Of course Aura’s favorite cafe was as fancy and pretentious as she was. A single cup of coffee was over ten dollars. The walls and tables were wiped and sanitized until they were a bleached, artificial white. I felt painfully out of place here - this obviously was not the place for me. Everyone here was dressed in suits and ties, or fancy evening dresses, and I stood in pants that barely passed as slacks and a seven year old sweater vest. Already I began to get some stares, and I cowered beneath the gazes.

Aura led me to the cashier - did they even use the word ‘cashier’ here? - and prompted me to order. 

“Whatever you want, pet.” Aura spoke as she already pulled out her heavy silver credit card.

I shivered. I doubted I would ever get used to being called a pet, let alone in public in front of strangers. I swallowed my pride, my limits, and got a simple fruit crepe and chai latte. Of course, not forgetting to add a “please” to the end. My voice had heightened, as it usually did when I was stressed or anxious. At the very least, Aura was letting me eat, and at a relatively nice place, at that. Aura, as usual, spoke calmly, diligently, with a hint of force that no one would want to question.

Aura sat down. I was about to sit across from her, but she stopped me silently. My Owner pointed to the chair next to her. I wanted to roll my eyes. Why order me to do something so minuscule, so meaningless? Regardless, I followed. I was going to need to get used to not questioning Aura’s bizarre decisions.

I sat down. Aura physically pulled the chair, and me, closer to her. Dangerously close. Her hand clasped on mine possessively, like a handcuff. Any twitch I involuntarily made was squashed by a firm squeeze. I couldn’t tell if this was comforting or not.

“We began setting down ground rules, but got interrupted by your poor attitude,” Aura scolded, “so let’s pick up where we left off: rules.”

I murmured an incomprehensible affirmative.

“You will be respectful and level-headed during all of our interactions, no exceptions. You may refer to me as Mistress Aura. You may only question orders with clarification or with a genuine safety concern. You may not touch yourself or orgasm without permission.”

I crossed my arms tight. “You don’t have to worry about that… Mistress.”

Aura slapped the back of my head, launching me forward just a bit. It wasn’t as harsh as her previous slap, but it caught me off guard, and made me choke. “I’ll decide what I worry about and what I will not. Now, where were we?”

I didn’t respond, rubbing the back of my head tenderly. Maybe she didn’t mean to hit me as hard as she did, but the back of my head seared for a couple seconds. She loved to shoot me down with either physical injury - light or not - or relentless insults.

“Ah, right. There will be no escapades or other attempts to free yourself of your situation. And, last one for now, when I tell you something is to remain secret, between the two of us, it will not fall on any other ears. Understand?”

I squinted my eyes and cocked my head, still not looking at Aura. That last one was… strange. What was she going to do, give me company trade secrets that I couldn’t care less about? What kinds of secrets did the most powerful woman in the Soulmate Industry need to hide? Well… the way she was treating me was probably one of them. That might have been my bitterness, though. After all, I had my fair share of secrets too, ones that Aura couldn’t pull from my dead body.

“I understand, Mistress,” I forced myself to reply.

My Owner gave one of those sadistic, satisfied laughs once more. “Great. Let’s talk a little more,” Aura began. “I need to know who you are, past being my Property. And you need to know who I am, past being your Owner.”

I looked at the floor. I didn’t want to look at her. Every time I gazed into her eyes, it felt like I was already surrendering. “Yes, Mistress Aura,” I quietly responded.

Aura stroked my hand with her thumb. Was that her way of rewarding my using her honorific? “I did some research on the way to pick you up. You’re 26, grew up in Maryland, went to the state university for both undergrad and law. Of course. We both know how those went.”

I winced. Could she please stop bringing that up? She didn’t need to rub it in my face. I’m the one who opened the letter stating I failed the Bar. I’m the one who faced all my shit grades and D- classes. She was supposed to be my Soulmate. Why would she just insult me over and over again?

“And, you’ve kindly worked for my company for the past year.” A smug grin appeared on her face once again. It physically hurt to not say ‘fuck you’. “As a Retail Associate, but, we all start somewhere. That is all I know of you. Now, tell me what I don’t know.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just sat in silence, seething. Aura clutched onto my hand. “You’re going to be an open book.” It was an order, not a suggestion. “Tell me everything I want to know.”

I fucking hate your guts.

I got the impression she didn’t want to hear that, though. I still didn’t know what to say. I picked the most inoffensive thing. “I’m a Pisces.”

Aura narrowed her eyes. “We’re starting there? Alright. Go on. Anything interesting about you? Or is the most interesting thing your lack of intellect?”

I ignored the insult - and the weird way it made me feel so warm - and focused on the question. My hobbies? My interests? Why did Aura care about these things? She had to have had an ulterior motive. My head was so full and heavy that I couldn't even think of what made me happy. Except one thing - art.

Through all of my schooling and all of its failings, through broken heart after panic attack, my creativity was a rock for me. A hill to lay down on. That was the easiest answer. But was I really comfortable giving Aura the pleasure of an actual answer? I wanted to give her some snarky reply like, 'anything you can't do' or 'are you hoping to exploit me for my skill set, too?'

I knew, though, that it would only make my situation worse. So I gave the briefest answer possible - "art."

Aura tilted her head, her hand rotating mine gently. "Art, you say? Tell me more."

I  shrugged non committedly. What was there to tell her? Aura could have gone and found my embarrassing high school art blog, if she really wanted. What was she doing, wasting my time, when she could just be doing what she wants to do most - make my life a living hell?

But… she showed interest in me. Maybe she wasn’t all terrible?

"I've... done all kinds," I answered in the longest sentence I'd given her in hours. "I did mostly painting in high school. Then I branched out to other 2D media."

I paused, giving Aura a chance to make some kind of cruel remark. She didn't, she just... listened. I didn't know why. But I'd take it. "Um, then, um, then in college, I did some 3D stuff. Ceramics, stained glass, fashion. I... I've kind of done a bit of everything." For the first time, I felt myself smiling. Talking felt natural. And that made me nervous.

“Your BA was in Design,” Aura commented, her hand resting on my knee. “Was it a challenge?”

I exhaled with a bittersweet smile. “Not nearly as much as law school. I brought my art books with me, and my portfolio website is still up, it just… hasn’t been updated in a while.”

"Fascinating," Aura replied in a breathy tone. "You'll have to show me some of your work sometime."

"O-oh, um, it's pretty personal," I started, "I-I don't really show--"

Aura crushed my hand in hers. All of a sudden, that mildly warm feeling disappeared. "That wasn't a question," she clarified with a growl, "When I ask to see it, you will show it to me, with no hesitation. Am I clear?"

I didn't respond. Somehow, I felt more crushed than before. Whatever good feelings were developing about Aura had completely disappeared. I wasn’t going to get used to this whiplash.

"Was your Mark not clear? I own you. Every part of you. So I'll have full access to every part of your mind, body, soul, and muse. You're in no place to keep secrets from your Mistress."

My back sulked, my eyes drawn back to the floor. "Yes, Mistress," I responded, my voice barely above a whisper. My voice cracked, and though I tried desperately to hide it, I was certain Aura picked it up. Just as I thought maybe, some part of her was human… no. I was stupid to think so. I really am just an idiot, aren’t I?

“Good girl.” Aura’s hand trailed past my hand, grazing my thigh. I prayed she’d stop there, but of course my wishes fell on the world’s unlistening ears. Aura’s hand moved up my thighs, expertly undoing the zipper and button that hid my panties. “I know it might take time to adjust to your new situation… but believe me, I think you will find yourself at home in my arms sooner than you might want to think.”

I squirmed, trying to move further away from Aura. There was nowhere to run. If I tried, Aura would have my head — for embarrassing her and for breaking one of her oh so important rules. So instead, I shuddered, and clasped my legs together.

Which didn’t last long. Aura’s prying hands opened my legs, softly touching my folds through my panties. I huffed and panted, one hearty sob coming from my stomach. I needed to run. But her touch, it… it felt so warm. So comforting. Like it wasn’t violating my sex at this very second. I arched my back forward, trying to suppress the humiliating pleasure Aura’s quickening fingers brought me. Heat filled my crotch, my face, my whole body, and soon I was contorting to the demands of Aura’s fingers.

I tried to hide my wanton moans as best as possible. I couldn’t believe that my body somehow found this enjoyable. Aura fingered me faster, harder, making my cries and pleasured sobs more unhinged. “I am going to break you,” Aura promised, “and I am going to make you love every second of it.”

Instinctively, I responded. “Yes, Mistress.” Already, those two words felt like clockwork. I gazed up for just a minute. No one cared to witness the degradation Aura put me through. It wasn’t a surprise - that was how this world worked, no matter how much I hated it.

And, a part of me didn’t completely hate it right then. My body tensed up, climbing to the cliff of orgasm, but just as Aura noticed my unstable breathing—

She pulled her hands away.

I couldn’t help but look at her, dismayed. “I said, no finishing without permission,” she reminded me. That feeling of emptiness in my chest, in my womb, that feeling of denial for something I didn’t even want… I couldn’t explain it. “Go finish your crepe and tea. We have places to be.”

I hadn’t realized how hungry I was, it was hard to do so through my diminished appetite. “Yes, Mistress,” I spoke before forcing my body to nourish itself.

~~

Aura proved herself to be impatient, more so than I would have guessed. I watched in fright as she used my body the entire ride home, whether with light strokes or vigorous gropes, without a single ounce of shame. Every time I pulled away, she would pull me back in, but not before slapping me for a hint of scolding. It took the whole 30 minute car ride for me to stop instinctively pulling away. And the worst part… was that every time she started again, a part of me didn’t want her to stop. That part of me wanted for her to keep going and going and going until--

No. I couldn’t let myself succumb to this.

The driver pulled to a halt. Aura put one hand on my shoulder and motioned to the car door. “We’re here,” she said. The driver opened the doors for both of us, kindly grabbing my suitcases and dragging them…

Into a fucking mansion.

I couldn’t help it - my jaw dropped a little looking at the building. It didn’t look like a home, it looked almost fictional. It had to be at least four stories, and I couldn’t even guess how many rooms she must have had. I hadn’t forgotten how she got her money, how she built her empire or whatever off of tortured pets.  There was even a gate - a gate - though shockingly, it was left unlocked. I didn’t have time to question it, as Aura pulled my arm roughly.

“We don’t have all day. Let’s give you the tour.”

It hurt to instinctively reply with, “yes, Mistress.” I was not getting used to this. I would not get used to this.

The interior was even more impressive. Obviously Aura didn’t keep it up herself - she was too busy, obviously - I saw two maids eagerly dusting the floor, which had clearly been done an hour ago. There was a fountain - a fountain - which boggled my mind. Who would keep a fountain in the lobby of their mansion?

That answer became clear within minutes. As Aura took off her suit jacket and hung it in the nearby closet, I heard a small ‘meow’ from across the room. For a split second, I thought Aura might have kept another, non-bonded pet plaything. But no, what came across was… an actual pet.

A cat, specifically.

My heart melted, and I desperately tried to put it back together. My dream home included myself and four cats. I was 99.9% cat person, and .1% fish. The cat was larger in stature - clearly well fed and groomed - and looked larger than most dogs had. It had gorgeous fluffy fur, mostly white with some calico spots, and stunning eyes that looked as hypnotizing as Aura’s.

The cat jumped up one step to the fountain. Ohhh. That explained it. Before taking a couple sips of the crystal clear water, its eyes turned to me curiously.

“This is Milkshake,” Aura said, walking over and stroking her cat’s back. “She’s primarily my pet… but I suppose she’ll warm up to you, too. You’ll be, of course, now responsible for all of her grooming and care now that you live with me.” I walked over to Milkshake and kneeled down, looking the picture-perfect cat in the face. Normally, I’d be tenfold as happy about seeing such a beautiful cat, but reality tugged me back.

Aura scooped up Milkshake, gave her a couple kisses on the face, and then put her back down to resume her daily cat things. That second was the most personable Aura had ever seen. For a moment, she looked genuinely happy, and not just in the bullshitted fake and smug way she had been.

“She’s a bit shy, but she’ll come around to you soon enough.” Aura patted my shoulder and had me stand up. “Come on. This way to your room.”

Aura led me down a long hallway, which felt exponentially larger carrying most of my life behind me, and soon enough we winded up at the end of a hallway. One door was significantly more grand, decorated with fine paint and gold engravings and an equally fancy door. The other door was nice, but not anything nearly as special. I had a feeling which room would be reserved for me. At least she isn’t making me sleep with her. Yet.

“You look rather unkempt, so first thing’s first, you’re going to take a nice, long shower.” Aura cocked her head to the impressive personal bathroom. “But before that, I need a few things from you.”

“L-like what, Mistress?”

“Your phone, wallet, housekeys, and any other electronics.”

My eyes widened to the size of watermelons. “You - you can’t do that!”

Aura shook her head. “Oh, but I can. No outside contact, plaything. Hand them over, and then I’ll leave you for your shower.”

“B-but… but… I…” I didn’t have a good rebuttal. Well, aside from ‘this is cruel and heartless and you’re a terrible person and no wonder you like making people suffer so much’. I got the feeling Aura wouldn’t want to hear more of that.

My Owner saw my hesitation, and stepped up to me, towering over me menacingly. “Do I need to repeat myself, pet?”

“N-no,” I whimpered. From my handbag, I slowly pulled out the requested items. All of my electronics were refurbished or second hand, and most were falling apart, but that didn’t mean it didn’t sting. I shook with anger, grief, sadness, as Aura calmly took them away from me. I had no idea when I’d get to see or hear from the outside world again.

My lip quivered. Aura, once again, either found pleasure in it or refused to care. “I’ll leave you to it,” she said. “Don’t make me wait longer than 15 minutes. But get all that grime off your body.”

Aura waited at the door, for two particular words. I didn’t want to say them. I still wanted to seethe in my anger from having my belongings stripped from me. And yet, “yes, Mistress.”

I couldn’t tell if I hated or liked seeing my Owner smile. “I will check up on you in 15 minutes. Your new clothes will be in your wardrobe; feel free to toss out what you had on, it’s garbage anyways.” Getting the skill to ignore her insults would be quite a challenge. “Oh, and by the way?”

“...Yes, Mistress?”

“Don’t try to escape. I’ll know if you try.”

My mouth opened to protest, but I knew how that would go. Aura didn’t give me an opportunity, instead blowing me a condescending kiss. And then she left out the door, to do god knows what. So now my privacy was gone, too, somehow. Great.

Theoretically, my situation could be worse. It could have been worse or more strict or more painful. But I was left without outside contact, without money or a way to get home, without free will of any kind, without privacy. Things could be worse.

But they could be a lot better.

Did I really want to accept this situation? Did I really want to give into Aura’s demands and expectations? No. No, I fucking did not want that. I wanted to take the Bar again and this time, take down Aura and her evil corporation specifically.

Aura had shown me minimal kindness. And… if I were being honest with myself, in those moments, something in me clicked. Aura flicked me on and off like a light switch. My head and heart both hurt thinking about it.

I sat on the bed, clutching my head in my hands. ‘Don’t try to escape’. Maybe she was challenging me.

Either way, I decided. The entire day had proven something important.

I couldn’t take it.

This was a mistake. I was not put on this planet to be Aura’s slut, her plaything, her… her vessel. I exist for a purpose, and that purpose is to help people - the very kind of people Aura exploits. My Owner made her rules very clear on escaping, or attempts to do so. But if I were being honest… I didn’t care. Whatever was happening now, it was only going to get worse. There was no way I would ever fall in love with Aura. Nor would I care if she - or I - got Soulmate Sickness.

Deep in my head, I knew this was a stupid idea. It would not be easy to stay out of Aura’s clutches for long. Objectively, I knew this. And yet, my body worked for me. I took a glance to the fancy shower, its presence tempting me for a mere second, and then pulled away. I shoved whatever I could into my pockets - whatever Aura hadn’t already taken - and slipped out the door. Quiet as a mouse.

My mind raced. This is a terrible idea. This is a terrible idea. This is a terrible idea. I almost felt guilty, for Aura - subjecting her to Soulmate Sickness - and for myself, for… maybe giving up what could be the best thing in my life. No. No. I tried to remind myself of my convictions, my morals, the ideals I stood for. Destiny has made lots of mistakes, it seems I happen to be one of them. So what if I get Soulmate Sickness, too? I’ll bet it’s better than having my voice taken from me, my privacy, my belongings.

I clutched onto my chest, where the words ‘Property of Aura Kensington’ were engraved permanently. My heart beneath it sank. I knew what I was doing was dangerous. And yet, here I was, making my way through the mansion. I slipped past the maids, hiding beneath their vision, and made my way through the maze.

The room before the lobby, something stopped me.

“Mrrp?” Milkshake meowed, tilting her head curiously. I suppressed a groan.

I’m sorry, Milkshake. But you have plenty of family with Aura. I just hope she isn’t hurting you. As awful as Aura was, I doubt she was the kind to harm her own animals. Milkshake seemed pretty content with her life here. Maybe if I gave it time, I would too. I wasn’t willing to lose my freedom for that chance, though.

I said my silent goodbye to the ball of fluff, and once more, found myself in the lobby.

I shivered. The water from the fountain splashed against my skin. At least I was clothed this time, whereas I wouldn’t be should I stay here.

I stood at the front door. I turned back. The lobby was empty - no maids, no Milkshake, no possessive, sadistic Owner. 

“I’m sorry, Aura,” I whispered. “I can’t be your Property.”

I opened the door--

And felt something - someone - grab my hair. My stomach sank to my womb.

Aura’s rough hands pulled me back to her. I could hear strands ripping from my scalp, but that sound was nothing compared to Aura’s frightening growl. “Yes you can,” she hissed, “and you will, and you must. I see we have to make this a bit more clear for you.”

I tried to free myself from her grasp, obviously to no avail. “S-stop!” I instinctively protested as Aura dragged me back to my room, my new prison. “Please, stop! I’m sorry, I can’t do this! I’m not a submissive, I’m not property, I - I can’t be yours!”

Aura didn’t listen to me; in fact, the more I protested, the harder she gripped my hair, the faster she dragged me. I continued, regardless. “Please just let me go! I… this isn’t for me! This is a mistake! A mistake!”

Before  I knew it, we were back at my room, in front of my ‘private’ bathroom. Aura slammed me against the wall and held my chin in place firmly. The waterworks came. I burst into tears. I couldn’t help it. My pathetic escape attempt failed, and worse, I was about to go through hell because of my stupid decisions.

“For fuck’s sake,” Aura slapped me, “I knew your reading comprehension skills were subpar, but you can’t decipher four words?” Her hands ripped open my shirt, not bothering to unbutton it properly. I heard the torn off buttons fall against shiny wooden floor. Aura grabbed my breast, the one under my Mark.

“‘Property of Aura Kensington’,” she recited. “How can that be any less clear?” She groped me harder, eliciting more tears and sobs from me. “You can protest and cry and scream all you want, but it won’t change a damn thing.”

“I-I’m sorry,” was all I could croak out.

“I don’t care.”

Aura slapped me again.

She held my face firmly still. “You think I would have wanted a whiny, idiotic brat as my Soulmate? You think I wouldn’t have at least wanted someone who would be willing to be mine? You think this is just hard for you?”

My struggling came to a slow halt. This… was hard for her too? Why hadn’t that thought crossed my mind?

“Believe me,” Aura continued, all the while groping my chest roughly. “I love training poor submissives. I love beating and scrawling and brainwashing obedience into them. But your fighting back, your harsh words, your attempt to leave me sick, you don’t think those things hurt me, too?”

I stopped fighting back, looking at Aura helplessly.

I was… hurting her.

I vowed to protect Soulmates, and here I was, hurting… hurting mine.

“Take off your clothes,” she hissed, “all of it.”

I followed, not wanting to agitate her any further. I stripped to my lingerie, and  then instinctively stopped. Most of the only people I had gotten naked before were doctors, and even then that was an emotional effort.

“All of it!” Aura’s shout jarred me out of my embarrassment, and soon I took off my bra and panties too. Noticeably, my panties were completely soaked. When did that happen? I hadn’t been enjoying this, had I?

“I’m going to punish you,” Aura threatened, “make you think twice before you ever try a stunt like this again. Thank me.”

“I… thank you?”

“Thank you, what, for what?”

I knew what she wanted to hear. The words came through my voice through cracked sobs and pleads. “Thank you, Mistress, f-for punishing… for punishing me…”

“There you go. So you can be trained. Promising,” Aura mused to herself. She let me go and held up a pair of handcuffs. “Hold out your wrists.”

I… I couldn’t. My hands shivered, as if wanting to follow the command against my will, but I tried to keep them still. I still wanted to resist. I still want to leave.

“Hey!” Aura slapped me again. Much harder than the last few times. The burning sensation only occurred to me a couple seconds after she did. “Your hands!”

“R-right,” I began to finally follow the command, eyes continuing to well up, as Aura placed my wrists into the cuffs and threw the key onto the bed. I gave them an experimental tug, hoping they wouldn’t be properly locked, but no. I was stuck. Of course Aura wouldn’t do something so stupid -- she was powerful and perfect, after all.

Aura grabbed the link of the chains and pulled me towards the bed. What I would have expected was for her to throw me onto the bed and then fuck me mercilessly. But she kept me at the corner of it. Only then, as she pulled down a rope and tied it firmly across my handcuffs, did I notice all the restraints and toys and ropes on or around the bed. Aura pulled the rope tight to make sure the knot - or I - wouldn’t get loose.

“On your knees,” she ordered. My eyesight blurry from tears, I nodded, and began to get down.

Halfway through, I found myself confused. Was… I supposed to be pulling the bed down with me? I doubt my figure could do such a thing, even with my bit of chub.

“What are you doing?!” Aura barked, spit flying in my face. “Down! On your knees!”

I descended further. Oh. I… get it. My hands were tied into cuffs that were tied to the top of my bedframe. My arms stretched up, leaving me unable to move or get out of my predicament. I got the feeling Aura wouldn’t want to watch me get up, too.

Even then, I struggled. Aura smirked at my futile efforts. “Good girl. You won’t be getting out of that pose until I allow you to.” My knees hurt hearing that sentence. The floor was hard and cold against my legs. All I could do was stare up at Aura with frightened, wide eyes.

Aura turned away, focusing on the bed and the toys surrounding it. She tapped her finger to her chin. I couldn’t see what she was reaching for. My eyesight didn’t reach the mattress.

Finally, she pulled one out. My eyes widened as Aura flashed a wooden cane to me. She tilted and rotated it around, showing me the full scope of how it could wound me. “I think this is fitting for such an egregious rule break.”

Whilst Aura walked behind me, I began to beg again. “P-please! I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! I won’t--”

My sentence was cut short by the first blow.

I screamed and felt my back arch against the strike. It stung like hell, a hundred times more painful than whatever her hands could do. Before I could finish processing the first strike, she hit me again, in the same spot. I shrieked once more, the pain searing through my body.

She striked again. And again. And again. I wouldn’t think I could scream any louder, and then Aura would prove me wrong. My body convulsed. If I was crying, I didn’t notice amongst the pain. Aura slammed my back a multitude of times, and then moved onto my ass. The strikes there hit twice as hard, thrice, four times. I couldn’t speak anymore, I was just sobbing and begging her to stop. 

The strikes continued to rain down on me. Aura’s fury was clear as daylight in each strike. Among all the tears and pleading, I felt guilt. Aura was hurting me because I hurt her. Because I broke her rules. I don’t know when I started feeling bad for her. I couldn’t think about that, though. I was too busy handling her storm of pain.

Aura moved to the front of my body. She gazed down at my ruined face, and held it up to meet hers. “How does it feel, plaything?”

“I-it hurts,” I sobbed.

“Yeah? I guess I’m doing my job then.”

She slapped my cheek with the cane - hard enough to hurt, but light enough not to do any actual damage. Then she hit my chest. My folded legs. My abdomen.

“Lean back,” she ordered. I followed before I could really question.

The cane hit over my womb. My cunt. She focused on that area for… god knew how long. It felt like my body was breaking. Each strike hit harder. With each strike, I fazed out a bit more, wanting to focus on anything else.

“Keep crying,” Aura coaxed. “I want to see those beautiful tears run down your gorgeous face.”

I didn’t have to think to follow that order. The cane hit my folds, hurting me and my poor sex like hell. I gasped and panted as tears ran down my cheek, onto the floor. I slammed my eyes shut, wanting to go anywhere else, wanting this to stop.

“Are you sorry?” Aura tapped the cane to my pussy and asked.

“Y-yes, Mistress, I’m so, so sorry,” I choked.

“Are you going to do it again?”

“No, Mistress.” My answer was weak, stripped of all the passion and fight I had just this morning.

“You promise?”

I wanted to hesitate on that. I didn’t want to make a promise I couldn’t keep. But who would know how much harder she’d go if I tried anything like this again?

I was trapped. Truly trapped, with Aura. There was no escape. The only hope was to get used to my new arrangement. “Yes, Mistress. I promise.”

She caned me again. Nothing came from my mouth. My voice was horse from shrieking so much.

Aura seemed satisfied. She grabbed the key from the bed, and held her hands out. I braced for another impact, but instead she undid the knot from the bed frame, and then the cuffs. My body collapsed to the floor, my head slouched. I was in so much pain, and yet for some reason, I could hardly process it fully.

Aura kneeled down to my level. She lifted my head and made me look her in the eyes.

“Do you know why I want you as my submissive, plaything?”

I squinted. I genuinely did not know. “Because… the Marks say I am?”

“No. The Marks don’t say why I want you. Why I want to do these things to you.”

I closed my eyes. The last of my tears tumbled down from them. “Because you want someone to take your  anger out on?”

The sentence came  from my mouth, and immediately, I knew it was the wrong one. I physically felt Aura tense up with fury, and then breathe out.

“Well, that, a little,” she admitted. “But mostly, I need someone trustworthy, someone I can exhale around. Someone who will kiss my boots before I take them off to relax. And we have a long way to go to get used to each other, but I can’t do that - we can’t make that progress - if you’re trying to run away, if you’re trying to break my rules constantly.”

I still didn’t meet her eyes. I wanted someone like that, too. Someone to be myself around. To feel loved and cared for. In fact, the reason I was so terrified of having a Soulmate Mark would be if it were a mistake. I still wasn’t entirely convinced it wasn’t a mishap.

But maybe I was wrong. I was wrong about three fourths of the questions on that exam, too.

“If you work with me to build our dynamic,” Aura pulled me in close. All the pain melted into her embrace. “I promise, you will get everything you want, and more.”

I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. I guess I didn’t need to. Aura kissed my forehead lightly, and for that moment, all the pain faded away. Her kisses were so soft, even though the blows of her cane nearly destroyed my body. Aura undid the handcuffs, and slowly helped -- not pulled -- me up to my feet.

“Let’s take a shower now,” she said. “Together. Just for good measure.”

I agreed weakly. “Yes, Mistress.” I got the feeling I wouldn’t be saying much else, for a while. Maybe forever.

I hoped I would get used to this soon.