I opened my eyes and slowly blinked, my mind blank and filled with this humming sound that I was able to ignore but played along with because I had a feeling that this was his way of controlling me. I couldn't hear anyone from my group and didn't look their way, not worried at all because I knew that they were going to listen to me and not intervene, even though a part of them did not want to listen to what I have to say.

"Alexandra," Shara said, and I instantly looked at him with a wide blank stare on my face, waiting for him to say something else or tell me to do something. He grinned and narrowed his eyes while he looked at me, and a look of relief filled his eyes as if he was worried that this wouldn't work. "What was it that you said?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Didn't you tell me that this wouldn't have worked?"

I didn't respond and stared at him with the same expression on my face. My whole body was stiff, and I didn't move or do anything like I normally would do in that situation, especially since I wanted to make sure that he thought I was under his control.

"Hmph." He smirked and looked at Mindy with a small sneer on his face. "Go ahead and release her from her bonds, Mindy," he said while gesturing toward me, and I kept my gaze on Shara, waiting for any other instruction. "She is safe."

Ya, as safe as you want me to be, I thought sarcastically, making sure that my face was blank and composed.

Mindy looked between both Shara and I, and her face grew slightly pale. She hesitated and took a step back while she shook her head and raised her hands in surrender. "I don't think so, Sir," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't trust her enough to do that."

Good girl, I thought, and it took all of my self-control not to sneer. That is exactly how I want you to act.

Shara scowled and narrowed his eyes. "And why not, Mindy?" he asked and narrowed his eyes further. "She is not going to do anything to you. She can not. She is under my control."

"But that doesn't mean I don't trust her, Sir," she said with another shake of her head. "Please, don't make me do it."

Shara growled and bared his teeth. "Watch," he said. He walked over to me and backhanded me so hard that my face moved to the side and blood poured from my nose and busted my lip up more.

I kept my face in the same direction that the slap placed it in, and it took all of my self-control and power not to look at him and growl while I bare my teeth at him in warning.

"See?" Shara asked, and I had a feeling that he looked at Mindy while he gestured to me. "She is now useless until I tell her to do something." He looked at me. "Look this way," he said, and I did what I was told to do and stared at him with the same blank look on my face.

"Awww, why can't I smack her around?" the Viper asked and pouted, folding "her" arms across "her" chest. "She" looked between me and Shara and cocked "her" head, giving him an innocent look with eyes filled with fake tears. "Can I be the one to take the rope from around her legs and arms?" "she" asked, and "she" batted "her" eyelashes together with a small pout on her face. "Please?"

"Please, let the stupid bitch do it," Mindy said and gestured to the Viper. "It looks like she really wants to do it, and I still do not want to do it."

"Now, now," the Viper said with a small sneer on "her" face while "she" looked at Mindy. "Be careful about who you call a "stupid bitch," Love," "she" said while "she" winked teasingly, "for someone else can kill you." "She" flashed her a small smile and another wink.

Shara looked between Mindy and then at the Viper. He bit back an annoyed sigh and moved a hand across his face while he shook his head, pursing his lips in annoyance. "Go ahead and take the rope off of her wrists and legs," he said and gestured toward me. "But if you do anything to her..." He trailed off and scowled while he narrowed his eyes, and the Viper grinned, amused.

"Oh, Love," "she" said with a shake of her head. "I will not do anything in front of you." "She" looked him up and down before "she" met his gaze again. "I will try something else, but I don't want to get punished." The Viper flashed him a small smirk and a wink, and I had to make sure to keep my face neutral while I stared at Shara.

Careful... I wanted to tell "her" but couldn't because I had to make sure that I was still under his spell. Don't do anything that I can not do in the future.

"Hmph." Shara smirked and looked "her" up and down before he met "her" gaze, his eyes turning a darker color and becoming filled with lust. "Go ahead and take off the ropes that bind her, Dear," he said and gestured to me. "We should be letting her go home soon."

"And where is she going to go?" the Viper asked and raised an eyebrow in question. The Viper made "her" way toward me, and I paid "her" no heed while I continued to wait for Shara to tell me what to do.

I tried to contact my wolf when the Viper moved so that "she" was blocking Shara's view of me, and my wolf growled in response, seeming to be very worried and wary about what was happening to us.

The Viper watched me, and a look of hesitance and relief flashed through through "her" eyes, acting more like themselves instead of the Viper that they were portraying themself as.

I was glad that Salem was blocking my way from both Shara and Mindy because I scowled and narrowed my eyes, silently warning them not to screw this shit up because I knew they wanted to make sure that I was ok.

Salem bit back a small smirk and subtly nodded in a way that Shara couldn't see or understand.

I made sure that I had the same blank look on my face when the Viper moved behind me, and I stared at Shara, again waiting for Shara to tell me to do something, anything other than just sit there with a blank expression on my face.

The Viper started to pull the ropes off of my wrists, tapping my wrist and silently asking me if I was ok.

I flicked my hand as if to say "yes," making sure that Shara didn't know that the Viper and I were "talking" to each other.

They asked me if I could hear them through the link.

I flicked my hand as if to say "no" because for some reason, I was not able to hear anything through my bond nor my own thoughts over this annoying buzzing noise that sounded in my head.

They asked me if I was able to control myself in every shape or form and that I wasn't underneath Shara's spell.

I told them that I was under his spell but that I was able to control myself, but I wanted to make sure that Shara didn't know that I wasn't fully under his spell and that we would talk later.

Salem grew nervous and asked me about the "beast," silently wondering if she was under Salem's control.

I didn't say a word because I had no idea if she was under his control or not but was going to try something later. However, I did tell them that we would do something later on tonight as soon as we were done with this, and Salem agreed.

The Viper finished untying my ropes from around my wrists and then my legs. "She" stood when "she" was done and wrapped the ropes around "her" wrist, and I had a feeling that she was going to keep them. "Well?" "she" asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Shara bit back a small sneer and walked over to me. He held out his hand for me to take, and I stiffly did what I was told to do and placed my hand in his. "Such a "sweet" little girl," he said and placed a kiss on my hand, looking at me while he did so. "Are you able to say anything?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out, so I closed my mouth, instead and waited for me to be told to do something else.

"Good," he said and sneered, moving a hand through my hair. "It means that you are fully under my control but in a different way than Leviathan."

I stared blankly at him and did not move from my spot while I continued to stare at him. I made sure that he didn't know what I was thinking, what I was feeling, while I waited for him to tell me to do anything or to let me go.

"Hmph." He took a step back and let go of my hand, and my hand slowly fell to my side. "Go ahead and leave," he said and gestured for me to go in the opposite direction. "You are not needed any longer, Miss DeLamont."

He paused and cleared his throat. "You are to be free from my control as soon as you have exited the trees and onto the highway that is nearby, and you will not remember anything until I call for you again. Is that understood?"

I nodded but had a feeling that that command was not going to work, and instead, I would be able to talk to my group and my grandmother about what happened to me and what was going to happen until I was able to fully free myself from his control.

"Now, you may go," he said, and I nodded and started to walk away from him. "Oh, wait, and one more thing before you leave, Miss DeLamont."

I stopped walking and turned to look at them, waiting for more of his instructions and keeping the annoyance at bay.

Shara gestured toward his face while he pursed his lips in annoyance and wrinkled his nose. "Take care of this before you are seen by anyone else besides us, Miss DeLamont. Is that understood?"

I nodded again.

"Good, then you may leave." He gestured for me to go and turned away from me while he talked to other people of his group, leaving both the Viper and Mindy to watch me leave.

I turned around again and started to make my way to the trees, and as soon as I was about to enter their cover and be out of their sight, I paused, still under Shara's control, and turned back to look at Mindy with a sneer on my face that had her gasping in shock and taking a step back, earning the attention of the rest of the group.

And while they slowly turned to look at her, I quickly turned to face the other way and continued on my way with my face having the same blank look that I had carried for the whole conversation and acting like I was under his control.

"Sir!" she exclaimed as soon as I was out of their sight and was asked what was wrong. "She is not under your control. I promise! She just stopped, turned around and looked at me with a sneer on her face. Both the Viper and I saw it! I promise!"

"I saw nothing," the Viper said and shook "her" head. "All I saw was her walking away like a robot and that ass. Mmmmm. That is one fine ass if I have ever seen one. Let me tell you, that a-"

"Enough!" Shara exclaimed, interrupting the Viper. "She is under my control. You are just imagining things, Mindy. Never lie to me ever again. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Mindy said, sounding rather defeated but not wanting to give up on any chance to help them. "Bu-"

"Enough of your bull shit, Mindy. We have things to discuss that do not include Miss DeLamont, and they will not include you either if you keep this up. Is that understood?"

There was a pause before Mindy finally sighed in defeat and bowed her head. "Yes, Sir," she said. "It is understood."

"Good," he said. "Now, let's continue."

And with that, they started talking about whatever it was that I was not supposed to hear but would be able to listen to anyway at a later date and time.

And this time, I was going to have some fun...