Page 49 of Scrimmage

“Marky! Jordy! Come here,” Damien demands. I recognize the assholes who bring me water. Sometimes they yank the chain that connects the collar just to make me bleed. I think they like my screams so I do my best to choke on them now.

Marky, or maybe Jordy, hands him something, and he walks over to the bucket of coals. They advance on me, pushing me to the ground. Pain radiates through every part of my body forcing me to cry out. Something is shoved into my mouth with a thick leather strap wrapping around to the back of my head. The taste of rubber is off-putting.

Damien is holding something into the fire, the smell of hot metal mixed with rubber. My brain is screaming in warning. I try to shove it down. This psycho thinks he loves me. He won’t hurt me. He won’t, I try to convince myself.

“I’m gonna prove my love to you, Ashland,” he shouts over my muffled cries. “I’m gonna prove my dedication and show everyone that you’re mine.” He pulls the iron from the fire. It’s burning bright orange on the end in the shape of something.

Damien walks over, inspecting it. “We belong to each other. I know you won’t wanna forget it,” he says simply before pressing the brand to the skin on my ass.

I don’t know how long it lasts. It feels like eternity. My screams are unearthly. The putrid smell of my burning flesh mixed with the perfume he doused me in would make me vomit if I wasn’t already so weak. I’m sweating and shaking. I feel like I might be dying. I thought I had a fear of drowning, but now I think burning alive might be much much worse.

“You were such a good girl,” he praises.

Then the psycho takes the same brand, sticks it back into the fire, and presses it to the inside of his right wrist. Damien doesn’t even flinch, as if there isn’t a sizzle or bubbling flesh.

Jordy and Marky unbuckle my gag. Spit drips down my chin. My chest heaves trying to catch my breath from the blistering pain.

“Get the doctor,” Damien commands. They get up silently and leave. I didn’t even know there was a doctor here.

“I love you, Ashland.”

I feel a hand on my wrist and jolt out of the memory with a scream, but it doesn’t escape because there’s a palm pressed over my mouth. I take deep breaths through my nose trying to get a grip. This isn’t that place. I’m not there. I smell…I smell Koda. He’s looking into my eyes frantically while his hand slowly comes away from my mouth.

“Do you hate vending machines?”

“What?”

“I was trying to be nice and asked you if you wanted something from the vending machine and you fucking screamed.”

I look around. Penny and Alexi are gone. It’s just us.

“When did they leave?”

“Twenty minutes ago. Alexi went to the gym. Penny went to do her sculpting project.”

“Twenty?”

How long? How long was I stuck there? My disassociation episodes are getting worse. I snatch the piece of paper that was under my hand and hold it up, shielding it from Koda. It’s the brand.

“Why the hell would they leave me here with you?”

“Because you were focused and told us to fuck off. Penny didn’t want to leave, but she clearly needed to, so I told her I would stay instead of interrupting you. What were you drawing?”

He reaches over and slides the paper in front of him. I don’t want anyone to see this. I panic and kiss him, snatching the sketch from his hands and crumpling it into a ball. When I pull away, Koda looks fucking shocked.

“What? Isn’t that why you’re still here?” I sneer. I excel at being a bitch. “To fuck?”

He looks conflicted. It’s honestly funny. “All bark and no bite.”

I pack my things up and head for the door. I consider burning the sketch, but the fire alarm will go off, so I just throw it into the trash. I feel his massive form press against me. His hand reaches around my throat, restraining me. He presses down on my artery while his lips brush the spot where my neck meets my shoulder.

“Is that what you want, Ashland? You want me to bite?” he rasps.

I want to say no and punch him in the face, but I don’t speak. I want his teeth on my skin. I want the pain to remind me where I am. It felt so fucking good the last time. No one ever does it right, but he did. His teeth graze my pulse making me shiver. I want him. I want him so badly that I’m soaking wet and it took almost nothing to get me there.

“We’re in the library,” I argue.

He doesn’t leave my neck, teasing me and playing. “You really think we’d be the first? Aren’t these rooms sound proof?”

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