The Ink That Haunts Us

Chapter Twenty-One

My head felt like it was full of cotton and my eyelids felt like they were being weighed down with lead. What the hell happened? I tried to recall the last thing I could remember but only could recall trying to shove my way through a crowd of people. Where had I been going? Why was there a crowd of people to begin with?

    The noise of the night before filled my head and my mind focused on one person.

Derek.

I shot upright as my mind finally caught up. Looking around, I found myself in a familiar room, completely alone. Fear choked me as I realized where I was. I tried to scramble from the bed only to be knocked to the floor when my foot snagged on something. The clinking of a chain clued me in. Pulling back the tangle of sheets, I found a shackle bolted around my ankle connected to a chain that was attached to the bed.

    He had chained me to the bed. Didn't this bring back awful memories? The last time I had been chained to this bed, he had left me here for weeks. It took weeks for the sores to heal. My muscles never felt the same after that.

I looked around frantically as the bedroom door creaked open and Declan stepped inside the room.

    "You're awake," he said, leaning against the doorway. "How's my favorite girl?"

    "Why am I chained to the bed, Declan." I demanded, bravely.

    His expression hardened into stone. "Now, now, honey bee. Is that any way to talk to your husband." He strolled towards me, calmly. He loomed over me with a triumphant grin on his face. He crouched down beside me, reaching out to run a gentle hand along my jaw. I didn't get a chance to brace before the hand struck me hard across the cheek. My head knocked to the side. I had to bit my lip hard to keep from crying out. "We're going to have so much fun getting reacquainted. You've been gone for too long."

    "Please let me go, Declan." It killed me, but I begged him. It was useless, I knew, but I had to try.

    "I'll tell you what," he said, smiling. "You promise to be my good girl and I'll take those chains off. The girls miss you terribly. If you be a good girl, I'll let you see them."

    My heart hammered in my chest.

    "Th... they're here?" My girls. My poor girls.

    "Of course, honey bee. Where else would our girls be?"

    Without thinking, I agreed. "I'll be your good girl." The words choked out my of my mouth. For my girls, I would do it. I had to see my girls. I had to see for myself that they were really okay.

    "Ah, honey bee, you don't mean that. Show me you mean it." His words were like silk. They made me sick.

    Slowly, I shifted until I was on my knees. I sat back, and put my hands in my lap just the way I remembered he liked. With a brilliant smile, I looked up at him.

    "I'm your good girl." My voice was a sweet as candy.

    "There's my honeybee." He reached forward again, pushing the stray hair from my face. "You were so beautiful. Now look what you've done with yourself." His eyes roamed over my tattoos in disgust before settling on my face. He gave me a look and waited expectantly.

    "I... I'm sorry, Declan." My voice was small and not my own.

    "Ah, not yet, my honey bee, but you will be. I promise." The fire burning in his eyes told me everything. He was going to make me wish I was dead. Not that it would be the first time. "Come on. Let's go see our girls." He bent down, unlocking the shackle around my ankle. He didn't help me to my feet. He left me there to scramble after him.