The Prey

I exist to serve, to suffer…

The cold bathwater closing over her head again and again, her lungs burning, her heart pounding.

I am a cunt, a piece of ass…

There was a table and rope, her arms aching, her forehead pressed hard against the padded leather, her legs splayed wide.

I am property… I exist to suffer…

Mara’s pussy twitched, a lingering throb, a muscle memory of the sharp prick, and then again, and again. The needles. The blood. The terror.

No. No. No, no, no, no. Alex only did what had to be done to teach me. To correct me for my disobedience. To help me understand my place and my reason for being. Turning away from Esmé, Mara reached for her mantra, pulling it like a protective cloak over her thoughts. I exist to serve, to suffer, to please and obey. I am a cunt, a piece of ass. I am the property of Pirate Island. I exist to serve, to suffer, to please and obey. I am a cunt, a piece of ass. I am the property of Pirate Island. I exist to—

“Let’s go, girls. Time for bed.”

Esmé pulled sharply away. Mara looked up to see Dawn before them, her hands on her hips. “You’ve had a two-day vacation. It’s time to get back into the swing of island life.”

Someone else appeared in the doorway. It was Alex. He had come back for her. He missed her. She barely noticed as Esmé slipped silently through the back way toward the girls’ bedrooms.

“I’ll take it from here, Dawn,” Alex said, his brilliant green eyes fixed on Mara’s face. “You may go now.”

Mara was peripherally aware of Dawn’s departure, but she couldn’t look away from Alex’s compelling gaze. He pointed to the floor in front of the sofa and Mara sank at once to her knees, her eyes trained on his feet as they came to a stop directly in front of her.

“How are you, Mara?”

It was good, so good, to be Mara again, instead of a zero. A rush of happiness suffused Mara’s being. “I’m well, sir,” she replied, her eyes still downcast.

“I have some exciting news for you, but first, I have a few questions.”

Mara waited.

Alex put his hand on her head.

“Remind me, Mara, why do you exist?”

“To serve, to suffer, to please and obey,” Mara replied promptly.

His fingers twisted hard in her hair. Mara gasped with pain but remained perfectly still.

“What are you, Mara?”

“I am a cunt, a piece of ass.”

He tightened his grip on her hair. Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them back. “Who do you belong to?”

“I am the property of Pirate Island,” she said. He pulled at her head, forcing her face upward. She knew what he wanted her to say, and she admitted it freely. “But I belong to you, sir. I belong to you.”

A slow, sensual smile moved over his face, his fingers easing their hold. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, you do. That’s why I think you’re ready now to join the hunt.”

“The hunt?” Mara’s heart clutched in her chest, the memory of the whispered conversation on the beach with Raeanne returning to her.

“That’s right.” Alex nodded. “You’ve been selected, along with Raeanne and Cassie. Training begins in the morning. I know, as my personal property, you will do your very best to please me.”

Mara shot up in bed, her heart pounding, her body drenched in sweat. The nightmare that had engulfed her was already fading from her mind, but the terror that suffused it continued to linger as she showered and groomed.

After morning calisthenics Raeanne, Cassie and Mara were told to remain behind while the other girls returned to the quarters for breakfast. “Okay, girls,” Curtis said. “I assume y’all know you’ve been chosen for the hunt this time around. Over the next couple of days, we’ll be working on your wilderness survival skills. This morning I’m going to take you into the backwoods where the hunt will take place so you can get familiarized with the terrain.”

Raeanne said, “Excuse me, sir, but can you give us some details about this hunt? I mean, we’ve heard bits and pieces from the other girls but—”

“It’s pretty simple, really,” Curtis interrupted. “A group of guys, half of ’em probably drunk off their asses, are going to descend on the woods where three naked girls are waiting. You’ll be set loose an hour or so before they get there to give you a chance to hide good and proper. You want to give them a challenge, so they get their money’s worth.” His grin was ugly. “You’ll be monitored by island staff, so don’t even think about leaving the designated terrain. Your goal is to avoid capture for as long as you can. Last girl standing wins a full forty-eight hours of free time.”

Mara glanced over at the other two girls. Cassie was staring at the ground. Raeanne met Mara’s gaze, a resolute look coming over her face. Clearly, it was going to be each girl for herself.