Master B-1901 (Garden of the Gods #14)

Master B-1901

H ushed whispers drew me from the darkness. Every bone in my body ached. Even breathing sent pains shooting down my limbs. A sound left me, and I tried to move more on my side so that my back and legs would stop aching.

“About time he starts to wake up.”

Opening my eyes was almost impossible. Light and colors flooded in, but they were blurry. It took me repeatedly blinking to bring the room into focus. What I saw had me jolting to a sitting position and I regretted it instantly.

“ Master, no .”

My slave rushed to my side, but all I saw was the dark bruising and laceration on her cheek. It was taped with butterfly bandages. One of her eyes was still swollen and purple, and the other had hints of underlining black. I didn’t have to ask. Just taking in the excessive damage, I knew it was from me.

“It happened. I hurt you.” Her shoulders shrugged, and the expression she wore had me scanning her face. It was full of…emotion. More than I’d ever seen on her, but still not quite normal. “How bad are you hurt?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. We need to worry about you right now.”

My lips parted, only just realizing it was me in the damn bed. I looked down at my bandaged hands, cursing as the pain became all too real.

“How bad was it?”

“Bad. But I did as you ordered. I…lived. I stopped you.”

“Did you break my hands, or did I do that hurting you?”

The Main Master stood, moving in closer to the bed, but my attention remained on my slave.”

“Both. You’re mostly just cut up and bruised, but I did snap the wrist on your dominant hand. I don’t think it did much good. It barely slowed you down.

“Why does one of my ankles hurt? Did you snap that too?”

“No. That was you. Probably from kicking me.” Her hand lifted. “Actually, I might have done that. I think when I hit you, you clipped the coffee table and fell over it. The apartment was a mess. I’ve already had it cleaned.”

A groan left me, and I dropped back to the mattress, covering my eyes from the light.

“Allison, why don’t you go sit down while I talk to your Master.”

My head lifted and I pushed the top of my body back up as I looked between them.

“Did you call her Allison? Is that her name?”

The Main Master sat on the edge of my bed. “It is. Did you not read her file? Allison, former police officer. She goes by Ally, but she likes both names. If you plan to keep her around for a while, it would do her good if you used them. With regular slaves it’s optional, but with blank slates, it helps the bonding process.”

“Bonding,” I repeated.

“They are companions, Brad. And we’ve gotten to the point where it’s safe to bond. Emotions are good for them to a degree. But like with anything, too much isn’t a good thing. We’ve got a handle on that part now. Bonding is safe so long as the right protocols are set into place, which they are. Sure, we can treat them as regular slaves, but their purpose is special. They are special. They need to know this. It helps with the protection part. It even makes them more lethal. Allison saved your life. Hell …she saved mine too. We both owe her more than you know.” He looked down, letting out a long breath. “Things are crazy right now, so I’ll be pretty busy, but you’re in good hands.” He paused, taking back in my slave for the smallest moment. “Do you remember what happened during this episode?”

My gaze went to my slave…Ally. A thickness coated my thoughts, holding to them like tar. I could feel a frown come to my face as my head shook.

“I can’t think right now. I fucking ache everywhere.”

The Main Master laughed.

“I was hoping you would. You hurt my friend.” He winked at Allison. “For that I thought I’d make you suffer. I’m done. I’ll get them to give you something now.” He stood, his face losing all playfulness. “I’m going to have your doctor release you back to your apartment tonight. Try not to leave if you can help it. No phones. Don’t even answer the door unless it’s me.”

My brow drew in as memories tried to return.

“Melissa. That’s right.” The room rocked for the smallest moment. “Wait…did she call? Come by? I feel like…I almost…think.”

“It’s fine.” Elec shook his head. “Your mind needs to rest. Don’t even worry about it right now. We’ll touch down on that in a few days when you heal. I’ll call before I swing by.” He turned to my slave. “Ally. There we go. Look in my eyes and hear me. Your Master needs you. You are to protect him. Help him with whatever he needs. If someone knocks, you are to look before you answer. If someone calls, you answer. You know who not to allow.” He paused. “You don’t have to worry about the Mistress. I’ve fixed you, but only you. I can’t work on your Master yet. He’s not ready. Never leave his side if you can help it. You know what to do. Now, soldier up. We’ll visit again soon.”

The slight smile on my slave’s face melted like wax. She became stoic again. Hard and more determined than ever. There was almost a sadness in seeing her change. Then again, I couldn’t have her being soft with me. She saw first-hand what I was capable of, and there was no room for mistakes on her part. There was a flame growing inside of me. I could feel it flare to life the more I was awake, and there was something left undone that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I didn’t feel…settled. Or… finished ?

“Main Master?”

Elec paused just outside the door, turning back to my slave.

“Yes, Ally?”

“Be safe. I’m here if you need me.”

He smiled, glancing at me before nodding.

“Thank you. I know you mean that. I’ll see you soon.”

The door shut, and she turned, moving her chair next to the bed but angled to the entrance. I watched for minutes as she sat at attention, staring forward. She barely moved. I wasn’t even sure she was breathing. I reached forward, brushing my good fingers through her hair. The act had her softening just a little, but it was the feel of the silky strands that made it hard to breathe. I couldn’t understand the sensation that kept shooting through me, but I couldn’t stop running my fingers through them either.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

At my question, her head turned just enough to show me her profile.

“I’m well.”

My finger hooked as I forced myself from her hair to trail down her battered cheek.

“You don’t look well. Your face is bandaged, but did the doctor check you for injuries elsewhere?”

“Yes. No broken bones. Just bruises.”

Pressure eased into my touch as she almost seemed to nuzzle into me. Quickly, she righted herself, turning back to the door. Minutes passed as I watched her hold to the seriousness. Ally. Allison. My slave. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her having a name. The Main Master seemed to think it was a good idea that we bonded, but didn’t he see it was pointless? She lived this time. That didn’t mean she would survive the next. And I would be stupid to think I wouldn’t do this again. Already, my fingers itched to wrap around her neck. To put those bruises on her face consciously . Not out of anger but…something more. Lust? Fuck yes. But…more.

“Come lay up here with me, slave.”

“I detect arousal in your tone.”

My fingers pushed back through her hair, gripping tight as I angled her head back so that I could see her face.

“I could have killed you. I want you close.”

Knocking followed by the door opening had my gaze cutting up. A nurse got a few steps in before she jerked to a stop. Her eyes lifted from Allison to me.

“I apologize. The Main Master mentioned you might need some pain reliever.”

“Took you long enough.”

I released my grip, not missing the anger in my tone. The nurse kept her head down, quickly making me a glass of water and sliding the pills in my palm. The moment I drank them down, she scattered from the room. The door was barely closing as I grabbed the back of Ally’s neck, pulling her from the chair.

“Master, your wrist .”

“Lay up here with me. Let me see you.”

Full lips pouted, and she pulled back, quickly walking around the bed.

“The door,” she pointed. “I have to be able to see who comes in.”

“You’re really taking this soldier part seriously. That’s what the Main Master said to you, didn’t he? He said, ‘soldier up’? Why would he say that? I get that he made you more alert, but it was more than that. Both of you are acting strange, and I don’t think it has anything to do with me. I can’t shake this feeling. There’s more. There’s…You’re both hiding something from me.”

With each word, the building inside grew. The blistering heat held pressure and although the amount fluctuated, it was never truly gone.

“Slave? Allison.” Her eyes jumped to me. “What is going on?”

Slowly, she eased in the bed, positioning herself on her side.

“I am to protect you.”

“Protect me from myself?”

Her head shook at my sarcastic tone, but the look on her face was sobering. The anger, the slight aggravation, it all faded the longer I looked at her.

“What exactly happened during my episode? I…I can’t remember much. I try, but it’s like I’m walking through darkness. Just when I feel like I’m going to remember, it slips through the fog.” At her silence, I kept searching. Searching. Searching. As soon as I tried to explore who I should be protected from, my mind would start to shut down. The heaviness grew. It was more knocking that made me want to groan. “Come in.”

The doctor and a nurse approached, followed by two guards who positioned themselves at the far side of the room.

“Alright, Master. I was given the go to release you. Although there were no serious injuries, I still want you seen at our clinic in a few days. We’ll contact you soon with times and dates.” He reached over, grabbing my hand with the fractured wrist. As he did, Allison sat up on my side, watching his every move. “The break was clean. We’ll send you home with a medication to help with the pain. If there’s not anything else, you’re free to go.”

“With them?”

I pointed at the guards. The doctor’s hands came up as to say he wasn’t responsible for their presence. It was a blonde guard that stepped forward.

“Wait. I know you.”

He smiled.

“We’ve met before. I’m Nineteen. I’m the High Leader.”

“That’s right. Am I royalty? Why the escort?”

The smile stayed in place but not because he thought I was funny.

“Precaution.”

“Ah, I see. So I don’t slip into an episode between here and my room. I get it. Very smart.”

He shrugged. “We’ll be just outside. I believe the Main Master had your clothes put over there. We’ll be waiting.”

“I nodded, trying not to let the embarrassment stir the beast inside. Is this what I was becoming? Too unstable to even leave my apartment unsupervised? What was next…a cell? Hell Row? Well, yeah, if I killed a Master or Mistress. That was a terrifying thought when I had no control over my actions. I’d go from one prison to another. Above ground to below.

The door shut and I turned to my slave.

“Ally.”

Her eyes softened at the name.

“Yes, Master?”

“You won’t let me leave my apartment while I’m…like that, right?”

“No, Master. I would never let you put yourself or anyone else at risk. You’re safe with me… You’re safe now .”