Light speared through my eyelids,slicing into my brain like a cruel knife. The pounding in my temple swelled first, but then came an array of other stings and aches. My left thigh throbbed, but that wasn’t new. My ribs smarted with each breath.
I ached between my legs.
Groaning, I turned my face from the light.
“That you, sugar?” called a male voice.
My eyes snapped open.
That voice.
The smell of sandalwood swarmed me, and my gaze landed on a man in the doorway.
A raspy scream erupted from my throat. I jerked away, but got nowhere. My wrists were bound above my head, cuffed to the headboard of a bed.
Jack Miller swaggered toward me, a smile lighting his face. “Welcome home.”
I yanked again, trying to free myself.
“Now, calm down. You’ll like it better here than with the other prisoners. Trust me.”
My body stilled as tears rose to my eyes and the enormity of the truth crashed over me.
Prisoner.
“That’s better.” He reached the edge of the bed, cool green eyes sweeping my face and body. “Why don’t you tell me your name?”
Anger mangled all sense of self-preservation. “Go fuck yourself.”
He chuckled, then slapped me across the face. The sting spread through my cheek and into my nose, but before I could process it, a vice clamped around my ankle.
Lungs fought for air, but the panic… It rushed through my veins.
The world spun.
Cold hands on my legs.
Rough fingers between my thighs.
I compartmentalized. Blocked it out.
Hours passed. Or was it years?
Goosebumps took up permanent residence on my naked skin. The cuff burns on my wrists grew numb.
Don’t think about it.
The pervasive scent of sandalwood suffocated me. Always followed by torture.
Pressure. Burning.
Don’t think about it!
How long now? Light then dark. Sleep and tiny sips of water. Timed trips to the bathroom, like I was a dog being potty-trained.
Don’t think about it.
Fuck! Teeth?
