Chapter Fifty-One

It was the blast of cold air hitting my naked shoulders and legs that drew me from the safe depths of my unconsciousness.

For a few blissful seconds I didn't remember anything. I thought I was in bed with Aiden and somehow I had kicked the covers off. But then I felt my head starting to hurt. Pain flashed across my forehead and into my temples like lightning, making colours flash behind my eyelids like strobe lighting. I groaned, my eyes fluttering open only to be met with more darkness. But this wasn't the darkness that came with the depths of night though, it was the kind of darkness that came from my vision being obscured for some reason.

Another blast of cold air hit my skin, goosebumps spreading across my body as I shivered, my shoulders and jaw aching from the violence of each shudder.

It was then things started to come back to me like bursts of light. These were the watery visions of dreams but the painfully clear visions of recent memories that you wished were just a nightmare. Each one sent my heartbeat skyrocketing and I felt panic and dread building in me and freezing my veins while wrapping its fingers around my throat. Full awareness came crashing in like ice cold waves, drowning me with its presence and sobering me quickly.

I became aware that I couldn't move my arms and something was in my mouth preventing me from swallowing against my already dry mouth and heavy tongue. I nearly jumped out of my skin when something brushed against my upper arm, trailing to the crook of my elbow before disappearing.

"Wakey, wakey little doll." A sinister sing-song voice whispered in my ear making me flinch.

The blindfold came off then, light hitting my sensitive eyes. They hurt at the assault and my head throbbed all the more. When my eyes finally adjusted, I found myself focusing on a pair of black eyes. They were empty and cold and fixated on me. I could no longer tell if I was trembling from the freezing cold or the sheer terror ripping through me like a thousand knives.

"Hello, Ellie." Noah smirked, leaning back in his seat.

I saw now that Noah was dressed warmly in a thick winter coat and gloves. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion at this before I glanced down at myself. To my horror I was in nothing more than my bra and underwear. My skin was littered with goosebumps and blotchy as parts became red and purple from the frigid temperature.

"Oh, are you cold?" Noah asked in a mocking tone. "It is chilly in here."

I looked around frantically trying to work out where I was but nothing looked familiar. The light that had blinded me was coming from a single strip light above me while the walls around me were a dingy grey. There was literally nothing else and no clues to where I was.

"I tried to do this the easy way." Noah carried on, not caring that I was struggling with whatever bindings he had used on my wrists and ankles. "But you just kept on trying to fight it. Then I realised what the problem was; your friends. So I did the only logical thing in this situation. I took you away from them."

He stood up suddenly, the metallic scraping sound of the chair legs dragging over the concrete echoing around us like gunshots. I flinched and whimpered into my gag as Noah came to stand behind me, his gloved hands squeezing my shoulders painfully.

"I told you that you belong to me and I meant it, Ellie." He hissed into my ear. "You're mine now and I'm going to enjoy shaping you into the perfect little doll. When I'm done with you; pleasing me, giving me every bit of you including your submission is all you're going to be able to think and dream about."

Bile rose into my throat, a shudder running through me. I didn't want to think about what he was implying he would do to me. The thought of him touching me or him controlling me sickened me to my core. I'd rather die than ever give Noah what he wanted.

"Now you've been a very naughty little bird." Noah moved away making me breathe a little easier. "So I think you should sit here for a while and think about what you've done and how you're going to earn my forgiveness."

I couldn't answer him but if I could I'd tell him that I'd rather freeze to death than ever beg for his forgiveness, especially as I had nothing to be sorry about. Well, nothing that required Noah's forgiveness.

Instead all I could do was glare at him as he came to stand in front of me with a smug smirk, blindfold in one hand.

"Oh feeling defiant?" He sneered. "Let's see if you change your tune after a bit of time in the cold."

I screamed in rage against the gag in my mouth when Noah came towards me with the blindfold, thrashing my head when he tried to put it on. It was futile though. I had known it would be but there was no way I was making this easy for me. I wouldn't break so easily no matter what he had in store for me. I was going to fight for as long as I could.

The darkness of the blindfold did nothing to quell the absolute fury and hatred coursing through me like magma l, scorching my veins and leaving me dragging in ragged breaths. The metallic clanging of an industrial style door told me I was alone, my shoulder slumping immediately as I tried to hold back the tears and the sobs. Crying wouldn't help me and I needed to conserve my energy.

I was freezing cold but I knew that Noah wouldn't let me die (at least I hoped not) so hypothermia wasn't going to be an issue but that didn't mean I wasn't going to feel it. My toes and fingers already hurt and the shivering was making my wrists rub against the bindings biting into them.

I wondered if Aiden had discovered I was missing yet. Was he searching for me. I knew figuring out who took me would be the easiest part in all of this but finding me would be another matter. I had no idea where I was, nor did I have any idea how Noah had come to find this place. What I did know was that this place had all the tools for Noah to torment me including a walk in refrigerator or freezer where he could leave me to suffer. What else did he have in store for me?

I shuddered as thoughts of what Noah could do to me crossed my mind, each one worse than the last. He was after my submission, a doll to his sick fantasies but what did those fantasies entail? Trapped like this I didn't have the ability to fight back, at least not physically.

Something told me that being shoved into a freezer like a prize cut of meat was the least of my worries. It was what would happen if I didn't cower like a naughty puppy who realised the errors of its way. Only, there would be no rolled up newspaper to the nose, there would be fear and pain. It was enough to consider playing along but the stronger part of me refused to do that and shook the thought from my head before it had a chance to fully form.

No. Noah could torture me all he wanted but I wouldn't go down without a fight. Eventually he'd make a mistake and when he did, I was getting the hell out of here.

Even if it meant I'd die in the process.