“He’s a weak dog that I broke. Stripped him of his name and that fucking family he belonged to. Now he’s mine. Now he heels only to his master’s voice.”

  The laughter got louder, but Master’s command kept my body unmoving on the bed.

  The man with the white coat again came closer but he stopped. He was looking at Master. “If I remove the straps will he stay down when I inject him?”

  “He’ll do anything I command.” Master paused. “Watch.”

  The man in the white coat unfastened my straps. I wanted to move, until Master ordered, “221, stay still. Do not move or you will be punished.”

  At his command, my shoulders pressed into the bed. Not even my fingers could move.

  “Impressive, Levan,” the man in the white coat congratulated.

  “What will be even more impressive is if this shot works. It’ll clear any memory of who he was, and fuel his rage, yes?”

  “Yes … flawlessly,” the man confidently replied. I could see the white coat out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t want to see him inject me, so I closed my eyes. A sharp pain spread through the arm. The man in the white coat pushed the needle harder and deeper. I wanted to scream, I wanted to run away, but Master had ordered me not to move.

  A hot feeling suddenly filled my arm; the hot feeling quickly shot through my body. I gritted my teeth as the liquid turned to fire in my veins. It hurt, it hurt so much.

  My body shook. Something was stabbing my stomach. I couldn’t stand it. It was making me angry; so angry I needed to scream out the pain, I needed to get it out.

  But I couldn’t move.… I couldn’t move.…

  Snapping my eyes open, I blinked and my body jerked. I blew out a breath. I could move?

  I could move.

  I squeezed my eyes shut to chase away the nightmare. Master had been there. Master and a man in a white coat, both hurting a boy. Hurting a child who was … who was—

  Hearing breathing beside me, I sat up, braced to kill, when I saw her. The golden hair, the brown eyes … her.

  I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut trying to remember. Water. Water. She’d washed me. She—

  Opening my eyes again, I reached out and, taking her arm, pulled her closer. She let out a shocked cry and her eyes grew big. She looked scared. I didn’t want her scared. I thought she must have been like me. She must be Master’s, too. He never let females that weren’t his near me. Ever.

  I had to protect her.

  Remembering her from before, I picked up her hand and stared at it. It was so small. Her fingers were so little, and they had a strange color on the end.

  Her hand was hot. It was so soft. I ran my fingers over her palm and heard her breathing change. I saw her light skin go red. I wanted to touch it.

  Lifting my hand, she went still. I moved my fingers closer and pressed them against her skin. It was soft like her hand. No, softer. And it was warm.

  Her hand moved in my hand. Before she could pull it away, I picked it up and pressed it against my cheek.

  I closed my eyes. It felt just like last night. I felt just as good.

  Her breathing got faster and faster, and I opened my eyes when her other hand pressed on my other cheek.

  Something inside of me cooled. The rage that always ran through my veins calmed. It was still there, I could feel it bubbling under the surface, but her warm hand had calmed it. I took a deep breath. There was no pain, no poison, just the feeling of her.

  “I…” My eyes snapped open when she spoke. Master did not let us speak. But her voice … it sounded strange. It made me want to listen, even if it was forbidden.

  I watched her swallow. I watched her eyelashes flutter and my chest tightened. She was … she made me feel … I was unsure …

  “I came to wash your hair,” she said. I closed my eyes. Her voice. Her voice was different, sounded different to Master’s, but I … I liked hearing it.

  Suddenly, I felt her hand touch my hair. When I opened my eyes, she was kneeling up in front of me. Her gentle hands were touching my hair.

  “It’s so long,” she said. I frowned. Her hair was long, too. Was my hair being long bad?

  I did not allow my eyes to leave her face. I couldn’t look away. Her face was … it did something to how I felt inside. My chest tightened. My stomach clenched, and I felt my cock get hard. I wanted her to touch me again. I wanted her to stroke my cock again like she did before.

  But I forgot wanting that from her when her lips moved and she smiled. My lips parted and I dropped her hand. But her smile dropped, too.

  No. I didn’t want that.

  “Are you okay?” she asked again, her kind voice washing over me. It made me feel warm. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt warm. It was always cold in my cells. In this cell. I didn’t want to be cold anymore. I liked feeling this way. With her.

  A pain stabbed at my head, causing my body to bend forward. I saw someone smiling in my mind, it felt like I knew them. I heard people laughing … and it was warm.…

  Gasping one final time, the pain left me. The female was next to me, touching my arm. Master’s female’s face wasn’t smiling anymore. But I needed her to smile.

  I turned her quickly, and holding her by both arms, I pulled her to my chest. A shocked sound came out of her mouth as I held her against my skin.

  My cock hardened again. I liked her against me. I glanced down to see her tits pushing against my chest. I heard her breathing change and a redness crept up her neck and onto her face.

  Smile, I wanted to tell her. I wanted to see her smile again.

  Releasing one of my hands from her arm, I touched my fingers to her lips. They were pink and full. I wanted to touch them further, but I wanted her to smile more. Master and his guards didn’t smile.

  I nodded my head toward her mouth, tapping my fingers against her lips. She frowned and reached up to take my hand. “What do you want?” she gently asked.

  I pulled my hands free and tapped on her lips again with my fingertips. She sighed and leaned her head farther forward. “Tell me. Tell me what you want.”

  I wanted to speak, but I couldn’t. Master never allowed me to speak. I shook my head at the female and sat back on my heels.

  Master’s female moved away and came back with her water. She held up some bottles. “Will you let me wash your hair?”

  I touched my hair with my fingers. I couldn’t understand why she wanted to wash it. Her hand touched my shoulder. “Will you let me? I’d like to,” she whispered.

  Then she smiled.

  Lurching to my knees, I brought her close and touched her lips and nodded my head.

  Her eyes searched mine to understand, then she sucked in a breath and her lips spread into another smile. “You want me to smile? You like it when I smile?”

  Nodding, I moved closer and ran my fingers along her lips. She let me touch her. She let me look at her smile, then she pressed her fingers to my mouth. She swallowed, then asked, “Can you smile?”

  I pulled back and bowed my head. Master wouldn’t allow it. She followed me, and putting her finger under my chin, lifted my head. Confusion filled her eyes and her smile had disappeared.

  I didn’t understand why her eyes were confused.

  Her hand ran through my hair. “Let’s wash this, shall we?” she said in a broken voice.

  I nodded and sat back. I didn’t understand why she looked sad.

  I watched her get the water bowl and searched with my eyes for her chains. She didn’t have any. I next searched for her identity number. I couldn’t see one.

  My eyebrows pulled down. I didn’t understand why she was here. All Master’s females wore chains, collars, or cuffs. She had none. Then my heart started to beat faster.

  Had Master given her to me? Was she mine to keep?

  Master’s female moved behind me and I heard water sloshing in the bowl. But I didn’t want her behind me. I wanted to watch her, look at her face. I wanted to feel warm. She made me f
eel warm.

  Reaching behind me, I took hold of the female’s wrist. She froze and stopped breathing. I tugged on her arm and patted the floor in front of me.

  She breathed out and relaxed. “You want me to stay in front of you?”

  I nodded. She carried the water in front of me and smiled. I relaxed and she pulled out the round soft object that she’d cleansed me with yesterday.

  Dipping it in the water, she pulled it out and the most amazing sound in the world slipped from her lips: a laugh. “This may get you wet. I hadn’t thought through how to actually do this down here.”

  I was staring up at her, but I was frozen, my muscles seized on hearing her laugh. It didn’t sound like Master’s laugh. It didn’t make me angry, it made me feel. It made me feel full.

  Water suddenly wet my head, the drops falling down my chest and onto my stomach. Master’s female leaned down to meet my eyes. “Is that okay?” She was smiling. She wanted me to answer, so I nodded my head.

  Straightening, she continued to wet my hair. I heard the sound of something opening, and Master’s female put something that smelled nice into her hands, then onto my head. Her fingers lifted my long hair. She started running them over my head. She shuffled forward until she pressed against me.

  I wanted to touch her. Lifting my hands, the chains rattled as I placed my hands on her waist. The female stilled, her fingers in my hair stilled, too. She took a deep breath, then continued. I closed my eyes at the feel of her touching my hair. The movements were making me relax.

  My hands gripped her waist. She was so small, so soft.

  I heard her breathing hitch and her fingers tightened in my hair. Eventually she stopped, and pulled back. I looked up at her face; it was flushed.

  “I need to rinse it off now.” She held up the soft object, dripping with water and squeezed it over my head. I closed my eyes as the water ran down my face. My hair stuck to my face.

  The female then took a towel and began drying my hair. She sat back and frowned. Something flashed across her face and she said, “I’ll be right back.”

  She went to move and panic shot through my body. I reached out and took her hand. She jumped and whipped her head back. I looked up at her, silently begging her not to leave me. I didn’t want to be alone in here again. I couldn’t protect her if she left.

  She bent down and cautiously put her hand on my face. “I’ll be right back.” She looked down at my chains and her face looked sad again. “I promise, I’ll be right back.”

  The reassuring look on her face convinced me she would return. I released her arm, but my skin shivered as she walked away, then disappeared up some stairs. I breathed in and out, in and out, never moving my eyes from the stairs.

  Come back, come back, come back, I said in my head. I didn’t want Master to take her from me. I wanted him to have given her to me.

  I heard a door close, and then her feet came down the stairs. As soon as her brown eyes met mine, I exhaled and my shoulders lost tension. But she was watching me strangely. Something was in her hands. I tried to see what it was, but I couldn’t see in this darkness.

  Master’s female bent down before me, her long blond hair falling over her shoulder. She swallowed, and said, “I want to release you.”

  I frowned. She pointed to my chains. “I want to release you from these chains.”

  My stomach tightened and I shook my head. Master did not let me go free. And I didn’t want her to get into trouble. The only time Master released me was to kill.

  I froze. Did Master want me to kill?

  Did I have to kill now?

  The female moved closer. “No one will hurt you, I promise. I just want to get you away from the water so I can comb your hair.” Her hand reached out and, taking my wrist, she slid back the shackle. She flinched, and her voice caught. “I don’t want you to hurt anymore.” Her finger lightly ran over the scars and fresh sores from my chain. “I want to heal your wounds. I want to look after you.”

  I looked into her eyes trying to detect deception. I couldn’t see any. Was it true? Was I being released so she could care for me?

  No one ever cared for me.

  No one ever spoke to me unless it was to give me orders or call me a dog.

  No one ever touched me unless it was to bring me pain.

  “I promise you won’t be hurt. There’s no more pain here.” I stared into her brown eyes. Trusting those brown eyes, I nodded. She lifted the key to the chains, but then stopped. I looked at her face and she said, “You won’t hurt me, will you? When you’re free, you won’t hurt me?”

  I frowned and my stomach felt empty. She feared me. I didn’t want her to fear me.

  Edging farther forward, I lifted my hand to her cheek and pressed my palm flat to her warm skin. Her eyes fluttered closed, then opened and met mine. “I can trust you, you won’t attack me, right?”

  I nodded my head, then slowly held out my wrists. She took a deep breath. I could see the pulse thumping in her throat. She was still scared. But I wouldn’t hurt her. I … I liked Master’s female.

  The female unlocked the chains, and as they released, they clattered to the floor. The female paused as I stared down at my freed hands. I could move them without the pressure. I could move my fingers without feeling pain.

  “I’m going to release your ankles now, okay?” the female whispered. I nodded, but still stared at my wrists. I heard the chains from my ankles hit the floor. The female stood up and stepped back.

  I looked up, feeling something in my stomach.

  The female was watching me. I watched her back, hoping she wasn’t still scared, then she took a deep breath and held out her hand.

  I stared at her hand, her tiny fingers, and my heart began beating too fast. I stared at that hand and met her eyes again. “Take my hand,” she said.

  Leaning forward, unused to the freedom in my arms and legs, I reached out and put my hand in hers.

  Feeling the wetness of the water beneath my feet, I stood and stretched my body. I swayed, feeling strange, weak. The pain, the poison in my blood had calmed. It felt too strange.

  The female’s hand squeezed mine and I glanced down to see her watching me. She seemed so small, her head having to tip back to meet my eyes.

  She swallowed, her face pale. “Are you okay?” I studied her small hand wrapped around mine, then nodded. She pulled on my hand. “Come over here, out of the water.”

  I walked forward, the lightness of my legs without the chains at first difficult to get used to. The female slowly led me to the chair that sat in the middle of the room. She pointed to it. “Sit down and I’ll comb through your hair.”

  I stared at the chair, but backed away. Master didn’t allow me to sit anywhere but the floor. Said that I, 221, had to always sit below him.

  I sat on the floor and bowed my head. I didn’t want Master to hurt her for my breaking the rules. I wanted to keep her. He would take her away from me if I disobeyed his commands.

  The female remained standing, but I could feel her as she stood in front of me, then she bent down. “Can I comb your hair while you’re on the floor?”

  I nodded.

  She moved across the room and returned holding something in her hand. She kneeled in front of me and said, “This may be a bit painful. Your hair is very matted.”

  Something ran through my hair, sometimes getting stuck. It felt spiky. It pulled at my head, but she was gentle. Her touch was like a whisper.

  Staring at her stomach, I lifted my hand and ran my fingers down the black clothing covering her top half. Her hand stopped in my hair and she sucked in a breath as my fingers explored.

  I wanted to touch her again.

  I wanted to feel her warmth.

  As if hearing my thoughts, she whispered, “You can touch me again. If you want?”

  Lifting my hands, I lay them around her waist and I heard her breathing change. My thumbs traced her hips over her clothing, but I wanted to feel her skin. Wanted to feel he
r skin against mine.

  The female began combing through my hair when I moved my hands down to the bottom of her clothing, and dipping my hands underneath, my palms touched the bare skin of her stomach.

  The female jumped and gasped, but she didn’t move away. I stared at her bare stomach. Her skin was so pale, so light, and it was soft, all of her was soft. I’d never felt anyone so soft.

  Hearing her breathing turn heavy, I looked up and caught her watching me. Her lips were parted. I gripped her waist tighter and ran my thumbs over her flat stomach.

  I stared up at her and dipped my head forward. I wanted her fingers in my hair again. I liked her touching my head. I liked touching her, too. Master never let me see anyone. I was always alone. I liked being with this female more. I didn’t want to be alone anymore.

  Hearing her shaky breath, she reached for the spiked object and began running it through my hair. I closed my eyes, tipping my forehead against her stomach. I inhaled the scent of her skin and my cock hardened. She smelled good. Her bare skin smelled too good. As her hands ran through my hair, my nose pressed against her torso and I inhaled again. A low growl left my throat.

  Wanting to taste her skin, wanting to taste her, I lifted her clothing further and licked along her stomach.

  The female released a breathy moan, and whispered, “Oh, God…” Her hands tightened on my head. She stilled for a moment; so did I. I didn’t want her to push me off. I wanted to stay close. I wanted her to tend to my hair.

  She pulled in a deep breath and started combing through my hair again. I groaned as it stopped hurting my head and started feeling good.

  I ran my mouth across her skin. But I wanted to see more. Lifting her clothing, I ran my fingers upward.

  I wanted to see underneath her shirt.

  I frowned when I found her breasts covered with a black material. The female moaned as I ran my hands over the front of the material and pulled it apart. Freeing her tits I dropped the material to the floor. The female released a shocked cry as her tits were freed. I groaned as my hands cupped them, her red nipple hardening as my thumb ran over the flesh. The female, now breathless, folded her arms over my head, pushing my mouth around her mounds.