Stolen Innocence (Becoming Elena #1)

by Melody Anne

  Slowly her head lifted; the shot to her stomach when she made eye contact was more intense with him so close — more intense after what had happened the night before.

  “Hmm.” The low murmur vibrated off his lips, but he said nothing more. She had no idea what he was thinking.

  “Thank you for dinner,” she finally said, though nothing was on her plate yet.

  “You know this isn’t about food.” It was a statement.

  “I don’t know what this is about,” she responded.

  “Did you enjoy the show last night, Elena?”

  Her mouth opened and she gazed at him, not knowing how to respond. She had felt he knew she’d been there, and now he was confirming it. Her cheeks flushed scarlet as she cast her gaze down. She was mortified and wanted more than anything to get up and run away.

  “No, I didn’t see you, but I knew exactly where you were,” he said, his voice a low rumble. Her stomach stirred. How that was possible, she didn’t know.

  “I’m . . . uh . . . I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to spy on you. I was outside, and then you appeared, and it was too late to leave.” She stumbled over her words as she tried to quickly get them out.

  “I didn’t mind you being there,” he said, his eyes and voice almost predatory. “In fact, I was glad you were. I could feel you watching, enjoying as I climaxed.”

  She gasped at his words, not understanding the instant wetness she felt below. She squeezed her legs together and shifted in her seat, and his eyes brightened as if he knew exactly what was going on with her. She was once again locked on his gaze. No matter how much she wanted to turn away, she couldn’t.

  “Did you come, Elena? Did you pleasure yourself?” he asked, making her cheeks heat even more. He leaned forward the tiniest bit. “I think you did. I felt your desire through the air, your arousal. I felt the pleasure coursing through you, and it sent me to a whole new level of excitement. I could practically taste you on my lips.”

  She said nothing as his voice washed over her. It was amazing what was happening to her. The same feeling she’d felt the night before was rushing through her body, her core wet, her legs squeezing together to try to relieve the pressure. She was sure he could see the hardness of her nipples through the thin material of the dress but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

  “Do you not have anything to say to that, Elena?” he asked, his lips slightly mocking.

  “No, Sir,” she responded, wanting desperately to look down, but unable to break contact with his eyes.

  “You’re feeling it now, Elena. I can smell your arousal. I can see the dilation in your eyes. Your body is so responsive to just words and sights. I wonder what it will do when I actually touch you, taste you, plunge deep inside you.”

  The more he spoke, the harder her heart beat, the more flushed her skin became.

  “Do you want me to do all of that to you, Elena?”

  He finally leaned back, but she still felt as if she were trapped inside his tiny bubble. And that wasn’t the worst place to be.

  “No, Sir,” she finally said, knowing it was a lie. She wanted that more than she wanted oxygen.

  “I think you’re lying to me, but I’ll let you get away with it for now,” he said with a short laugh.

  She stayed silent.

  “Would you like some wine?”

  “I’ve never had wine,” she told him. She’d seen bottles in the wine cellar, but she’d never tasted it.

  “Then this will be a real treat for you,” he told her.

  He rang a bell and within seconds someone entered the room with a chilled dark bottle. The server never glanced in Elena’s direction, just poured a splash into Dalton’s glass and waited for his boss to approve it.

  After the server filled both glasses, he told Dalton he would serve the food shortly. Dalton said nothing as the man left then returned quickly with soup and bread.

  The aroma drifting her way made her mouth water. She’d never eaten anything that smelled that good. Still, she gripped her hands in her lap. She wouldn’t start until Dalton told her she could. That was a lesson she’d learned long ago — painfully.

  “Eat, Elena,” he said as he picked up his spoon.

  The first bite was an explosion of flavors on her tongue, and Elena had to force herself to eat slowly. She would have picked the bowl up to drink it down, it was so delicious, but she knew that wouldn’t go over well, so instead she filled the spoon half full and took small bites of her meal, setting the spoon down every couple of bites to pick up her glass of wine and take a sip.

  Dalton was right. The wine was an incredible treat. She didn’t notice when he continued filling the glass, keeping it full. Soon, she felt her body relaxing as Dalton’s gaze held her eyes captive once again.

  “Are you happy here, Elena?”

  That was a loaded question if ever there was one. She squirmed in her seat and tried to figure out an acceptable response.

  “I’m very well taken care of, Sir. I have no complaints,” she finally murmured.

  He stared at her, his eyes narrowing the smallest bit. Her head was beginning to grow a bit fuzzy, making it harder and harder to think, making it tougher to maintain her composure.

  He refilled her glass.

  “Do you still get mistreated?”

  “No, Sir.” She knew that’s what she was supposed to say.

  Without thinking about it, though, she ran her fingers across her cheek where it still stung from Leo’s last hit.

  Dalton’s eyes narrowed as he closely examined her.

  He picked up his phone. “Hold the rest of the meal until I call for it.” He set down the phone and stood. She wasn’t sure what to do now.

  “Follow me, Elena.”

  Nerves rushed through her as she stood, and she found herself wobbling at the first step. Dalton quickly steadied her. The touch of his hand on her arm sent lightning through her skin, and she sucked in a breath. He paused for a minute as he looked down at her, his eyes narrowing again, and his lips parted as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he closed his mouth and led her into the next room.

  Now, this was the bedroom. Her stomach clenched. Leo was going to kill her. But what could she do? She had no choice, no say in what happened in her life. If Dalton wanted to bed her, she couldn’t say no. Even if she did, it would do her as much good as it did to fight Leo. Saying no only added more to her pain.

  The difference was that she wasn’t sick at the thought of Dalton taking her, doing to her what he’d talked about doing. The only thing holding her back was the beating Leo was sure to give her if it happened.

  Dalton moved to where two large chairs were sitting by a fireplace. With the click of a button the fire roared to life and instant heat warmed her skin. He stood in front of the chairs.

  “Turn around,” he told her.

  Shaking, Elena did as he said. She didn’t want this. Didn’t want another man to take her, especially a man she actually felt something for. Not while she still had fresh bruises from an hour before, not while she was still sore from the rough treatment she’d just received.

  But Dalton’s hands were on the zipper of her dress, and she felt it loosening. She tried to stop her body from trembling as the dress began falling off her shoulders, tried to stop the tears, but one escaped anyway.

  When the dress dropped to the floor, Dalton turned her around and looked at her face, his finger lifting as he gently wiped the tear away. Then he knelt in front of her and grasped her waist, looking at her body.

  His fingers traced over her skin, and she winced when he found the tender bruises. She could barely stand as he knelt before her. He was silent for so long she was confused as to what was happening. This was never something Leo had done with her.

  “You will tell me now who has done this,” he said, the fury in his voice making her knees shake.

  “I don’t understand,” she stuttered. But she did. She knew exactly what he was asking.

  His
fingers slid across a particularly large bruise, and she winced again.

  “If you try to lie to me, it won’t go well,” he threatened.

  Elena shook before him, not knowing what to do. Her throat closed, and she could no longer stop the tears from falling as Dalton stood back up and gripped her shoulders. She was between a rock and a hard place. Elena wasn’t sure who she feared more — Leo or Dalton.

  Dalton had never hurt her, but she’d barely spent any time with the man. And there was something about him that was dark and threatening, but at the same time it drew her in, making her want to confide in him.

  She knew for sure that Leo was willing to hurt her.

  So she chose not to speak at all. For that matter, she couldn’t speak as her emotions came to a head, and she finally broke down. It had to be the wine, or the lack of sleep, or any number of reasons. Whatever it was, the dam broke and she shattered.

  Dalton looked up, surprise on his face as she completely let go, something she’d never done before. Normally she was able to hold it in until she was alone, and even then she’d never sobbed this hard.

  Finally he got up and sat, pulled her onto his lap, and held her silently as she sobbed without speaking a word, until darkness eventually gave her the relief the tears wouldn’t.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Blinking her puffy eyes, Elena slowly woke and sat up as she looked around. She didn’t know where she was.

  The shadowy figure sitting next to the bed alerted her she wasn’t alone. Her breathing came out in short pants as she tried to get her bearings. Her mind flashed through the night before, though it was all a little hazy.

  Maybe she wasn’t meant to be a wine drinker.

  “Have you calmed down?”

  The cold fury in Dalton’s voice made her shiver. She wasn’t sure who the rage was directed at, but as she was the only person in the room with him, she could take a good guess it was her.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I fell apart,” she told him.

  “I want to know what has happened to you, Elena.”

  She was quiet for several heartbeats and could practically feel the rage flowing from Dalton, coming off him in waves and hitting her with their force. She wasn’t trying to enrage the man, but she also wasn’t so foolish as to give him the information he was demanding.

  “This is simply a part of my life, Sir. I don’t see why you’re asking me about it. I live in your home with your staff,” she said, a touch of anger igniting in her voice.

  It might have been the wrong tone to use with him, because suddenly the shadows were pushed aside as he jumped to his feet, switched on the lamp, and towered over her in the bed. His eyes were violent as he looked down at her.

  Everything that possibly could have happened to her over the years had already occurred, so Elena simply looked back at him, deciding she wasn’t going to cower this time. Maybe her misery would end if she were defiant enough.

  That thought led to a flashback as memories began to flood her. She’d given up once before. Closing her eyes, she remembered angering one of the men who loved to punish her. She hadn’t gotten the concussion the way Leo had told her she had.

  Lies!

  Everything Leo had spoken to her had been nothing but lies. But as she remembered more and more, fear filled her again. She knew what the consequences were for disobeying, for pushing men around.

  It didn’t end her life, but it made her feel like she wanted her life ended. She trusted Dalton no more than she trusted anyone in her world. She needed time to think, but that wasn’t possible.

  “You dare speak to me this way in my own home?” Dalton finally asked through clenched teeth, making her very much aware of his presence once again.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, so I spoke my mind,” she told him. Where had this backbone come from?

  Elena was used to living in fear so she wasn’t quite sure.

  “You will tell me what happened to you.”

  “I won’t.”

  She crossed her arms stubbornly against her chest, and he leaned back, sheer surprise lighting his face.

  “You won’t leave this room until you decide to talk.”

  He stood up and began walking away. She didn’t think he was bluffing. But then again, she didn’t know what else to do.

  “Sir . . .” she yelled out but then stopped. What was she going to say?

  “Are you ready to speak?” he asked from the doorway.

  “No. It’s just that I have a job to do,” she told him.

  His eyes widened slightly at her statement. Then he blanked his expression as he finished walking to the door. He opened it then turned back to her.

  “I will come back tomorrow. Maybe you will have come to your senses by then.”

  With that, he walked out and shut the door. She heard a lock turning.

  The echo of a locking door flooded her with new memories of being carelessly tossed in her room, freezing and malnourished, while a door was tightly secured. What hell was this place? And where did she really belong? Elena didn’t know. She knew nothing.

  She looked around her new prison and wondered if he truly thought this was punishment. The bed was soft, far more luxurious than the one she normally slept in. The floor space was huge, providing ample pacing room, and there was a door leading to what she hoped was a bathroom.

  If this was her punishment for not talking, he would be very surprised when she didn’t utter another single sound.

  Getting out of bed, she moved to the doorway and smiled when she saw the large soaking tub in the corner of the bathroom.

  Yes, let the punishment begin.

  She stripped after drawing her bathwater then sank below the bubbles she’d added. Worry was still with her, but it was nothing more than a slight whisper.

  Leo would be furious. Elena wondered if he would come to her room. She wondered if Dalton would allow it. If Leo did come, though, he surely wouldn’t hit her. He wouldn’t dare. Not with the boss watching so closely.

  She finished her bath, got out, went in the bedroom, and found a nightgown and robe on the bed. No other clothes than those.

  Fine. She would wear the clean nightgown. It didn’t appear as if she were doing anything other than lying around all day.

  At noon a woman she’d never met before brought her lunch without saying a word, then left, locking the door behind her. Elena was very aware of the large man waiting in the doorway while the maid was there. It appeared as if Dalton wasn’t taking any chances on her running.

  It occurred to her that he might be protecting her. Why would he want to do that? She was nothing more than a female body to him.

  There was nothing to do in the room: no books, no television . . . nothing. By nightfall, Elena was thinking this wasn’t such a great punishment after all. She hadn’t gotten to go outside, and though she moved to the window and looked out, it wasn’t the same.

  Leo didn’t come to her. That was one thing she was grateful for. Dalton also didn’t come back that day. She wasn’t happy about that. Although, she should be.

  Finally, after tossing and turning for several hours, Elena found peace in sleep. Maybe the next day would go better. She’d never know until it arrived.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Elena couldn’t breathe. Her eyes snapped open as she fought against the hand pinning her nose together while trapping her mouth. Her hands came up, and she scratched at the person trying to end her life but it was to no avail. Her feet kicked out, and she would have screamed if she could have drawn in air.

  Fighting did no good. Slowly, her vision began to grow blurry as blackness started taking over. Stars flashed brightly but then began dimming. Her limbs fell to her sides as she lost strength to fight her attacker.

  Fear morphed into relief. Death had to be better than the life she was living. Her limbs went numb, and a tiny smile flitted across her lips as she welcomed the abyss. No one would hit her anymore or force themse
lves upon her. No one would demand answers she wasn’t at liberty to give and maybe, just maybe, she would find the child that visited her in her dreams.

  It was over. It was finally over.

  When Elena woke up, she thought she was in heaven for one moment. There wasn’t any pain or fear. She was warm and comfortable. But before she opened her eyes, she stiffened.

  Heaven was still out of reach. She wasn’t even close to it. Maybe people like her didn’t get there. That was probably the case. Elena knew she was still in hell, and she knew the lord and master of her personal hell was sitting there with her.

  “See how easy it would be for me to take your life.”

  A shudder passed through Elena.

  “I’ve always known my life was in your hands,” she told Leo.

  “Then why are you risking it?” he questioned.

  He moved closer to her on the bed and ran a hand through her hair. She wanted to scream, wanted to push him away, but she knew better. They were alone. And Dalton moving her hadn’t meant anything.

  Obviously Leo had gotten through the locks, had snuck past whatever roadblocks had been put into place. There was nowhere she was safe — near or far. Her life was in Leo’s hands, and he’d shown her how quickly he could take her to the brink of death only to stop at the last moment so he could do it over and over again.

  “I’m not trying to,” she told Leo. “I didn’t say anything to Dalton. He was furious with me. That’s why I’ve been locked in here.”

  “How did he know there was a problem?” Leo snapped.

  Elena reached up and felt her cheek where a slight bruise remained.

  “He saw the bruising,” she told him, refusing to shake anymore. She willed her body not to react to this angry man.

  “Did he fuck you? Is that how he saw them?” Leo snarled.

  The hand that had been caressing her hair was now fisting it. It took all her strength not to whimper at the new pain he was causing.

  “No. I swear he didn’t have sex with me,” she assured him.