Page 19 of Stolen

Failing miserably, I switched my strategy and went to strike his nose with my palm, but he caught my wrist and pinned it against the elevator wall. My other arm continued to fight against him, but he quickly trapped both my wrists in one hand, holding them up high above my head.

My back protested immensely from my efforts to free myself, my skin burning while my muscles pulsed with tension. For every inch I struggled, the pain in my body worsened, finally motivating me to be still and attempt to relax.

There was just no point in wasting my energy if it got me nowhere.

“Oh, come on,” the owner teased. “You were doing so well.”

I huffed in frustration, ignoring the bait as best I could.

He waited a few seconds after I had stilled to move his thumb and run it softly along my jaw, the gentle action nothing more than a subtle warning.

“It must be so tough for you…” he growled into my ear. “Being reduced to nothing, feeling trapped like this…with no way out of it…”

The pressure of his thumb suddenly increased at the side of my neck, reducing my air supply significantly. My hands clenched into fists against the wall of the elevator, my wrists straining for freedom from the tight grip of his one very strong hand.

“You’re an object now, you know. Something to command. Something tofuck. Something that will beg to please it’s master.”

I continued to strain for air, trying to let his heavy words fly over me, but the struggle was just too much. With the pain in my back flaring up from every little movement, I almost begged for a reprieve.

“Just look at how pathetic you are. I could crush your tiny, fragile body right now,” he continued, squeezing tighter for emphasis; his words were like venom, poisoning my ears and my confidence. “It would be so fuckingeasy.”

He’s wrong. He’s fucking wrong, Jaden. Don’t listen to that garbage.

His grip on my wrists tightened, pressing them even harder into the wall behind me. A small cry left my strangled throat, sounding just as pathetic as I apparently looked.

“Remember that I’m the one who holds all the cards now. All of the power. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can become content with your new life.There’s no use fighting it, little girl. It’ll just bring you more pain…pain that I am more than happy to deliver.”

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to break me down by shadowing me with his physical dominance. He was trying to prove to me that I didn’t have a chance in hell in fighting him off, but what he didn’t realize was that the sooner I got my chance, the sooner he’d see he was dead fucking wrong. I would have told him so, but my mouth was busy with more important things.

Still keeping his hands firmly in place, he turned his head back to the guard.

“How did her exam go?” he asked. The guard shrugged as he leaned against the wall.

“She’s good to go, sir. Test results will be ready in a few days.”

“Excellent,” he said, turning back to stare down at me. He had a dark look in his eyes that turned my anger into ice-cold fear. What the fuck did I do?

“It was recommended, though, that she receive food and water. She hasn’t had either since she got here.”

I needed a lot more than food and water. Oxygen was pretty fucking important at the moment.

“See to it then. I wouldn’t want our new little star wasting away her potential.”

“Yes, sir.”

With that, he released my throat, and I dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. I coughed and wheezed for air as I had spent all my energy in my fight for oxygen. I was dizzy and weak, and the second the elevator doors opened, the owner stepped out, leaving me on the floor like a pile of dirty laundry. I truly was nothing to him—to any of them—just another dollar sign.

I’d nearly shoved the guard off me when he tried to help me up, too pissed off at what that fucking owner had done to me.

When I got back to my cage, it was apparently breakfast time, so I laid on my stomach on the padding of my cage and watched as the guards carried trays containing bowls of food and bottles of water down the aisle. They placed a bowl and bottle in each cage, and every girl scrambled to finish their food as fast as they could. When the guard finally placed the bowl and water in my cage, I waited for them to lock the door before cracking the bottle open and nearly draining the entire thing.

“Whoa, slow down!” Kayla suddenly shouted at me with a mouthful of food. She swallowed. “You only get two of those a day. Save some for later.”

I stopped at about a quarter of the way and looked down into the bowl. My stomach growled something fierce, and I suddenly remembered I was starving. Steaming away like a heavenly miracle was what looked like chicken stir-fry. The aromaof chicken, rice, and vegetables filled my nose, and I didn’t hesitate another second before shoving spoonfuls of food down my throat. It was very bland for a stir-fry, probably just a bag of frozen shit, but I didn’t care. It was solid, and I was starving. I finished my food in three minutes and placed the bowl at the door of my cage where the guards eventually came back to collect them.

Feeling full and drained, I lay back down on my side and closed my eyes.

“What the hell happened to you?” Kayla asked quietly. “We all saw them carry you in yesterday, and you were out until they woke you up this morning.”

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