raising you, pup (DisContinue)

chaper nine

There was a pain running through her body. Her head still hurt. Still pounding out a dull tune. There were shivers running up and down her spine. Her head was being supported by something soft. She wasn’t cold, quite the opposite, for the first time in a while she felt content. Like she could relax.

She woke up with the same feeling as she did when she went through training. A foggy feeling that placed a cloud over her head. It slowed her movements. Layla shifted, hands grasping to figure out where she was. To see if there was anything to perceive as a threat around her.

Jacob’s hand came up to push hair away from where it was sticking to her forehead. “Hey, take it easy pup.” Her body relaxed at the sound of his voice. The same voice that his training made her so susceptible to.

Layal cracked open an eye to look up. Her head was lying on his lap. They were on his couch in his office. She squirmed slightly and felt his hands go to her ribs holding her in place. Off to the side, he was busy doing some sort of paperwork. Every few moments he’d look back at her. When he noticed her finally starting to rouse, he moved to pick her up. She easily fit into his grasp, curling her arms around his neck, nosing at his pulse.

In a few steps, he made it to his desk, there was just enough space to place her down. He patted her cheek a few times to wake her up. “You’re still with me yeah?” She dumbly nodded. Head turning to take in her surroundings. She inhaled deeply to compose herself. Layla hadn’t seen this room for almost two days, though with all the training he put her through it could’ve been a lot longer. She lost track of time when he put her in the chair.

The biggest change she could see was the tiny cage. Inside there was nothing to act as a buffer between her body and the floor. If she was put in there, then there would be no comforts. Layal began to grow more nervous, Jacob’s silence was stifling this time around. Mostly due to the fact that she wasn’t aware of what she did during that time in the arena. Had she impressed him? Better question yet, did she kill anyone? She didn’t want to lose any part of her humanity. Layla couldn’t remember what happened and was too afraid to ask.

So she sat obediently, tired, scared and letting Jacob’s conditioning wear off. She kept her eyes downcast, hearing Jacob shift through drawers. He came into her field of view, invading the space between her legs. He tipped her head up, fingers skimming through her short hair and briefly tapping behind her ear. The pounding of his fingers made her jerk when pain exploded through her head. She steeled herself, hands going to grab at the desk she was sitting on. When she focused, Jacob was scowling, muttering to himself. She only caught a few words. He sounded angry, eyes flicking back up to where he touched on her skull. While she was still reeling from the pain, he moved to clip a leather collar around her neck. The dazed state she was in made her limbs too heavy to inspect the new addition to her clothing.

He moved to pick her up and she couldn’t protest. Not with the conflicting feelings running through her body. Jacob placed her in the cage, on her hands and knees, he ran his hand down her spine before shoving her forward until he could lock the cage behind her. Her arms gave out, making her slam down on her chest. The cry she let out went unnoticed, as Jacob was already stepping out of the room. He turned the light off before he left, letting the office drenched in total darkness.

She moved to sit up. Hands coming around to check her body. She searched for wounds. There were scratches on her face, running down her arms and legs. That wasn’t anything to be concerned about considering the pain that exploded on her leg. With careful touches, she let the tips of her fingers run over her left leg. When she brushed over her knee she found sutures along her skin. Another scar to add to the list. The pain from the injury she got when Jacob first tried to catch her was throbbing. Moving too much would stretch the skin on her torso. It was just starting to heal but still didn’t allow for much movement. But now that pain dulled in comparison to the wound that was fixed on her knee, which followed down her leg, stopping at her ankle.

She shifted, looking for a good position to sleep. She ended up lying on her back, hands tossed behind her head. She felt stabs of concern run through her mind. There was fear for what Jacob would make her go through tomorrow. She showed her strength in his music box trials, but she couldn’t do the fighting again. It’d break her.