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Fool.

That was a slim chance. A stupid idea to even plant in her head… but if he really planned to bring others here, more people to do what he had done, wouldn’t death be better?

Maybe… but someone might have seen her being taken. There could be people looking for her right now, police tracking down whatever car he’d used to bring her here. Her family would report her missing for sure.

It was a shred of hope. She just had to be strong.

The sound of the shower cut off and her heartbeat filled the silence, pounding in her ears as she strained to listen to the movements of him in the bathroom. The quiet clap of the shower door, the subtle scrape of a towel over skin — so much to be heard when she held her breath in her lungs.

Her body jerked involuntarily as something dropped inside the bathroom. A clatter of noise that sent a fresh rush of adrenaline through her veins, making her lungs tight, her heart rate skyrocketing.

It was still a few more minutes before he appeared. Back in his suit, even his shining belt returned to his waist.

When had he picked up the jacket and belt?

His eyes moved over her without any sort of emotion. Ice blue, and she hated that on the outside he seemed attractive. Fine features, a tall and athletic frame. But there was nothing inside him. He was a wastela

nd, and he wanted to drag her down with him.

Hollow her out just like him.

“I will release you if you promise not to be stupid.” Even his voice was cold and empty. Unfeeling. There was no chance she could reach whatever dregs of humanity remained inside him — if there had ever been any at all.

“Okay,” she muttered, but he only tilted his head.

“Did you forget the rules?” he asked.

I will never call you Master. The words threatened to leave her lips, a vehement anger suffusing every inch of her body, but she bit down. Stayed silent as she glared at him from the bed.

He moved closer, one casual step after another, as if the time meant nothing to him. “Would you like to take a shower?”

Yes. More than anything she wanted to stand under scalding water, to erase his touch from her skin, the texture of him between her thighs, but she wouldn’t give in. Couldn’t. If she gave him this, what more would he want? When would it ever stop?

She knew without asking further questions that his plans for her were nothing less than total obedience. He wanted her to respond to his fucked up list of rules, to follow them blindly.

Beth decided then that she would be a grave disappointment.

The man moved closer and she flinched as he leaned against the bed and ran his hand up the inside of her thigh. When two of his fingers slipped through the wet folds of her sex, she tensed, locked up — it was impossible to avoid her reaction. Pain spiked inside her. Definitely torn. Bleeding. She didn’t even need his confirmation.

“Does it hurt?” he asked, the threat of a smile ticking up the corner of his mouth.

Sick fuck.

Biting down on her lip, she tried to stay silent, to swallow the whimpers, but when he forced a third finger inside her she cried out. Tears rolling, hands forming fists as her core spasmed, twitched around the invasion.

“You’re going to be such a lovely broken doll. Someone will pay so much to make you cry like this.” He thrust his fingers into her already bruised and violated flesh. “To hurt you like this. Worse than this.”

“Worse?” she asked, and immediately regretted it. She’d opened her eyes just in time to see his smile spread.

“Oh yes… this was just an introduction. I have so much more to show you.” He slid his fingers from her and the tension fled her muscles as the pain dulled to a throb once more. “Open.”

Beth shook her head, clenching her teeth as he brought his hand towards her mouth. The shine on his fingers made her cringe, whining low in her chest.

“You will learn…” He grabbed her face hard with his other hand, fingers digging into her jaw until he forced it open. Sliding tainted digits over her tongue, she tasted the mix of them, the linger of soap, and the hint of copper and salt, just before she gagged as he pushed them too far. “Fighting me only results in punishment for you. Suffering.”

He gagged her again, and her stomach threatened to heave, but he didn’t even flinch as he pressed down on her tongue and forced her mouth wider with his knuckles.

“I will enjoy making you into a thing. Stripping everything from you that you think makes you a person.” Another plunge of his fingers into her throat, wet choking sounds escaping as she tried to deny his words. The inevitability of them.