The throbbing of my face … it pulsed with every beat of my heart as blood rushed and pooled to my cheek. The puffiness under my eye, the tenderness of my lip, it stung to the touch. I twisted and craned my neck in such a way for the light to hit it just right. I wanted to see how much damage would be done. It wasn't the first time I'd been hit. Charlotte did a number on me a few years back, but Jasper intervened before things got worse. This? This was something different. He promised he wouldn't treat me like one. How could I ever trust him again? I had to get the hell out of here.

"Why did you make me do that?" his voice came in behind me and then I saw his reflection in the mirror. "Why didn't you stay in the bed? Why did you test her? I told you not to feed into Miranda! I told you not to antagonize anyone, especially her!"

"You told me!" I screamed back, "You told me you wouldn't treat me like a pet! That's what you said! You told me … You made love to me … I can't believe I let you … I wanted us to be …"

The tears fell as the words vanished from my vocabulary … all of them. I couldn't bring my thoughts together. The pain from being struck coinciding with the pain of my heart breaking, when I never knew he held it, was causing my pulse to race and my chest to tighten.

"How could you do this to me?! I trusted you," I cried. When he reached out to me, I pushed him away. He let me. I knew he didn't have to. He was strong, strong enough to never even flinch when I touched him, but he moved when I moved him.

Pushing past him, I stormed out of the bathroom and into the playroom. I shut the door behind me and locked it. He banged on the door, yelling through to me, "Let me in. I'm sorry I hit you so hard. I didn't mean to, but in the presence of Miranda, it has to be believed that you are my pet! She's dangerous when she doesn't get what she wants, Whisper. She enjoys the chaos and the rage of that dragon who created the Glasslands. She'll use you to bring out that side of me and if something happened to you because I brought you here, then she'd get exactly what she wanted. I can't have that Whisper. You mean too much to me. So I'll let you stay in there. We both know I can come in if I choose. But I think we can both use a moment to cool off. I'll be back. Don't leave this apartment, Whisper. I promise you'll regret it if you do."

"Don't leave this apartment, Whisper," I mocked him from behind the closed door. I'd survived nearly 23 years on my own, well, of course, I had Jasper, but for the most part, I've been handling myself for years without him. I can, and need to go back to the life I had before he took me here.

I didn't know how long I stayed in that room. I didn't look through the drawers or benches. I simply sat on the bed, right beside the spot where he made love to me and I climaxed uncontrollably. Flashes of our time together were blurred by the solitary moment he hit me. My guess is Miranda would have done worse, but I didn't want to stay and give it another chance of happening.

I took several deep breaths as I approached the door wondering if Ashton had returned. A cool gust of air rushed around me, practically lifting me off of my feet. It swept up, under the shirt; his shirt that bore his scent. His scent that would be forever ingrained in my memories. But now those memories were poisoned. I wanted to give him this because a part of me knew he was right. I agreed to come here under the guise of being his pet, and I never expected it to be enacted so soon … especially after the past few hours we'd spent together. They were so full of love, hope, and bliss. I hated having to let that go, but I couldn't stay.

The windows weren't down anymore. Flames danced where they once shut us in. The sky was dark. The stars were out. The apartment was empty. I wanted to cry. I wanted Ashton to come back, but then I remembered why I came out of the room.

I found my clothes and even threw on one of his jackets before I left. I wouldn't stay. I refused. After peering out into the hallway, I heard voices but decided that walking out like I was given permission was the best way to go. I let my ponytail swing with a confidence I sure was only in my imagination. Every step toward the elevator made me want to cringe, scream, run, and hide.

I pushed the button, willing the doors to open faster so I could leave. I'd worry about the lobby once I got down there. I heard voices coming closer and pushed the button again incessantly. I just knew the elevator would come faster the more I pushed that stupid button. When the doors finally opened, I was glad to see it empty. I ducked inside as fast as I possibly could and pushed the ground floor button with the same ferocity as I pushed the button to summon it.

No one came.

I rode the elevator with relief until it stopped moving. When the doors opened I saw a man standing there. He wore a pair of tan linen pants where I could see the full length of his member. It twitched as he stared at me.

"Where do you belong?" he asked me.

"I belong outside with Ashton's bike," I told him. Thank goodness for quick thinking.

He reached toward me, moving the collar of the jacket just enough for him to pull down the side of my shirt where that insipid mark should be. He grunted but didn't say anything. The next thing I felt was his fingers gripping me from behind my neck and yanking me off of the elevator.

"You'll be a great addition to my collection."

"No," I started to protest.

He turned me with a glare in his eyes that told me he wasn't to be toyed with, "This is your first, your only, and your last caveat. Do not speak to me or in front of me. You are not marked so you are fair game Sweetheart. Now walk."

I began to tremble as I tried to suppress the tears wanting to come down my cheeks. He ushered me past a few Sapphires and their pets mingling in the hallway.

"Isn't that?" one of them spoke up.

"She ain't marked," my captor hissed.

"Dude, she reeks of his scent!" he replied. "He's going to kill you."

"I'd like to see him try," he laughed as he pushed me toward his apartment.

Room was more like it. There was one door that separated his space from the communal area, but only partitions sectioned off the rooms inside. It wasn't as nice as Ashton's. The floors were cold, dark grey cement. I heard the rattling of chains first before I saw the girl saunter out to greet him. She bowed her head, dropped to her knees and kissed his feet.

"Very good Sasha," he tapped her lightly on her dark brown head. He motioned for her to stand. "Take her to your pad and show her how to behave."

I didn't speak up. I didn't debate. I was just happy to be left with someone I could take on.

The only similarity between his apartment and Ashton's were the lack of windows and walls to the outside air. The girl, very slender, walked me to a corner close to the fire dancing in front of the open space. There was an actual pad on the ground. She spoke in a hushed tone.

"We sleep here. You will sleep on the floor. You have to earn your pad. When Ivan comes in, you bow your head, then get down like you just saw me do to kiss his feet."

"I'm not doing that," I mumbled under my breath.

"You better or you'll be testing wings you don't have," she warned. "When he calls, you have seconds to get to him. You will do whatever he says, and enjoy it while you do."

I rolled my eyes.

"You need to get rid of that. It will get you killed," she told me.

"Get rid of what?"

"Your attitude," she huffed. "It will get us both hurt since I'm the one training you."

"I should just jump now. There's no way I'd leave Ashton to come down here," I mumbled looking to the open skies. I'd love to see what it was like to fly, even if it was only to fall to the ground.

She smiled, "You belong to Ashton and you left?"

"I just walked out. He hit me because Miranda-"

"Wait a minute, he hit you while Miranda was there? I've always wanted to be his pet but Ivan got to me first. How was it? Did you have to pleasure the both of them at the same time?"

"Of course not! Ashton wouldn't dare share me."

"And you left him while so many pets beg to be at his beck and call. You're worthless and pathetic. Not to mention stupid if you think he's going to stop dealing with Miranda. She's got him wrapped around her finger. I mean look at what she was able to convince him to do. Hit you? Do you know how dangerous he can be? He scorched this one patch of Earth and turned it into a pool of glass. You think he's going to be reasonable with you after you escaped and came down here? He's going to incinerate you," she cackled.

Maybe she was right. I had no idea what happened in this building. I had no idea who Ashton really was. I only knew how he made me feel. Just as I began to remember how safe I felt, I remembered how much pain surged through my face after he hit me. Never again.

"If you want to jump, go ahead," she urged.

"I'll get out of here when I'm good and ready," I growled. I refused to let someone else dictate my life. I wouldn't let Ashton, and I damn sure wasn't going to let her give me any ideas.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Ashton's voice boomed through the space like thunder.

"I'm here!" I called out to him while leering at the girl. I almost stuck my tongue out but I could see the rage building in her eyes.

"She's not marked, Ashton! You know the rules! She's fair game!" Ivan countered.

"Move out of my way," Ashton demanded.

I laughed at her, "I'm getting out of here. You can keep your mat wench."

"You don't deserve him, bitch!"

Before I could say anything else, she lunged at me pushing me out into the open air. The air caught my throat before anything else as I fell story by story toward the ground. I felt like a raindrop waiting to splash on the ground. I'd be the next story they'd tell. I'd be the pet that got tossed from a window because of her disobedience.

Then it all faded to black.