by Melody Anne
“Now who’s laughing?” the man snarled as he reached down and tightened his fingers in her hair, yanking hard until she had no choice but to stand.
She was brought to her feet, facing the man. The dizziness was passing, although she was still having a hard time catching her breath. She glared at the man through her already swelling eye and then reached back in her throat before spitting in his face.
Rage, unlike anything she’d ever witnessed, flashed across his eyes as he yanked even harder on her hair, then let go only to thrust his hands out, sending her flying backward.
Her neck jerked as she hit the wall and slid down. Her head was spinning. It wouldn’t take a whole lot more until she couldn’t stand up. She didn’t care. This was what she wanted. What she had prayed for.
Blood dripped from somewhere on her scalp, and her eye was almost completely swollen shut. Elena still managed to smirk at the man as she called him an asshole. She didn’t even feel the pain of her injuries. Her adrenaline was running too high for her to feel much of anything.
The man took a menacing step toward her when two of the other men grabbed both his arms and held him back.
“Let me go. This bitch is going to regret the day she ever met me,” he snarled.
“I already do,” she snapped, not breaking eye contact with the hulk.
He lunged against his friends, trying to get to her.
“This is what she wants,” one man said, obviously the smartest of the four men.
“Don’t give into this. The master will kill you if you permanently damage her,” the other guy said.
“I don’t care. I’m done with this bitch. It’s been months. She’s not trainable,” the enraged man thundered.
“Everyone is trainable. She’s breaking,” the fourth man said as he stepped in the room with them.
“Not this one. She’s too strong-willed. I’ve never seen any woman take this much abuse,” the man said, but he was calmer.
Elena couldn’t have that. She was so close to her goal. Her head was pounding and her vision continued to blur, but she needed another push. She needed him to literally beat the life out of her.
“I think you do this because you have a small dick and want to prove your masculinity to the world,” she said before spitting in his direction again as she stumbled to her feet.
His eyes glazed over and, before the other men could stop him, he was on her. He grabbed her head and slammed it backward against the wall.
The darkness that had been edging around her eyes completely filled her vision. As the lights dimmed, she could see the light-haired little boy from her dreams running toward her. She reached out to him, wanting to call his name, but having no idea who he was.
She just knew she had to be with him. She rushed forward, not understanding why he never got closer. She panicked as she continued to move forward, and finally the gap closed.
Mary was the one who grabbed hold of him tightly and vowed to never let him go. She was home. This was home. She promised to never leave again.
Chapter Fifteen
A light was shining beneath her closed eyelids, but she didn’t want to open them. She had no idea why she didn’t want to open them; she just knew she was safer with them closed.
Fogginess rolled through her mind as she tried to figure out where she was. But then her eyes flew open, and she looked around the fetid room. Her location wasn’t the worst of the situation. No, that wasn’t what scared her to her very center.
What made her terrified to open her eyes was the fact that she had no idea who she was.
A man sat next to her bed, looking down at a magazine. When she stirred on the mattress he looked up.
“How are you feeling, Elena?”
“What? What did you say?” she gasped, her voice quiet and scratchy.
“I asked how you’re feeling?” he repeated as he leaned forward.
“Where am I?” she asked, looking around blankly.
“What do you remember?” the man asked.
She closed her eyes for a moment but had no memories. There was a blank where she knew information should be.
“I . . . I don’t know,” she gasped as fear rose in her throat.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
She felt tears pop into her eyes. “I . . . I don’t know,” she repeated.
“It’s okay, darling, it’s okay,” he said as he laid his hand on hers.
She turned her palm and gripped his fingers. For some reason, she wanted to cling to this man she didn’t remember.
“Who are you?” she asked. Maybe if he told her, something would come to her.
“I’m Leo. I’m the one who found you,” he told her with a kind smile.
“Where was I?” she asked.
“You were hurt, Elena, badly hurt,” he said with a shake of his head.
“From what?” She again looked around but nothing was coming to her.
“You ran away from home a long time ago and moved here, and then got upset one day and ran off. People attacked you, and you’ve been in a coma for several days,” he explained.
“Who attacked me? Where’s home?” she gasped.
“This is home, Elena, and we don’t know who attacked you,” he said as he lifted a calming hand and laid it against her hair.
The gesture both reassured and scared her at the same time. There was no reason for her not to believe this man.
“I’m Elena?” she asked.
“Yes. We saved you,” he said.
She felt groggy as she tried to listen to what he was saying. But nothing made sense. Her world felt as if it were spinning out of control.
“I’m Elena,” she quietly muttered as her lids dropped.
“Get some rest, darling. I will help you remember who you are when you’re better,” he told her as he gripped her fingers.
Elena closed her eyes. Yes, she just needed more rest. She was safe.
Closing her eyes, she drifted back into the darkness. Just before sleep overtook her, a bright light seemed to take away the shadows as a little boy ran away from her. She reached out, trying to catch him, but he was gone before she took her first step.
The light faded, and Elena drifted into darkness.
Chapter Sixteen
Three Months Later
Elena, are you ready?”
Turning, Elena looked at Leo, and gave him a semblance of a smile.
“Yes, I’m ready.” Giving her hair another quick swoop, she set the brush down and walked from the room.
“You should make the master very happy.”
She didn’t even flinch at his words. After all, it was what she was supposed to do, wasn’t it? Make the master happy. She didn’t know why, but her entire purpose was to please the master.
Whenever her name was spoken, she felt a slight twinge inside of her, something that told her there was something wrong, but she couldn’t quite figure out what that was. Why would there be a twinge?
“Come with me.”
“Yes, of course, Leo.”
Elena followed Leo from the bathroom, a slight limp in her left leg. She couldn’t remember how she’d hurt herself. She didn’t remember much. Leo told her it was because she had something called amnesia. He was her friend so why would he lie?
He walked her to a part of the house she’d never been to before, and she looked around in awe. A large, beautiful staircase twirled upward looking like it was going to the sky, and far above her she could see a balcony.
“This is a very beautiful room,” she told him.
“Yes, it is.” Leo didn’t talk a heck of a lot. That was okay. Elena wasn’t sure if she ever talked much.
She was alone a lot. There had been a girl in her room for a while, she was pretty sure. But one day she’d come back to that room, and she’d been gone. Now, Elena wasn’t sure the girl had ever been there.
If only she could remember. Leo assured her that her memory would come back. That’s why she watched videos
. There were so many videos. Some of them triggered something in her brain, but she wasn’t sure if it was because she’d seen the video before or because it was a memory.
Whatever it was, they were happy thoughts, she assured herself.
“Have a seat over there. The master will be with you shortly.”
Elena sat down, her legs together and to the side as Leo had taught her. She hadn’t seen the other man, the man who she could only address as Master, in a long time. For some reason, that was a bad memory, but once in a while, she would wake up in a cold sweat because his face would flash across her memories.
That man had to have been from her past — the time before Leo had saved her.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway, and Elena sat up a bit higher. She had to be presentable when the master entered the room. It was her whole reason for being, after all.
“Very nice.” The voice made her jump a little when he spoke.
There was a vague memory trying to scratch the surface of her brain as the silver-haired man approached with a smile that made her feel slightly uncomfortable, though she didn’t understand why.
She was here for him. She was alive because of him, she told herself.
“Hello, Elena,” he said as he sat down beside her
“Hi. How are you?” she replied.
“I’m much better now that I’m with you,” he said as he reached over and placed his hand above her knee.
Elena felt herself wanting to pull away, but she didn’t know why. He rubbed his fingers against her leg, and she closed them a little tighter. His expression instantly changed.
“Don’t do that,” he snarled, his grin gone.
“I’m sorry, Master,” she replied, forcing her muscles to relax.
“That’s better, dear,” he told her, his grin coming back into place as his fingers rubbed up and down her leg.
For some reason she felt like crying. That was nonsense, she tried to assure herself.
“I want to make you happy,” she told him.
“I love to hear that, darling,” he said, tugging on one leg, opening them more.
She looked over at Leo who was sitting across from them. She’d been naked around him many times, but for some reason she was uncomfortable with Leo sitting across from her as the master opened her legs, exposing her panties beneath her dress.
“Are you uncomfortable?” the master asked.
“No, Master,” she quickly replied. That was the answer he would want to hear.
“Good. Don’t fight me,” he said as his fingers trailed higher.
When he brushed the outside of her panties, she felt sick to her stomach. This wasn’t right. But she didn’t understand why she was feeling that it wasn’t. Everything that was instilled in her was to be perfect for this man now touching her. So why wouldn’t she relish the attention from him.
“Come here,” he said, removing his hand. She wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief until she processed his words.
“I don’t understand what you’d like me to do,” she told him, looking him in the eyes. There was something off about his eyes.
“I want you to stand up and sit on my lap,” he told her.
She gulped, but immediately stood. “How would you like me to sit?” she asked him while standing directly in front of him.
He grabbed her, knocking her off balance, and then placed her legs on either side of his so she was straddling his lap.
“Mmm, just like this,” he told her as his hands wrapped around her back, and he pulled her close to him. “You smell divine.”
He buried his face in her neck, and she felt the sharp pinch of his teeth when he bit her skin. It took everything inside her not to struggle against him.
Gripping her hair, he tugged her head back, his mouth now close to hers. His breath smelled of tobacco and alcohol, and she fought not to gag. This wasn’t how she was supposed to feel.
He leaned in and then his cold, hard lips were pressed against hers. Elena told herself to enjoy the kiss, told herself this was right, but she was having to concentrate fully on not tensing up, on not gagging as his tongue slithered into her mouth.
When he pushed against her, she felt something hard pressing against her panties, and his eyes were gleaming with delight.
“I’m really going to enjoy this one,” he said, pushing her off his lap. “She has been well worth the wait. Great job, Leo.” He paused. “It’s too bad I have a business meeting in town right now.”
He stood up, and Elena didn’t budge. She was afraid her knees would shake if she moved as much as an inch.
“Prepare her for me. Have her in my room when I get back. You know what I want,” the master said to Leo.
“Yes, Sir.”
Elena knew she must be wrong, but there appeared to be sympathy in Leo’s eyes. That wasn’t possible. He’d told her himself that she would be prepared for the master.
The silver-haired man left the room, and Elena still didn’t budge. She had the distinct urge to bolt, to go running from the house and hide. But where would she go? She had nowhere to go. This was her home.
“You have an hour if you’d like to walk the grounds,” Leo said.
“What’s the matter, Leo?” she asked.
He shook his head. “It’s nothing, Elena.”
She wouldn’t argue with him, but clearly something was wrong. It was too bad she couldn’t figure out what that was.
“I would love to walk the grounds,” she finally said.
She took a small step to make sure her knees would work. They were slightly shaky, but not so bad that she wouldn’t be able to use them.
Leo stayed where he sat as she passed back the way she’d come and went out the back entrance to the small yard where she was allowed to walk.
Holding her face up, she let the sunshine beam down on her, and her stress evaporated. She couldn’t remember much of anything these days, but she had a feeling it had been a long time since she’d been in the sun, more than a few weeks ago. Could she even remember the light touching her face for the first time?
Elena was always disappointed when she was called back inside, especially when she had to go to her small room where she was alone.
They didn’t lock her door. She was free to get up and use the restroom or go to the sitting area and watch the many videos they had of her and her family. Those videos always made her smile.
She’d asked Leo about the locks on her door, and he’d explained that after they found her, she’d been violent, had hurt herself so they’d had to protect her. Leo was very kind.
Elena sat down and closed her eyes. Leo had told her that her life would change this night. Was she ready for that? Elena should be ready.
But she wasn’t so sure.
Chapter Seventeen
It’s time to get ready, Elena.”
Slowly opening her eyes, Elena again had the urge to run. Maybe she should have done that already. But no. Everything in her rebelled at the thought.
As she followed Leo into the house, a memory flooded through her that sent fear down to her toes. She had run once. Was it here? The fog was too great for her to know that for sure.
But she’d found an opening, and she’d tried to escape. The people who had caught her had made her regret doing that. She wouldn’t run away again — never!
The pain. She could almost feel the pain that had been wrought upon her. It had been so intense. She wiggled her fingers as she continued walking behind Leo. Her fingers had been broken. Her rib cracked. Her eyes swollen shut.
No. Running away wasn’t the answer.
They stepped into a large bathroom and Elena faced Leo. “I can bathe myself,” she told him.
“I’m sorry, Elena, but the master’s instructions are very explicit. I’m to get you ready,” he told her.
This wasn’t unusual. She rarely got the opportunity to bathe herself. When she did, she would stand beneath the spray sometimes for so long that it would be freezing when she
finally rinsed the soap from her hair.
But it was worth it. The water washed everything dirty away, and there was so much filth on her. She always felt unclean, felt as if she couldn’t get spotless enough. So many people looked at her, touched her. A shudder rushed through her.
She stripped off her clothes then waited as Leo adjusted the water. Then she stepped into the tub and sat as his hands scrubbed every inch of her flesh so hard that she was red from neck to toes. The redness would go away. Eventually.
She didn’t even mind the painful scrubbings. It really was the only time she felt somewhat clean. The antiseptic he put on next always stung. She had to close her eyes and try desperately to keep from trembling. She counted sheep in her head while Leo finished, putting a gritty stripping soap in her hair and then rinsing it all out.
“Okay, you can rinse in the shower, then dry off and meet me in the sitting room,” Leo told her before he walked out.
Elena took her time rinsing off, and then slowly, carefully, towel-dried her body before looking in the mirror at her puffy skin. It was all part of the process, she assured herself.
The towel was wrapped around her when she entered the sitting room. Leo was there at the table, the cream sitting beside him. This part wasn’t the worst, except for having his hands on every inch of her skin. He didn’t make her afraid though.
She took her position and then let the towel drop.
“You’re redder than normal,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” she told him.
“What in the hell is taking so long?”
Instantly Elena’s body froze. That voice! It hadn’t been a nightmare. What was that man doing there?
Turning to be sure it was who she thought — the face that haunted her — she began shivering when he stepped into the room. It was definitely him. Flashes of a whip flying at her rushed across her memories, and she cowered behind Leo.
“I thought you were going to stay out of sight,” Leo said through gritted teeth.
“And miss the big day. Not a chance,” the man said. He was now right in front of them.
“Go do something else. I’ll take care of this,” the man told Leo.