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He pressed the bottle of water into her hand. “Good girl. When I come up here, I want you to kneel and wait for me to decide what to do with you.”
Her breath hitched in her throat.
“Yes, Master,” she whispered.
“I'm sorry, pizza is all we have. I need to go to the store.”
She looked up suddenly, panic straining her features. “Please don't leave me alone!” Then the tears came.
Ari took a deep breath, reminding himself she wasn't Holly. She couldn't be a brat because he had all the power. He placed the plate on the bed and sat on the floor beside Claire and brushed the tears off her face.
“Shhh.” The panic over being left was obviously linked to her former captivity. Ari bit back the curse that almost slipped past his lips. How could he keep her locked up like this, given her history?
He should give her free reign of the house at least. But he wasn't ready. He had to be firm with her. It was the only way to keep this rare thing he'd acquired. He wouldn't half-ass this no matter how much he wanted to.
He was finally willing to admit that part of the reason he always ended up with brat subs was his own too-lenient training methods. He wouldn't keep making the same mistake. The desperation Claire had to please him would fade away if he was too soft too soon. She had to earn time out of the nook.
“I won't be gone long,” Ari said stroking her hair. It was still in the low pigtails he'd put it in to get it out of the way down in the dungeon. And he had a thing for the schoolgirl look.
He had too much work to do to be out running domestic errands. But he'd have to go out anyway when he went to get her collar from the jeweler. Holly had left hers behind, but he wouldn't give it to Claire. It was bad luck. His previous pet had picked out her own collar, and Ari had never liked what she'd chosen. It was too ornate and tacky for his taste. He wanted a gold band for Claire. Classy and elegant, but simple.
Ari took a slice of pizza and held it out to her. She opened her mouth and took the food from his hand. Neither of them said a word. He just hand fed her like a bird until the plate was clean.
“Claire,” he finally said.
“Yes, Master?”
She still knelt on the floor where he'd ordered her, even though he was on the ground beside her.
“Tell me about the scar.”
She tensed. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. The scar on my chest. What does this scar mean to you? Or what did youthinkit meant?” He was surprised he hadn't already pulled this answer out of her. After all, it was the one question that had taunted him for weeks in the cell.
She looked as though she might shut down again but he gave her a stern look. Her gaze went down to her hands, and she took a deep breath.
“That last night, he was going to kill me. He had a big knife. When I escaped, I grabbed it and slashed him in a big diagonal motion. I know I got him. I felt the knife go into him. So when I saw your chest, I thought it was more evidence you were the guy. He would have had a scar exactly like that. And it seemed too crazy to me that there would be multiple men running around in the world with your build and hair and that same scar.”
Ari sighed. Claire cringed when he stroked her hair.
“I'm not going to hurt you,” he said.
“You're really never letting me go, are you?” she asked, tears still moving down her cheeks.
“No,” Ari said. “Never.”
“How is that going to work? You'll get bored eventually. When you do, what does that mean for me?”
“Look at me.”
Scared green eyes rose to his.
“You are mine, little one. It doesn't matter how we got here. We're here. Can you honestly say you don't want the things I can give you?”
She remained silent, but they both knew he was right. The way she responded... the fantasies she'd admitted to. The things she needed. The things he could provide. At this point with all both of them had gone through, it was foolish to deny the alchemy that had taken place between them.
“What would you do if I let you go back out into the world? What are you losing out there?”
