Forgotten - Dawn Nicole Stevens Page 0,58

again. ?I?ve waited for you to give up your knowledge of Wolfzburg, but it seems that my current method isn?t providing what I need. Perhaps another bargaining chip is in order.?

Jane didn?t answer, instead she watched him, wondering what he was up to.

He pulled a drawer open and pulled out a syringe, holding it up to show her. ?If you will not barter for food, maybe you will for your memory.?

Jane narrowed her eyes at him, and then on the syringe. Was he telling her the truth? Would whatever he held in his hand return her memory? He had given her an injection to put her to sleep, maybe he?d been the reason she?d lost her memory, and if so, maybe he could return it. But she couldn?t tell him anything. Not even to regain her memory.

?I won?t tell you anything,? she said in the strongest voice she could muster.

He shook his head and replied, ?I know you were lying about the guards at Wolfzburg. Kasimir is not so na?ve to think that six measly guards can protect his fortress.?

Jane?s face never faltered as he called her out. She hadn?t necessarily lied about that, just stretched the truth. She had only seen about six guards outside the castle, and had only seen three the night she and Dirk had went for a walk, but she knew they were there, many of them. ?I told you what I saw, I didn?t lie,? she glared.

?So you really don?t want your memory back?? he questioned with a menacing smile.

?Not at that cost,? she growled back.

He slowly placed the syringe back into the drawer and closed it, then rose from his chair. He stalked toward her cell and when his face was inches from hers, he whispered, ?I?m not an impatient man, but I am growing tired of playing this game with you.?

Jane didn?t reply, she merely stared back at him with a smirk on her face. Her smile faltered, however, and she stepped back when he smiled back at her. ?I don?t always like to do things the hard way, but sometimes I do enjoy it.?

Jane?s attitude morphed into fear when he snapped his fingers and two more men stepped into the room.

Her captor pointed to one and then to a dark corner of the room, then to the other man and to the girl she shared her cell with. One man stepped into the corner he?d gestured toward and the other pulled a set of keys from his pocket and began to unlock the cell. Not knowing what they were about to do, Jane backed away until she was pressed against the cold block wall. The man moved into the cell and walked toward where the other girl huddled in the corner. Jane watched him, holding her breath, afraid for what was about to happen until their leader grabbed her by her hair and pulled her out of the cell.

She struggled against him, but quickly gave up and walked where he led her to avoid the burn of her scalp. But he jerked her hair anyway, despite her surrender.

Her hair hung over her face, but she could see vaguely as the other man pulled a sheet from an object in the corner. What he?d uncovered was something that resembled a dentist?s chair. Before she could think about what it was for, the man shoved her into it and strapped down her arms and legs.

Chapter 22

Jane struggled against her restraints, but they were tightly buckled leather straps and no amount of pulling would make them give. She considered transforming, but knew that there was a chance her legs could be broken, given the angles in which they were strapped to the chair.

She watched, wide-eyed and defenseless as the man pulled what looked like a tool box from under the chair and placed it on a small table next to her.

He pulled out an iron rod and held it up to examine it. From where she sat, Jane could see that the end of it was shaped into some sort of symbol. Next, he pulled out a torch from the box and Jane realized what the first item was. It was a branding iron. He glanced over to her and smiled and she gulped at the look on his face. He lit the torch and began to heat the iron as he cooed, ?Maybe if I mar your skin with my mark, you won?t be so quick to forget who you belong to.?

?I don?t