The Ink That Haunts Us

Chapter Twenty-Two

The next morning I woke up to find Declan laying beside me. He was laying so close we were nose to nose. His dark brown eyes bore into mine and it took a lot of effort not to flinch back. Not reacting was always the best plan when dealing with Declan. Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was in a mood or not. Something as little as flinching could set him off.

He lay there staring at me for a long time before he spoke. He reached a hand out and gently caressed my cheek. The touch was that of a lovers. The love and caring shone in his eyes and it reminded me of a time when things weren't awful between us. When I really thought he loved me.

"Good morning, honeybee." His voice matched the gentleness of his touch.

"Good morning," I muttered. His hand began stroking my cheek. I braced myself for the strike that was likely to follow.

"Do you remember the first time we were together? We made love all night, didn't we? Back then you used to love when I touched you. You could see it in your eyes. You used to burn for me. You don't look at me like that anymore." I knew we wanted me to answer, but the answer would likely set him off. But then, so would not answering.

"It's hard to burn for someone when they go out of their way to make sure you are miserable and in pain." It took a lot of control not to let my voice break.

"Oh, honeybee. You misunderstand. It hurts me almost as much as it hurts you when I have to punish you. I have needs, but they don't have to be taken so far. You are a bad, bad girl and you need to learn how to behave. One day, my sweet honey bee, you will see." His fingers dug into the side of my face now and I closed my eyes against the pain. I knew when he let up, I would have fingerprint bruises.

It was on tip of my tongue to tell him what I really thought, but I bit it back. A long time ago, I made that mistake. I had been at the end of my rope with everything and I let him have it. He locked me in the cellar for two weeks and the things I had to endure every night for those two weeks were some of the worst memories I have.

He sat up on the bed, so that he could loom over me. Whatever he was about to tell me, I knew it was going to be bad.

"We've missed you terribly, the girls and I, but you've been a bad girl. Bad girls need punishment. Yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg, I'm afraid. I know you want to see our girls and catch up with them. You'll have plenty of time to think about that during your period of confinement." Now it was my turn to sit up.

"What?" Confinement?

"Oh yes, honeybee. Until I decide I can trust you, you will be chained to this bed. The only times you will be aloud to leave are when we have special time. Don't worry, I'll take care of you." His eyes shone with joy as he watched the fear play out in my eyes.

Being chained to the bed would hinder me from escaping anytime soon and how the hell would I prove trustworthy if I wasn't aloud to leave the room? This wasn't going to end well for me. From the look in his eyes, he wasn't going to hold back on me. He would make me pay for leaving him and he was right. If I wasn't sorry now, I would be.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I pushed them back. I couldn't break down in front of this monster. He would only enjoy it. The last thing that I wanted was for him to get more out of my misery. He was going to take so much from me as it was. He wouldn't get my tears.

"I know this is hard. The girls are so close, but so out of reach. They miss you terribly, so be a good girl. You're girls need you." He reached out to caress my cheek again and this time he did smack me. Well, it was more of a hard pat, but it still stung. "If you be a good girl today, I might bring you a bite of breakfast." He rose from the bed and strolled out the door without another word.