“Bellars is behind all this?” Livia said. “Bellars? That stodgy - “
And then I said THE name.
Silence. Absolute silence. All their faces turned ashen.
Slowly, I returned to the world of the mundane and, just as slowly, I was lowered to the floor. I lay there, the last of the shudders running off, replaced by a full on crying jag. I had done Mistress’s bidding, but I had also succumbed to anger, to the temptation of revenge by speaking her name. I didn’t deserve to wear her collar. Anyone’s collar.
Blindly I tore at my neck, seeking to throw aside her mark of ownership. A thing of pride that told everyone I was worthy, now a symbol of failure and punishment, a permanent reminder of weakness.
Ben, Kanen and Livia got hold my hands. It took all three of them to tie them in back, then als
