Page 28 of Stolen

My cheek suddenly exploded with pain, like I’d been slapped with a broken glass bottle. I sucked in another breath, denying him the scream I knew he wanted.

“It’s going to end with you admitting the truth and accepting your future.”

“That’s one theory,” I offered.

My other cheek burst with the same excruciating pain as before, making me shriek from the shock of it.

Stop antagonizing him, you moron.

“And unfortunately for you, it’s going to be a very painful journey to accepting that truth. But you will not leave those chains until you have.”

I gritted my teeth this time to prevent myself from saying more stupid shit, but it just made my jaw ache instead.

I gasped as his hand gripped the front of my dress, tightening the material around my sides until it felt like it would slice into me.

“But I’m determined to see you through, no matter how long it takes. Everyone has a breaking point, kitten, and you’re no exception.”

I swear my pride was going to get me killed, but I would not let him break me so easily. It just wasn’t in me to give in to him without a fight, no matter how stupid it was. And it really was fucking stupid.

With my heart practically pounding out of my chest from the pain that was now throbbing throughout my face, I sucked in oxygen like it was my last lifeline. My body shuddered not only from the icy water still dripping from my hair but also from the fear of what I knew was coming. And it was no one’s fault but my own.

“Best of luck,” I bit out like the stupid, miserable bitch I was.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I knew that was the response he wanted anyway. He’d hunt for any reason to drag this out as long as he wanted, no matter what I admitted to him. I might as well get a few digs in when I still could.

His response was a soft chuckle, the only warning I received before he ripped the flimsy, black material from my body like it was paper, exposing every bruised and scuffed inch of me.

“I was hoping you’d say something like that.”

“You’re welcome,” I added sarcastically.

The surrounding air chilled my exposed damp skin, the water drying against my flesh like glue, creating an unbearable tightness across my limbs and torso. I could feel my nipples hardening from the cold while my abdomen clenched from the strain I was under. I endeavored to cross my legs to hide myself away from him, but that was an impossible joke.

The tip of his finger trailed down my cheek. “I want you to know how much I’m going to enjoy this.”

“Fuck you,” I spat, recoiling from his touch.

His chuckle curdled into the pit of my stomach as he walked away. Sounds of rustled clothing followed, accompanied by the rattle of something being removed from the wall. My body shook even harder. With my eyesight taken from me, I was lost to the fear of uncertainty. I’d have to wait for the pain to appear before I could possibly know what he was doing, and that wait alone was excruciating.

I listened intently as his footsteps brought him closer to my shivering form, his presence so dominating I didn’t even need to see him – I could fucking feel him. His energy was palpable, an electrified atmosphere so intense it made the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. I jerked the moment a smooth and rounded texture stroked the line of my shoulder blade, the touch hard but gentle. A warning. Whatever he had pulled from the wall, he traced it over my skin, electrifying my newly sensitized nerves.

“Last chance to grovel,” he warned.

I sucked in a shaky breath, unable to contain my fear.

“You’ll have to earn it first,” I muttered.

Wasn’t that half the joy in victories like this anyway? Working for them? Earning them with significant effort? Struggling for them? Didn’t you respect the reward so much more when it was challenging? I hoped my theory was just accurate enough to get me through this alive. He would win, of course, but he would remember it didn’t come easily.

Listening to the object slash through the air, I screamed as it landed swiftly against my bare wet ass with a fury that lit my skin on fire. The pain traveled through my flesh, devastating my nerve endings.

“I plan to,” he growled menacingly into my ear and then slapped the object against my other cheek. The impact felt like he was hitting me with a wooden baton of some kind, or maybe a cane—the kind that could devastate and devour in just one swing.

I cried out again as the bite of the lash seared into my flesh. I took fast and hard breaths, in and out, trying to breathe through the pain. Another smack landed against the back of my wet thighs, and I screamed again, feeling the welts form from the impact. Strike after strike came down on the back of my drenched legs and ass, and I could no longer fight back the tears as they spilled down my face. I quietly whimpered to myself, cursing him under my breath to release some of the anguish hidden behind my resolve.

He strolled around me now, smacking the inside of my thighs, leaving behind more welts and bruises as he did. I leaned my head back and pulled against my restraints, but the metal of the cuffs just bit into my wrists and made the pain even worse. Another strike came at my abdomen, sharp, throbbing heat spreading over my skin, and I thought I would vomit, but there was nothing in my stomach to release. I could hear the sound of the strikes echo in the room, closely followed by my screams.

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