Page 23 of Spark

Holly had conjured up this interesting exercise, and I knew Jaden would hate it, but at least the result was interesting to regard. Maybe I’d have her paint once a week just to see if the colors would change. Holly had a bunch of other stupid shit she wanted Jaden to do besides her physical therapy, all of it designed to either keep her busy or change her mentality on what was important. Part of it was for her to accept her place and learn to find happiness in it, no matter how minuscule it was.

The fact that Jaden had punched Holly in the face wasn’t exactly a surprise, even if it was by accident. Her body was getting ready to fight again, and it needed to be curbed… or perhaps just controlled.

My world was too dangerous to allow Jaden to become soft, which was why the desensitization was so important. The fact that she didn’t even blink when I told her about Benito had me wondering if she had planned it. She knew what I would do to anyone who fucked with her, and she seemed to have used that to her advantage. I was more impressed than I was pissed since I didn’t want anyone so susceptible to Jaden’s manipulation guarding her to begin with. She was simply exposing my weakest links when they couldn’t handle her anymore.

What a fantastic system.

A killer existed somewhere inside Jaden, and it was slowly exposing itself. The idea of making her more and more like me was becoming too intriguing to resist. Her talents needed to be consolidated, reformed, and controlled. But even after all of that was accomplished, one thing would still be missing.

That big red blotchy thing in the middle of the canvas.

It was time to increase her dependence on me. She’d love to hate me until she didn’t know the difference anymore, and then I would tilt the scales in my favor. She’d be mine forever.

Turning on my heels, I left the painting behind and headed to the dining room where my lovely, angry little redhead was waiting. She was sitting right where she belonged, her knee silently bouncing under the table—her nervous tic. She must think I’d be pissed about what she did to Holly. She did break her nose, but Holly would live, and everything would resume as planned.

Watching Jaden from the hallway, I couldn’t help but notice all the things I loved about her. That gorgeous hair, her soft skin, her small yet solid frame, and how carefully she studied her whereabouts. I knew she was listening for me, waiting for me to come in and start raging about Holly, but I had no intention to do that. At least not anymore when Jaden finally snapped her head around and saw me standing in the doorway.

“How long have you been standing there?” she asked incredulously. I smirked.

“Long enough to know you’re nervous about something,” I replied. Jaden glared at me as I rounded the table. “Do you have something to be nervous about, princess?”

Her mouth formed into a tight line at her pet name. I loved that she hated it so much.

“I’m just curious as to how Holly is,” she replied carefully.

“And what did you do to Holly?” I asked her.

She immediately narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t act like you don’t know,” she said with a tone far too strong for one in her position.

I raised an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t say I didn’t know. I said for you to tell me what you did to her. Or do you need more clarification?”

Jaden’s scowl came back full force, and I met it with my own, daring her to start shit with me. She instantly softened.

“I think I accidentally broke her nose,” she said regrettably. It almost sounded like an apology.

“You’d be correct.”

“Shit,” she said under her breath, turning back around in her chair.

I pulled my chair out and sat down. “Why did you hit her?”

“I told you, it was an accident,” she replied harshly.

“And how did the accident happen?”

“I had a bad dream, and she woke me up. I reacted; I couldn’t help it.”

I furrowed my brows at her. “What were you dreaming about?” She glanced at me.

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied, placing her elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands.

“It does when I’m the one who’s asking,” I replied sternly.

She looked back over to me, her head still in her hands. She didn’t want to answer, but she couldn’t lie either. She’d learned that much, at least. “I dreamt about our reunion in the jail cell after I got away,” she said gently.

I felt my fist tighten and my blood heat. I didn’t like the sound of that. “Not my fondest of memories.”

“Nor mine,” Jaden said quietly, and I narrowed my eyes at her.

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