“You can open your eyes now,” he tells me.
I crack my eyes open, testing whether the light is going to hurt me. When they don’t, I open them fully and look at Chale.
“Is she okay? Has he been treating her well?” I ask. “Tell me so I don’t have to worry about her anymore.”
Lie. I will always worry about her and every other girl who comes to Venkoria. We have to stick together since we are the minority here.
“She is okay. Rayden takes good care of her, and she has everything she has ever wanted... within reason.” He mumbles the last part. “He takes good care of her. Trust me on that.”
“I want to see her,” I demand.
He shakes his head. “You cannot see her right now.”
“Why not?” I fold my arms over my chest.
Chale has stopped walking, and he is standing in the middle of the hallway with me in his arms.
“Because I said so. You will not be meeting anyone anytime soon since you just came to me,” he replies.
“I demand to see herright now. I need to see that she is okay. I won’t stop until you allow me to see her.” I raise my voice.
Chale grips my cheeks with his right hand and brings my face closer to his. I suck in a breath as we lock eyes with each other.
“I said no, and that is the end of the discussion,” he whispers sternly. “You will only get to see her when I deem it is okay.”
“Why?” I ask, hurt.
“Because you just came to me, and you have to adjust to being mine. I have rules that you do not know yet. Until you can obey me, you will not see any of them. Your friends did the exact same thing, so it is not only you,” Chale explains. “This happens to every pet who comes to Venkoria. I am not picking on you.”
“But—”
“No. You will not see her until I say it is okay. I am in charge of you. You may not understand right now, but it will all make sense in time,” he says. “I want you to get used to being around me before we meet anyone else. I won’t keep you away from them forever, just for a short amount of time.”
“How long?” I ask.
“I don’t know. It could be a couple of weeks, or it could be a couple of months. I will let you know when, though.” He kisses my forehead.
He guides my head back into his chest and starts walking again.
“We are going to take the elevator up to my apartment, where Yamal will check over you,” he gently explains. “Remember to be a good girl.”
I stay silent as we ride up the elevator and he opens the door to the apartment. The room is spacious with nothing on the white walls and a couch in the middle of the room.
“This is the living room. Next to it is the kitchen. You are not allowed to touch anything in the kitchen.” He gives me a pointed look. “And that door is where my room is.”
“Where am I sleeping?” I ask, looking around.
“Right here.” He pats the cage I’ve been desperately trying not to look at.
It’s tall enough to fit me sitting, the slots just enough for me to stick my fingers out. He wants me in there to sleep?
I shake my head. “No.”
I don’t want to be trapped in another cage.
“It is not up for discussion,” he states. “You will stay in this kennel for a couple of nights or longer if I want. Raydn has one for Adryn and she lies it. You will be taken care of, and you won’t be locked in there all the time. Just at night or when you’re being punished.”
“Have you never heard of not making someone sleep where they are punished?” I fold my arms over my chest. “It’s bad for the person’s mental health.”
