Read Online Release In The Dark (DARK erotic romance series) by Natalie Kristen - Free Book Online Page B

flame at the top of a giant, transparent candle. A
flame that is about to be extinguished.
    She is dropped into the water,
and immediately the colors of her spray-painted costume flares out,
spreading through the water. The water swirls bright orange and red
around her. Tendrils of gold and silver unravel from her body, as
she spins wildly in the water. Her legs kick furiously, propelling
her to the top of the column. But the glass lid is securely in
place, sealing her in. Her palms press against the lid, as her legs
continue kicking and thrashing. The colors unraveling from her body
pool at her feet, creating the illusion of a tail. The top half of
her body is free of her body paint, and only her legs are sheathed in
the shimmering, dissolving paint. From where I am standing, she
looks like a mermaid.
    She continues clawing feebly at
the glass lid, as her costume dissolves gradually from her legs. The
cocoon of colors creating the illusion of a mermaid tail sink to the
bottom of the glass column to reveal her thin, bruised legs.
    Her costume has completely
dissolved. The glass lid slides open and what looks like a swing
descends from the ceiling. The swing is made up of two wires and a
leather strap. The girl gasps and grabs the leather strap. She
fumbles but finally succeeds in positioning the leather strap under
her buttocks. The wires lift and she sways from that makeshift
swing, coughing as tears stream from her eyes. Once her feet touches
the stage, she staggers off the swing and raises her arms high over
her head. There are catcalls and lewd comments from the audience.
    The girl glances over to the
Warden, who is standing in the shadows at the side of the stage, and
at a signal, move awkwardly to the front of the stage and kneels down
with her hands behind her back.
    I exhale painfully. The girl
has survived her water ordeal. I glance at the row of girls in front
of me, and at the back of Pam's head.
    Will they survive? Will Pam
survive? Will I?

CHAPTER
EIGHT

    I am next. I count twenty-six
dripping, shivering girls kneeling around the revolving stage.
Thirteen girls didn't make it. Jennifer is just getting off that
leather swing, and I notice the long scar down the length of her
thigh as she strides past me to kneel at the other end of the stage.
    I glance over my shoulder at the
darkened Pit. I am the last to go.
    I smooth my clammy palms down
the textured, reflective paint on my body and let Mr Toni secure the
harness around my body with a tight, grim smile. His jokes have
ceased and he looks exhausted. With a tug on the wire, I am lifted
up towards the top of the column.
    Fighting the rising nausea, I
squint at the lights and shadows of the Pit. Who is out there? Who
is betting that I will drown?
    I arrange my features into a
smile. My lips start to quiver but still I stretch them into a wide,
insanely bright smile. I can't let them see how scared I am. It
will only heighten their excitement and pleasure.
    I look down at the clear water
below my dangling feet. I blink hard as my toes dip into the water,
and start to hyperventilate. No, no, this won't do. Calm down,
Zoey, take deep breaths. Pace yourself.
    Forcing deep breaths into my
lungs as I am being lowered deeper and deeper into the water, I
prepare my mind and body for the last breath I will take before the
water level rises above my mouth and nose.
    The water tickles my chin,
lapping at my lips. This is it. Tilting my head up, I gulp in a
huge breath and hold it as I am submerged totally in the water. The
harness is released and the wires retract rapidly. The glass lid
slides shut above my head, sealing me in the illuminated column.
    My life is now in my hands, in
my head. I gaze at the watery blur around me, and see my costume
start to dissolve. My body paint seems to explode into a myriad of
electrifying colors in the water. I wonder how I look to the
audience. Like a firework maybe? The effect should be quite
dazzling.
    The Dazzling Drowning Damsel
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