Page 13 of Stealing His Christmas Present

I wanted her to feel what I’d felt.

All of it.

I headed to the basement where I’d made a special cell for her. When I placed her on the cot in the corner, her lips moved and she whispered something incoherent, but she didn’t wake up.

I wanted to just leave her there and walk away, but I couldn’t. Grabbing a blanket, I placed it over her.

Don’t you remember no one cared if you were cold?

But she was smaller and thinner than me. She’d be too cold.

I didn’t want her to get sick because that would put a serious kink in my plan. It would be no fun if she had a fever and didn’t even know what was going on.

I forced myself to back out of the cell. When I closed the door, I didn’t lock it.

Let her think she could escape.

Once she realized she couldn’t, it would break her more. She’d be terrified and willing to do anything I wanted her to do, then.

A smile spread across my lips.

Sweet dreams, Claudia.

We’ll have so much fun together when you wake up.

And you’ll learn to love it all.

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