Page 23 of UnTrained: Volume One
I shouldn't be attracted to him. Not after he bought me like a piece of property.
But my body doesn't seem to care about logic.
"How are you feeling?" he asks, breaking the silence.
The question catches me off guard. I blink at him, uncertain how to respond. How am I feeling? Confused. Scared. Angry. Aroused. A dozen contradictory emotions swirl through me at once.
"Fine, Sir," I say automatically.
His jaw tightens. "Lana. I want you to answer me honestly. How are you feeling?"
My name on his lips still sends that strange shiver through me. I swallow hard, trying to find words that won't get me in trouble.
"I don't understand what you want from me," I admit finally.
My voice cracks on the last word, and I immediately regret showing weakness. At the facility, vulnerability was always punished. I brace for what’s coming.
But Aiden doesn't strike me. He doesn't even raise his voice. Instead, he leans forward slightly, his blue eyes intent on my face.
"That's honest," he says quietly. "Thank you."
I stare at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Men don't thank me for admitting confusion. They punish it.
"I know this is confusing," he continues, his voice gentler than I expect. "You've been through hell, and now you're somewhere new with people you don't know. It's natural to feel lost."
Natural. As if my feelings matter. As if I'm allowed to have them.
I press my lips together, not trusting myself to speak. Every instinct screams that this is a trap. Kindness always is.
"Can you tell me what you remember about before?" Aiden asks. "Before they took you?"
This has to be a test.
Early on, when I first arrived at the facility, they asked this same question, beating me for any answer other than the right one:I don’t know.
I swallow hard. “I don’t know, Sir.”
I watch his jaw clench at my response, a muscle ticking beneath the skin. His blue eyes search my face.
I force myself to remain perfectly still under his scrutiny.
"Lana," he says, my name a low rumble in his chest. "I need you to understand something. Those people who had you before—they're gone. They can't hurt you anymore."
My heart pounds against my ribs. He's wrong. They're everywhere. In every shadow, every unexpected sound, every moment when I let my guard down. They taught me that escape was impossible, that I belonged to them forever.
"I know you don't believe me," Aiden continues, leaning back in his chair. "But it's true. You're safe here."
Safe. The word tastes bitter in my mouth. I've heard it before, whispered by other girls who clung to hope until it was beaten out of them. Safety is an illusion they use to make you compliant.
He seems to want an answer, though, so I nod, even though I know I can’t believe his words.
"That's not enough," he says, reading my face with unsettling accuracy. "Lana, I need you to trust me."
I can barely keep from snorting at the idea. Trust?
The last time I trusted someone, I ended up as a captive.
“Yes, Sir,” I say, though. Like a good slave.
