***
Years later
They stopped calling me Bait or my personal favorite, Prey, after my first few fights. They saw what I could do, and “Junkyard Jay—the Monster” is a better fit for me. I miss being called theformer. The pups assigned those nicknames are only here short term. The rest of us who remain, are here because we’ve killed to survive.
It’s been several years since my first fight. And my new nickname and breasts aren’t the only things that are different about me.
My first win shocked everyone, and word spread around like wildfire. Now, people from all over the realm come to the arena because they want to see the young killer in the ring. The entertainment value is so high that I have a match almost every week, unless I am given time to recover. But I’m never recovering from injuries—I’m not that lucky. I barely ever have a scratch on me, and I still find this troubling. Unfortunately, the more experience I get, the better I get. But not mentally. That’s why I need recovery time.
Most of the time I stay in my wolf form because I can’t stand my naked skin. Otherwise, cutting starts, one cut per kill to appease my Goddess. What began as a compulsion now brings relief. Only then can I breathe again.
But there are things you can’t recover from.
What happened to me is my fault. The darkest market of the community found out about the tiny monster destroying everything, and everyone she’s put up against. Then, people with heavy pockets wanted to see me for themselves and gossiped about my appearance, too. As Master’s business grew so did the volume of work he had to outsource to new staff. He barely comes around anymore. You would think that was a good thing, but I learned there are bigger evils out there.
Master has put me in awful matches, but he never laid a hand on me. I guess I was lucky to have him. The busier he got, the less of his protection I received. My showmanship expanded beyond fighting, into the fulfillment of sexual desires. Males, and even females wanted to feel powerful by violating me.
I cut myself on the inside once. Only once because cutting there didn’t fill the sensation I needed. But no matter how much I want to, I can’t cut away the empty space they once filled without my permission.
And when I couldn’t do that . . . Well . . .
CHAPTER Summary
C.J. Sweet
In this chapter, we look back on Jay’s dark childhood. We don’t know her age, but she is young. The flashback takes place weeks after she was trafficked. Beginning with Jay playing a game with the nameless prisoner. She gives him a name—Mylos—one she’s overheard others use.
When he stops playing, she daydreams of a better life, staring at her baby photo. She is caught with it by the man she is told to call Master who lets her keep it. Yet she was able to keep it throughout her life.
Master brings Jay to get a physical from a doctor before her first dog fight at the Pound, an arena where the only way out is death. As a child would be, she is scared but is too fearful to speak up. After the checkup is complete, the doctor informs Master Jay is cleared to fight.
Master feeds Jay a small piece of food and tells her that if she wants more, she needs to win.
When the doctor leaves her and Master alone, he pulls out a small glass bottle of performance enhancers and a syringe to inject into Jay. She is exposed to Master’s manipulative behavior by the way he talks to her and treats her. This manipulation creates an understandably confusing trauma bond for Jay. She enjoys that Master is making her laugh and doing silly things like roaring loudly together. He cheers her on and makes her think that someone believes in her, which only motivates her to want to make him proud.
This scene ends with her being determined to win.
***
In the next scene, Jay is pulled through a tunnel to a colosseum while chained to a metal crash cart. Master uses kid-friendly language such as the crash cart is a “prop” like in a play as the display is for show.
They reach the end of the tunnel where a rusted gate is drawn to the top. On the other side is an arena, which does not have a ceiling. Jay notices the starry night sky and notes it as the first time she has been outside since she was trafficked.
A boy a few years older than her, referred to as Stone Cold Jones, is introduced as the reigning champion, her opponent. When Jay is announced, the crowd boos. During their cheers for Stone Cold Jones—dog barks and howls—Jay notices how poorly the sounds are imitated and suspects the crowd may be human.
The fight’s rules are simple: guard your teeth when biting because there’s no medical team if one breaks. They are also restricted from shifting into their wolf until the second round.
When the bell rings, Jay tries to reason with Jones, but he pops her in the nose. Reality hits her: there is no talking her way out of this. She is going to have to kill or be killed.
After the first round, her Master is disappointed with her performance, indicating he has a lot of money on this match.
When the break ends, the announcer tells her and Jones to choose their form—human or wolf—for the second round. Jones chooses to fight in his human form. Jay’s wolf then urges her to choose her wolf. She does. And the second round begins.
***
Later that night
When the match is over, Jay is back in the cage. She was horrified to see the tiny coffin and how Jones’s corpse was treated.
