Free Forget Me Not (Remember Me Series) by M. G. Morgan Page B

strength in knowing when to give in. I wanted to live, I wanted to survive and if that meant letting Christopher believe that he had gotten to me, that he had broken me, then I could do that.
    I watched as she struggled and fought against the guards. I watched as Terrence tried to intimidate her. He was a nasty piece of work, almost as bad as Christopher. I had often wondered that if Terence hadn’t found a position with Christopher would he have struck out on his own.
    The moment Christopher entered the room I felt his presence like a prickle of heat across the back of my neck. I hated having to be near to him. I hated what he had forced me to become. Training to be a nurse had been a means to an end, I had wanted to please my family but it didn’t change the fact that I liked helping people. Christopher had taken that and twisted it almost beyond recognition. Forcing me to watch as he tortured others was his way of punishing me. Punishing me for reminding him of someone he couldn’t have.
    But what was worse, there were times when I watched him with some of the other girls and I felt lucky. Lucky that I wasn’t the victim strapped across the horse. And the guilt was almost too much. I didn’t want to feel that way. I didn’t want to watch them crying and pleading with him to stop, and feel happy that I wasn’t in their place. I’d always thought of myself as a good person, until I met Christopher. He had shown me what truly lay inside me. He’d shown me the cruel selfish bitch that existed within me and I hated him for it. I hated him for everything he had done to me and the others.
    My feelings were beginning to build to a crescendo. How much more could I take? Survival was one thing, but survival at what cost?
    Terence lay in a crumpled heap at Christopher’s feet and it took me a few seconds to register what had happened. I’d been so caught up in my own thoughts I hadn’t noticed him beating the other man to a bloody pulp.
    “Bella, will take you to be prepared now. I want her ready for my private chambers. You have one hour.”
    Christopher’s voice was the usual barking tone, but his features were flushed. Beating Terrence down had excited him. A cold curl of despair crept through my gut as I stared at the girl he had called Paige on the floor. He was worked up and he seemed to have a particular interest in her… What he had done to Terrence that was simply a starter, something to whet his appetite. But what he would do to her. Images danced through my head and I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to shake them. How much more could I simply stand by and watch? The feeling in my gut told me it wouldn’t be long before I did something stupid, before I did something that would get me killed. It didn’t frighten me, instead it left me feeling oddly calm.
     
    I moved ahead of the guards and Paige, guiding the small group down the hall to one of the bathing chambers. Pushing open the doors, the smell of perfumes and soap tickled my nose. Steam curled in the air from the large sunken bath in the centre of the room. I turned in time to watch Paige cowering in the corner. I wouldn’t get her cleaned up with the guards standing and watching us. She was far too new to all of this and she wouldn’t understand.
    I moved towards one of the guards and stood on tip toe. Michael dipped his head, allowing me to press my lips to his ear.
    “Can you wait outside? She’s not going to cooperate with me, if you guys are watching and I’d rather not get punished because she’s not ready on time.”
    I smiled up at him and he nodded, he gestured to the other guard and they both moved past me and out through the double doors. Michael had always been the kindest guard. He always did his job, just enough cruelty to scrape by Christopher. But if he had a choice he always chose to be gentle. Considering how vicious Christopher was I’d always admired that part of Michael, it was a risk but it was one he was willing to