Ariana cupped her hand over her eyes and opened them enough to see the figure sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed.
She was in a bed.
Why the fuck was she in a bed?
She’d been at the ATM. No, the bus stop. She’d been waiting for the bus. The memory of her abduction flooded back, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
She’d been taken.
Kidnapped.
“Don’t move too fast, it will make it hurt more,” he cautioned, but she ignored him.
Thrusting herself to sit up, she regretted it as a wave of nausea hit her along with another sharp explosion of pain. She groaned, holding her head.
He chuckled. “I told you. Now stop moving around and lie back down.”
She ignored him again, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and shoving off the thick blankets keeping her warm.
He sighed.
“Who are you, and where am I?” she asked, pressing her elbows into her knees and rubbing her fingers against her temples.
“You’re at the House,” he answered simply. Like she should have any clue as to what that meant.
“What House, and who are you?” she demanded with her eyes closed. Another roll of nausea caught her off guard, and she bent over further until the roiling in her stomach subsided.
She heard the chair creak and when the bed dipped, she understood he’d moved to sit down beside her.
“They had to give you a second dose of the sedative because you were fighting them so much when you got here.” He placed his hand on her back, rubbing in gentle circles. “The nausea will stop soon, but your head will most likely pound for awhile.”
“I want to go home,” she said softly. This had to be a nightmare. Punishment for having too many cookies for dinner.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said firmly. “Better you understand that now. Get the idea of leaving out of your head. For your own sake, Ariana.”
She shoved off the bed, away from his touch.
“How do you know my name? Why am I here?” she yelled. Pounding head be damned, she wanted answers.
Blinking a few times, her vision finally focused enough for her to see his neatly combed dark hair, chiseled jawline and fierce eyes.
“I know everything about you, Ariana.” He stood from the bed and folded his arms over his chest. If he was trying to scare her, he was too late. Fear pumped through her veins faster than her own blood. “It’s my job to know so I can take care of you better, so I can train you properly.”
“Train me?” She covered her mouth. She may not have gotten far after high school, but she was smart enough to start putting the pieces together. And the picture the puzzle made didn’t exactly give her the warm fuzzies. Her eyes darted around the room searching for any possible escape.
“Yes. And I can tell from the look on your face, you have a good idea what that means. But it’s a little different here. There’s a specific niche we fulfill.” He opened the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out a pink and purple sippy cup.
Words flooded her mind, but none made it out of her mouth.
“This has your medicine in it. It will be placed on your nightstand every evening and every morning. You are expected to drink all of it. If you don’t, there’s a punishment,” he explained. “You have a lot to learn, but right now you need to accept your fate. You aren’t going home. Ever. You are a little girl of the House now.” He cupped her shoulders and dipped his chin to peer into her eyes.
“What does that even mean?” she asked softly, her gaze returning to the sippy cup.
“You’ll learn that in the next few days. Right now, drink your medicine. It will help your headache.” He pulled her into a hug, but she stiffened and attempted to step away. “Never resist my touch, Ariana.” He placed a small peck to her forehead and released her.
“I don’t understand any of this.” She stepped back from him.
The door opened and a woman, not much older than Ariana walked in carrying a small teddy bear in one hand and a similar sippy cup in the other. Her hair was pulled into two tight ponytails, and she was wearing a short dress.
“Courtney, what are you doing in here?” he asked in a deep voice.
“Daddy told me to get you. He needs you in the playroom,” the woman said, swaying her hips and making the skirt of her dress swish around her legs.
He frowned. “What’s going on in the playroom?”
“I dunno.” She pulled her shoulders up to her ears. “I was with him in his room, but he said he needed to go the playroom and told me to come get you.”
“Okay. I’ll go see what’s going on. Courtney, you can stay here with Ariana until I get back.”