Ryker Dare
Kei hung her head, the right side of her face sticky with something that must have been blood.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered brokenly. She fell to her knees and felt tears burn her eyes. “I am so, so sorry. I didn’t want to do it.” She choked back a sob, and her small body shook. A door suddenly opened behind her, but she made no move to turn.
“You killed all of them.” It was the man from earlier and this time he sounded pleased. “You are quite powerful. I was right in choosing you.”
All of a sudden, there were footsteps, and he was right beside her. Kei continued looking blankly ahead, a dull, lifeless gray filling her vision along with the decaying scent of death.
“You are so beautiful now. The vivid red of blood suits you very well.” The feeling of his lips brushing against her ear made fury bubble inside me, but I had to bury it deep inside so I wouldn’t cause Kei any more trouble.
The past Kei made no reaction towards him and instead stood. The man chuckled and must have also stood as she felt a body standing behind her.
“This is going to be your new life from now on. I’ll teach you all you need to know.” A hand gripped hers and began pulling her along. She stayed silent the whole time as she was pulled out of the metallic smell of blood and rotting death.
“You’re going to love it here,” he said in a sing-song voice. “I have so many amazing plans for you. You’ll begin training in two days after you’ve gotten some rest and food. You can also take this time to clean up. I can help you if—”
“No.” It was abrupt and direct, cutting the man off effectively.
He stopped, and his demeanor changed.
“Did you just tell me no?” His tone held something of a careful deadliness, making Kei wary for her next words.
“I mean, no, sir. I appreciate your offer, but I like to be able to care for myself.”
He was silent for one long, tense moment, his hand squeezing hers a little more tightly.
“All right,” he finally said and began walking once more. He did not utter another word as he led Kei to whatever he was taking her, the greenish-yellow flickering around in the blackness being the only thing to see.
After another five minutes, he stopped. “This is your room. It’s too bad that you can’t see it. It looks rather nice I think.” He was now back to being chipper, and he led her inside the room. “A nice queen-sized bed for the princess.” He let go of her hand, but she just stood still.
“Go on. It won’t bite,” he encouraged.
She still made no move but after a moment slowly lifted her hand. She began searching ahead of her until her hand touched something soft and silky.
“That’s it. Doesn’t it feel nice?”
She nodded slowly.
“There’s also a couch on the right side of your bed about four feet away. Let’s go sit and have a little chat.” He took her hand once again, leading her to the couch. When they got there, she sat down. The man did the same, the cushion dipping from his weight. Kei could feel his arms wrap around her shoulders gently, seemingly trying to be soothing yet sent chills down her spine.
“Now, how old are you?”
“Fourteen,” she said dully.
“Well, you’re a very beautiful girl. Now, what kind of name would a pretty girl like you have?”
She suddenly stiffened as his hand landed on her thigh. “I don’t want to tell you,” she said stiffly.
His hand on her leg squeezed. “I think you owe me a little for saving you from the big bad rogues, don’t you think? If it weren’t for me, you would still be in that hellhole. Now, tell me your name.” This time, it came out more demanding, yet Kei shook her head.
“No.” Kei was suddenly thrown across the room and slammed into the wall with powerful force. Kei let out a cry and landed on the ground with a dull thump.
“There’s that word again: no. You see, I am a man that despises that word. I always get what I want, and what I want is you.”
Kei didn’t hear footsteps, but she was lifted into the air and pushed against the wall. Nothing held her there but invisible hands.
“It seems you need to be broken until I can use you properly,” he mused. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep a tight leash on you for now on.” These words struck a chord in me, the memory of me saying something similar to Kei resurfacing.
“I don’t need a leash,” Kei gritted out, feisty even this young.
The man sighed in disappointment.
“Only a wild dog would say the exact same thing. Fine, if you want to be treated like a rabid dog, then I will.”
She suddenly fell but before she could stand, a hand gripped the back of her neck as if by the scruff like a dog. He applied pressure almost too tight to where she couldn’t breathe, dragging her by the neck out of the room and somewhere else. Kei scratched and choked, squirming in his grasp.
“This is what you get for being disobedient, little one. And I will not put up with it.”
It seemed like forever until we had reached the destination or what I thought was the destination.
“Don’t let anyone come here to give her food or water until I say so.”
“Yes, Alpha,” a gruff voice answered, and a door creaked open. The smell of dank earth and the cold air hit her face. Without another word, he dragged Kei through the doorway. He began walking down steps, dragging Kei painfully with him.
“I don’t care who you are, but I will not answer to you,” Kei croaked, her lungs burning slightly from the lack of oxygen.
The man didn’t say anything but kept on going. Her legs were now slick with her own blood dripping down from the cuts, the stone steps cutting into her soft flesh like butter. The earlier wounds were now opening back up again, making the burning pain more intense.
After an eternity, we had finally arrived at the bottom.
“Which one should I pick?” he mused to himself, walking some more. He stopped and stood still. “This one looks perfect. All right, my pretty little flower, this is going to be your new room until you begin to behave.”
He opened something that let out a piercing screech before tossing Kei in. She landed on her side, the cold concrete scraping her arms. The door slammed shut behind her with the sound of a key turning in the lock.
“There, now, you have some time to think about your actions.”
Kei slowly sat up and looked in his direction. “I probably won’t,” she said.
The man made a noise in irritation. “Your attitude just keeps getting worse with each passing moment. You know, you can be charming if you tried.”
“I don’t want to be charming, not for you.” Kei surprised me by snarling viciously. This obviously surprised the man also as a sharp inhale could be heard.
“You really are beautiful,” he said before his footsteps began to retreat. They had stopped before they had become too distant. “Just remember, my pretty little flower, Leon Grayson is going to be the one to break you. And when I do, I expect great things.”
* * *
Kei pulled me out of her past. I was dazed for a second, trying to get my bearings before looking at her. Her face was white, and a look of panic began to filter into her features.
“What’s wrong?” I gripped her shoulders in my hands, pulling her closer. The next words made my world turn hazy with hatred.
“Leon is here.”