The silence left by Master Leo's departure was heavy and absolute. The only sound was the faint hum of the ventilation system, a sound I hadn't noticed until it was the only thing left. Gemma stood before me, a statue carved from pure ice and fury. The transformation was so complete it gave me whiplash. The sweet, giggling girl was gone. The weeping, broken submissive was gone. The cold, authoritative Mistress was back, but now her authority was laced with the bitter poison of personal vengeance.

"You," she began, her voice a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated through the floor. "You think this is a game, don't you? You, with your little shake of the head. Your little tattling."

She stalked back and forth in front of me, her movements like a caged panther. Her nakedness no longer seemed vulnerable; it seemed primal, like a warrior stripped for battle. The black collar around her neck was the only thing that seemed out of place, a symbol of a submission she was currently refusing to