I'm going to be sick.
His hold only tightens as I hiss through my teeth.
It's hard to come down from the pain he's inflicting, but I grit my teeth so hard I'm sure they're going to crack, and I pull myself together.
As much as I hated him for it at the time, Aiden trained all of us to be able to take a beating. He and Skyla made sure none of us would take a round or two of torture and crumble. He liked to say our family was stronger.
For years, I've been pissed at him because of it, but now I might be thanking him for it.
The man in front of me smirks, that cold look in his eyes only seeming to grow impossibly colder. "Do you want to tell me again that I don't know what I'm doing?"
I bite my tongue, glaring at him and hoping he knows how much I hate him.
I don't know his name or anything other than the fact that he's a bastard, but I hate him.
"We're going home in a few minutes, and when we get there, you're going to change. There's going to be a collar on you at all times. One that tracks exactly where you are."
As he's talking, the door behind him eases open. It's so soft the man in front of me doesn't hear it as he continues to rant to himself about all the expectations he's going to have for me.
Noah slips into the room, and I don't think I would've ever been so happy to see him. The man in front of me is a monster, and so is Noah, but at least I know what lengths Noah is willing to go to.
At least, I think I do.
Noah holds a finger to his lips.
I pay attention to the man in front of me instead, hissing as he presses into the cut again. "You don't have to do this. I could make sure you get everything you want. My family has connections all over the world."
"I love the sound of you begging." He folds the knife up and slips it back into his pocket.
Out of my peripherals, I notice Noah drawing closer, a syringe in his hand.
I swallow hard, tears burning in the corners of my eyes. "Master, please, just let me talk to my family; I can get you anything you want."
He smirks, but as he starts to lean forward, Noah wraps an arm around the man's neck, hauling him back.
Noah chuckles, the syringe pressing against the man's vein, the needle slipping beneath his skin with ease. "I told you not to fuck with me, Robert."
Robert's eyes widen, and he starts to open his mouth, but whatever he was about to say dies on his lips as Noah sinks the plunger down. Robert's words come out garbled together, not making sense.
I swallow hard, my gaze locking on Noah's. "You know him?"
"Yes."
He doesn't volunteer any more than that as he pulls the needle out of Robert's neck. Robert falls to the floor with a heavy thud.
Noah's gaze drops to the blood on my leg. "He did that to you?"
"Yes." I get up, wincing at the pain in my leg. "Can you get these off me?"
He glances around me at the cuffs as I turn slightly to the side. "I don't know. Looks like they should be there."
My cheeks are on fire, my head going straight to the gutter. "You don't have to be gross about it."
Shrugging, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key. His fingers brush against my skin as he comes over and grabs me, holding me still while he undoes the cuffs. A shiver runs downmy spine, his breath ghosting across the back of my neck. The heat from his body radiates around me.
I squeeze my eyes shut, letting out a slow breath and bringing myself back under control.
Noah steps away from me, the cuffs falling to the ground. "Get moving. I want to get out of here before more of your family tries to show up and fuck up my plans."
