Nothing. Just the gentle rise and fall of his chest. That and a slight wheezing noise. She was shocked he was breathing so easily, breathing at all for that matter. Somewhere across the hall, a woman screamed. It was broken by yelling and more screaming. Paige rushed to the bars of the cell, trying to get a look. Although she couldn’t see into the cell holding the other women, she could see into the wide hallway. She watched in horror as two men dragged Hayley out kicking and screaming. The other women were shouting and screaming as well. Trying to get them to leave Haley alone.
“Stop that.” One of the men backhanded Hayley, who fell to one knee, still screaming. “Shut up!” He hit her again.
The other two women screamed louder. She realized that she was shouting too. Telling him to stop. To leave Hayley be. The men ignored their pleas. They dragged a sobbing Hayley away through a set of doors down the hall. She heard them click shut.
“Where are they taking her?” she yelled.
Kelly and Sydney were crying and talking in shrill voices. They ignored her.
“What did they say to you?” Paige tried again. “Why have they taken her?”
“They said they were going to interrogate her.” It sounded like Sydney’s voice. “He said it was my turn next.” She broke down in tears.
“What do they want from us?” It sounded like Kelly this time. Her voice sounded panicked.
A lump formed in Paige’s throat but she swallowed it down. “I don’t know but we need to try to stay strong.”
The sobs from down the hall only grew louder. When she turned back, she saw that the shifter was still breathing. That gave her hope. It was a tiny bit of light in an otherwise very dark and dire situation.
Chapter 5
Flood inhaled a second time, his nostrils filling with the sweet scent of human. He could feel her warm and soft against him. One of her legs draped over his. Her breasts were mashed against his side. One of her hands was splayed on his stomach. By the rhythm of her breathing, he could tell that she was sleeping.
Despite the burning in his chest and the sheer weakness of his limbs, his cock stirred as he took in another deep breath. Then again, maybe it was because of his weakened state that his cock stirred. That and her delicious scent. Sweet and decadent. Yet with a tangy edge. He wondered if she had a personality to match. Another sharp pain pierced through him as his chest expanded. Damned silver. He wasn’t immune yet. Not even close. He was alive though and that told him that the allergy therapy he had been subjecting himself to was working. A silver bullet to the chest. A damaged lung, a pulverized artery. He’d died with the silver inside him. He shouldn’t be here and yet…he was.
It took a considerable amount of energy to fold his arm around her and to pull her in a little closer. Blast! The female stirred, her eyes fluttering. “Don’t move,” he whispered.
“You’re awake. Alive,” she whispered back, doing as he said and staying completely still. “I can’t believe it.” Her eyes widened when she realized how close she was to him. “Sorry, I was cold. The floor is freezing.”
She tried to move away but he gripped her hand to stop her. “I’m going to assume that since you drained my chest that you were the one to save my life as well?” he let her hand go when she relaxed.
“How do you know that?” She turned her head to him.
“Be careful,” he growled, feeling her shiver at his deep animalistic voice. “I won’t hurt you,” he quickly added. Hardly, he was as weak as a day-old lamb. He could already feel sleep descending. His thoughts becoming slow. His voice turning thick. “Might be cameras,” he mumbled. “Watching.”
“Oh shit!” she whispered. “I never thought of cameras. Never even looked for them.” Although he could hear what she was saying, he had a hard time understanding her.
“Must sleep,” his words were slurred.
“Wait,” she said. “What’s your name?” she asked. “Your name?” she urged.
He couldn’t remember. Wasn’t sure what she was asking. He passed out.
Chapter 6
The next morning…
Loud screams woke her up. It was Kelly. “No!” the younger woman yelled.
Paige jumped to her feet and raced to the bars so that she could see out. She clasped them until her knuckles were white. Had to squeeze her face through to try to see what was happening down the hall.
"Don't!" Kelly added, even louder. "Please." She wailed as Tim gripped her by the hair and pulled her along with him. At least, by the tall, wiry frame and longer hair, she was sure it was him even though she couldn't see his face.
“Leave her alone!” Paige screamed. “What are you doing?” Within seconds they had disappeared down the hall. There was the telltale sound of a door clicking shut.
It was only then that she realized Sydney wasn’t at the bars calling. She could hear talking. “Sydney!” Paige yelled. “Sydney!” she called again, more frantic this time. Two sets of hands clasped the bars. “Is that Hayley?” she asked.
“Yes.” She heard Hayley’s voice.
“Are you okay?” Paige asked.
The other woman burst into tears. Heavy wracking sobs that seemed to fill the voluminous space.
“What happened?” Paige asked after a long half-minute, worry eating at her. “What did those bastards do to you?”
“They,” she sniffed, “hit me… They…” It went silent.
She waited a few beats. “What happened?” Paige tried again. “Are you okay?”
“I had to tell them,” Hayley choked out between sobs. “I know I signed that confidentiality agreement but they were going to hurt me. I mean, really hurt me and I had to do it.”
“It’s okay,” she heard Sydney say.
“Yes, it’s okay!” Paige yelled. “Listen to Sydney. No-one would expect you to keep quiet in the face of…that.”
She heard Hayley sobbing. “They’re going to hurt Kelly. I hope she tells them everything.”
“Me too,” Paige agreed. “I’m sure she will. It’s not like we know anything. Nothing those guys don’t know already.”
“Exactly,” Sydney said, her voice shrill. “They seem to know more than we do. Why would they do this?”
“I don’t know.” Paige shook her head. “Are you okay though? They didn’t hurt you too badly? They didn’t touch you or anything?” She thought about that creep, Tim. About the way he looked at them sometimes.
“She has a shiner!” Sydney said. “And a bruise on her jaw but otherwise—”
“I’m okay!” Hayley yelled. “Just shaken up, and no, Tim wasn’t even there. They didn’t try anything. Not like that.”
“Good!” Paige said.
“Do you think they’ll bring us some food soon?” Hayley asked.
Paige’s stomach grumbled at the thought of eating. “I hope so. We should try to conserve our strength.”
“It’s my turn next,” Sydney sounded petrified. “I’m going to tell them everything I know. Screw that contract.”
“They kept asking if I could show them where the dragon lairs are,” Hayley sobbed. “They wouldn’t let up,” she added. “They asked me over and over and over. They left me tied to a chair the whole night. I thought I would pee in my pants.” She sniffed. Paige could hear that she was still crying. “Tied up in the dark. They kept asking me again this morning. Eventually that John guy hit me.” Paige could hear her crying softly. “Punched me in the face. I thought he was going to kill me.”
Sydney said something to Hayley that Paige couldn’t hear.
“We can’t tell them anything we don’t know,” Sydney spoke up this time. She sounded petrified. “We were blindfolded every time they took us anywhere. We didn’t see anything.”
“Exactly,” Paige said, feeling nervous as well.
“That’s what I told them but I don’t think they believed me,” Hayley said. “I heard one of them say they would keep trying until it recovered.” She sounded unsure. “Were they talking about the shifter?”
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Paige glanced back at where he was lying and was shocked to see dark eyes focused on her. He was awake. Not just that, he seemed lucid. “I’m not sure,” she replied, trying to keep her cool. She forced herself to stay normal, to look back outside the cell. Focused even harder at keeping her eyes trained down the hall, instead of looking up at one of the cameras. “Like I said before, let’s get some rest. We’ll figure it out.”
“You’re right,” Sydney said. “I didn’t get any sleep,” she added.
Paige turned and walked back. His eyes stayed on her. She sat down on the edge of the mattress, not sure what to do. He put a finger over his lips. “Are any of them in the hallway?” he mouthed.
“Not that I can see,” she mouthed back, looking to the rear of the cell.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I can’t see a camera trained directly into the cell. They look like regular CCTV devices so they won’t be able to record anything we say.” Paige turned to look out and sure enough, the one she could see was facing down the hall. “They’re probably monitoring for movement outside the cells to alert any attempts of escape.”
Made sense. She nodded. “Are you okay?” She narrowed her eyes on the dressing covering his chest. “How are you feeling?” She looked back up at his face, noticing the dark smudges under his eyes, which were bloodshot.
“I’m good.” He tried to lift himself up and winced. “Just very weak. My flesh is still knitting, so the wounds are tender.” He licked his lips. “And I’m thirsty,” he added.
“Of course.” What an idiot. The guy had lost a ton of blood. She searched through the first aid kit, quickly finding the eyewash cup. It was small but it would work. “Here.” She jumped up, filled the tiny make-shift cup and brought it back to him. Flood drank it down in less than two seconds.
Paige went back and forth a couple of times until he put up his hand. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I don’t think I should have any more. I might get queasy. I’ve been in a couple of incidents,” he added cryptically. “I know how this works.”
“I can’t believe you’re even alive considering you were dead yesterday.” She snorted softly. “That whole sentence doesn’t make any sense.”
He gripped her hand. “Thank you for helping me.” It was warm and calloused. Funnily enough, his touch was comforting, even locked up in this small cell.
“What’s your name?”
“Flood. Yours?” He looked down at where their hands were still clasped together.
Oops! Paige hadn’t realized she was still holding onto him. She let go. “I’m Paige. Wait a minute, were you awake when I performed the thoracotomy?”
He nodded. “By that, I’m sure you’re talking about sticking me with a knife.”
She winced. “Sorry about that.”
“Had to be done. I stopped breathing on purpose so they wouldn’t take you.” He shut his eyes for a moment. “Then again, it hurt so much to breathe, I didn’t mind keeping my chest still for a short while.”
“Well, it worked, so thank you for that. I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly with that knife.”
He half smiled. She realized he was quite cute when he did it. His almost black eyes seemed to lighten up just a tad. The tight lines of his jaw eased. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. Within seconds, that serious grimace of his was back. She noticed how his blinking was becoming more pronounced. It seemed to be getting harder for him to stay awake. “I need some time to heal up. Have to pretend I’m still unconscious.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Need time, then we will come up with a plan to get out of here.”
She wasn’t sure how escape would be possible but she nodded anyway.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Sorry for what? You haven’t done anything.” She shook her head.
“I won’t be able to help you.” The look in his eyes turned grave.
“Help me?” She shook her head.
“When they come for you. Won’t be able to…help.” His eyes were closed, his words slurring a little.
“Don’t worry about that. Get some sleep. We’ll figure it out.”
He gripped her hand in his again, it was surprisingly firm. “Tell them…everything. Do what it takes to survive.”
“Okay.” She nodded, feeling stupid because he wouldn’t be able to see her.
“You must—” He passed out before he could finish the sentence. His chest rising and falling rhythmically.
Paige waited a few minutes just in case he woke up. When he didn't, she set about changing the dressing. She was shocked to find that the wounds were already healing. Thankfully she'd chosen to remove the pen the night before or the flesh would have healed around it. The wounds looked closer to a week old. Still red and raised but already sealing over nicely. Paige applied some of the antibacterial cream and redressed the wounds. He was a big guy. Make that huge. His shoulders were broad, his biceps enormous. The marking on his chest was beautiful. Tribal lines that looked like liquid silver with flecks of iridescent green. Below the dressings were a hard looking set of abs. It didn't matter that he was passed out, his abs still popped. Her eyes tracked lower, to the large bulge between his legs. She wasn't sure what was up with the cotton pants these guys wore, or why they even bothered. The garment didn't leave much to the imagination. She quickly averted her eyes, looking back at his face instead, her cheeks heating.
It was strange that even though he was in a deep sleep, his face still radiated tension. His jaw still looked tight, like he was clenching his teeth or something. Then again, he was probably still in a lot of pain. There was a packet of Ibuprofen in the first aid kit. She felt like an idiot for not offering him a couple when he was conscious. It was over the counter medication but it would have helped to relieve some of the pain. Surely. Her eyes moved across his face, taking him in. His jaw was stubbled. His chin had a small cleft. Two things struck her about him, making him less severe than she had first thought. One was his mouth. His lips were full, fuller than she’d seen on most men. They didn’t make him any less masculine though. Then secondly, his eyes were framed by long thick lashes. Right now, they fanned the underside of his eyes while he slept. When she’d first seen him the day before, she’d been afraid. It had been an odd combination of relief that he was there and fear…of him. He was a man to fear and she’d been terrified. Both by his sheer size and the quiet rage that had surrounded him. It had mostly been evident in his eyes. They were dark and penetrating. Everything about him had screamed danger. The dragon shifter men, in general, were very good-looking. Chiseled and handsome. Not Flood, he was too coarse…too hard to be considered good-looking. But there was something attractive about him.
She looked away. That was enough ogling at the poor guy. Paige looked around. Three walls, a solid ceiling and silver-infused bars. Then there were cameras out in the hallway. She pondered on how they could possibly escape. What would these guys do with them once they had all the information they needed?
After a time, Paige lay down next to Flood. She’d tried sleeping on the floor but it was too hard and too cold. She was too worried to sleep. What if these guys didn’t believe them about not knowing where the dragon lairs were? She was also starving. Her stomach grumbled noisily. Her mind worked overtime.
Nearly three hours later, they brought a sobbing Kelly back. Paige cringed and held her breath, listening and waiting to hear Sydney’s screams. Instead, she heard approaching footfalls. They grew louder and louder. Somehow, she didn’t think they were bringing them food. Paige swallowed thickly. Not sure of what to do as fear caused her palms to become sweaty and her heart to race.
Chapter 7
Flood forced himself to stay still. To keep feigning sleep.
The female stood up, her breathing had turned ragged. Her heart beat faster. He could scent fear and adrenaline radiating off of her.
“How is the creature?” It was the unfit older male who asked. Flood was sure the male was called Mike. They were right outside the ce
ll. Three of them in total.
“He’s hanging in there,” Paige answered. Her voice a note too high, belying her nerves. “It would help if I had an IV drip and some antibiotics. Painkillers would be nice as well.” A bit calmer this time even though her heart continued to race.
Several males snickered. The older male, Mike, all out laughed. “Yeah right. He doesn’t need any of that. His color has returned and he’s breathing fine. Should be all fixed up in a day or two.”
“He’s not fine, he’s stopped breathing a couple of—”
“That thing isn’t human,” the male said. “It’s best you keep that in mind. That creature will be fine. We’ve been tasked with interrogating all of you lovely ladies. You’re next on the list.”
Her heartrate picked up even more. The scent of fear grew acrid. He forced himself to stay completely still. Even if he wanted to intervene, he was too weak to be of any use to her. The only thing he would accomplish would be to tip off these slayers that he was awake and capable of answering their questions. He’d be easy to torture in this state. Not that he’d give anything up. That couldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen no matter what they did or threatened.
“I don’t know anything more than what Hayley and Kelly have already told you.” She swallowed thickly. “Besides, I need to stay in case he takes a turn for the worse again.”
“It doesn’t need you anymore. In fact, we’re moving you in with the others once we’re done with you.”
He didn’t like that idea. He couldn’t protect her if she was taken away. What was he thinking? He couldn’t protect her, full stop. Had to harden himself to anything that happened to any of these females. They weren’t his concern right now. Keeping his people safe, on the other hand, was. He had initially intervened in the hopes of slowing them down until help came but that hadn’t happened. Now, he needed to make sure the hunters learned nothing.
Captured Dragon (Water Dragons Book 2) Page 4
