Page 31

I drifted in and out of consciousness, aware of movement, of hands on my body, changing my clothes, of being moved to the bed.

Time became meaningless—I couldn't tell if hours or days had passed.

Each time I surfaced, Degrassi was there, speaking in that calm, controlled voice about rules and expectations and consequences.

When I finally woke fully, I was no longer in the chair.

Instead, I lay on the bed, still clothed but in different garments—plain cotton pajamas that reminded me of hospital clothes.

The collar remained around my neck, but my hands and feet were free.

The chain still attached to the collar was now secured to a ring on the wall, allowing limited movement around the room.

"Ah, there you are," Degrassi said from his position at the desk. "I was beginning to think I'd miscalculated the dosage."

I pushed myself up slowly, my head pounding. "How long?" My voice came out as a rasp.

"Just over twenty-four hours," he replied, checking his watch. "Enough time for the search for you to become quite frantic, I imagine."

Twenty-four hours. A day of my life gone, and Novo was probably going out of his mind with worry. Or had he already given up? Accepted Harold's offer?

No. I wouldn't believe that. Couldn't.

"Water?" I managed to ask.

“Beg,” he ordered, a sly smile on his face.

I closed my lips mutinously, and he laughed.

“Just this once I will allow that defiance, but consider this your final time.” He walked to a small refrigerator in the corner and retrieved a bottle of water.

"You'll find I can be quite reasonable when you're cooperative.

" He approached the bed, unscrewing the cap before handing me the bottle.

My hands trembled as I accepted it, desperately trying to fight the lingering effects of whatever drug he'd given me.

"Slowly," he cautioned as I gulped the water. "If you make yourself sick, you will be forced to clean it up yourself."

I forced myself to take smaller sips, hating how his concern mimicked care. It was all part of the conditioning—alternating cruelty with kindness until the boundaries blurred, until any small mercy felt like a gift to be grateful for.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked when I'd drained half the bottle. "You could have just killed me like Harold wanted."

Degrassi smiled, perching on the edge of the bed at a distance that was both too close and deliberately non-threatening.

"Because you're special, Matthew. You always were.

Most submissives break predictably—but you?

" He shook his head in what looked disturbingly like admiration.

"You have depths I've barely begun to explore. "

I shuddered at his words. "I'm not your submissive. I never consented to this."

"Consent is such a fluid concept," he replied dismissively. "You consented when you first knelt for me. Everything since has merely been...refinement."

"I was manipulated," I said, anger giving me strength. "Harold set me up. You both did."

Degrassi sighed, as if disappointed by my lack of understanding.

"Harold sought a solution to his financial problems. I sought a perfect subject for my particular interests.

You were the answer to both our needs." He leaned forward, eyes gleaming.

"And now, with the proper motivation, you'll be exactly what I require. "

"Which is?"

"The perfect combination of submission and spirit," he said, his voice taking on an almost reverent quality. "Broken enough to obey, but not so broken that you become...boring."

My stomach churned. "And if I refuse?"

Degrassi's expression hardened. "Then people die. Starting with your biker friends. One by one."

I looked away, unwilling to let him see how effectively his threat had landed. "You can't keep me here forever."

"I don't need forever," he replied calmly. "Just another day to complete the financial arrangements. After that..." He shrugged. "We'll relocate somewhere more comfortable. I have properties overseas where no one would ever think to look for you."

The thought of being spirited away to some remote location, truly beyond all hope of rescue, sent ice through my veins. I had to stall, had to give Novo time to find me.

"Harold will double-cross you," I said, forcing myself to meet Degrassi's eyes. "Once he has the money, he'll have no reason to risk me being alive. Or to keep paying you."

"Oh, I've considered that possibility," Degrassi replied with a thin smile.

"Which is why I've taken certain...precautions.

Documents implicating Harold in various financial improprieties, held by my attorney with instructions to release them should anything happen to me.

" He leaned closer. "Your godfather isn't the only one who knows how to play this game, boy. "

I swallowed hard, trying to think through the fog still clouding my mind. There had to be a way out of this, some angle I wasn't seeing.

"What about the trust?" I asked. "There are conditions—the marriage has to last two years."

"Easily managed," Degrassi said with a dismissive wave. "The marriage to your biker will be annulled on grounds of coercion. You are still under the two-year deadline, so no legal manipulation is necessary."

"That won't work," I insisted, desperation making my voice sharper. "I would have to agree—"

"All manageable problems when you have enough money and influence," Degrassi cut in. “Now, I think you are sufficiently awake enough to begin your training. Let’s see if you can remember to kneel. Half of me is hoping you will be sloppy. We both know how much I love to correct your mistakes."