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Jax reaches down. He threads his fingers through my loose blonde hair, stroking the strands. “Good girl.”
Genuine warmth floods my chest. I glow under his approval. Pleasing this monster has become the center of my world.
“I am going to feed you.” Jax traces the shell of my ear. “From my hand. You will eat what I offer, exactly when I offer it. You will accept my provision gratefully. Do you understand?”
He demands total dependence. He wants me to view him as the sole source of my survival. I lower my chin and nod.
Jax leans over to the cart. He breaks off a piece of a buttery croissant. He brings it to my mouth and stops. He waits.
I part my lips. He places the pastry on my tongue. His calloused thumb brushes my lower lip as I take the bite. He dictates the pace. He makes me wait while I chew and swallow. He commands my total focus. The ritual strips away my agency entirely. I stop thinking about the locked door. I stop thinking about the outside world. My entire universe shrinks to the next touch of his fingers, the next morsel of food, the dark rumble of his praise.
I am being trained like a pet. The awareness barely registers as wrong.
The door swings open midway through my meal. Two armed guards haul Ari Carter into the suite.
My eyes dart to Ari. Ari looks completely hollowed out. Dark circles bruise the skin under his green eyes. His clothes hang rumpled on his frame. He holds himself like a man keeping his shattered pieces together by sheer willpower.
A dull ache of sympathy tightens my throat, but it stays distant. Muted. My main concern remains the man towering above me.
Jax ignores the interruption. He breaks off another piece of croissant and holds it to my lips.
I open my mouth. I accept the food, leaning slightly into his palm.
“You take instruction so beautifully,” Jax murmurs.
I offer a small, genuine smile.
Jax finally turns his attention to the doorway. He points to the chair across the small table. “Sit down, Ari.”
Ari crosses the room. He collapses into the seat. His exhausted eyes lock onto me. Horror and raw confusion warp his handsome face. He stares at me kneeling on the floor, accepting hand-fed scraps from a cartel leader. I know how insane this looks to him. I know I should burn with humiliation.
I feel proud instead. Proud I earned this intimacy. Proud I know how to survive in this room while he drowns.
“This is our new routine.” Jax leans back in his armchair. “Meals happen exactly like this. You eat when I feed you. You learn that every basic need is met entirely through me. Liv understands her place. Now it is your turn.”
Jax gestures to the rug beside me. “Kneel.”
All the blood drains from Ari’s face. A violent flush of anger quickly replaces the pallor. He grips the armrests of his chair.
“No fucking way.” Ari’s voice cracks with defiance. “I am not doing that.”
Jax does not raise his voice. He does not reach for a weapon. He simply looks down at me.
“Liv is still hungry.” Jax strokes my cheek. “But the rules are clear. Your defiance carries consequences for her. If you refuse to kneel, she does not eat today. Or tomorrow. Her stomach stays empty until you swallow your pride.”
Panic grips my chest. The hunger is real. The thought of starving because of Ari’s stubbornness makes me desperate.
I look up at Ari. I let the sheer terror show in my hazel eyes. I beg him silently. Do not make me suffer for your dignity.
Ari stares at my face. The fight drains straight out of his shoulders. His jaw clenches so hard the muscle ticks. He slides off the chair. He drops to his knees on the rug beside me. The humiliation radiating off him fills the room.
“A very good start.” Jax reaches out. He strokes Ari’s dark hair with the same motion he used on me.
Ari flinches hard. He stays rigid. He hates every second of this, fighting a violent internal war while his body obeys.
I recognize that exact stage. The resistance fades eventually. The degradation becomes normal. I lived through the same breakdown.
Jax picks up a piece of food from the second plate. He holds it to Ari’s lips.
