Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1) (20 page)

Daisy unclasped
her cross and held it out and began to pray. “Almighty Father, eternal God,
hear my prayer for your daughter, Bessie. Welcome her into the Light where You
live forever and ever. Bring her to Leon.”

More laughter
boomed through the woods. Birds flapped their wings furiously to escape. A wind
whipped through the trees, snapping one of them in half.

Daisy touched
Bessie’s head and repeated the prayer over and over until she saw Leon appear
on a path, a shower of light radiating over his head. He held his hand out to
Bessie and smiled.

“You can go,
Bessie. You’re free from Jack. Go be with your beloved,” Daisy smiled.

“What about
you, Daisy?” the spirit looked concerned.

“I’ll be fine.
Just go.”

Again, the crow
cawed and flew off.

Bessie shook
her head. “No, you won’t. I’ll never see you again. You’re not going where I’m
going, Daisy." Bessie smiled at Leon and joined him, taking his hand and
looking back at Daisy. “Thank you, my friend. I’ll pray for you." They
held hands and disintegrated into the Light.

Tears burned
Daisy’s eyes. What did Bessie mean by that? “Good-bye, Bessie and Leon. And I
will
see you there when I’m ready,” she stated.

A blast of wind
spun Daisy in a circle, tossing her cross out of her hand into the sea of
sticks and leaves. “No!”

She tried
getting her bearings, tried to steady herself through the tornado-like funnel,
sucking in the wind.

Daisy then felt
arms grab her, snake arms, coiling around her. The sound of monstrous wings
flapping and lifting her up in the air.

Jack’s voice
low and soft in her ear. “I told you you’d be mine.”

At first,
Daisy’s vision seemed blurry, trying to adjust to her dark surroundings. It
appeared to be some sort of a dungeon. Fire-filled sconces hung from the brick
walls. It felt damp and chilly to her exposed skin. Her head lolled to the side
and then looked up. Her wrists were chained above her head, as her bare ankles
were cuffed together, her feet dangling on cold concrete floor.

All her senses
came alive at once. “Help!” she screamed over and over. She struggled to slide
her hands through the steel chains, grunting, only to cut deep into her skin.
The blood oozed along her arms from her wounds.

She looked down
at the short cotton gown molding her body and to her bare feet. “Damn you,
Jack! You don’t scare me! You can do all you want, and I’ll never be yours! You
hear me!” her voice cracked.

“Is that
so?" He appeared in front of her, challenging her, his glowing blue eyes
penetrating hers.

“Yes,” she
hissed. She calmly spoke. “You can take my body, but my heart belongs to Christian
and my soul belongs to God,” she scoffed. “You think you own me, but you
don’t.”

“Hmmm, we shall
see who wins your soul in the end. Feel a little sore?”

“My wrists hurt
a little but I’ll live.”

“Not sore
there...” his eyes dropped down her body and back up, giving a cold smile.

Tears
threatened to form but she refused them. “Not. At. All." She smiled back.

“I’m hurt you
don’t remember, but there’ll be other times that you will,” he purred.

“I’ll kill
myself before I let you touch me again.”

“Darling,
you’re immortal. How exactly would you kill yourself?”

She stared at
him, her heart quickening. “You’re lying.”

“No, not about
this. I do tend to use lies to get my way, but not this time,” he said with
intense eyes. “I told you you’d be mine forever." A deep laugh shot out of
him as he caressed her cheek. “You are so beautiful, so enticing. I’m going to
enjoy you for a good century or so, more than I did Bessie.”

Daisy
envisioned herself running in the woods like Bessie, seeing people but they not
seeing her. This couldn’t be possible.

“Penny for your
thoughts? Oh, wait. You’re thinking about Bessie, right? I’ll get you down from
there and position you on your bed, only tied up but you’ll be more
comfortable. Guards!” he ordered to two hulk-like men who released her from her
cuffs and onto a King-sized bed. They loosely tied her wrists to the posts.

“Why the ties?
It’s not like I can escape,” she said dryly.

“Well, with
your powers mixed with new ones, I can’t chance it. My, you are lovely to look
at. That bed will be big enough for what I have in mind,” he grinned. “Get some
rest. I’ll have dinner brought in. It’s so nice having you back with me, Daisy.
I’ve really missed you. I truly think you might be the one for me,” he
chuckled. “My soul mate.”

She curled her
lips in disgust. “What happened to Eric?” she asked before he left.

“Eric’s dead,”
he stated before vanishing.

***

The tray of
food awaited her when she woke up after passing out, but she turned away from
it. She didn’t care about eating or even being alive at this point. She stared
at the ceiling and allowed the tears to fall. Eric was dead. An ache filled her
chest, constricting until she sobbed. “Oh, Eric. I’m so sorry,” she cried. She
tried to see what happened to him in her mind, but she blanked.

She slammed her
feet against the bed in anger. “I will never be yours,” she hissed.

Jack entered
from the other end of the dungeon and walked to her tray. “You need to eat,” he
said, running his index finger along her jaw.

She clenched
her jaw against it and stared straight ahead.

Jack sat on the
bed and ran his hand down her leg. “I had your dress designed for you for the
big day,” he smiled.

“What big day?”

“That got your
attention? Well, Black Twenty-One, of course. Christian’s birthday. We will go
as planned. I’ll impregnate you and then hand you over to Christian. You’ll
marry him and run the town as his high priestess and my whore.”

Hope rose up in
her, but she kept her mind empty so he couldn’t read it. “I see. Fine then. I can
do that,” she said, trying not to betray herself.

His eyes
softened and he smiled. “Wonderful. William will also be pleased since he’ll
get Charlotte. Money is money to her, and Stone is Stone, so I’m sure that
won’t be a problem." He returned his gaze to her lips and bent to taste
them.

Bile ascended
in her chest and up her throat, swallowing it down as hard as she could. She
allowed him to kiss her and played along.

He pried her
mouth open with his long tongue, her tongue not moving. “Kiss me,” he ordered.

She went to
that place of peace and serenity, the same place she went to when she was
whipped, and when she was with him the other times. She allowed her tongue to
dance against his but never felt it.

“My Daisy,” he
growled, running his hand up and down her body. “My whore for eternity. God
must be so pissed,” he grinned.

She could feel
his excitement grow against her thigh and numbed herself to it. His
pseudo-handsome face hovered above hers as he entered her, his breathing
labored and grunting, his eyes turning yellow. Closing her eyes was the only
way to block it out. He didn’t seem to care. He was lost.

She climbed the
stairs to another dimension, joining her meadow friends again. She danced with
the other girls in the field of lush grass and daisies, little girls holding
her hands and laughing in the sun. Diamonds and rubies sparkled in their hair,
and they each gave her a rose.

Scales
scratched her thighs and belly. Pain seared in her as he stabbed her with his
male anatomy. He gave a final grunt and last thrust. She floated back down into
her body as he finished.

He panted
against her. “That was delectable. I think I might love you, Daisy,” he
grinned, his face returning to normal. “You’ll come to enjoy me as well, I
promise. You’ll be begging for it,” he said, pulling out of her. “You can open
your eyes now. Next time I want them open the whole time. I want you to scream
my name. Understand?”

She clenched
her jaw and nodded. “What shall I call you?”

“Whatever you
wish...Jack, Damien, Beast. You see, my mother was a jackal so I prefer Jack,”
he smirked.

“Okay, Beast it
is,” she smirked back.

“Oh, but I do
love your humor, Daisy. Perhaps our son will have his mother’s humor as well?
He’ll also be a handsome devil,” he chortled.

She closed her
eyes to dismiss him.

“Very well,
I’ll leave you alone. Don’t be frightened by the scurrying sounds on the floor.
They’re only rats. Hopefully they don’t crawl up on the bed while you’re
sleeping.”

She remained
silent, not giving him the satisfaction. Inside she was retching.

With the sound
of wings flapping and feeling the wind hit her face, he was gone.

Opening her
eyes, she heaved a sigh of relief. She scanned the floor for anything moving.
When she turned her head, red gems fell out of her hair to the floor. A gift
from her meadow girls. A red rose also lay at her feet. She smiled.

The thought of
going to Black Twenty-One brought her joy. She would see Christian. If Jack was
telling the truth, she would have him forever. Even if she had to give birth to
his demon son, she would do it. He already won by making her immortal. What did
it matter anymore?

God still lived
in her.

Hot semen oozed
down her leg onto the mattress. She turned her head to the left and vomited.
Dry heaves choked her body until she expelled all gastric contents, whatever
was left in there.

***

When Daisy
opened her eyes, she glanced down and saw she had fresh, pink, silk pants
pajamas on. Someone had changed her in her sleep. The vomit was gone, the smell
of fresh linen hitting her. Probably one of his maids, perhaps Elizabeth again?

She still
remained tied to the bed, her arms aching to relax.

“Lord, give me
the strength to get through this,” she prayed. “Guide me in every step. Don’t
let him win,” she whispered.

An apparition appeared
almost in a fog. She felt the bed sag under their weight but couldn’t make out
a face. “Daisy, can you hear me?”

“Who’s there?”

The face came
in sharper...green eyes, red hair. “Mom?”

“It’s me,
darling. I can’t stay long because he’ll find me. I just want you to know how
proud I am of you. You’re stronger than I ever was, and with your father’s
gifts, you can do amazing things,” she whispered loud enough for her to
understand her.

“I feel so
alone. I have these gifts I have no idea how to use,” she cried. “I know some
things, but I’m sure there’s so much more.”

“Go inside and
you will find all you’re looking for. If you concentrate hard enough, you can
free your hands without him knowing. You can do lots of things. He’s still
afraid of you. He knows no matter what he does, he can’t steal that light in
you. He can only control externals. I’m glad you found that special place to
hide when he’s violating you. I used to do that, too,” Rose admitted.

“He also...with
you?”

“Yes.
Especially after I would return from church. He’d find his way in my room at
night when your father, Richard, was slaving away at work in his dear office. I
told Mark, and he instructed me to go to this place where it was safe. Deep
down, your soul already knew about it, being Mark’s daughter, and brought you
there,” she smiled, picking up the red rose and smelling it, and putting it to
Daisy’s nose to share the beauty.

Daisy inhaled
the smell. “I have so many questions to ask you,” she said.

“I need to go,
he’s coming. Remember, be brave until the end, my sweet girl,” she said,
slipping away.

“The end?
What’s the end?”

But she was
gone.

Jack sauntered
through the door archway, smiling that smile with his insatiable appetite.
“Like the pajamas?” he asked.

She stared
silently for a moment to show she was in charge before giving him his answer.
“Yes, they’re lovely. Thank you,” she said tersely.

“You’re
welcome, my beautiful Daisy. You can have a different color every night of silk
or satin, if you wish. But for now, they’ll need to come off. I want to ravish
you again,” his voice husky. “This time, you’ll be more compliant,” he
instructed.

“How don’t I
get pregnant?” she asked.

“I say when I
want that to happen. Besides, you’re not ovulating right now. Your body is
syncing with my needs, so you’ll ovulate when the time’s right. Are you anxious
to become with child?” he asked, cocking his brow.

She found the
words that would please him. She nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes. That’ll be
wonderful. I can’t wait for our life together...Jack,” she swallowed bile back
down as she spit the words out.

Her words did
indeed please him. His sex took on a life of its own, as he mounted her once
again.

***

This time,
blood trickled down her leg along with his semen. She could see it stain the
sheets. He promised to have them changed tonight, along with fresh pajamas
after asking her what color she would like.

It felt raw and
bruised, evidence of his overexcitement. The whole bed had moved with his
pounding against her flesh, stone crumbling down the walls like an earthquake.

She had forced
herself to seem just as excited, moaning in her body as her soul skipped
through the meadows, waiting for it to end.

Only a body,
only a body. It wasn’t who she was. Easily detachable. Only flesh.

“Hello, m’lady.
Let’s get you out of that mess, shall we?" Elizabeth returned with a warm
smile. She untied the straps and helped her with ease, noting Daisy was weak
and sore. “There’s a restroom down the ways if you can walk,” she said, handing
her blue pajamas this time.

“Thank you,
Elizabeth. You’re always so kind to me. I’ll manage." She hobbled down to
the bathroom and closed the door.

She screamed at
her reflection. Scratches and bite marks covered her neck, breasts, arms, and
belly. “Oh, my God,” she said, shaking.

Closing her
eyes, she repeated in her mind. “I am healed, I am healed, I am healed."
She ran her hands over her skin, feeling the marks disappear one by one. Even
the vaginal wounds healed.

She opened her
eyes and they were gone. “It’s all an illusion, just a body. This is not who I
am,” she stated to the mirror. A deep knowing arose, data coming forth.

A smug smile
curved her lips as she threw on the satin nightwear.

***

Steak and
potatoes awaited her on a blue tray lined in Irish lace, as well as peach
cobbler in a bowl. Yellow roses mixed with daisies in a Waterford crystal vase
adorned a nightstand next to her bed.

She slid in and
pulled the tray to be level over her lap and dug in. Hunger consumed her and
she ate everything placed before her. So what if he was wooing her. She decided
to allow the rest of her stay here be as pleasant as possible, as impossible as
that seemed.

Maybe he would
let her hands be free for the duration. Maybe she would beat him at his own
game. Just maybe.

As usual, he
made his way to her at midnight, his favorite time. “You look even more
beautiful than the last time I saw you, Daisy. Enjoy your meal?" He sat on
the bed.

“I did. And
also thank you for the flowers. They’re gorgeous,” she returned his smile.

“Almost as
gorgeous as you are. I see you cleaned up nicely." He cast his eyes to her
smooth skin.