Mentor (An Impossible Novella) by Julia Sykes Read Free Book Online Page A

held an edge of anticipation that mirrored my own, only where mine was fearful, his was eager.  My gut clenched at the sound.
    “Why…”  I took a deep breath to steel my resolve.  I wouldn’t back down now.
    And a sick part of me was vaguely satisfied that He was pleased with me.  My recognition of that fact was the final push I needed to follow through with my plan which would help me retain my sanity.  It might even secure my freedom.
    “Why me?”  My voice was hoarse from disuse, but my question was discernable.  All of my plotting had brought me to those two simple words.  Surely a blunt question warranted a blunt answer.  I hoped to compel his honesty by eliciting an automatic response.
    My heart sank when He didn’t answer immediately.
    Oh, god .  This was how it had been before.  He prepared me for whatever torture he had in mind, and then he provided the answer.
    Would this one be as useless as the rest?
    My body began to tremble.
    His thumbs hooked below the lower edge of the blindfold, and He gently eased it up over my brow.  I scrunched my eyes closed, a small sound of discomfort working its way up my throat.  I feared the pain of the light, and I feared to look upon his beautiful, disgusting features.
    The light forcing its way through my eyelids dimmed, and his fingers stroked my cheek in that cruelly soothing motion.  Tentatively, I eased my eyes open to slits.  He was shading my eyes with his hand, protecting me from the harsh light until my vision could adjust.
    Even the sight of his palm was breathtaking.  It had been so long since I had seen anything.  My eyes greedily roved over the lines etched upon it, taking note of the callouses at the base of each of his fingers.
    Suddenly, I wondered what He did to get those callouses.  Thus far, I had done my best to ignore the sensation of their roughness against my skin, but now they intrigued me.  I knew nothing about this man who held me hostage.  Understanding him might be the key to my freedom.  But how could I discover anything about him if I couldn’t ask questions?
    Even now, I regretted the simple question I had just asked.  I could tell from his demeanor that nothing good would come of it.  Still, I foolishly held my breath in the hopes that He might say something of use.
    When I finally blinked away the last of the pain from my burning eyes, he slowly withdrew his hand from above my eyes.  For a moment, He looked glorious; He was my fallen angel.
    Then horrific words dripped from his full lips, and the illusion of perfection was shattered.
    “You want to know why I chose you?  I took you because you were convenient.”
    Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes to drip down into my hair, and I turned my face away from him.
    Useless.   What would He make me surrender to him this time?  What would He take from me in exchange for that answer?  It didn’t help me in any way; it didn’t sway him, and it didn’t yield any further information about him.
    No.  That was wrong.  I just didn’t want to accept what I had learned about him.
    He was more than simply callous or selfish; He was heartless.  The monster had no sense of empathy or compassion.  It was as though he had no understanding of human emotion at all.
    He gave me a lopsided smile, but it was nothing more than a veneer of happiness.  The red glint in his eyes let me know that it was only a twisted form of pleasure.  Even a beast could feel pleasure, a base satisfaction.
    He lightly touched my breast in a mockery of a lover’s caress.
    “Now.  Let’s find out what makes you scream, pet.”  He said the words softly, almost tenderly.  This was what he truly wanted: not my obedience, but my agony.
    My defiance reared its head.  Trapped by my restraints, there was nothing I could do to fight him physically.  I quelled the urge to jerk wildly against my bonds, to allow crushing fear to overwhelm my mind.  My mind was my only weapon, and I wouldn’t