Page 31 of Red Waters

After a full belly of expensive dining, Pretend Whit waltz back into our room as if she was now the queen of the deranged. Yury followed her, grinning and staring at me the whole time. “Good evening, Fire.”

Needless to say, I was appalled by Pretend Whit and my insane owner. “Bring any leftovers?” You piece of shit. I didn’t care that I was speaking callously. At the moment, I was far beyond being concerned for my safety.

Somehow, Yury didn’t care or bother to discipline me. Instead, he smacked his fancily dressed thigh. “Damn. I knew I was forgetting something.” He affectionately wrapped an arm around Pretend Whit’s waist. “You were to remind me.”

Swaying in his arms, she examined me as if we were no longer on the same level. It was true. She had been elevated. I was the left behind trash.

Yury lifted a brow as I slowly rose to my feet and set my shoulders back, daring him to punish me. I was acting as if a disobedient child. Bad attention being more rewarding then none at all. When Yury didn’t discipline me, I walked past them both. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Be sure to use cold water, Fire.”

I spun on my heels. “Of course, Master. I would never forget my place, under your shoe.”

I marched into the bathroom. He followed. “Why are you so angry? Jealous?”

In front of his huge bathroom mirror, I examined my reflection. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of the answer he desired. Dark bags circled my eyes. My cheeks were sunken in to a concerning depth. My collar bones and ribs were exposed…

Deadpan, I responded, “I’m dying, Yury.”

Yury’s suit was still cold from being outside when he wrapped his arms around me. I melted to him. It was the first contact in so long. I didn’t realize how much I craved affection until in his embrace. And the fact he was offering it at all had me hoping his madness would someday fade away…

That is why, when Yury said, “Then please stop making me do this to you,” I leaned my upper body back to see his face. I simply had to see if he meant what he said.

“You actually believe that this is my fault, don’t you?”

Dumbfounded, he replied, “Please, behave so I can feed you.”

If his answer wasn’t enough to stun me, him leaning in to kiss me was. I leaned back further. “What are you doing?”

“Fire, please stop being so stubborn.” His lips searched for mine.

After pushing from his embrace, I took off my leash and gently rolled it into a special bowl I had for it. I treasured my protection and treated it with respect due to the power it had. I wasn’t permitted to remove my collar, but I was okay with that because it was my only clothing allowed.

Bewildered, Yury watched me. “But you kissed me before.”

Turning from the counter, I faced him. “That was a tender moment. There were emotions there. You were showing me a part of you I doubted existed.” I gestured to what stood outside the bathroom door. “This? This inhumane treatment? There is nothing tender about it. It is cruel. It makes me hate you.”

His posture stiffened. His jaw locked.

I had hit him deep and was rather pleased for causing him pain.

Stepping into the walk-in shower, I grabbed a bar of soap and prepared for more misery.

I would literally count down in rapid breaths to prepare my skin for the onslaught. After turning a nozzle, ice cold water pelted me like blades. I had learned to scrub and rinse my body in fifteen seconds. I only washed my hair once a week and did it in the sink so I wouldn’t be a complete ice cube by the time I was done.

It wasn’t until grabbing a towel that I noticed Yury was gone, and so was my leash.