11. Ava

11

AVA

The room is breathtaking. I wish I could enjoy it. I can hear the ocean in the distance and the setting sun paints the room gold. My skin seems warm here. It's almost as if I wasn't in a basement for a couple weeks. Kiel moves behind me and I track his movements in the mirror. He rests his hands on my shoulders as he offers a soft smile.

"Isn't it better here?" I nod truthfully. It's still a prison, but it's at least a pretty one. Kiel's been giving me the good drugs again, so the transition hasn't bothered me much.

He kisses my shoulder and I fight back a shudder. I've learned that it's best if I pretend to like his touch. If I seem to enjoy it, he's more gentle, and I get the good drugs that help me forget.

I'm wearing a slip of a gown; the outline of my figure is visible through the sheer, cream fabric. I don't remember putting it on, but I try not to think about that. He runs a hand across my waist, placing a kiss on my shoulder again.

"Come have dinner with me." It's not a question, but I nod. He frowns and turns me around. Kiel tilts my chin up so that I'm looking into his too-wide eyes. "Where's that pretty voice?" I swallow to try to clear my throat discreetly.

"Dinner sounds great," I rasp. It doesn't sound very pretty to me, but it must do the trick because he smiles.

"Much better." He places a hand on my back and steers me toward the door.

"Don't you want me to change?" I ask, suddenly hyper aware of how much of my body is on display. His answering grin is carnal.

"No, pretty girl. I like you just as you are." The guard surveys me as we walk out the door. Kiel nods to him before addressing me. "Devin will be posted here most of the day. He has a few breaks here and there to sleep, in which case Ryan will temporarily take his place. You will not try to escape my home. Your guards will first attempt to track you down. If you somehow manage to make it out the front doors, you should be warned: my perimeter guards are trained to shoot on sight. I am the only one who can call them off, and if I don't know you're outside, I can't protect you. Do you understand?" I nod, then remember what he said earlier.

"Yes sir." He smiles at that, then continues, his hand trailing lower down my back.

"You will eat with me when I call on you. One of your guards will typically escort you, but I'll come fetch you when I can." Kiel opens a tall door and gestures for me to step inside. A long table has been set for two people. I'm thankful we'll be eating on opposite ends.

Kiel pulls out my chair. I sink into it, joints aching. After he sits, he makes a gesture. People I hadn't seen step away from the walls and begin tending to the table. A man in a tailored suit fills up my empty glass with water as a crew of others emerge from another room with food. They pile my plate with food like I've never seen before. The waitstaff blend back into the wall as Kiel begins to eat. He notices my hesitation and smiles at me.

"Don't mind them. They're here to tend to us. Pretend like they're not even there." I try to heed his advice, but I feel eyes assessing my nearly-naked body as I take a tentative bite of my food. I haven't eaten solid food in two weeks. The flavor explodes across my tongue.

A groan escapes my throat, and my face flushes in embarrassment. Kiel chuckles, pausing to watch me.

"Enjoying your food, pretty girl?" I nod sheepishly and try to focus on chewing as he continues to watch. Something about the attention makes my throat feel constricted, making it hard to swallow. He resumes eating eventually, but every so often I find him studying me.

"I love how your body works. I could watch it all day." I freeze, discomfort writhing across my skin. I have a sudden flashback of my time in the basement and remember the way he watched me relieve myself in the bedpan. I lose the remnants of my appetite and set down my fork. He seems to enjoy my discomfort, but I don't give him the satisfaction of a response.

"As I said before, Ava, I have big plans for you. When you first came into my possession, I couldn't have fathomed what you would mean to me. Of course, I enjoy your company, but you have been essential to my business, whether you've realized it or not."

"I don't understand." He nods as if he anticipated this.

"I have expectations. I will not tell you everything now, but here's what you need to know. I have a grand estate. This is your home now. However, it is also a place of business. I host many functions for my various clients. They travel very far in order to attend these events. You will participate in these events and play your part around my guests."

I understand even less, and I tell him as much.

"I'll give you more details when they arrive in a few days. For now, you need to rest. Are you finished?" I glance down at my half-eaten plate and nod. "Good. I'll take you back to your room."

He guides me out of the room. The waitstaff are quick to clear the table as we leave. Other members of his staff pass us in the halls, all of which look me up and down as they go. I wrap my arms around my torso for a semblance of modesty. Kiel quirks an eyebrow at me but says nothing. He greets the guard outside my door before following me inside. Dread coils in my gut, and I suddenly wish I hadn't eaten so much at dinner.

"I'm not staying tonight," he says as he brushes a strand of hair over my shoulder. "I know you're exhausted and could benefit from a chance to acclimate." He pulls me close so that my chest brushes his. "But don't forget, just because I'm feeling nice tonight doesn't mean you aren't mine. I would like nothing more than to fuck you in this pretty room, but I want you to like it here, so I'm giving you a break. Do you understand?" I nod, then speak.

"Yes sir." Kiel kisses my forehead then steps away.

"Good girl. Now take a bath and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, he walks swiftly from my room. I don't move for a few minutes. I feel like I don't exist inside my own body. His words are in my head again. The thought of a warm bath brings me back into myself.

Someone brushed my hair and cleaned me up before I arrived here. I try not to think about that either. Regardless, I'm thankful that I didn't have to detangle my hair.

The bathroom is just as beautiful as the bedroom. It's dark outside now but the soft lights warm the space. The marble floors are cool against my bare feet. The sensation makes me feel more grounded in my body. I turn on the water and pump several squirts of an unmarked soap into the stream. Bubbles cover the top of the water, and soon the entire room smells like amber.

A long mirror covers an entire wall. I can't help but study myself in the reflection. I've lost a lot of weight. I feel angular now, my curves lost to hunger. The wounds on my stomach and thighs look worse than I had anticipated. I can't count the number of lacerations marring my flesh. A doctor must have looked at them, because they're all covered in butterfly bandages, as well as clear, waterproof bandages. A few of the fresher ones actually have stitches, making me frown as I poke at them. The bite mark on the inside of my thigh is scabbing and itches. I refrain from scratching at it in hopes that I might at least avoid that particular scar.

The water burns my skin as I step into the tub, but I sink into the water anyway. The sound of the thundering water soothes me, and I feel myself relax for the first time in weeks. I know I'm still in danger, but in this moment, I feel a modicum of peace.

I've never valued the luxury of a bath the same way I do now. As I scrub and exfoliate my skin, I feel as if I'm washing away some of the trauma from the basement. My older cuts sting in the water, but since most of them have been tended to professionally, they're all finally healing.

I soak in the tub until the heat is gone. Exhaustion stops me from draining it and refilling it with fresh water. While drowning in the tub would be better than getting shot by the perimeter guards, I have work to do. Cal has clearly discarded me, but I know my brothers are somewhere out there. They won't give up. I just have to stay alive until they can find me.