Quintessentially Q (Monsters in the Dark #2)(65)

Someone grabbed my arm, and the small prick of the needle was pure elation. I wouldn’t have to listen to bones snapping or see blood gushing. I would drift uncaring and remote.

“Precious, I’ve enjoyed this journey with you. You’re not ready yet, but after tonight…perhaps you will be.” White Man kissed me on the forehead as my body gave out and I hung lifeless in his arms.

False warmth welcomed me and I sighed, letting my body sink deeper, faster.

At the bottom of the fall, Q was waiting.

His arms crossed over his powerful chest, his suit glistened black, looking like velvet. “This isn’t you, esclave. My Tess wouldn’t be this weak.”

I giggled, rolling in the fog, letting it cuddle me in its chemical embrace. “I’m no longer your Tess. I’m nothing anymore.”

“Don’t say that. I’m coming for you. Fucking fight. Don’t waste my journey to find you.”

“You’re too late. You’re too late.” A fluffy cloud danced in front of me and I reached for it, falling flat on my face.

A livid Q paced, his perfect shoes kicking up wisps of fog. “Fight dammit! Se battre comme vous le faites toujours!” Fight like you always do! His voice seeped through my stupor, making me hate myself.

Instead of screaming back, I hung my head and let his wrath crash over me. “I can’t. I can’t. I’m done.”

“You’re not done. You hear me. Fight!” The command forced some sort of energy into my body, only to amplify my wounds and reinvigorate awful memories. I deflated further to nothingness. I closed the door on Q’s beautiful face. I cut myself free so I no longer had to endure. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough.”

The world went dark as the smog whisked me away.

“Goodbye.”

*****

Cold woke me first.

A biting freeze on my nipples.

I groaned, trying to swallow the thick furry aftertaste in my mouth. My entire body felt foreign, frigid.

Where the hell am I? I thought hell was supposed to be unbearably hot.

I could do with heat. My lungs were heavier with liquid, and every breath I wheezed with a struggle. The punishment of beatings and abuse turned my body into a wasted object, no longer useful for anything apart from the garbage.

“She’s awake. You may precede, Ignacio.”

My heart raced, chasing away the last of the smog I lived in. My brain kicked into gear and I looked around.

Shit.

I was in some sicko’s idea of a bedroom: a satanic bedroom. Black curtains hung lopsidedly over a boarded-up window, peeling wallpaper hung off the wall like dresses half shed, and a red lightbulb in the grotty chandelier turned the entire room into nothing but sick shadows.

My stomach twisted as I looked down. I was shackled to a scratchy bed, naked, wearing only gnawing rope on my wrists and ankles. The knots held my legs open, completely vulnerable.

Vomit rose in my throat but I swallowed it down. If I threw up I might choke and drown.

Good. Drown. Death would be a far better existence than what’s about to happen, Tess.

A whimper sounded beside me and I looked to my left. The blonde with the barbell and scratches down her chest lay in the same prone position. Our eyes met and her mouth wobbled as she fought back tears.

“Help,” she whispered.

I wanted to reach out and hug her. I wanted to protect her. Tell her all of this would be okay; that it was just a horrible dream.

I shook my head, biting my lip so I wouldn’t cry.

She squeezed her eyes, dispelling a waterfall of liquid. She sniffed, trying to bury her head into her shoulder.

“Which one do you want first, Ignacio?”

My eyes flew to Leather Jacket as he prowled at the end of the bed. White Man sat in a fancy faded chair by the peeling wall.

Leather Jacket smirked, his eyes slithering over every exposed inch. “I’ll go with chubby. Let the puta bitch see what’s gonna happen to her once I’m finished.”

Oh, God.

I thrashed my head, twisting my limbs, trying to get free.

I cried out as the woman who’d tattooed me waved from beside the bed. She gave me a horrid grin. “Time to go to a happy place.” She sat on my shoulder and inserted a needle into my overused vein. As she pressed the plunger, White Man murmured, “This is a different concoction to what you’re used to, little girl. It’s going to…well, it’s going to play with your mind. After all, that’s the part we need to break.”

The icy heat already threaded through my veins, heading to my heart to be shot around my body.

White Man stood and came forward. Patting my naked foot, a shred of pity appeared in his gaze. “After today, you’ll be sold. I’ve kept my side of the bargain. I will miss you, though. I’ve grown rather fond of your strength. It’s been a privilege to ruin you.”

He moved forward to cup my cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ve told your new owner that you like it rough. You’ll be well taken care of.”

I gasped as the worst feeling in my life started.

Beetles.

Spiders.

Insects with teeth and tiny claws shredded my intestines with rapid gnawing. My entire body itched and burned and I screamed. Then I coughed because my lungs couldn’t hold enough oxygen. I cried and coughed until I wheezed for breath and still the insects grew worse.