Chapter 52: Breaking The Silence
Phoebe
If you were to ask me what that felt like, how could I even begin to explain? My body was forced forward, even when there was nowhere for it to go. The ropes dug mercilessly into my hands and feet. But the pain from that felt like a gentle touch compared to the hot rod that had seared into my skin. The scorching metal pressed hard against my ass, burning me away, burning everything I was. The pain barely let up when he finally removed it, and my mind seemed to be consumed by white, shifting spots. I tried to focus on Lee, forcing my blurry gaze to find his. The look of horror, sadness, and regret submerged him. Then, I passed out.
When I woke up, I was still in the same position, just like before. So was Lee. I noticed the gag had been removed from my mouth. As I looked around, I realized Killian wasn’t here. My ass still throbbed with pain, a constant reminder of what had just transpired.
Where is he?
“He left.”
He’s just going to leave us like this?
“Knowing him, most likely.”
How the fuck are you so calm?
“Trust me, princess, I’m not.”
I try to move, but even the smallest movement sends waves of agony through me.
“Stop fighting, princess.”
Are you fucking serious? We’re tied up!
“Yeah, we are. And no matter how much you move, you're not getting out of those ropes. You're just going to hurt yourself.”
I still my body. He’s right. There’s no way out. The ropes are too tight.
“Well, look at that. You can listen, princess.”
“So not in the mood, Lee.”
“I’m just saying, if you’d listened to me in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“Oh, so it’s my fault he’s nuts?”
“No, it’s your fault for not keeping your head down and your mouth shut, like I told you to.”
“Yeah, so if it’s all on me, why are you in that chair, huh?”
“Don’t test me, princess.”
“No, no. You wanna say it’s my fault, but I am not the reason you’re tied to that chair, forced to watch me be branded like a fucking cow.”
“Don’t be too sure of yourself there, princess.”
“If I could move, I’d smack you. It’s not my fault you pissed him off!”
“No, but it’s still your fault.”
“How?!”
“Because I fucking showed I cared about you. Because I stood up to him. To protect you! Are you happy, princess? Does that make you feel better about what just happened?”
He had shocked me. He cared about me? What the fuck did that even mean? Did he really stand up to Killian for me? No, this must be another lie, another manipulation.
“It makes me feel nothing, Lee,” my voice was cold and short.
“Great. Glad we’ve established where we stand.”
“Yep.”
I don’t know how much time passed in complete silence. It felt like days. My body ached everywhere. We were still tied up down here. No sight of Killian. The worst part? I had to pee. What the hell was I going to do?
“Lee?”
“What, princess?”
“I have to pee.”
He laughed. “That’s seriously unfortunate.”
“It’s not funny! How long have we been down here?”
“Like six hours, give or take.”
“He’s going to leave us down here forever until we’re forced to eat through our feet to escape, isn’t he?”
This made him laugh harder, which just annoyed me. Nothing about this situation was funny. We were trapped here, unable to move, and I couldn’t even use the bathroom or get food or water.
“This isn’t a horror movie, princess.”
“Isn’t it?”
His face went solid. “Shit, you’re right. It is like a horror movie.”
“Great, now that we’ve established we’re indeed fucked, what’s your plan?”
“My plan is to wait here until he comes back, or until I hear someone else in the house.”
“That’s a stupid plan.”
“No, a stupid plan would be to piss him off more, not knowing where he is. You think that brand was rough? I’ve watched him brand many pets and toys before. That’s soft for him.”
“You don’t think I know that? You don’t think I wanna just shut up and do what I’m told to prevent any more excruciating pain? You think I like this? Being degraded, branded like I’m nothing? Having everything stripped away from me? I know how much easier things would be if I just never spoke while I’m here, if I was what he perceived as good! I can’t shut it off! No matter how much pain! No matter how much fear! My body naturally wants to fight back. I am not an object!” My yelling turned into full-on sobs.
“I’m sorry, princess. I know what that feels like. It’s like something else takes over you, like you’re standing outside your body, watching yourself. Knowing things could be easier if you just shut up or calmed down. You have to force the control back, or you’re going to die here, just like the others.”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to die. There was so much more I wanted to do.
“You make that sound easy. Like it’s just a switch I can flip on and off.”
“No, but you can bite your tongue and fake it, can’t you?”
“Fake being his pet?”
“Fake being submitted to him. Or actually submit to him. Your choice. I don’t know if I’ll be around much longer. If you’re going to start listening to someone, now’s the time.”
“He isn’t going to kill you. You’re his right-hand man.”
“I’m just as replaceable as you are, darling.”
He was right. Killian viewed people as objects—things that could be used and disposed of when he was done with them. It didn’t matter what your position was. In the end, your fate was in his hands. He would do what he wanted, to whoever he wanted, until someone stopped him. He would continue leading men to their death, fighting over territory. He would continue to kidnap and torture people. He would continue to hurt me, hurt Amara, and destroy everything he touched, bringing nothing but a dark plague in his wake.
“Then we’re just going to have to kill him…”