Spark

by J Marie

  “Why?” he asked.

  I huffed a heavy breath, blowing a strand of stray hair out of my face before I

  found the guts to answer. “Apparently, he likes to exercise his smart mouth, too.”

  Darren shook his head in disappointment and turned his gaze away.

  “You’re supposed to listen to them, Jaden. End of. If you’re having issues with

  their behavior, you take it up with me, not them.”

  “I tried that this morning, and you punished me for it, remember?”

  “Romero and Alex had every reason to keep you off the balcony. When it comes

  to your safety, I will take every precaution and never budge. Get used to it,” he said

  darkly and left the bathroom. When I heard the bedroom door open and slam shut,

  I knew he would be gone for a while.

  Slowly making my way from the bathroom, I collapsed onto the bed. Whatever

  pills Darren had given me were making me drowsy, and I was out like a light within

  a few minutes

  40

  RAGE

  Slamming the door behind me, I stormed out of the room, leaving Jaden to wallow

  in her mess. With her injured, if I didn’t leave now, I would have hurt her more.

  “She doesn’t leave this room without my direct orders,” I commanded as I

  walked past Jaden’s new guards.

  “Yes, sir,” they both said in unison.

  I needed to clear my head before I handled Romero and Alex; otherwise, if I went

  in there now, they wouldn’t walk out alive. I instantly regretted not bringing Clive

  and Owen. Aside from the one holiday, they were training with more of Scott’s men

  to advance their combative skills as well as their observational ones. I wanted

  everyone who guarded my manipulative little spitfire to be sharp and ready for

  anything. The only reason that security wasn’t as tight around her while we were

  up here was because no one really knew about this place except for my closest inner

  circle, and I wanted to see if Jaden could handle less security when she was treated

  to something as nice as this. Obviously not. She sounded like the damn younger

  sibling who taunted their older sibling to get them in trouble.

  And hadn’t she accomplished her goal.

  I could barely catch my breath when I saw the wolf had her forearm between its

  teeth. Scott and I were just heading back to the house to get the truck to pick up the

  two bears we’d shot when I heard Jaden’s scream. I’d never lifted my rifle so fast,

  never more grateful that my finger was already on the trigger. Jaden would have

  been dead, mauled to pieces in front of my fucking eyes. Another perfect fucking

  reason why I was always armed everywhere I went. Always.

  I knew Scott would have been able to react the same way because the second my

  rifle was drawn, so was his. The moment I fired the first shot, the bullet drove

  straight into the wolf’s body, taking it down. As soon as I saw it hit the ground and

  didn’t get back up, I’d never run so fast in my entire life. I needed clarification that

  Jaden was okay, and I needed her in my arms to confirm that.

  She was traumatized at first, barely able to speak, but the bite mark aside, she

  was otherwise alive. The anger I’d felt compared to nothing else when I realized she

  was alone, especially since Romero and Alex had allowed her to sneak out from

  right under their noses. I’d warned them about her, yet she was still able to play her

  tricks on the people who were supposed to be watching and protecting her. No

  longer.

  Stepping outside for some air, I found Scott leaning against the side of the cabin,

  smoking a cigarette. As soon as he saw me, he pulled out another one and handed it

  to me. Lighting it with my own lighter, I took a long drag, inhaling the toxic smoke

  and exhaling my fury. I was not an avid smoker, but there were days when I felt I

  could smoke an entire pack with the stress of my life.

  “How is she?” Scott asked, his gaze moving off toward the distance of the trees.

  “She’ll be hurting for a while, but she’s fine.”

  Scott released a small snort. “What is your fascination with her?” His voice

  proved he was genuinely curious. He found my interest in Jaden entertaining, but I

  never gave him much reasoning for it.

  “She amuses me,” I answered, taking another drag.

  “Lots of women have amused you in the past.”

  “This one is different. She’s stronger than the others.”

  Scott nodded. “And is your intention to make her stronger … or weaker?”

  I raised an eyebrow at his question. He didn’t often question my methods and

  usually agreed with them, but he was most unfamiliar with this method.

  “The only thing I wish to weaken is her quest for rebellion and revenge,” I

  replied, exhaling another puff of smoke.

  Scott chuckled. “I have a feeling your patience will be the thing that requires the

  most strengthening then.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle in turn. “You’re probably right. Jaden is exhausting it

  as it is.”

  Scott smirked, his eyes full of agreement as he nodded. Jaden would come

  around eventually. Once she realized she would get nowhere with her games or

  attempts at manipulation, she would give up her fight and succumb to her life.

  Finishing the last of my cigarette, I snuffed it out and threw the butt in the

  nearby ashtray.

  “Ready to crack some heads?” Scott asked, flicking his butt into the same

  ashtray.

  “Stop me if I go too far. I don’t need them dying on me so Jaden can think she

  won.”

  Scott nodded and opened the sliding door back into the cabin and followed in

  after me. Storming into my office, the door slammed against the wall as I

  immediately went for Romero and Alex’s throats and slammed both of them into

  the wall behind them.

  “What the FUCK happened?” I bellowed.

  They were smart enough not to bother fighting me. One snap was all it would

  take for me to kill them both.

  “I-I don’t know, sir,” Romero started. “One minute, s-she was there; the next,

  she’s g-gone,” he said, his voice panicked and afraid. His hands were up in

  surrender so I could see them, but it didn’t matter whether either of them

  surrendered. They were both fucked regardless.

  “Do you know how long she was gone before either of you noticed?”

  “Uh- no, sir, I don’t.”

  “A half fucking hour, you stupid incompetent fucks. Do you know the kind of

  shit that girl can get into in thirty minutes?!”

  “No, sir. We’re sor—” Alex tried to pipe up, but I wasn’t having any of it.

  “She was almost eaten by a pack of fucking wolves! Do you realize that! Your job

  was to watch her, and she managed to get away from the both of you and nearly got

  herself killed! Her arm was torn to shreds because of you!”

  I didn’t wait for another word from either of them before gripping their throats

  even tighter and tossing their useless asses across the room. They landed in a heap

  on the floor across the room but were able to roll up onto their shoulders like they

  were trained to do. And that was when I commenced in beating the ever-living shit

  out of them. Two on one made no difference to me. I could easily take four, and I’d

&
nbsp; honestly wished these ass clowns would try to defend themselves, but they didn’t

  bother. Instead, they’d only hoped I wouldn’t beat them to death. It wouldn’t be

  the first time I’d done it.

  Scott stood in the corner, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed with a fresh

  smirk on his face as he watched. He knew this would happen, and he loved the

  violence just as much as I did.

  By the time I was done, my fists were sore and covered in blood while Alex and

  Romero laid on my office floor, covered in my brutality and barely moving.

  “The only reason the two of you are still breathing is because Jaden very clearly

  wanted you dead, and she was betting on me killing you. I will not be giving her the

  satisfaction. But neither of you will be going near her again. You’re being

  transferred out. You should be fucking thankful.”

  The two of them mumbled something unintelligible, but I shook my head

  ignoring it.

  “Get someone to clean them up and out of my fucking sight. I want them in New

  Mexico in twelve hours.”

  Scott nodded and spoke into his tech watch that doubled as a communication

  device. “Eric, get your ass in here,” I heard him say as I walked out the door and

  down to the gym. I had some serious fury to unleash, and if I found another body, it

  probably wouldn’t last much longer than Romero and Alex did.

  41

  REGRET

  W hen I woke up several hours later, it was dark, and the pain in my arm was

  starting to return. I looked down at my gauze wrapped arm and sighed, defeat

  washing over me. How could I have been so stupid? How did I get so wrapped up in

  the idea that I was invincible?

  I shuffled under the sheets, turning on my other side, and realized Darren was

  sitting in one of the leather chairs by the window, watching me.

  I felt my stomach drop, and I immediately looked away before eventually

  burying my face in the pillow. After a few moments, I heard Darren get up and felt

  his weight on the bed at my side. Gripping my shoulders, he pulled me away from

  the pillow and forced me to look at him, but my eyes went elsewhere.

  “Look at me,” he ordered, his hands holding my face while his thumbs rubbed

  against my cheeks.

  Fighting the rebellion, my eyes found his, and I felt myself sink inward.

  “How’s your arm,” he asked.

  “Tolerable,” I muttered.

  “I had the wolf that bit you tested for disease. He was clean, so you should be

  fine, but I want you to take some antibiotics twice a day for a few days to prevent

  infection.”

  “Okay.”

  Darren exhaled and began twirling a lock of my hair between his fingers.

  “I imagine you hoped I would kill Romero and Alex?” he asked me, his eyes

  focused on the hair he was playing with.

  I gulped back my fear and looked away, regretting my honesty. “Yes.”

  “You should know that though they may be a bloody pile of broken bones, they

  are still breathing.”

  I nodded. Darren was catching on to me. Fuck.

  Darren then grabbed my face and brought my eyes back to his. “That’s three

  guards I’ve had to replace because of you and your antics. It ends now,” he growled

  down at me.

  My eyes fell as I nodded slightly. I felt too shitty to argue.

  “I hope you realize your bite mark is not an escape card from your punishment

  for sneaking out.”

  “I know,” I said, disappointment escaping my lungs.

  My fingers dug into the sheets as I listened to Darren stand and remove his belt,

  the sound of the metal clicking sending shivers up my spine. I knew what was to

  come, and I couldn’t help but tense up. The only warning I received was when

  Darren gripped my upper arms and threw me over his lap. He ripped my leggings

  down my legs and began to pelt my ass with his belt. I tried to count like I was

  supposed to, but he was hitting me too fast and too hard to concentrate and keep

  up.

  “Why is it every time I give you an inch, you run a damn marathon, huh? Every

  time!” he bellowed, striking me harder.

  Pain flared everywhere, heat claiming my body as my fingers dug into the

  sheets, my teeth grinding as I fought to keep from screaming.

  “I almost had to watch you get eaten by wolves, Jaden. Fucking wolves! After

  everything I’d just done for you!”

  “I’m sorry!” I screamed, but Darren did not relent.

  By the time he was done, I was shaking, my face wet with tears and my throat

  dry from the cries I forced myself to silence.

  Tossing the belt to the floor, Darren flipped me onto my back and stood to allow

  his pants to fall. Holding my hips up so that my ass didn’t touch the bed, he

  entered me with enough force to rock my entire being, but like a gift from God, I

  was wet as fuck down there.

  As I got deeper into this relationship of ours, it became clearer and clearer to me

  that my turn-on of fear and pain made being fucked by him so much easier. I had a

  feeling Darren wouldn’t care much if I was dry down there. He’d make do, and I’d

  suffer so much more because of it. It was better this way. I saw that now. At least

  I’d get some level on enjoyment in the end.

  “God, you are so fucking wet,” he groaned as he slowly rocked himself in and

  out of me. I was barely able to contain the whimpers I wanted to release. “You just

  love getting your ass beat, don’t you?”

  He’d jerked harder with that little question, and my answer came in the form of

  a wail that bordered on a moan and a scream. If beating me meant he’d use his dick

  on my pussy, then I wanted him to pound the shit out of me. He was so solid inside

  me, hitting all the right places like he knew exactly where they were, but just when

  I was about to come, he shoved himself into me deeper, sending me further back

  into the bed and allowing my ass to graze against the sheets. I couldn’t help but

  gasp from the pain.

  “Oh, no, princess,” he drawled, slowing his pace and torturing me further. “You

  won’t be coming today. You disobeyed me by sneaking away from your guards. This

  is your punishment. Come, and I’ll make it so much worse.”

  I nearly screamed in frustration.

  Over and over, Darren drilled into me, and it took all my inner strength to ignore

  the pleasure building up inside me. Instead, I chose to focus on the pain, the

  burning sting in my back, ass, and the ache in my forearm as Darren pushed me

  deeper into the bed. The harder I focused, the more agonizing it became.

  When he finally finished pumping the last of himself inside me, he held my hips

  tight against his pelvis so I could feel every drop of him filling me up. Lowering

  himself to my face, his index finger slipped under my collar and pulled me forward.

  “Who do you belong to, Jaden?”

  As if I could ever forget.

  “You,” I answered automatically.

  It was as if he couldn’t disengage until I spoke the magic password to release

  him from me. It was infuriating that he needed reassurance as often as he did, and I

  had no choice but to give him that to pacify his need to brainwash me. Let him

  think I believed it. It would only serve me better in th
e long run.

  When he was satisfied, he pulled away from me and headed into the bathroom

  only to return a few minutes later. I’d allowed myself to move from my position

  just to curl into myself and hide. My pussy was on fire with need while the fire in

  my back and ass did nothing to distract me.

  Darren then returned to the bed to pick up his belt and lace it back through the

  loops of his jeans.

  “You’re not to leave the bedroom until I say otherwise. There are two new

  guards outside the door and more patrolling outside. I don’t even want to see you

  staring out the windows, do you understand me?”

  “Yes, Darren,” I whispered, my eyes staring dead ahead.

  Once adjusted, he lowered himself to me, taking my face in his hand and

  bringing my eyes to his. His grip was painful, forcing me to wince at the pressure

  on my jaw.

  “You are never to put yourself in danger like that again, do you hear me? Or I will

  lock you away for the rest of your life. Got it?”

  “Yes, Darren,” I whispered.

  “Good girl,” he said and kissed me deeply.

  When he was finished, he righted himself and grabbed his coat.

  “And if I find out you touched yourself in any way to get a release, you’ll wish

  you hadn’t. Don’t make that mistake,” he threatened and walked out of the room,

  slamming the door behind him.

  Laying in our pool of sex, I felt wretched and ruined. Finding strength, I pushed

  myself up and took a long oatmeal bath, hoping to soothe the pain in my back and

  rid myself of Darren’s torture. I made sure to keep my gauze-covered arm out of the

  water as best I could.

  When I was done, I changed into a long sweater and thigh-high socks and curled

  up on the couch, facing away from the window and toward the blazing fireplace.

  And that was where I sulked for the rest of the night, ignoring my dinner on the

  table and dreaming of better times when I wasn’t an idiot and loving my life. I

  didn’t understand myself.

  As I thought about it, I realized that I had actually broken out with the intention

  of the consequences costing Romero and Alex’s life. I’d wanted them to die, and put

  that plan into action without even thinking twice. The reality of Darren’s theory

  about me was quickly becoming true, and it was scaring the shit out of me. I was