“She’s alive!” Seb smiled as he threw his hands up in the air “You were out for so long that I was starting to take bets with Jen over there about whether you were still alive or not –“ He put his hands around his mouth and yelled “ - I won Jen! You owe me ten bucks!” Who the hell is he talking to? Lara thought as she walked to the front of her cell, looking down the hallway but she couldn’t see or hear any movement.
“Is Archer Back?” Lara asked again firmly, eyes burning into Seb. Please be back, please be back she chanted in her mind but the lack of noise coming from his cell made Lara think otherwise.
“No” Seb said solemnly as he looked down at his feet “No one has come through that door since they took him away, and if I’m guessing correctly, that was about 10 hours ago”
Shit. 10 Hours? The ball of panic that was quickly becoming a permanent structure in her stomach was enveloping her again. The pain of loss was all too familiar now since she’d relived the night of her parent’s death twice over the last few days but this, losing Archer as well…it was all too much.
He’s a stranger. Just someone else caught up in this nightmare and I’m just merely connected to him through the shared experience of being locked away. Lara knew trying to talk herself out of her feelings would be pointless. She felt what she felt, and nothing could change that. Deep down she knew the connection they shared went beyond this place, beyond the coincidence of being at the same place at the same time. It was a bond, a bond that made her soul feel tethered to his for reasons she could never fathom. It was as if her soul was connected to his in some way and if he never came back, a part of her soul would never come back either.
She began pacing her cell, biting her thumbnail and wringing her hands out of nervousness, something she used to do growing up when she was stressed. She heard the slamming of a door off into the distance and she lunged to the front of her cell and gripped her bars, stretching her neck to see who would walk through the door.
She watched on as the door opened slowly and the lady with the white coat that had escorted her earlier walked in. Her eyes a strange emotion, there was a sadness there and if Lara didn’t know any better, she’d say this woman looked ashamed.
Suddenly, she saw Archer just behind the woman as they moved down the hallway. Lara let out a sigh of relief. He’s alive. Thank God he’s alive she thought but as he moved closer to her, she tensed at the sight of his body.
He was still shirtless so Lara could see his torso, covered in bandages that seemed to be seeping with blood and he was gripping his side with his right hand. He wore the same jeans as before and was barefoot, but the entire right-hand side of his pants were stained from what looked like dried blood. He walked slowly with a severe limp and Lara gasped, putting her hand to cover her mouth, as he staggered past her cell.
He turned, meeting her gaze and she noticed how pale and tired he looked. As if he was in no pain at all, he moved incredibly fast to the bars to her cell, directly in front of her. Lara dropped her hand from her mouth and reached out between the bars to put her hand on the left of his bare chest, the only place that seemed to be free of bandages. He felt warm under her touch and she could feel his heart thumping hard against the palm of her hand. Slowly, he lifted his hand and placed it on top of hers before leaning forward to rest his forehead on the bars between them and closed his eyes.
“In here please, Mr Benson” the woman in the white coat said softly, it almost sounded like she didn’t want to interrupt the moment. Lara watched as Archer opened his eyes, dropped his hand and stumbled into his cell where the woman closed the door with a clang. Lara missed his touch already. She pulled her hand back through the bars and held it to her chest.
The woman in the white coat started to walk away and Lara couldn’t hold herself back any longer “You can’t leave him like this!” she yelled. The woman turned and shook her head slowly, then turned back and started walking towards the door again.
“Wait! Wait… Let me into his cell…Please… If you can’t do anything to help him, then please, please let me help him” Lara pleaded, gripping the bars tightly, hoping against hope that this woman had the morals not to walk away.
The woman in the white coat stopped and froze for what felt like forever. Lara distinctly heard the word “Fuck” before the woman turned around and walked quickly to Lara’s cell. She used her fingerprint to open it without a word and then walked to Archer’s cell before using the finger print scanner to open his door too. She held the door open as Lara walked out of her cell and into his. The sound of the heavy cell door closing echoed from behind Lara and before she could turn around, the woman was already walking back down the hallway.
Lara gripped the bars and yelled out “Can we get some water in here?”
The woman stopped midway down the hall and shook her head, without turning around she said “I’m sorry. I’ve already done too much”. The ‘click clack’ sound of her heels echoed down the hall as she disappeared through the door, leaving Lara and Archer alone in the same cell.
Chapter 12
Archer felt like he was dying - hell, maybe he was. He had been taken to the infirmary where they wrapped him in bandages and left him there for hours, coming in every so often to make sure he hadn’t bled out. They must have been convinced the worst was over because they marched Archer back to his cell as soon as he could sit up. Who are the real animals? he thought.
As he sat alone with his thoughts on the bench seat of his cell, he rested his elbows on his knees and ran his hands through his hair, looking down at the grey stained floor of the cell. He was getting used to the agonising pain down the right-hand side of his body and if he was being honest, he welcomed it. The pain inflicted on him meant Lara wouldn’t have to go through the same thing, at least he hoped not. If Dr Seville got the results he wanted from Archer, he'd be inclined to leave Lara alone.
He replayed the last few minutes in his head, how he’d seen Lara and the genuine concern in her eyes. His body had moved of its own accord, answering the strong urge to be near her and when he stood at her cell, she reached out to touch him. Did she feel the same connection? The same pulling sensation to be near him as much as he needed to be near her? Was Seb right, was she really his mate?
His chest still felt warm from where she had rested her hand. Just thinking about her touch made him lift his hand and feel the place where her hand had been only minutes before. The way her hand felt against his chest, it made his heart rate quicken and excitement rush through his veins. For some reason it felt right. It felt like they belonged together, like they were made for each other and if they really were mates, then fate was playing a cruel joke on them both by locking them up in here.
Suddenly the sound of hushed voices whispering broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see the woman who had escorted him speaking quietly into Lara’s cell. He couldn’t make out exactly what was being said since his lion was currently knocked out after being tranquilised and subsequently his shifter senses were dormant right along with the animal.
He watched on as the woman placed her finger on the scanner and opened Lara’s cell door, then moved to his own and scanned her finger, opening his door too. Movement caught his eye as he noticed Lara step out of her cell and move into his. There was no longer a concrete wall between them, no cell bars, nothing. There was nothing to stop Archer from taking Lara into his arms, nothing except the excruciating pain that escalated with each breath and his weakened limbs that prevented him from standing right now.
Maybe he really was dead. Maybe this is what the afterlife looked like. He wanted so badly to be close to Lara, to break down the wall between their cells that maybe his mind had conjured up this dream as one last pleasurable thing before he sunk into the depths of hell. Oh, he knew where he was going. There was only one place for people like him and it was south. He had never helped anyone, and never tried to be a good person, there was no merit to his life. Only violence and anger and the one thing th
at brought him satisfaction from the thought of going to hell was that he would likely meet his dad there and get the closure he’d been waiting his whole life for.
Lara had her back turned to him, watching the woman walk away and when the sound of the door at the end of the hall closed, she turned and met his gaze. She took a step closer to him and raked her eyes up and down his bleeding body, wincing at the sight of all his injuries. It occurred to him that if this really was the afterlife, then why was he still feeling the incredible pain that coursed through his body?
“Lara?” He whispered, unsure if she could answer or if he could even touch her since she was merely a figment of his imagination “Are you real?” he grunted with pain as he moved to sit up, resting his back and head against the concrete wall.
“Oh Archer” She said on a breath, reaching out. Archer watched as she quickly pulled her hand back to her side, as if she wasn’t sure if her touch was welcome or not. He closed his eyes and secretly wished he could feel her hands running through his hair, touching him, comforting him, but he knew that was impossible since this whole scenario was likely just a hallucination. As if his will to feel her touch had fabricated the sensation, he felt something rake through his hair. He flung open his eyes to see Lara standing directly in front of him, hand in his hair just like he’d imagined. Only when he reached out to touch her, running his fingers down her side to her hip, she wasn’t just his imagination at all. She was real.
“What did they do to you?” She whispered as she knelt in front of him, meeting his eyes and showing the concern she held there.
Don’t show her how much pain you’re in. She’s been through enough. Be strong…for her. The realisation that Archer was not in fact dead meant that he was still very much locked up inside this prison cell and still needed to find a way out. How could Lara trust him to keep his word and get her safely away from here if she saw how weak he really was? Weak and helpless.
“Oh this? This is nothing. You should see the other guy” Archer said with a smirk casually. At least he hoped it appeared casual since he was doing his best to play down the impact his injuries were having on him.
She smiled at him and this time, her smile met her eyes before she looked at his torso and frowned. “Why does it look like you’re still bleeding? I assumed shifters would have some sort of healing abilities” She asked as she pulled back the blood-soaked bandage across his stomach to see the worst of the wounds, making him flinch.
“Shit” She said as she pushed her hand against his stomach, hard. She was trying to apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. It was sweet of her to try, but Archer knew he had been bleeding out for a while now and it was only a matter of time before he passed out from blood loss.
“Hey! You two having your first conjugal visit or something? Tell me when I need to close my eyes, I don’t want to have to claw my own eyes out from seeing things I don’t want to see!” Seb yelled out from across the hall, playfully covering his eyes with his hands. Archer huffed a laugh through the pain, he was almost glad to be stuck in this prison with the wolf. At least he was entertaining.
Lara ignored Seb “I think he’s bleeding out! I’m trying to put pressure on the wound, but I don’t know what else to do! We need to get him some help!” Lara yelled out to Seb, her hand never leaving his stomach. She was nervous. Archer could tell by the high-pitched tone in her voice, it was completely different from her soft whispers he’d heard earlier. She was frantically looking at his other wounds when he placed his hand over hers to stop her from checking the next bandage. He looked into her eyes and lifted his other hand to rest the palm against her cheek as she closed her eyes and nestled her head against his hand. They didn’t need to talk. Their actions spoke loud enough. She was feeling the same connection that he was, he knew it. A faint humming sound could be heard, it was almost like purring, but it could have just been the blood thumping in Archer’s ears from the adrenalin and pain.
“Archer, aren’t your injuries healing?” Seb asked from across the hall, all playfulness had left his tone of voice.
“They took my animal again, they tranq’ed me” he said as Lara gasped. He was looking at Lara as he spoke, but he was loud enough that Seb could hear too. “This is their test, to see if I can still heal when I have no shifter abilities” Archer said, with a raspy voice.
He was starting to feel light headed now. His thoughts became cloudy and he dropped his gaze from Lara’s as his vision started to blur. The sound of Lara’s voice brought his mind back from the edge of passing out “You need to be stitched up then, you’re never going to heal like that!” She stood and began to move towards the door, Archer knew she was planning to call out for help, but what she didn’t know what that he was beyond that.
“I think that’s the point” Archer said through a breath, not realising he had spoken the words out loud. Lara froze where she stood at what he had just said before making her way to the bars of the cell, shaking them forcefully. “Hey! Hey! We need some help in here!” She yelled down the hallway, the only response was the echo of her own voice.
“It’s okay...I’ll be okay. I’m still a shifter even though my lion has been knocked out. It means that I don’t bleed as easily as humans and should be fine in a little while.” Archer tried to convince himself as much as the others that he would be alright. He tried to stand up but winced as his right leg gave way. He managed to catch himself on the side of the bench seat with his left arm before he gave up and sat back down.
“I…I just need to lie down for a bit” He said as he used what energy he had left to lie down across the bench seat. Lara rushed over to his side and before he could rest his head back, she had sat down, allowing him to place his head on her lap as his pillow.
Archer closed his eyes as Lara began stroking his hair, softly, gently. It was likely the most intimate moment he had ever had in his life, and although his body was still pulsing with pain, he wouldn’t change a thing. He didn’t want to fall asleep, he wanted to be present and feel Lara’s touch as she continued to rake her hand through his hair, but he knew his body needed to rest. The only chance he had of making it out of here alive was to let his body rest and repair as much as possible. Even so, without proper food and water, it would take a very long time for him to start feeling better. It usually took him a few hours and a full rack of BBQ ribs at the local diner to recover from a fight at the club and that was only flesh wounds, he’d never been stabbed like this before.
“Lara….” His voice trailed off as he opened his eyes, fighting against the urge to fall asleep. The way she stroked his hair made him feel relaxed, making it harder to battle the weariness that was overtaking him. Lara’s light brown eyes were looking back at him, her cheeks flushed and despite what she had been through, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her dark hair was falling over her shoulders and when she tucked her hair behind her ear, one strand escaped, leaving it hanging loosely in front of her face. Archer reached up and ran the back of his hand down her cheek before tucking the strand behind her ear and dropping his hand to rest on his stomach. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and sighed “You know, if we had met in another place at another time, I’d be giving you my number right about now, hoping you’d call me so I could plan our first date” he was exhausted but he couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his lips for a moment, right before he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 13
The hours ticked by as Archer continued to sleep with his head on Lara’s lap. She had watched on as his breathing evened out and she was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief that he would be okay. Her legs were getting numb from being stuck in the same position for such a long time, but she did everything in her power not to move and disturb his much-needed rest.
As she looked down at the strong, handsome man peacefully asleep, she took in the picture of perfection in front of her. His dark hair ruffled in a way that still looked styled despite what he’d just been t
hrough. His face was relaxed and vulnerable as he slept, a complete contrast to the concern and anger that was written all over his face at their previous encounter. She raked her gaze over his bandage clad body, he was naturally tanned which made the wrappings stand stark against his skin. But even with so many bandages, she could still see his strong, muscular physique underneath. She watched the ridges of his toned chest rise and fall gently with each breath he took. As she raked her gaze a little lower, looking over the dressings to the right-hand side of his body, she allowed herself a moment to admire his well-defined six pack. It was then that she noticed the faint dark trail of hair that disappeared underneath the waistband of his jeans.
Lara swallowed hard and ripped her gaze away, looking to the concrete ceiling of the cell, she rested her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Why am I so affected by him? When she first saw him stumble down the hallway something tugged at her chest to go to him, but with the bars preventing her from getting any closer, all she could do was reach out. She hadn’t planned on touching him, on letting him rest on her lap, or stroking his hair, hell, she didn’t even plan to ask to be let into his cell, but here she was. Her instinct seemed to take over whenever Archer was involved, and she had no idea why.
She could feel the flutter of butterflies in her stomach as she thought about what he said before he fell asleep, she smiled to herself and wondered what he’d be like in the outside world, away from this hostile environment. Was he sweet? Did he smile a lot? She was already witnessing his charming side and as if she was being honest, she liked it. A lot.
She closed her eyes tighter and shook her head at the thoughts, it was dangerous to be thinking like this. The truth is she may never see what he’s like in the outside world since they may never make it out and even if they did, she wasn’t his type anyway. He was a drop-dead gorgeous fighter and she was a petite and fragile writer. They were from two different world, clinging together in this hell just trying to survive. That’s all.
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