If she was still alive. Sasha was in danger every moment she was with Masenak. Even if he hadn’t been so enraged that he’d decided to kill her yet, all it would take was for Sasha to say the wrong word and it might be over. Considering that they’d barely been able to keep her in check during these last weeks, Alisa wasn’t optimistic.

But she had to be optimistic, she thought desperately. Hadn’t Sasha done a fantastic job in helping free those students? Don’t think of the possibility of failure. Sasha was clever. She’d live through this. All Alisa had to worry about was finding her.

*  *  *

Jubaldar

“You didn’t eat.” Masenak was frowning as he stood in the doorway of Sasha’s suite. “I told you when I brought you here that you were not to do anything to damage yourself. I won’t let you disobey me, bitch.”

She stiffened. She hadn’t seen him since he’d virtually thrown her into this room and locked the door after they’d arrived here yesterday. However, it was obvious his mood hadn’t changed. It was just as foul and dangerous as the moment he’d forced her from that camp at gunpoint. He’d barely spoken to her on the trip upriver to where they’d boarded the helicopter to bring them to the castle. “Skipping a meal isn’t doing damage,” she said. “I didn’t have an appetite. I’ve been cooped up in this glorified harem for two days and I was sick of it. I’ll eat when I’m hungry.”

“You’ll eat when I tell you to eat,” he said coldly. “Things are different now and it’s time you learned it. I’m through with indulging you.” He came into the room and slammed the door. “There are always ways to force you to do whatever I like. I taught you that before, Sasha.”

“But you lack the means to do it now. Those girls you used to persuade me are safe. You can’t touch them any longer.” She gazed at him steadily. “Unless you intend to go back to beating me. But didn’t that defeat the purpose of keeping me healthy and undamaged?”