A sharp, sudden kick to my ribs jolted me from a deep, exhausted sleep. I gasped, my eyes flying open to the stark reality I had tried to leave. Charles stood over me, his expression cold and professional.
“Mr. Kingsley requires you,” he said quietly. “Now.”
I pushed myself up weakly, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. I ached in places I didn’t know could ache. Yet I wondered how I managed to sleep so soundly on the thin, hard mat without waking once. My body had simply shut down.
Charles’s eyes raked over me. “Go wash.”
I looked down at myself and could see I looked dirty. And of course Jared’s silent rule was: never appear unkempt before Master.
I dragged myself to the bathroom. Standing under the shower I turned it on and exhaled gratefully once the hot water touched my
