Caged Byrd

Chapter 7 - No Mercy

WARNING: This chapter includes explicit sexual scenes. Proceed at your own risk.

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I raised an eyebrow at the leather bound notebook he held out to me. "What is this?" I asked.

"It's for you. I thought you might like to keep a journal," he said.

"Why?" I said, suspicion clear in my voice.

"You like to write out what you're thinking sometimes. I thought it might help you process your new environment and feelings that might come up," he said. I narrowed my gaze.

"No thanks," I said.

"Just take it. If you choose not to write in it, that's your choice," he said. Begrudgingly, I reached out and took the journal. It felt wrong, accepting anything from him. "I promise that I won't read anything you write in the journal unless you ask me to." Bullshit. "What's wrong?" he asked, carefully observing me.

"I'm not stupid, Alex," I said, irritation in my voice.

"I know that," he said. He was quiet for a moment. "I'm sure you must, at the very least, suspect that I found your diary back home?"

"Well you said you cleaned out my account, so I'm assuming you found the file with all my passwords," I said, my heart racing. He did find it. I had been praying that he hadn't, even though I realized how slim those odds were. "Including the password for my diary on my laptop."

"Yes," he confirmed, watching my face, as if to measure my reaction. "And I read it. All of it." Though his words were hesitant, they weren't guilty.

Without another word, I tossed the journal on the breakfast table and turned to leave. I was pissed. It wasn't enough to stalk me and paw through my things? He needed to read my inner most personal thoughts too?

I didn't make it far before strong fingers gripped my shoulder. Alex forced me to turn towards him with little effort on his part. "Ouch!" I spat, trying to pull away. "You're hurting me."

"No I'm not. You're hurting yourself," he said with exasperation. I winced as I tried once again to pull out of his grip. "Look at me!" he said abruptly, startling me into stillness. "I haven't hurt you since I brought you here. I've restrained you when necessary but I have not hurt you." I avoided his eyes but he pulled my chin up, forcing me to look at him. "I will never hurt you like that."

"Okay, I get it. Now let me go," I argued. He didn't answer right away but he lessened his grip and let his hand slide from my shoulder to my elbow. Something about the way he was looking at me changed. My stomach quivered, and the urge to bolt was almost too strong to resist.

"Jamie," he said quietly, stepping closer. I shifted, trying to create some distance. If he noticed, he didn't comment. The hand that wasn't on my elbow reached up to bury itself in my hair. I gasped as his fingertips brushed against my scalp.

"Hey, wait. Don't-" I tried to protest, but his kiss cut off my words. His lips pressed insistently against mine. He teased, nipped, and soothed the abused flesh, leaving my mouth swollen by the time he was through. The rest of me was left trembling and panting with adrenaline flooding my veins.

"If you're that concerned about a diary that you already knew I read, then it's obviously time to move on to the next step," he muttered against my lips.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked with shaky breaths. Instead of answering, he gently tugged me along beside him. As we approached our room, I started digging my heels into the ground. "No! Stop! Please..." I whimpered. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry!" Alex opted to pick me up rather than drag me along.