I open my eyes and suck a breath all at once, confused at the fact that I’m not drowning. For a moment, everything is blurry and off-white. There is no sound, no sense other than a vague warmth.

Then the world comes into focus all at once.

I’m lying in the same bed as I was the day I came to Columbia. I’m clean and dry. I’m wearing clean clothes, a see-through white nightgown of sorts.

My head hurts. A sharp, throbbing pain. And I feel like my ribs are bruised, inexplicably.

Moaning softly, I move my hand to my head. A soft clinking sound draws my attention. I look down to find the same golden cuff on my wrist as the day I arrived. The same chain made of finely wrought golden links is attached to it.

I yank at the chain, sitting up a little.

And then I see him, glowering at me from the window seat. Monster.

He rises, every muscle in his powerful body flexing as he comes over to stand at the foot of my bed. He wears the standard black trousers and black button-up, although a few buttons are undone, showing a little skin at his throat. His dark hair is mussed, and his facial hair is heavier than usual.

But none of that really matters. No, what matters is his expression. Without him even speaking, I sense the loathing he feels for me, the anger that radiates from him.

Monster looks at me, so furious that he can’t speak. His grey eyes drill into me, digging down several layers until my heart starts to race.

He yanks on the other end of the chain and drags me to the end of the bed. I gasp at the pain caused by the cuff digging into my skin and by moving my torso at all.

“Monster—” I plead.

His gaze narrows, and he jerks my chain higher. I cry out, but he’s not interested. His expression is as black as a thundercloud. Breathing heavily, he almost looks… deranged.

“Shut the fuck up. Did I ask you to speak?”

“No, but—”

He cuts me off by grabbing my side where I’m already sore. He digs his fingers into my flesh. The pain is instant, like a thousand shards of glass jabbing into my skin, and I yelp out loud.

“Be QUIET!” he screams in my face.

He’s hurting me now, maybe doing actual damage. I try to squirm out of his grip, and Monster grabs me by the hair instead. My eyes mist over.

I can smell him, the whiskey on his breath, the cologne he uses. Sandalwood, I think.

He looks at me, his grey eyes wild. “You think you can escape me?”

Biting my lip and repressing my tears, I shake my head fiercely. He leans in, close to my ear, and whispers. “You think you can leave? You think I won’t notice that you’re gone?”

My tears break free, running down my face. I shake my head again, although his grip on my hair makes it hard to move.

Monster releases me with a noise of disgust. “I’m everywhere, Fiore. It’s time you got that through your pretty little head. You should know that your friend Sin got what he deserved, too. He got a bullet right between the eyes.”

My hand flies to my mouth. He shot Sin? I imagine Sin’s body, being hauled into the back of an SUV, his dead eyes still open. In my mind, they’re looking right at me.

I want so badly to ask questions, but the look on Monster’s face tells me not to. He is watching my reaction closely, so I just close my eyes. I am sad.

Sad for Sin. Sad for myself.

Sad that Sin’s plan did not work.

Sad that I will likely live out the rest of my days, however brief, in this compound.

Tears roll down my face. It hits me all of the sudden that this is real; I’m probably going to die here in Columbia. No one even knows that I am missing. No one will mourn me when I’m dead, either.

Which might be right now, for all I know. There was a hint of madness in Monster’s eyes. He could easily go over the edge into homicide without even batting an eyelash.

“Stop crying,” Monster orders. I open my eyes, wiping at my tears, but I’m unable to do anything about them.

He seems calmer now, even as I have grown more distressed. Maybe he likes seeing me in pain. Maybe it’s more that he’s just expended his energy.

Pacing back and forth, he peers at me.

“What am I supposed to do with you. Eh, Fiore?” he asks. “All I can do is beat you or kill you. Both would be denying myself use of something I have spent quite a lot of my resources to obtain.”

I start to sweat because I know what else he could do. Right now, I’m sitting on top of The Box. I pray that he’s forgotten about it because it’s the only thing that makes my blood run cold.

He cocks his head, smiling grimly. “You know what you need?”

No, please no. Anything but The Box…

Monster drops the end of my chain carelessly. He turns on his heel and marches out of my room. I sniffle, wiping at my nose. Where could he have gone?

I imagine that whatever he’s gone to get, it will be exquisitely torturous. A golden cat o’ nine tails, perhaps? Some sort of modern iron maiden? Who knows what he’s been dreaming up for me.

But when he returns, he surprises me. Monster carries a ball of black fluff the size of a watermelon, dumping it unceremoniously in front of me on the bed. It took shape then, morphing into a dog.

Not a dog, a puppy.

A very large one, at that. It’s black with kinky hair that sticks every which way, and the keenest set of brown-black eyes I’ve ever seen. Add a big floppy pink tongue to the mix, and you’ve got something that makes my heart squeeze every time I look at it.

I’m so surprised, I just gape up at Monster. The puppy bounds up to me, skidding right into my arms. It starts licking me, full of excitement and energy.

My heart soars for just a moment, holding that puppy.

“What, can’t a man get his slave nice things?” Monster asks, smiling tightly. “I know you. I know you’ll fall in love with him. And I also know that I now have another animal I can slaughter if it comes down to that. Another animal like Sin.”

My hands freeze up. “That isn’t fair. Don’t talk about him like that.”

“Who cares? He is dead. He’s rotting, right now, as we speak.” Monster’s smile widens into a grin. “Now pet your new puppy and thank me. I think I’ve been more than gracious. I could’ve let you drown back there in the jungle.”

So why didn’t you, then? The question burns in my mouth, but I refuse to give it voice. You could’ve just let me go.

I pet the puppy, who finds a lump in the comforter and starts attacking it. Monster leans in toward the puppy, which arouses my protective instincts. Without even meaning to, I move the puppy out of his reach.

His smug smile makes me feel sick. “See that? It’s working already.”

I give him my steeliest scowl. He’s right, but there is no reason to rub it in.

“I think you should name him Sacrifice,” Monster says, casually leaning over and petting the puppy. The puppy barks at him, trying to play fight with Monster’s hand. “Just to remind you of this moment.”

He stands up, stretching.

I’m suspicious. “That’s it? You’re just going to give me a puppy and announce that you killed Sin?”

He looks down at me pityingly. “Is anything ever that easy?”

I bow my head. The puppy licks my hand, prompting me to pet him. I sigh. “Not here it isn’t.”

Monster goes over to my window, peeking outside. “I think you would agree that I am being very lenient with you. Some might say that this sets a bad precedent, gives you the wrong message. But I think you’re smarter than that.”

I have nothing to say to that, so I just cock my head at him. He squints off into the distance.

“You will stay here, and you will stay alive. But in exchange, you will sign my paperwork. You will agree that I own the right to do whatever I want to with your body. In addition, you will take responsibility for the fact that I had to imprison you here. It’s all because you were a Carolla when I liberated you.” He pauses, thinking. My heart starts to beat faster. “Not anymore, though. I’m sure you’re very grateful for that.”

I stare at Monster, trying to figure out if he’s kidding or not. Is he buying into his own bullshit, or just saying crazy things to me? I honestly can’t tell. His expression is stony, and his eyes are mercurial.

Swallowing, I know that it doesn’t matter what he thinks. It matters what I say that I believe.

After all, they are just words. So, what if I say that it was all my fault? It doesn’t make it true.

I’m less sure about the part where I give Monster sway over my body, though. It seems like doing that could come back to bite me, immediately.

Monster looks at me, expecting a reaction. I try to school my face into a penitent expression, though it’s unexpectedly hard. I’m not sorry for what I did, not at all.

“I’ll sign,” I say, keeping my eyes trained on the puppy. “Whatever you want.”

He nods, seeming satisfied. “I assume you don’t have the papers I gave you before.”

The puppy chews on my hand, his teeth sharp as needles. I nod.

“Correct.”

“Well, I will have a new set delivered here for you to sign. But understand that by having you sign the papers, I mean what I say. With the stroke of your pen, you will really, truly belong to me. And I plan to collect.” A cold shiver slides down my spine at his words. He cocks a brow as if I needed any more clarity on what he plans to collect.

My body.

My soul.

My everything.

As my eyes mist over, he smirks and walks to the doorway. “I see that you’re getting the big picture now. That’s a good girl. I’ll send someone to deliver the papers. When you sign, you can be free from your tether.”

He starts to leave, then pauses. He looks back. “Don’t test me again, little girl. The next time you think about running, just remember your friend Sin. And know that I will kill you, no matter how much I like your body.”

He exits the room, leaving me full of dread. Of all the thing he’s said to me today, that one rings the truest.

He will kill me if I step out of line again.

I believe him.