it wasn’t until she felt the collar being placed around her neck that she understood exactly what peace was. Though less than an hour had passed since he’d taken off her old collar, the feel of her new one caused her entire body to relax. And when he fastened it into place, she muttered a soft, “Yes.”
    His chuckle told her she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she had.
    â€œI’ll admit,” he said, “I feel better with it around your neck as well.”
    She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say anything or quote her own vows. Obviously, Cole had been planning this and would have had time to come up with