Lily: Captive to the Dark by Alaska Angelini Page A

tell you about listening? Let’s go.”
    “No,” I said, pulling back. “I want to stay here.”
    “Too bad. You’re filthy. You need to get clean. When was the last time you bathed? I’m guessing it was before you were taken. Am I right?”
    He was, but I couldn’t imagine taking my clothes off in such a scary place. I didn’t trust him or anyone else here.
    “No, please.” I tried wiggling to break his grasp. With a jerk, he sent me stumbling toward the door. I instantly turned, trying to race back around him to the bed. I knew it was pointless, but I had no other options. To go outside of the room led to horrors I couldn’t even consider. They’d chop off my head. I wasn’t ready to die.
    Zain grabbed me around the waist, flinging his door open. As it shut behind him, he placed me back down and gave me a shove back toward the way we came.
    “Start walking, slave. If they see you misbehaving, I might not be able to save you. Obey, remember?”
    Slow steps carried me to the stairway area and he turned me, pointing to a door beneath them. My legs gave out and silent sobs wracked my body. I was past the point of exhaustion. At his arms sweeping me up, I couldn’t stop myself from turning into his large chest. He’d left me alone up to this point. He hadn’t tried to touch me or hurt me. Would he rape me now?
    “Shh. No crying. I’ll stand watch at the door. You’ll have as much privacy as possible.” And he’d stayed true to his word. For a while.
    “Yes, you never did listen too well. I can still remember it all so clearly. It took you almost half an hour to undress. When you finally did, it was only because I threatened I was going to do it myself. I was very patient with you. More so than I thought myself capable of. Just the tease of your naked shoulders that night made me realize how much I truly wanted you.”
    Light kisses traveled over the expanse leading to my neck. My eyes reopened and I tried to step away, but he held on tighter.
    “Don’t.” The word came out more as a moan and I could have cursed myself. It was so obvious that I didn’t want him to stop. Even now, I was leaning back against him. It was as if I had no control over it.
    Suction against the side of my throat had my fingers digging into his thighs.
    “And the first time I touched you. Do you remember that?”
    My ninth day there and what felt like an eternity later. A sound escaped at the memory combined with the increase in his sucking.
    “I was sleeping. I woke up to your fingers tracing over my palm. I…hit your hand away.”
    “Yes, you did,” he whispered, running his tongue over the mark I knew he’d just placed. “But you didn’t fight for long, did you? Once I pulled you to me and kissed you softly, leisurely…by the third attempt, you were kissing me back. Still, I took it slow with you.” His fingers buried into my hair, pulling back slowly until the pressure was nice and tight. “Have I ever hurt you to where you didn’t enjoy it?”
    The need to answer, while addressing him as Master, begged to pour from my mouth. I forced the term back as I tried to hold onto my resolve. “No.”
    The jerk against my hair had me gasping and growing even wetter. “Say it, slave. You know you want to.”
    “No,” I repeated. “I will not. Never again. I…don’t love you anymore. I’m ready to move on with someone else. Let me go.”
    “Wrong,” he growled. “You do love me. As for moving on, that’s the biggest lie I think I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth. And the most hurtful. You know the consequences for that, don’t you.” Not a question. My legs pressed together at the tingling it evoked.
    The straps from my dress broke as he tugged the silk down under my strapless bra.
    “Your body is going to look beautiful covered in my marks. It’s been so long. I’ve dreamed of this so many times. Now, reach forward and put your hands flat on the glass while I unzip your dress. I’m going to start by