The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Maria, can you help June with the groceries?” I shout from the bathtub. I’ve been taking a lot of baths. And wine. I’m coping.

“In a second,” shouts Maria from the bedroom. I feel my skin tighten with stress. This is her new trick. She doesn’t say ‘No.’ She doesn’t protest. Instead, she asks me to ‘Wait a minute,’ or ‘Hold on a sec.’ Asking me to wait is insubordination. It’s disobedience, but it’s only a problem if I’m looking to pick a fight. Then I’m the problem.

June keeps telling me that I should punish her. I should pick a fight with her and put her in her place, but everytime Maria and I fight, which is daily now, I see Sandra start to panic. She’s a child, and I can’t imagine how unsafe she feels watching Maria question my authority or lash out randomly in frustration. Our apartment is anything but controlled.

“Not a second,” I shout back. “She’ll be done in a second, help her now.”

“I can’t,” she shouts. I wait for her to add on or explain, but she doesn’t.

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath and climb out of the bath. I dry myself off as best and as fast as I can. I don’t have time for this. It’s always something she can’t do, something she doesn’t want to do. The worst is when she tries to tell me how to do it. She’ll suggest Sandra does it, or tell me to ask in a firmer tone. June says it’s ‘Domming from the bottom.’ I hate it.

I cover myself in a towel, but I’m still dripping when I come into the bedroom and see Maria on her phone on the bed.

“What is so important that you can’t help June?” I hiss.

“I’m working.”

“You are not working.” She rolls her eyes. Honest to God, she rolls her eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.”

“You’re not going to listen to anything I say,” she huffs. When did a bratty teenager move into my apartment?

“Tell me. What work are you doing?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll help June.” Maria sighs dramatically and climbs off the bed.

“No, wait,” I say as she walks past me. “Talk to me.” Maria keeps walking and heads right out the door of the apartment. In the living room, Sandra is working on homework and June is standing by the kitchen counter, exasperated from her climb up the stairs. “Elevator still broken?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“Sit. Catch your breath.”

“There’s more groceries to get.”

“Maria will get them,” I say. June gives me a look. We both know Maria won’t be much help at all.

“You shouldn’t have to take this attitude from her.”

“I’m trying, okay? I’m trying.” I collapse into one of the chairs in the living room. I feel Sandra shrink away from me.

“Do you want me to talk to her?” June comes around behind me and starts to rub my shoulders.

“No. I’m the domme. I should do it.” Her hands feel good. God, I need a break. Ever since Maria moved in, things have gotten worse each day. I thought when I kissed her, when I helped heal her in Reyna’s office, that I had broken Reyna’s power over her. I thought I saved her, but that was the best part, the highlight of this tragedy. Since then, she’s been a terror. I can’t forget that she didn’t choose me. She wanted Reyna. She wanted to stay with Reyna. I tore her away. It wasn’t a rescue; it was an abduction.

The door bangs open and Maria storms in with two bags of groceries. She slams them on the table. I feel June flinch behind me. Maria turns and storms back out of the apartment to get more groceries.

“Are you sure you want to talk to her?” asks June as she continues my massage.

“Yes. I have to. This is all my fault.”

“This is Reyna’s fault, sweetie.”

“No. Reyna wants me. This is all to get to me.”

June comes around and sits across from me. She leans in and takes my hands. “Even if that were true, it’s still Reyna who put this in motion. You’re doing the very best you can with a terrible situation. You rescued me. You won Sandra from a terrible fate under Maria, and against all odds, you helped get Maria away from her clutches. You are doing your best, and no one can ask for more. No one reasonable is asking for more.”

June leans in and kisses me softly. I smile at her and look into her eyes. She’s as submissive as Sandra, but there is such beautiful strength in her. It’s not the strength of control, but the strength of service. I don’t know what I’d do without her.

“I love you,” I whisper

“I love you too,” she whispers back.

The door slams open and Maria stomps in with more groceries. She slams them down on the table, and June bolts up. “Careful!” she snaps.

“What?” shouts Maria.

“There are eggs in there.”

“The eggs are fine,” says Maria and storms towards us and collapses on the couch.

June crosses over to the groceries and rummages through them. “No, they’re not,” she yells across the apartment. “You broke them.”

“Well, if you’re such an expert, maybe you should have done it,” she yells from across the room. Sandra gets up and rushes out of the room without a word.

“I was doing it,” says June.

“Well, I didn’t want to help you. Sarah made me do it.”

“You’re blaming Sarah for the broken eggs?”

“Sure. Maybe if she would have left me alone, the eggs would be whole,” says Maria.

“Sarah,” says June, turning to me. “Are you going to let her talk that way?”

“What should I do?”

“Discipline her,” says June.

“Punish me,” says Maria.

“You’re the domme,” adds June.

“That’s what Reyna would do,” says Maria.

I lose track of myself for a moment. I know June and Maria are talking. They keep going, keep telling me how I should handle things, but all I can hear is Reyna’s soft giggle. All I can see are Reyna’s eyes. She’s right. I’m not a goddess. I’m nothing like her. I’m not what Sandra wants. I’m not what June wants. I’m not what Maria wants. I’m not enough. I don’t have the strength or the power. Despite everything I’ve done and suffered through, it’s still not enough. I feel heat surge through my body. This. Ungrateful. Bitch.

“How dare you,” I say. Both Maria and June look at me. My tone is even, but they can feel the rage simmering beneath the surface. “Both of you. How dare you complain and whine. How dare you compare me to your captor and kidnapper.”

“Reyna isn’t a kidnapper,” says Maria. “She’s—”

“No,” I interrupt. “No. You listen now. I’m fed up with this childishness.”

“Fuck this,” says Maria as she stands up. I stand up with her and block her way.

“What did Reyna do to you?” I ask. Maria pauses. I never talk about Reyna. I hate whenever anyone talks about Reyna. For the past week, I’ve done everything I can to pretend Reyna doesn’t exist as if that fixes everything. No more.

“What?” she asks.

“You heard me.”

“You know what she did to me. She—”

“No. At the office. The day we brought you back.”

“Took me,” she corrects.

“Rescued you,” I continue raising my voice slightly over hers. “You looked into her eyes, and she did something to you then. What was it?”

“She released me.”

“Did she?”

“Yes,” says Maria. I see her shrink. She covers her arms and pulls away from me. I don’t buy it. This is how she works. She disobeys and picks fights, and then she retreats and puts up the wounded animal act. “I can’t feel her anymore. She’s gone now.”

“Is she?” I ask.

“Y-yes.”

“I don’t think she is.”

“What?” asks Maria.

“What?’ echoes June.

“That’s right.” I look at both of them. Maria has a look of hope, and June has a look of dread. “I think Reyna wants you here.”

“No,” whispers Maria.

“I think Reyna planted you here. Maybe you’re a spy. Maybe you’re here to sabotage what I have. Whatever it is, I don’t trust you.” Silence falls in the room. Maria’s been dependent on my compassion and patience so far, and I know that June knows the same logic could apply to her. Hell, the same could be true about Sandra. They all could be plants. This could all be one long trap from Reyna.

“Then send me back,” says Maria.

“No.”

“Please,” she looks up at me, and I can see the tears welling in her eyes. “Send me back.”

“No. I won you.”

“I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be yours.”

“That’s not your choice.”

“Please, Sarah, please send—”

“Mistress,” I say firmly. “I’m not your friend. I’m your Mistress. Now give me your phone and go to the bedroom.” I hold out my hand for her phone. This isn’t a negotiation. I’m tired of negotiations. Dommes don’t debate with subs.

Maria hands me her phone and sulks away. I look to June, but she goes to the kitchen to put away the groceries without a word.

You feel the sweat on the edge of your forehead as you come out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of drinks. You bring them to the table in the corner. Three dark-skinned girls are all laughing. You envy their bright dresses, so tight to their skin and flowing at the same time. They thank you for their drinks and ask for more time to determine the rest of their order.

The bell at the front of the diner rings and you turn to see three young men enter. You rush over and politely tell them the restaurant is full, and that they’ll have to come back another time. They look over the restaurant, seeing the empty tables, but say nothing as they turn and leave. A hand is shot in the air from another table, you smile and rush back to work.

A table with two girls, one with short hair and the other with long hair, give you a complicated order. You listen by staring at their lips, bright red with lipstick. Their lips carefully form letters and you process, making sure to understand exactly what they want. You must give them what they want. The customer is always right.

You tell their order to the June, the cook, and she starts on it right away. Sandra hands you a tube of red lipstick. Yours is fading. Re-apply. Smile. Sandra smiles back. She hands you her apron and kisses you on the cheek. She walks out of the restaurant. You keep smiling. Back to work.

There are more customers and less servers. You are moving all the time. You do not rush. You focus. Focus but don’t think. Thought is dangerous. Take the order. Remember the orders. Share the orders. Bring the drinks. Bring the food. Smile. Re-apply lipstick. Keep going. Don’t think. Keep going. Thought is dangerous. Bring the food. Follow orders. Remember the orders. Smile. Look at their hair. Compliment their hair. Look at their dresses. Pretty dresses. Long dresses. Short dresses. Tight dresses. Flowing dresses. Smile. Show your bright red lips. Keep going. Thought is dangerous. Remember the orders. Thank them for coming. The customer is always right. Keep going. Thought is dangerous. Look at the dresses. Smile. Keep going. Re-apply lipstick. The customer is always right. Thank them for cumming. Thought is dangerous. Focus. Don’t think. Thought is dangerous.

Reyna calls you over. The manager calls you over. Keep going. Good job. Well done. Focus. Don’t think. Be polite. Thank the customers for coming. The customer is always right. Take Maria. Maria is a new girl. She wears a leash while she trains. Show her how to serve.

You ask Reyna if she has any orders. You say orders. She wants you to curtsy. Thank the guests for their patronage. Thank them for their orders. You try to curtsy. You are clumsy and disgusting. Reyna teaches you. Reyna shows you how. Reyna knows. Her curtsy is flawless. You practice. You wobble. Practice. You need practice.

Practice your curtsy.

You go back into the restaurant. There are so many beautiful women. They all need service. They all have orders. Take the orders. Follow the orders. Focus. Curtsy. Thank them for their orders. Smile. Don’t overthink. Don’t think. Move to the next woman. Curtsy. Thank her for her order. Smile. Re-apply lipstick.

They want more than food. They are hungry for more than food. They are hungry. You are food. Curtsy. Thank them for their hunger. Smile. Don’t think. Thought is dangerous. Curtsy again. Smile.

When I wake up, Sandra is gone. Her stuff is gone. Her scent lingers. She forgot her toothbrush. It doesn’t matter. She’s gone, and no one is surprised. Maria and June don’t say anything about it. They know I’m losing it. We all know this is falling apart.

Honestly, Sandra has the least investment in this chaos. She doesn’t care about Reyna or her games. She doesn’t need her life devastated for Maria’s therapy. Frankly, June doesn’t need her life devastated either. If I was smart or selfless or good, I’d send June away. I’d try to save her before Maria drives me mad or Reyna makes her final move.

It’s coming. I know it’s coming. Soon Reyna will appear in this tiny apartment and she’ll take me. Maria and June will flock to her, and I will join them on my knees. I can’t keep this up, and Sandra leaving is the beginning of the end.

After breakfast, I send Maria out for a run. She’s become a bit of an exercise junkie, and I need some time in the apartment without her. June makes me some coffee, and we both sit on the couch together. June puts her head on my shoulder, and I hold both sides of the coffee mug. The warmth radiates out of it, through my palms, and up my arms.

It’s quiet now. Finally. I can’t believe how loud my life has been lately. There are too many people for a small apartment, and it’s too much drama for a girl like me. I always considered myself an indoor cat. I’m an introvert. I’m shy and awkward. I’ve never been one for adventures or orgies or battling sex goddesses. I’ve always been me. Just me. Simple little Sarah. The whole world was thrust on my shoulders when I walked into this apartment. I took June into my arms, and with her came a whole mess of responsibility.

I look at June. She’s soft and small. She loves me. I know she does. She’d do anything for me. I know to Sandra I’m a mistress, to Maria I’m a nuisance, but to June I’m a goddess. In her eyes, I am love and nature and support and power. I am a rock to her. I am the world and the foundation of the world. I picked her when Reyna discarded her. I saved her.

She may never know that she’s my rock in all this. I didn’t have anywhere else to go that night. Reyna took everything from me. I came to June out of desperation, and she took me in. She rescued me as much as I rescued her. We rescued each other.

“I love you,” I whisper.

“I know,” she whispers. I feel her cheek pull back in a smile against my shoulder.

“It’s almost spring,” I say, looking out the window. It’s been months since this started. I can’t believe it’s been months.

“In Memphis, it’s barely ever winter.”

I lift my coffee and her head falls into my lap. I stroke her head, running my fingers through her short hair. I keep staring out the window. It starts to rain, but the whole world is still blooming and turning over into light and green. Things are wakening.

“Sandra is gone,” I say.

“I know.”

“Did you know she was going to leave?”

“Like, did she tell me?”

“Yeah.”

“No.”

“But you felt it coming?” She waits to answer. I appreciate the gentleness, but I beat her to the answer. “Me too.” I keep stroking her hair. I lose track of the time. I lose track of the day. This is simple. This is easy. I could do this. I could get Maria somewhere safe, forget all about Reyna, and spend my afternoons with June and coffee. This could be life. I wouldn’t need a sub or be a domme. It would be life. Just life: coffee and snuggles and spring. It’s better than Carl and I ever had, better than I ever hoped for or dared ask for. June could be all that to me. She’d take care of me, and I’d stroke her hair. It’s easy.

Easy is exactly what I need right now. Lately, there are too many decisions. Too much responsibility. Everything’s my fault. Everything is my problem to fix. I know now why Maria misses Reyna. It isn’t for sex or sadism or masochism. It isn’t mind control or pain or pleasure. It isn’t devotion or adoration or worship. It’s freedom. It’s the peace that comes with nothingness. Reyna offers the chance to put down your burdens and pains and fears in a way I never could.

The door bangs open as Maria comes in from her run. I hear her music through her headphones, so I don’t try to talk to her while she’s driving herself deaf. She storms into the bedroom and starts to change. She seems pissed. Why is she always pissed? I start to stand up, but June gently pushes me down.

“No. Stay. I got this,” she says as she follows Maria into the bedroom.

I hear the shower go on. The door opens and closes a few times. I gather June is in the bathroom with Maria. There’s shouting. Then more shouting. Then a thud.

I jump up and drop my coffee all over the floor. I speed towards the bathroom and fling open the door. On the floor is June, holding the back of her head. Towering over her is Maria, half naked, getting undressed for a shower.

“What the hell happened?” I ask.

“Nothing,” says Maria.

“She pushed me,” says June. “It’s fine.” She pulls her hand away from the back of her head, and it’s covered with blood.

“Jesus,” I whisper. I look to Maria to see if she’s shocked, but she doesn’t move. I reach down for June and help her stand up. I take June into the kitchen. I sit her down and grab as many paper towels as I can find. I hand huge wads of paper towels to June, and she puts them on the back of her head. “Do you feel dizzy?” I ask.

“Yes?” says June. I find a plastic bag and put ice in it.

“Like a concussion?”

“I don’t know what a concussion feels like.”

“Here,” I say and hand her the plastic bag. “Let’s keep any swelling down and try to stop the bleeding. Apply pressure.”

“I’m not sure you should apply pressure if you want to stop the bleeding,” says Maria from the bathroom.

“What the hell do you know?” I shout back. June whinces from my volume. “Sorry,” I mutter to her. Part of me is ice from the fear of June’s injury, but the rest of me is fire.

“I don’t know,” says Maria, appearing in the doorway. “That’s why I said ‘I’m not sure.’”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“She scared me.”

“I did not,” protests June.

“You got in my face.”

“You were ignoring me.”

“Because I didn’t want to talk to you.”

“You ignored Sarah.”

“Because I didn’t want to talk to her.”

“That’s not how this works,” says June, standing in anger. “No one is allowed to ignore Sarah here.”

“Sandra did.”

“Sandra’s a child.”

“Or maybe she recognized that Sarah isn’t in control.”

“Fuck you,” says June, beating me to it.

“Whatever,” says Maria and turns to leave.

“Hold this,” I say to June, handing her more paper towels. I follow Maria into the bathroom. She’s turned on the shower and stepped back into it. I reach in and turn the water off.

“You want to leave?” I hiss.

“More than anything.”

“Then go.” I point towards the front door of the apartment. “Go back to Reyna.” I feel my temperature rising. “If you want to be abused so bad, go to her and get the hell out of my life.” Maria tries to say something, but I’m shouting. Nothing is louder or angrier than me. “I’ve gone through hell for you. I’ve fought goddesses or demons or whatever the hell she is. I’ve lost everything trying to avoid capture from her all so that I can save you from her. And this is how you thank me? This is what I get for saving your life? For saving your soul? I can deal with an attitude. I can deal with small rebellions. I can handle you being withdrawn and silent. But to attack June? To actually hurt her and attack her? Fuck you. Fuck you and all your pride. You can go back to Reyna. Hell, you can go anywhere, but you need to get the fuck out of here. Leave.” My chest is heaving, and I’m out of breath by the time I finish. Maria, thankfully, is silent. No quick comebacks. No sniping or petty insults. Nothing. She’s properly chastised, looking down at the tile floor of the shower, ashamed.

“I tried,” whispers Maria.

“What?” I say. My tone is harsher than it ought to be.

“I tried to go back.”

“To Reyna?” I ask.

She nods. “Just now. I ran to her estate. She wouldn’t open the door. Her servant, Anna, said Reyna doesn’t want to see me again. She never takes back what she throws away. Then she slammed the door and wouldn’t answer again.”

Maria starts to cry. It’s the first time I’ve seen her show any tenderness since coming home. It moves quickly, and it isn’t long before she’s sobbing in front of me.

“So, I tried, and I can’t,” hisses Maria between sobs. “I can’t go back. I can’t leave. I’m stuck with you.”

I park in front of Reyna’s estate. My blood keeps pumping from my confrontation with Maria, and I feel it shaking my temples and warming my ears. I assumed Maria was planted by Reyna to fuck with us, and she accomplished that. I assumed that Reyna would take Maria back when she was satisfied to get what she wanted.

But to cast away Maria like she’s nothing? To fuck with her life and mind and then discard her like chaff? No. Fuck this bitch. I’m glad I’m angry. I need the anger. Anger may make me stupid and reckless, but it also makes me brave. It will keep Reyna from distracting me or changing the subject or asking me that goddamn question. We all know the answer, so why is she pestering me with that stupid fucking question?

I knock on the front door and the slightly elder mousy woman, Anna I think was her name, answers in a maid’s outfit. “Yes?”

“I need to see Reyna.”

“Who, may I ask, is—”

“It’s Sarah. She’ll want to see me. Let me in.”

“She’s in a meeting right—”

“Let me the fuck in.” I barrel past her and knock her on her ass. I walk past the grand staircase to my left and head to where I remember Reyna’s dining room is. I hear voices, calm and measured ones. I round the corner and see Reyna in a stylish suit. She’s wearing a suit jacket, a plain but formal white top with almost no neckline, and tight suit pants that accentuate how long her legs are. Her hair is a high and tight ponytail, and her face has minimal makeup except for a sexy cat’s eye. At the table with her are two men. Not women. Not slaves. Two men in business suits with a bunch of binders and papers spread out across the table. They have tea in front of them, and Reyna is perfectly poised and sipping her tea when I walk in the room. She’s already looking at me, as if she knew I was going to round the corner at that exact minute. The two businessmen stop mid-sentence as soon as I walk in and turn to stare at me.

“Can we help you?” one of them asks.

“No,” says Reyna as she puts down her tea. “She’s here for me.” Reyna stands and offers a handshake to one of the gentlemen. “I think we are done here. Expect a call from my secretary this afternoon.” The man stands, slightly confused, but obeys and shakes her hand. The other follows his lead, and they both pack up their things quickly and scamper out of the dining room.

Meanwhile, I stand like an idiot in the doorway, glaring at Reyna. “Would you like tea?” She asks and pours me a cup.

“I’m not here for tea.” I try to sound tough. Try.

“Have some tea and take a seat. Don’t be rude.” Reyna gestures to an empty seat next to the steaming teacup. I obey and take my seat. She waits for me to sit until she seats herself. “This is about Maria.” She takes another sip of tea.

“Yes.”

“Try your tea.”

“It’s too hot.”

“You need to calm down. Drink your tea.” I obey and take a sip. It’s delicious. I expect it to be bitter without any sugar, but it’s fruity, orange flavored, and spicy all at once. I blow on it and take an even bigger sip. It’s wonderful. “Thank you.” I take a deep breath. I can’t get distracted so easily. “Maria needs to—”

“She came to me earlier today. She ran here.”

“She wants to come back.”

“She can’t come back.”

“She doesn’t want to stay with me.”

“She can’t come back here.”

“Can’t you control her and let her come back?”

“I never take back what I discard. I don’t want her back. She is yours.”

“She doesn’t want me.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“She’s not happy.”

“Then make her happy.”

“Only you can make her happy.” At this, Reyna smiles. “Please, Reyna, I don’t know what else to do.”

“Are you a slut or a goddess, Sarah?” The question. The damn question. It haunts me. I can feel the words on my breasts. June makes me a goddess. Reyna makes me a slut. Sandra and Maria know I’m neither. I don’t know what I am. I can’t answer her stupid question. Why does she need to know? Why do I need to say it? If she knows the answer, why can’t she tell me?

“I don’t know,” I admit.

“If you are a goddess, take control of the situation.”

“I don’t know how to take control of her. She resists and rejects me.”

“If you are a slut, give up control.”

“But what about Maria? I can’t giver her up. Can you please take her back? Please, Reyna.”

“I don’t want her. I only take what I want.”

“I can’t control her.”

“Then give her up.”

“Just release her into the world? Abandon her? She’s my friend.”

“It doesn’t sound like she’s your friend any longer.”

“I can’t abandon her.”

“You care about her.”

“Yes, don’t you care about her? She served you for weeks.”

“No.”

Some combination of terror and arousal flood my body. If what she’s saying is true, then Reyna is stronger than I thought. She doesn’t need Maria. She doesn’t need me. She doesn’t need anyone. She’s also heartless. I knew she was cruel and terrible, but I never knew how detached she was from her actions. We are playthings to her. I’m in the presence of something so deep and powerful that it doesn’t care about anything but itself. It’s pure power. I want to run in panic. I want to offer myself as her plaything. I want to scream at the top of my lungs. I want to moan and melt in ecstasy. “What do I do?”

“The men you just met, they are business partners of mine.” Reyna rings a bell, and Anna appears around the corner with a stack of papers. “They deal in women.”

“Like slavery?”

“Sex slavery. High-end prostitution. Clubs and millionaires all buy from them. They can buy Maria from you and sell her body, if that pleases you.”

“What!?” I say with horror. This is not what I had in mind for Maria, not at all. She deserves to be happy. I want her to feel loved and desirable. I want her to be fulfilled and content. I can imagine her in some dark club or bar being forced to suck some strangers cock or dancing as a stripper or being sold on an auction block to some sadist who will torture her nipples until she bleeds.

But then again, she may like that …

“She will be used, yes,” says Reyna after sipping tea. “It may be disgusting to you and Western society, but this is what Maria wants. She was used by me. She wanted to be used by you. You are too kind. Too soft. Too weak. These gentlemen will sell her to people who will use her again. She will be fulfilled.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I mutter. It’s true. I’m damned if I do damned if I don’t. That’s the story of my life right now. I have to make all the decisions, and there are no right or good choices. Everything is lose-lose. On one hand is Maria’s potential suffering. There is also her potential enjoyment. On the other hand is June and I’s current suffering.

But at the end of the day, I have to make up my mind. I have to decide. It’s all on me. Everyone is too damn submissive to make up their minds. Why can’t someone take charge? Why does it have to be me? When it goes wrong, they’ll all blame me. It can’t go right, there is no upside. Maria will hate me forever or Maria will tear June and I apart. Then, June will hate me forever because I couldn’t take control. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. “I hate this,” I mutter. I want to be free. I want to let this all go.

“Then give her up. She can go with these gentlemen, and they will make her happy. Stop trying to control everything, little Sarah. It destroys you. Give it up.”

My eyes are hot and blurry. I know what I need to do, what has to be done, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I can’t destroy my friend. She was the whole reason I got into this mess. I went to war for her. Selling her is defeat.

Reyna slides a piece of paper to me. Clipped to the top is a picture of Maria. The paper seems to be some resume of Maria’s skills and fetishes. It lists her as a sadist and a masochist. Reyna pulls back the page and shows a contract. One million dollars is what they will give me. All I have to do is sign the dotted line.

“If she doesn’t want you, and she can’t have me, this is her next best option.” Reyna slides me the pen. “She can’t have a normal job. She can’t have a normal relationship. She won’t be happy anywhere else.” She’s right. I know she’s right. She’s always right. This is what’s best.

I take the pen in my hand. God, my hand is shaking. I take the pen and sign my name at the bottom line. My eyes flood with tears, and I push away the piece of paper. Reyna stands and pulls me to a stand. I cover my face with my hands and give an ugly sob. Reyna pulls me into an embrace.

“It’s okay, little Sarah,” she coos. “This is right.” She strokes my hair, and I let myself go, crying onto her shoulder.

“What have I done?” I howl.

“The best you could,” she says and pats my head, bringing me back to her shoulder. I don’t know how long I stay there. I don’t know how long she holds me. It feels like forever, but when I finally break away, the wound still feels fresh. I failed Maria.

“What do I do?” I ask, wiping the tears from my face.

“Go back to your life.”

“What life?” I feel my temper flare. “You’ve taken everything from me.”

“I could give you a life.” I step away from her. This isn’t Reyna, the comforter. This is Reyna, the huntress. “I could take away all those decisions and failures. All you have to do is answer my question.” I try to take another step back, but Reyna grips my shoulder. I freeze and avert my eyes. This can’t be it. I can’t give up June after giving up Maria. I can’t give in to Reyna now. I can’t.

Reyna’s short nails trace letters on my chest, just above my breasts. “Two simple words,” says Reyna as she traces. “One perfect answer.” I shiver from her touch, but more so, I shiver from her words. Slut. Goddess. The two words haunt me and follow me wherever I go. I don’t know the answer. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what I am. “Do you have an answer for me?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper.

“Then, go. Don’t come back until you know.” She lets go of my arm, and I waste no time getting away from her. At the entrance to the dining room, I pause. There’s a question I never got answered; a question I need answered. “Yes?” asks Reyna when she sees me hesitate.

“You never pierced her nipples,” I say to Reyna. “Maria. Why didn’t you pierce her nipples?”

“I only pierce what is mine,” says Reyna. She takes another sip of tea and sits down at the dining room table, pulling her paperwork in front of her.

“But she was yours.”

“Maria was never mine. She’s no prize. She was always bait for a bigger prize.” Reyna looks up at me. Her amber eyes catch the light and flicker gold for a moment. Her lips spread, showing her predatory smile and teeth. “You, little Sarah, are the bigger prize.”

I don’t look back as I run out of her estate for the last time.