Page 11 of Fallen Saint

I exhale in relief, thankful he’s playing along.

Aleksei takes a moment to take everything in. When he sees everything is as he left it, he nods, closing the door behind him. “She’s very disobedient.”

I gnash my teeth together, livid he’s talking about me so flippantly like I’m not here.

“I know,” Saint says, his comment filled with innuendo. If I wasn’t handcuffed and fearing for my life, his annoyance would be entertaining.

“So how did you punish her? How did you manage to get her to call you master?” He leans against the door, crossing his arms as he waits for Saint to reply. “On the island, she called me??????,” he explains when Saint remains silent. “I presume that’s because you taught her to address you that way. Am I correct?”

Saint clenches his jaw tight. I hold my breath and only exhale when he replies.

“Yes.”

“Excellent,” Aleksei says, his stance still relaxed. “Show me.”

“Show you what?” Saint counters quickly, irritated.

“Show me how you were going to punish her. That’s what you were going to do, right? You were coming in here to punish her?” Aleksei is a smart man. Even though he ends his sentences with a question, we don’t have a choice. We never did.

“Yes,” Saint manages to spit out between clenched teeth.

“Good. Show me,” he repeats, gesturing with his hand that the floor is his.

Saint inhales, his chest expanding on his heavy breath. He trains his eyes on me, and all I see is utter torment. I understand why a second later. “Give me the key to her cuffs.”

I know we agreed that to survive this, Saint has to win back Aleksei’s trust. But to what lengths will he have to go to achieve this?

It’s too late to turn back now, so I simply await Saint’s next move.

Aleksei reaches into his back pocket, producing a small key. I suddenly wish I could remain cuffed. Saint doesn’t hesitate and reaches for it. When it’s in his possession, I exhale, but his stiff shoulders cause me to break out into a cold sweat.

He turns slowly, and resembling a robot, he walks over to the bed. I wonder what Aleksei expects to see. He believes Saint to be my?????p, my master, so I remain still. When he reaches over me and unlocks the handcuffs, he brushes over my wrist with the quickest and gentlest of touches. Aleksei cannot see the gesture, as Saint has deliberately turned his back in a way that shields me from prying eyes.

It gives me the strength to continue.

“Kneel.”

Without question, I slowly rise from the bed and follow Saint to the middle of the room. When he positions himself so Aleksei can see, I know what I have to do.

I drop to my knees and bow my head.

“Oh my.” A stunned gasp leaves Aleksei. “That is incredible. Just like a trained dog.”

A strong metallic taste fills my mouth, alerting me that I’ve drawn blood by biting down on my tongue so hard.

“What is your name?” Saint asks numbly.

“A????.”

“And who am I?”

“?????p,” I reply softly, using my hair as a veil.

“What? I can’t hear you.”

Before I have a chance to reply, Saint reaches down and grips my chin, forcing me to look up at him. I arch my neck, locking eyes with him. The amber swirls mingle among the flecks of green and set me alight. He is barely holding on.

“?????p,” I say, louder this time.