Page 99 of Spark

Dan had a point. Breaking the slave girls at the warehouse was one of my first jobs when my father had finally brought me in under his wing. I’d started by bringing the girls to their knees before graduating to the men who owed my father money. That was when I first learned of the metallic taste of control and how powerful it was, how addictive it was. I loved the fear in their eyes as they cowered before me, the shiver in their bodies from terror, and the thin sheet of sweat that blanketed them when they realized how helpless they were. I couldn’t deny the god-like feeling that came over me when I finally put them out of their misery. Weakness disgusted me. It was useless and only guaranteed one thing—no survivors.

Jaden was none of that, which was why I couldn’t help but respect her for it. After everything I’d already put her through, she was still fighting. Maybe not always physically, but her determination to thrive in spite of me was relentless and admirable. And I didn’t think I wanted to crush it to dust as much as I thought I would. I wanted her to obey me always and without question, but I loved the fight in her far too much to let it die. It made her strong, and in my world, I needed her to be strong.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Dan. Some days, I want sugar, and some days, I want spice. I don’t know how else to explain it. Jaden challenges me. And you know how much I love a challenge.”

“Yes, I do, but I also know what happens once you conquer it.”

“This is a different type of conquest. I’m not worried.”

“I hope so, for Jaden’s sake.”

36

Light Heart

* * *

I finally caught up to that damn dog when she cornered herself in one of the spare bedrooms. She barked and growled, getting low on her front paws as she tried to fight me. The irony was not lost on me, and I wondered if Darren was going to poke fun at it later. I wouldn’t put it past him. I picked up the puppy, and she fought for only a moment until I held her tight enough for her to relax. As soon as I turned around, I found Romero and Alex standing in the doorway, watching me.

“I assume Darren has retreated somewhere,” I said as I walked toward them and into the hallway.

“Yes, ma’am. He will see you at dinner.”

So I was still to be left alone even on Christmas. Well, good; I’d had enough of Darren this morning anyway, but I had no idea what to do with the puppy. Did she need to go outside at some point or something? I’d never actually had a dog before or any pet for that matter. Never had the time or the patience.

“So what am I supposed to do with her?” I asked.

Romero glanced at it for only a second before returning his eyes to me. He clearly wasn’t affected by her puppy cuteness.

“I don’t know. It’s your dog. All the supplies for her care are up in your room.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll go check that out then.”

When we got back to the room, Romero was right about there being a shit ton of stuff for my new puppy. There was a crate, a bed, toys, food, leashes, an adorable puffy puppy coat, cleaning supplies, and a potty bin complete with puppy pads. No collar, though, which I thought was weird.

Setting the puppy down, she instantly raced off to the other end of the room while I began to set up her crate, bed, and potty bin. She barked, growled, and played with the bear rug while I organized everything until she ran up and began tugging on my sweater dress. Grabbing one of her toys, a long, sturdy tug-of-war rope, I placed it near her mouth, and her little teeth clamped on it almost immediately. She tugged and tugged on it, jerking her head and her body until I eventually let go to let her have it. She chewed on it while I watched for a moment. She was so fucking cute. I hated it.

Every now and then, she’d forget the toy and run around some more, racing from one end of the room to the other, barking at me and basically anything she could lay her eyes on until I finally got up to play with her. She pawed at me, gnawed on my hands without leaving a mark, and when she grew tired, curled in my lap and fell asleep. Instant melt. Damn Darren and his stupid manipulation. Out of all of them, I liked this one the most, and I fucking hated it.

Leaning against the wall, my hands caressed the puppy’s fur, relishing in her softness and enjoying the heat she provided to my legs. But as I petted her fine black fur, my eyes couldn’t help but linger on the infinity ring that once again claimed the space on my left-hand ring finger.

I wanted to rip it off and chuck it across the room, but I remembered that it was to never leave that finger. The diamonds glittered in the light, mimicking the same ones that adorned my wrists, ankles, and neck. I doubted I would ever appreciate diamonds again. They were meant to be pretty, admired, and cherished, but the only thing they did was fail at distracting me from the chains they tried to conceal. The ones that shackled me to this life, to Darren.

I didn’t understand why he wanted to decorate me with diamonds; they were just carbon forced under severe pressure and heat. The results were something beautiful, but it took a lot of bullshit to get there. Maybe that was how Darren saw me. His pure black carbon specimen that he was slowly converting into his perfect little diamond.

Motherfucker, I was already a diamond. Good luck breaking the hardest substance in the world.

Not wanting to get myself worked up, I let the anger go. I had a full stomach, a roof over my head, clothes, unbruised skin, and a puppy in my lap. I deserved one small moment that didn’t reflect my anger of Darren. Closing my eyes, I continued to pet my Christmas present until I eventually dozed off.

* * *

“Have you decided on a name yet?”

Darren and I were sitting at the dining room table having lunch together. I had luckily managed to finish my entire bowl of potato soup and half turkey sandwich, which apparently granted me his attention. I thought about Darren’s question, screwing up my face so he knew I’d heard him but didn’t really have an answer. I had an idea for a name but wasn’t settled on it just yet.

I shrugged. “I’m not one-hundred percent sold on it yet, but I was thinking maybe Camaro.”

Darren’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why Camaro?”

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