I wasn’t expecting him to come into my room. I was reading one of the fantasy novels that he had picked up for me when he had gone out last. It was about a girl who was taken in by a vampire prince after wandering the woods for three days, completely lost, and I was fascinated by the way that the main character was both attracted to him and repulsed. I refused to allow myself to dwell on why that fact was on my mind so much.
That’s when I heard him come in. Andrew clearly looked distraught, and I could smell that he had been drinking, but I knew it wasn’t a lot. I bit my bottom lip, trying to think about what I could say to get him to talk to me. He just stood there in the doorway, looking more haggard than when I had last seen him. What’s bothering you? I thought to myself. Can I use it to escape? Another voice in my head said, but I pushed it down. And go where? I reminded myself bitterly, trying to make the little voice in my head shut up. I knew that accepting my situation would be easier in the long run. There was no hope for me here, and so I forced myself to meet his gaze, allowing my worry to show.
“Alina…” He finally said, and his voice was a little raw, but it was still controlled enough to know I couldn’t delude myself about taking advantage of his state. He was still in control. He always was. He was my Master.
“Yes, Master?” I asked sweetly, putting my book down after placing the ribbon he gave me as a book mark neatly between the pages. He seemed to relax at the simple word, and I knew that this was the only thing I could do to help him. I slipped from the bed, and with bare feet and dressed in nothing but a sheer black nightgown, I walked over to him, standing right in front of him.
“Alina…” He repeated, watching me carefully as if I had just done something he hadn’t expected. He was sizing me up for something, and the intensity of his gaze made me shiver, biting my bottom lip again.
“We need to talk.” He said, and I nodded, as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him to ask for. Yet, down deep it startled me. He didn’t really need to talk to me. He could take what he wanted or order it from me on any other occasion. I don’t know why, but I found myself reaching out to touch his chest. My delicate fingers played over his chest through his buttoned down slate grey shirt.
“Yes, Master.” I repeated, and I could feel his muscles tighten underneath my fingertips. I started to realize something then. That my submission caused a reaction in this strong, determined man that held my life in his hands. I filed the information away for later. His hand wrapped around my wrist, gripping me tightly but not too tightly. It was obvious that he didn’t want to hurt me, and his gaze was intense when I met it. He walked forward, making me take a step back until we were o
nce again back at the bed. He had both of my wrists now, and I was leaning backward, but Master held me up.
“Don’t play with fire.” He said, barley more than a hoarse whisper, but I could tell that there was something different in his eyes. This lust was something he was having a hard time controlling, and my eyes widened at his husky, barely constrained voice. He let go of me abruptly, and I fell back onto the bed. He turned quickly, walking to the chair and sat down. When I straightened up, I could tell that he was once more in control of the situation.
“We have an issue.” He said, and I nodded a little. A shiver of fear ran through me, worrying that perhaps I had gone too far and was about to be punished.
“Not with you, Alina.” He said softly with a small sigh, beckoning me over with his finger. I kneeled in front of him, and I laid my head on his inner thigh. His fingers went to my hair, and he started to pet me as I looked up at him.
“I have someone coming over.” He said, and I tried to keep my shock from registering on my face.
“You will need to show that you are loyal to me, Alina.” He said, and his fingers paused entangled in my hair before he continued to pet me again.
“I know that you do not like me. I am still your captor, but you must understand. He will try to convince you that he is good, my darling girl. He’ll convince you that he doesn’t truly believe in what I did to you. That me taking you was wrong. He will tell you that he shares your beliefs, and his words will be sweet as honey.” He said, and I was now hanging on his every word. I knew that he was warning me for a reason, and yet a small tendril of hope was settling over me. It wasn’t something I could help.
“You need to understand something, Alina.” He said.
“I have no proof of the atrocities that I am about to tell you, but this man has done worse than me. If he gets you alone, my pet, he will do the same to you.” He said, and his voice was tight and cold.
There was cold fury hiding under that controlled voice, and that scared me. So I sat there, forced to listen in graphic detail of the horrors that the man that was coming to visit had inflicted on girls much younger and older than I. I had tried to back away during it once, but his hand had entangled in my hair, forcing me to look up at him. For the first time since being taken, I feared someone more than my Master, and I feared my Master even more.
Andrew: Entertaining Our “Guest”
I hated the fear that I saw in her eyes, but I had made it clear that he was much worse than me because he was. I was waiting for Carlos now. We had only an hour at most, and I had made sure to take out her posture collar. I had showed it to her before now, but I had yet to give it to her and tell her to wear it. Now she was fastened into it gently. I had made sure that it had a lining that wouldn’t pinch. Yet another way I’m different. I thought as I looked at her, making sure she looked the part. I couldn’t have her looking like she was an easy target. It’d only give us an even harder time than we had.
She had cuffs and a small chain that I knew was stronger than she was around her ankles. It was light weight, and Alina was able to move around decently freely, but she wouldn’t be able to run with the chain, and that was all that it was there for. I smiled at her, watching as she put the small amount of makeup on I gave her. It wasn’t that I thought she needed makeup, but I was more than happy to give it to her if she wanted it. I knew that before I had taken her she had worn makeup every day. It was a habit I didn’t think she needed, and yet I wanted to give her some sort of luxury to take her mind off of the ordeal that was about to happen. She was working on her second coat of mascara before I left her. She was dressed in a new dress as well, with ballet flats.
It was as if we were getting along well enough to get to this point, which was actually a week ahead of my own schedule. That’s when I heard a heavy knock on the door. I left to go get the door, and just as I thought, when I opened it Carlos stood on the other side. He had the same eyes that I did, sharp and cruel. He was a little more muscular than me, and certainly a good five years younger. He had a sleeveless shirt that showed off his biceps, dark blue-jeans with black boots that would be perfect for hiking.
“Long time no see.” Carlos said as he pushed past me, and I frowned at him.
“You’re here before you should be. What do you need anyways?” I asked, but Carlos just looked around, scanning the room.
“Where is she?” He asked casually. Where you can’t get to her for now. I thought, but I said nothing. I just shrugged.
“I told her she could be in her room. I’ll call her in a moment. Are you going to give me an answer?” I asked him.
“In due time, Andrew. Where’s your famous hospitality?” He said, giving me a sly grin as he went to sit down on the couch.
“Alina.” I called out coolly but loud enough to make sure that she could hear me.
I could hear the chain dragging on the ground as she approached, and so could Carlos. He quirked a brow at me, but he was wise enough to not say anything. I sat down beside Carlos, waiting for her to come out. I knew that she was stunning, and he would appreciate that. It both filled me with pride and irked me at the same time. I tried to just concentrate on getting him in and out of here, which meant showing him Alina so we could get down to business.
Alina: A Conflicting Mix of Hope & Fear
I walked carefully, and the sound of the dragging chain made me shiver. I was nervous, and my heart was pounding. Master promised I’d be okay, I thought, and as soon as I was in the room, my eyes landed on them, but I quickly averted my eyes to the ground. Not before I could see the lust in both of their eyes. The man, ‘Carlos’, as Master called him, looked at me with a smile splayed across his lips. I stared at his mouth, but I refused to meet his eyes.