“Darren, please!” I pleaded, backing awayfrom him and the chair. “You don’t n-need your name on my skin toprove I’m y-yours. I’ll do anything! I’ll admit it to you every dayif that’s w-what you want. Just please don’t do this. Please!”
Darren sighed with annoyance, pulled out atiny syringe from his pocket, and held it up to me. I was shakinglike a fucking leaf now as I brought my hands up defensively.
“This can happen in one of two ways,princess. You can get in that chair and let this nice young man dowhat he’s here to do, or I can use this and you’ll wake up with myname on you anyway and suffer severe punishment. Which is it goingto be?”
Tears started coming down my cheeks now ashe laid out two choices that did nothing but torture me. I knew itwas going to happen, but I honestly didn’t think I had the strengthto willingly sit in that chair while Darren’s name was pierced intomy skin.
I took a few steps away from him and wipedmy tears from my eyes. I didn’t give a damn that my week ofreflection was over, I wasn’t going to willingly let him do this. Iknew I was probably going to lose, but I didn’t care; I was goingto fight him anyway. I wiped my eyes one last time, squared myshoulders, and turned around with my hands balled into fists.Darren looked at me expectedly, raising any eyebrow with thatwarning look on his face.
“No,” I said bitterly.
Darren shook his head at me through hoodedeyes, and I knew I was in for a world of hurt. But I had to standup for myself. He had to know I wasn’t just going to be apushoverfor him to orderaround.
Darren then charged at me like a tank and mystomach instantly dropped with fear. Seeing someone of his sizewith that look on his face would cause anyone to retreat in terror… but I was not anyone.
Darren grabbed my arm, but I deflected hishand as it attempted to come down with the syringe. I tried to kickhim, but by the time I had lifted my foot, he had already roughlypushed me up against the wall, his forearm pressing against mychest as he held me in place.
“No!” I shouted as Darren stuck me with thesyringe.
The dose must have been strong because Iinstantly felt my knees go weak while my head spun from a wave ofdizziness that quickly came over me. Darren then picked me up,threw me over his shoulder, and slammed me down in the chair,strapping my arms in. It only took another fifteen seconds before ablackness surrounded me that would only be the beginning of whatwas coming next when I woke up. The image of Darren's angryexpression would dominate my nightmares for the next six hours.
“Looks like we’ll be doing things my wayfrom now on,” was the last thing I heard him say before completelyblacking out.
~*~
I was fucking pissed. My chest heaved up anddown in fury as Jaden laid motionless, strapped to the chair. Howdare she fight me on this? After the entire week I had given her toget her shit together and accept her future, she was stillunwilling to fully submit to me. Well, fine then, we would dothings my way.
I stood to the side and watched as Justin,who I had contacted just a few days ago, wiped Jaden’s wrists cleanand placed the sticky design I had sent him on her skin.Peelingit off delicately, thedesign sent a warm rush of pride swelling in my chest. The realitythat everyone who came across Jaden would know right away that shebelonged to me was beyond satisfying. Not many would ever beprivileged to even lay their eyes on her, but for those lucky few,they would think twice before lingering for too long.
The buzz of the tattoo gun brought me backto the present, and I turned my gaze down to the needle that wasnow piercing my name into Jaden’s beautiful skin. I chose anintricate design, something classical but with taste. I knew Jadenwould hate it, but she would learn to love it if she was smart. Thetattoo wasn’t there just to confirm my ownership of her to theworld, but also to serve as a remindertoherself, so she would never forget her place. I had afeeling she would need that little reminder often.
By the time Justin was finished, twentyminutes had passed, and my name shined brilliantly in blackscripted letters on Jaden’s skin, the outline of the bright pinkheart behind my name adding a little femininity to it. I hadfinally marked her as my own and the feeling was incredible as itbloomed throughout my entire body, warming everything insideme.
Justin wiped some ointment over her freshlytattooed skin and wrapped a layer of plastic wrap around her wriststo protect the ink while it healed. I would have to make sure Jadenattended to thenewink wellso it healed correctly. God help her ifshe damaged it inany way.
“All done,” Justin said, turning back tocollect his tools.
I took one last look at his work, satisfiedwith the result, and pulled out the Sig I kept in my jacket.
“Thanks,” Isaidand pulled the trigger without another thought. Noloose ends in my world.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Sorry
I woke up on something cold andhardand came to realize I was lying in mycage. Again. Damn, I had been doing so well. Myeyesadjusted to the small light that filtereddownonme, and it was then I sawthe strips of plastic wrap around my wrists with smudgy black inkhiding underneath it. Gingerly, I pulled the plastic away andlooked down at the glossy covered words that burned my eyes totears. There, perfectly squared in the middle of the inside of bothmy wrists and written inbig,black script, was Darren’s new trademark.
In a moment of complete and utter defeat, Ilaid the front of my forehead downonthe floor of the cage. Tears began to leak from myeyes, and I immediately slammed my fists down onto the floor of thecage, my rage now overcoming me. It had happened, and knowingDarren’s name would always be there to remind me shattered my soulinto tiny wretched pieces. Even if I did escape him one day, Iwould still alwaysbelong to him. I was nothing more than anobject with a label for all to see.
I hated my existence, hated myself, hatedDarren, and hated God, Buddha, or whoever the fuck else wasresponsible for my fate and putting me through this. I had to havedied in that shootout weeks ago, and I was in my own personal Hell.That was the only explanation I had for what had become of mylife.
For the longest time, I just laid there, mywrists limp out in front of me as they burned and ached from thatbastard needle. Tears drained from my eyes every now and then as Icontemplated how little I meant in this world. My existence wasnothing if not dependent on Darren's commands to validate me. I wasmeant for more than this. I had wanted to do so much more with mylife, and I'd make damn sure I did when I got the fuck out of here.Right after I scheduled an appointment for laser tattooremoval.
I pushed myself off the floor of the cage,leaned back against the bars, and waited for Darren to come back. Iknew I was in for a world of pain for defying him the way I had,but I didn't care. As far as I was concerned, Darren Davis couldeat his own dick.
About another half an hour later, instrolled Darren with his hands in his pockets looking perfectlypleased with himself.
“How’s my princess doing?” he teased as hestepped in front of the cage and looked down at me.
