I let River go shower first. When she comes back I rush out of the room. I don’t even bother stripping. I get into the shower clothes and all. I turn the water on hot and then sink down to the floor, just dropping my head into my hands. I take a moment, listening to the water rushing over me. Eventually, I strip out of the wet clothes and wash every trace of blood from my body. I dress in a comfy pair of jeans and a plain grey shirt before I go look for Nanna. I find her in the kitchen, where she’s always busy making something.
I go stand behind her and place my arms around her. She lays the side of her face on my arm and her arms wrap around mine. “You did good, my boy,” she whispers. She says the same thing to me every time we come back with someone. “Your parents would be so proud of the man you’ve become.”
I place a kiss against her grey hair. “Will you phone Doc so he can come check them out?”
“I’ll do that.” She pats my arm and then walks over to the phone.
I grab one of the kitchen chairs and go back to the room. I walk into the room and place the chair by the foot of Sophia’s bed. “I told Nanna to phone Doc. We’re going to need antibiotics.”
River nods and her silence tell me a million things. Her heart is breaking for Jack and Sophia.
After Doc leaves, I go sit at the foot of Sophia’s bed. My eyes are constantly flitting over her, looking for some sign from her that she’s going to make it. I’ll never forgive myself if she dies.
~*~
I can’t bring myself to leave the room. Sophia stirs during the night, but that’s about all she does. I keep telling myself that at least they’re alive. I just hope they aren’t broken and that they’ll manage to recover so they can live full lives.
I shift in the chair trying to get comfortable. I put my feet on the corner of the bed and stretch my legs out a bit. It’s in the early morning hours that I hear Sophia’s breathing change. Her breathing falters and I hear a soft sob. I drop my feet from the bed and get up slowly. The last thing I want to do is scare her. I walk closer, not sure what I’m going to do. Both her eyes are black, and it makes the blue of her eyes stand out even more. Her eyes meet mine for a split-second before she lowers her lashes.
“Morning,” I whisper. I watch her like hawk, not sure what reaction I’m going to get.
She starts to struggle into a sitting position. Even though she pales from all the pain she must be in, I keep my distance. But then she throws her legs off the side of the bed and it makes me take a step closer. I honestly think it’s too soon for her to be getting up, but maybe she needs to use the bathroom.
She slides off of the bed and my heart almost stops as she sinks to her knees.
“No!” I crouch down beside her and placing my hands on her arms, I pull her up. The rage pulsing through my body is so overwhelming, I struggle to calm myself. “No kneeling, Sophia. I never want to see you kneel again.” I help her sit back on the bed. “Do you need the bathroom?”
“No, Master.” Her voice trembles and it’s just another blow to my heart.
“Please lie down again,” I almost beg. As soon as she starts to lie down, I shove my hands in my pockets. “Uhh …” I don’t know what to do now.
I stand around for a minute and then it hits me, she must be in pain. I can get some painkillers in her while she’s awake. But first food!
“I’m going to go get you some food.” I take a step away but then turn back to her. “Don’t leave the bed. Just lie like that and rest.”
I rush from the room and when I get to the kitchen Nanna is already there getting things ready for breakfast.
“Morning, Nanna.” I place a kiss on the top of her head. “Sophia is awake. Can I have some soup for her so I can get some painkillers into her?”
“Of course.” She quickly readies a tray for me and she adds a mug of steaming coffee for me. “I’ll be along soon to check on the children.”
“Thanks, Nanna.” I take the tray and head back to the room.
Walking into the room, I’m relieved to see Sophia listened. I place the tray next to her bed and then bring the chair closer. I sit down and smile at Sophia. “Can you manage to sit just a little bit up? Sorry, I should have thought of that.”
She pulls herself up and I quickly lean forward so I can tuck the pillow in behind her back. While my arms are reaching around her, she ducks her head down, as if she’s ashamed. Before I pull back, I lightly take a few strands of her hair between my fingers. “You’re safe now, Sophia.” I don’t know if the words mean anything to her or if she even understands them, but I need to say them. “I won’t let anyone hurt you again. You’re safe here.”
Sophia~
I wake up and the first thing that registers is pain. All kinds of pain – too much pain! I try to breathe past it but I can’t, it’s becoming worse with every breath. I can’t hold back the lump that’s pushing up my throat and a strange noise escapes my lips.
I hear movement in the room and I realize a couple of things all at once; I’m not in my room, or any room that’s familiar to me, and there is someone in the room with me – and then I remember.
I remember being beaten by Master David and Master Sven.
I remember not being able to please Master Adam.
I remember not being good enough anymore.
I remember that I’m ugly now, and that no one will ever want me again. I’m a failure. I’m nothing.
Movement catches my eye and then I see Master Adam. I quickly drop my eyes away from him. Is he going to finish the punishment now? It would only be the right thing to do. I did fail him after all.
“Morning,” he says softly.
I have to get up. I can’t be lazy and stay in bed, no matter the pain. I move, and pain sears through my body. My skin hurts, my insides hurt, my face hurts – every single part of me is alive and throbbing with pain.
I force myself into a sitting position and for a moment the world goes black. I can’t faint! I blink a couple of times and breathe through the darkness threatening to drag me under.
I lift my legs from the bed and then let my body slide to the floor. I bite my bottom lip hard as a whimper bubbles up my throat. I hope I didn’t take too long! I don’t want to be in more trouble than I already am!
“No!” Master Adam shouts. I cringe, waiting for the kick or punch to come. I don’t think I’ll survive another beating.
His hands take hold of my arms, and although it hurts, it’s nothing compared to what a kick or punch would’ve felt like.
He pulls me up and the movement makes my body tremble from all the pain.
“No kneeling, Sophia. I never want to see you kneel again.” What? No kneeling? But that would be disobedient!
He helps me to sit on the bed and then he asks, “Do you need the bathroom?”
“No, Master.” My voice trembles from the pain, and I feel shame for not being able to hide it better. You never show a master that he’s caused you pain. They punish you for the pleasure it brings them to be your master.
“Please lie down again,” his voice is hoarse, and there’s an emotion I can’t place. It’s not anger.
I lie back down. If that will please him then I will keep lying here until he tells me to get up. I just want to please someone!
“Uhh …” He doesn’t say anything else and I wonder if he’s okay. I start to worry about him just as he says, “I’m going to go get you some food.” He moves but then he says, “Don’t leave the bed. Just lie like that and rest.”
He leaves the room and I feel confusion swamp me. He’s almost being … nice? A master has never told me to stay in bed! A master has never brought me food!
My thoughts and emotions are a mess. I feel my eyes start to burn and now I know that tears will follow. I don’t like crying, it makes me feel worse. I try to swallow it back. I really have nothing to cry about. I’m alive. Master Adam is being nice to me. I have to be thankful!
He comes back into the room and instantly a pleasant smell fills
the room. I don’t know if I’ll be able to swallow anything, but I’ll try my best.
He places a tray next to the bed. I watch as he brings a chair closer and then he sits down. When he looks at me, I quickly lower my eyes.
“Can you manage to sit up just a little bit? Sorry, I should have thought of that.”
Sorry? No master has ever said those words to me. Why is he sorry? I don’t understand any of this but I pull myself up again. He leans forward and instantly my heart starts to race with fear. This is it! I brace myself for a blow but nothing comes. I peek through my eyelashes and then feel his arms go around me. He places the pillows behind my back and the gesture is the kindest thing that’s ever been done for me. I lower my head, scared that he will see the tears that I’m struggling to hold back.
He takes hold of some of my hair. It’s not as pretty as it used to be, but he still touches it. “You’re safe now, Sophia. I won’t let anyone hurt you again. You’re safe here.” He said the same thing to me the night he wouldn’t let me satisfy him and then I got beaten. I got replaced.
His words make my insides churn and my heart squeezes painfully. I now understand, his nice words are just another way to say that I’m going to be punished. I don’t know when he will punish me, but I have to ready myself for it.
He sits back and picks up a bowl. He scoops some of the broth into a spoon and then he brings it to my mouth.
Oh, he likes to feed a slave. I haven’t had a master that likes to do that in a while.
When the spoon reaches my lips, I open my mouth. Some of the broth spills and it dribbles down my chin.
“Shit, sorry,” he mumbles. He takes a napkin and then I watch with huge eyes as he pats my chin dry. My lips part in stunned surprise as he then gets up and comes to sit on the side of the bed. “Let’s try this again.”
He scoops some broth into the spoon again and brings it to my lips. I open my mouth and he gently feeds me. I swallow hard, and there’s a sharp pain in my throat, but the liquid goes down and that’s all that matters.
With each spoonful of broth he feeds me, my throat starts to feel better. When he’s done feeding me I almost smile with pride – I managed to eat it all!
He picks up two tablets and a cup of coffee. “This should be cold enough for you to swallow the painkillers down with.”
I watch him take a sip of the coffee. “Yes, it’s cold enough.” He smiles and then he brings the tablets to my mouth. I open and he places them on my tongue. They taste bitter after the nice broth. He brings the cup of coffee to my lips and I take a few sips to swallow the tablets down with … and then he takes a sip himself.
My lips part again in stunned wonder. He just drank from the same mug. He let me drink first! That’s never happened before.
He places the cup down and then leans over me. “Let’s get you settled. You need to try and sleep some more. The more you rest the sooner you’ll be back to your normal self.”
I scoot down and he slips his hand in under my head. He adjusts the pillows again and then he gently eases my head on to the pillows. Before he pulls back he whispers, “Look at me.” My eyes flit to his not knowing what to expect. I don’t see anger. They look almost soft. “All you have to focus on is getting better, Sophia. There will be no more kneeling, no looking at the floor, and no calling us master or mistress.” I frown, not sure I’m understanding. He leans his head closer to mine and slightly tilts it as if he’s going to kiss me. Not once does he take his eyes away from mine. He has a very intense look, and it makes me want to squirm. “You’ll call me Adam, just Adam. Now stop frowning and sleep.” He kisses my forehead and then he pulls away. I watch as he picks up the tray and then he leaves the room.
I’m not sure about anything anymore! I feel anxious and totally out of place. I’ve heard of slaves being traded, but I never thought it would happen to me! I don’t know what to do to please my new masters. I want to please Master Adam, but I can’t call him by his name! I have to kneel! I can’t look into his eyes!
Being a new slave is so hard, I’ve forgotten how hard. Will they train me again? I don’t understand any of this!
Adam~
When I get back to the room River is there. She’s busy cleaning Jack’s wounds. He stirs and she freezes. Her eyes scan his face and when it doesn’t look like he’s waking up, she carries on cleaning him.
My eyes are pulled to Sophia and I’m relieved when I see she’s sleeping.
“I brought you some water, too, if you’d like to clean her. I can if you’re not up to it,” River says, not once taking her eyes of Jack.
“Thanks. I’ll clean her quickly.” I rinse out the cloth and then pull the sheet back from Sophia’s body. I really hope the painkillers knocked her out cold. I’d hate for her to be in more pain.
I start to wipe down her left arm. “She woke up. I got some soup into her and some painkillers.” I let River know. “I’m sure Jack will wake up soon.”
“I hope so,” River whispers. “At least it looks like they’ll pull through.”
We work in silence and it’s the first time that I get a good look at Sophia’s wounds. She has red welts and angry-looking gashes all over her body. The gash on her leg is the worst. I don’t even know what they used on her to cause the wound.
When I’m done with her front, I rinse the cloth again. I’m just about to reach for her so I can roll her onto her side, when I see her eyes are open. She’s watching me with a confused look on her face.
“Are you okay?” I ask, not sure how long she’s been awake. “Do you want me to stop? We can clean your back later if the pain is too much.”
She licks her lips nervously and it looks like she wants to say something.
“You can talk freely, Sophia. You don’t need permission to talk to anyone.”
For a moment she looks dumbstruck and then she whispers, “Master doesn’t have to clean me, I can do it myself.”
I shake my head and a cloud of frustration and anger crashes over me. “Sophia, I know you can do everything yourself. I’d like to do this for you. Please, let me help you.” I hope none of the anger shimmers through in my voice.
“Why?” she almost croaks the words out. “Forgive me for asking, Master, but why are you doing all of this? Am I going to be punished again for not satisfying Master?”
I recoil from her words. I drop the cloth and my hands go behind my neck because I have to hold onto something or I’ll lose it and punch a hole in something!
“I’m sorry, Master!” she says desperately. “I didn’t mean to anger you more.”
“What’s going on?” River asks and she comes to stand next to me.
I turn half into her and hiss, “Those fuckers. I’m going to kill them, River. God help me, I’m going to kill them!” I turn my back on Sophia so she can’t see my anger, but I’m sure that’s a waste of time. I’ve already upset her. “She thinks she was punished because I wouldn’t have sex with her.”
River pales and she swings around to look at Jack. “No! They think we’re responsible? That’s going to make it so much harder to win their trust!”
I rub my hands over my face and fight to regain control over my emotions. I take a few deep breaths, force a smile to my face and then only do I turn back to Sophia. Her eyes are huge and filled with fear.
“Sweetheart,” I kneel next to her bed and take her hand in mine, “we are not your masters. You are free. You’re no longer a slave. You will never be punished again. You can ask us anything and talk when you want to. You can do what you want. You can stay here or leave and go make a life for yourself out there. You can stay here with us as a friend, Sophia, not a slave.”
Her breathing speeds up and she whispers distraughtly, “I understand, Master. I’m ugly and master doesn’t want an ugly slave.” She sucks in a few shaky breaths and it all becomes too much for me. I drop my forehead on our joined hands and a tear slips free.
What if she’s broken? How do I fix her?
S
ophia~
I wake up to a nice cool cloth brushing softly over my skin. Although, it hurts at first, the burning pain eases afterwards.
I open my eyes and at first I’m not sure I’m seeing right. Master Adam is busy cleaning me?
When he gets to my leg he frowns darkly. He must be disgusted with me. I look horrible. I’ll never be pretty again and that means no master will ever want me again.
He rinses the cloth and then his eyes land on mine. I lower them quickly, ashamed that he caught me staring.
“Are you okay?” he asks, “Do you want me to stop? We can clean your back later if the pain is too much.”
His words make my head hurt. I don’t know what the right way is to respond. I lick my dry lips and I so badly want to ask him why he’s doing all of this. I want to be prepared for what’s to come.
“You can talk freely, Sophia. You don’t need permission to talk to anyone.”
He keeps saying these weird things! I don’t understand any of it. I can speak freely? What does that mean?
It looks like he’s waiting for me to say something so I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Master doesn’t have to clean me, I can do it myself.”
He shakes his head and his face darkens with anger. My heart starts to beat faster and faster. Why can’t I do anything right? Why have I become so useless?
“Sophia, I know you can do everything yourself. I’d like to do this for you. Please, let me help you.”
Help me? “Why?” My voice is hoarse with fear for the punishment coming, but I risk asking anyway, “Forgive me for asking, Master, but why are you doing all of this?” I have to know what’s coming my way so I can at least prepare myself. “Am I going to be punished again for not satisfying Master?”
He drops the cloth and his hands go behind his neck. He’s holding his neck so tightly that his veins are showing. I’ve never seen a master so angry with me before!
Oh no! I should have kept quiet! Now I’m in more trouble. “I’m sorry, Master!” I start to beg. It never helps to beg but I try anyway. “I didn’t mean to anger you more.”
Saved By Him (The Monster Series Book 2) Page 5
