Spark, стр. 7

skillset was a privilege under my roof, and I could easily take it away if I wanted to.

I'd made her broken body her own prison, and I could see it was destroying her

inside. Vulnerability was terrifying, especially for someone like her, and I hoped the

fear of that alone would be enough to keep her in line. But still, her depression did

worry me. I'm not so cruel as to wish constant misery on her. I wanted her happy

with me while at the same time fearful of the consequences for opposing that.

Regrettably, I knew her depression was a step in the right direction. It was a sign

that she was coming to the conclusion she wouldn’t win against me, that there was

no escape, and that she was better off accepting her life with me. It would still take

her some time to come around, but once she recovered, I could start to show her

how enjoyable life with me could be.

I looked down at Jaden, sleeping soundly on my chest, and it warmed me like the

sun. She was so small yet so ferocious. How was it possible that someone could be

so adorable yet so diabolical at the same time? She had honestly impressed me with

her successful escape plan, but it didn’t piss me off any less. I wanted her safe.

Always. And if she was able to escape, my enemies would smell weakness and come

running.

If I couldn’t demonstrate my ability to control my own future wife, then how

could I be trusted to control my own empire? Every decision was judged like a

goddamn reality show; everyone was watching, and no one could ever afford to look

weak. Otherwise, they were quickly chewed up and spit out, allowing the vultures to

circle the remains until nothing was left.

And I was the shark who enjoyed eating the vultures.

Jaden stirred, and it brought my thoughts crashing back to her. My hand gently

caressed the side of her face, just admiring the softness of her skin. I had to admit I

was excited about the removal of the wiring in her jaw. I knew it was my own fault,

but I didn’t want the headache of her screaming and arguing with me or anyone

else for that matter while I cleaned up the giant shit storm she’d created.

For the first few weeks, I had just wanted her silent and submissive. For the

most part, she had been, but I knew it wouldn’t last. Once she was able to speak

again, she would start expressing her complaints and objections in an array of cuss

words that would only make me want to reinstall the wire. I’d have to find a way to

instill her fear of me without fucking up her recovery. The only problem was I

wasn’t around enough to continue to remind her of who owned her. I already had to

fly back out tomorrow morning to deal with more shit, but I somehow managed to

have one day this week that allowed me the time to come and visit her. It was

overwhelming how much I missed her.

Just feeling her silky red hair between my fingers was enough to remind me of

how much I needed her. And it pissed me right the fuck off. In her presence, I’d

become obsessive, but in her absence, I’d become pathetically dependent. She was

always on my mind. Always. I felt like a goddamn drug addict just waiting for my

next fix.

In a very short span of time, Jaden had become the lifeline to the other side of

my world where others didn’t often venture. A side that was warm, and bright, and

safe, and Jaden was the fucking bouncer. I couldn’t get in without her. She was my

gateway drug that led straight to paradise, the place where I could forget everything

and just drown myself in her. The only problem was I treated her like a damn dog

treats its chew toys. I just had to remind myself not to chew too hard lest I ruined

her completely.

Jaden was still so much an experiment—my perfect little puzzle. I was still

figuring out what worked and what didn’t with her. If all else failed and she still

refused to break, I had one last card in my pocket to draw. My final ace—one I

hoped I wouldn’t need because the damage of that could be irreparable. It was a

dangerous and fragile method, and I feared that if I used it, neither one of us were

coming back from it. Ever.

There was a price for everything and mine just might be Jaden’s sanity …

3

HORIZON

The following day, I finally got the wire off my jaw, and it was the first time in

weeks I was actually happy about something. After completing several exercises

for Sid, it was determined that my jaw had completely healed, though I