Chapter 14 – Cinder
“I’m going to fuckingtear your heart out of your chest, kitten!”
I jolted awake, my back arching upward with Master’s threat ringing in my ears. Eyes heavy with sleep shot open. After several blinks, they focused on the unfamiliar ceiling. The covers clutched to my chest, my body snapped upright to sit. Fear scraping cold fingernails down my spine, I slowly moved my head from one side to the other, desperately searching my memory, trying to remember where I was. Why were the walls no longer green and black? Why was I in this large unknown room?
Then I noticed the IV drip stuck to the back of my hand, taking me back to a time when I was sick, and Master brought a doctor who stuck one in my hand.
Yanking the needle out, I winced at the sting, not caring for the spot of blood leaking out of the hole.
Where am I?
“It’s okay, child.”
My gaze flew to a woman who appeared at the side of the bed. Scared, I scrambled off the other side, falling to the floor in a clumsy heap as my legs gave out beneath me. Breathing hard, I tried again to recall what happened. My memory felt fuzzy. I couldn’t remember much after the whipping except for Master taking me upstairs.
Where was I? Who was this woman? Master sent someone to find me. My eyes darted around the room, not picking any direction or piece of furniture, just trying to make sense. It came back in dribs.
Master!
I hurt him.
Running!
The forest.
“It’s okay, child,” the woman repeated, moving toward me.
Panic widening my eyes, I shuffled backward on unsteady knees, hitting something that prevented me from moving further. I glanced behind me—a wall. I cowered against it, a choked sound slipping past my lips. She came closer, reaching out. I pushed back, shaking my head from side to side, begging the wall to save me.
No! Go away.
“Don’t touch her.”
My body jerked at the sharp command, my head swiveling to the door. Recognition filled my eyes—the man from the mountain.
“Leave her,” he ordered, his tone stern.
I responded in automatic submission. Gaze dropped to the floor, head bowed, and hands clasped in my lap. Only I didn’t close my eyes like I usually did. Even though that was Master’s rule, I didn’t dare hope this man would be different. He could be worse, like so many others. Heart pounding against my ribs, I watched his shiny black shoes draw closer to me before his knees came into view as he squatted.
Was this his house?
“Look at me.”
His words vibrated with an authority that strangely terrified me and made me feel safe at the same time. Still, I’d learned to recognize powerful men like him. Danger lurked around their words alone. Back there on the mountain, I’d allowed myself to look at him only because it was dark, and while I’d seen just a face, no emotion, I’d felt it in every word he spoke.
“Look at me,” he repeated.
This time, I was startled by that familiar softness I’d heard on the mountain. That kindness had somehow stolen my fear, allowing me to sit with him, to accept his words of comfort, to exchange my rubber band for a treat I’d never tasted before, and more surprisingly, to speak of my desires.
“No one is going to hurt you, love.”
Whore. Slut. Bitch. Piece of Shit. Kitten. Pet. I’d been called many names, but that word, filled with a similar lull the first time he used it, had my gaze lifting to meet his. I heard his sharp inhale and knew he’d noticed the color of my eyes. Although I hadn’t seen them myself, Master had always commented on them, said they were his lucky charm, sent to save him. I didn’t know what that meant, nor could I ask since I could only speak when he demanded it.
Now, I stared at the man who, even though I ran away, had stolen me from my master. Whether it was the brightness lacking back at the mountain, or the hope in my chest, he looked as powerful as his voice.
Framed by thick silvery hair streaked with deep black, his expression was tender. He looked like those men in the magazines Master used as a bargaining tool. Maybe I noticed this man’s appearance because the men I’d known only sported twisted grimaces or scarred faces, terrifying me before I met their true cruelty beneath.
But this man seemed different.
