by Terra Wolf
I glanced at my desk and noticed a file that I did not see earlier. I reached over and picked it up. On the tab it said Subject 25063-9. This was Grady’s file! The guard must have left it on my desk when he had dropped him off, and I didn’t notice because I was too panicked at the fact that he was a bear. I opened up the file and started reading. It contained a capture report, detailing how they had detained him at a local bar. I read through the story and winced when it mentioned that it took five tranquilizer darts to bring him down. I flipped over the page, which read ‘Preliminary Testing Schedule.’ A pit formed in my stomach. I read down a few lines and noticed that his first tests were this evening, for cardiac stress. Panic coursed through my body. Please don’t let it be the same test that I read about in the file in Michelle’s office, I thought. I continued reading and it stated “test subject will undergo a series of scenarios where the heart rate is increased.” All of the blood completely drained from my face. They were going to induce cardiac arrest.
Without a second thought, I dropped the file and ran out of my office.
11
Grady
“Get up,” the guard commanded. I opened my eyes slightly. I must have dozed off in the corner of the cell. My bones ached from napping in an odd position as I stretched my body.
“I said, get up,” the guard shouted.
“Jesus, I’m up already. There’s no need to yell.”
“Turn around and face the back wall and slowly walk up to the bars. When you reach them, place your hands through.”
It was standard protocol to cuff an inmate when you were taking them out of the cell. I felt my bear stir under the surface. Once out of this cell, could I shift, break the chains on these cuffs, and overtake the guard? This could be the way that I escaped. But the moment that I stuck my hands out of the bars, I felt a sharp prick in my skin.
Fuck. I jolted my arms back, but the guard was quicker, and he grabbed onto my wrists and cuffed them together. I turned around and faced him.
“Mind telling me what you stuck me with?”
“You’ll figure it out soon enough,” he said flatly. The guard unlocked my cell and opened up the door. I stepped through and looked both ways down the corridor and realized that we were alone. Now was my chance. I closed my eyes and let my bear take over, except this time, nothing happened. I flung open my eyes and the guard was smiling at me.
“Having trouble with something?”
“What the hell did you do to me?” I growled.
“Relax, it’s just temporary. The effects will wear off later.”
Well that was just fucking great. Purest had some kind of magical drug that could block my shift. If they developed this, then that meant they could potentially be working on something that blocked it permanently. I felt my bear growl inside me. Yeah buddy, I thought, I want to kill them all as well.
The guard shoved me forward and forced me to walk in front of him along the corridor. As we were walking, I took a moment to look at the other shifters in the cells near me. Right next door, in the cell where the male voice I heard earlier had come from, was a large wolf that paced back and forth. After being pricked with that shit, I now understood why a lot of the shifters remained in their animal forms.
We snaked through several other wings and I made sure to track which way we went the entire time. The medicine was making me groggy, but I knew it would be the only way to get out when the time came.
We stopped at a large metal frame door and the guard swiped his key card. The door slid open and I was surprised to see a high tech laboratory on the other side. The cells where they kept us looked like something out of a horror movie. The contrast of all the fluorescent lights blinded me, after being in the darkness for several hours.
The guard pushed me forward and walked me to an area in the center of the lab. There was a hospital bed, complete with straps to hold me down, and next to it, medical equipment that looked like it was ripped from Dr. Frankenstein’s lab.
Standing next to the bed was a thin redhead in a lab coat. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she had on glasses with pointed rims.
“Lay down on the bed,” she said, and she looked down at her clipboard.
“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing here first?”
She looked back up at me and gave me a fake smile. “Lay down in the bed, or I’ll have this nice guard put you there for me.”
I walked over to the bed and the guard grabbed my wrists and unhooked my cuffs. He pushed me down on the bed and several nurses and the doctor came up and strapped my arms and my legs down to the bed.
“Well, I normally like a little bit more foreplay before I let a woman strap me down, but if this is how you want to play it…”
The redhead doctor ignored me and walked back over to the machines. While she pressed a few buttons, a nurse placed an IV in my arm. I craned my neck to see what the IV was, but the straps made it difficult to move. I felt the cold rush of liquid enter my veins and I felt my bear stir inside me. I took a deep breath, but I felt my heart rate pick up, and I started to breath faster. What the hell were they doing to me?
“Blood pressure is 120 over 70,” a nurse said.
“Great, let’s try to increase that,” the redhead doctor said.
Increase it? Were they trying to give me a heart attack? A slow sense of panic started to creep through my veins. I needed to calm down. I just got to the facility, so they wouldn’t want to off me right away. Unless they found out who I really was? No, they couldn’t have. We had an airtight cover created.
I felt my heart beat faster and I let out a low growl.
“Blood pressure is 140 over 80.” The redhead nodded and I felt more of the cool liquid rush into my veins.
“We’re at 160 over 100.” The machines all around me started beeping loudly. I felt the sweat pool at my brow and slowly start to drip down my face. My heartbeat picked up speed and I felt as though it was about to beat itself right out of my chest. I knew they were pumping me with some kind of drug, but I needed to figure out a way to calm myself down.
“170 over 105.” The outer edges of my vision started to blur and form large black spots. My heart was rapid firing in my chest, and I felt my body start to shake. Calm the fuck down, Grady. I closed my eyes and thought of the one thing that I wanted the most.
Ava’s sweet voice rang through my ears. I pictured her sweet, plump lips and her honey colored eyes. Her long brown hair cascaded around my face as she leaned down on top of me. I would give anything to hold her in my arms right now and pull her close, inhaling her scent. I would tangle my hands up in her hair and pull her lips down to meet mine. A wave of calm coursed throughout my body. In the background, I could hear the nurses yelling, but I had somehow tuned them all out. Our kiss deepened and I wrapped my arms tighter around her body.
My bear let out a mournful growl and then everything suddenly went dark.
12
Ava
My heart beat fast in my chest as a guard wheeled Grady, on a stretcher, into my laboratory. He was unconscious, but his breathing looked like it was normal. As soon as the guard left, I unhooked the straps that were holding his wrists and his ankles. I walked over to the sink and wet a washcloth and placed it on his sweaty forehead. I grabbed the chart that was attached to the foot of his stretcher and glanced over it. His vital signs seemed to be back to normal. The cardiac test had pushed him to the point to where he should have had a heart attack, but for some unexplainable reason, he was able to slow down his heart rate on his own, despite the IV of fluids meant to speed it up.
I pulled a chair next to the stretcher and gently held his hand. All I wanted was for him to wake up. For there to be no permanent damage created by the test. I walked over to the back cabinet and pulled out a blood pressure monitor. I wanted to double check that it was landing in a normal range. I wrapped the strap around his upper arm and waited for the results.
The moment I had realized that Grady was being given
the same test as the subject from the file, I knew that I needed to somehow help him. I couldn’t let that happen to him.
I ran down the hall toward Michelle’s office and barged through her door. The noise of her heavy door slamming against her wall had made her jump. When she had collected herself, she looked at me sternly.
“Why are you running into my office?”
“I need to test Subject 25063-9 once he is finished with his lab test on the lower level.”
Michelle looked at my face and I tried my best to keep it together. I hated lying, but that was the only way that I would get to see Grady again.
“What do you need to test him for, exactly?”
Blood rushed to my face. I hadn’t come up with that part of the plan yet. I had just decided that I had to help him. I couldn’t let what happened to the other test subject happen to him. I quickly thought back to my binder from this morning and the tests that I had run on Grady. I had tested his blood.
“His blood came back slightly abnormal from all the rest of our samples of subjects like him. I need to re-run the test.”
Michelle tilted her head to the side, which meant she was contemplating my request. God, I hoped she bought my story.
“Fine,” she said flatly. “I took the chance on bumping you up to research assistant. I do not want our clinical trial to be inaccurate because of your human error. I will let the doctor know and she will bring him to you.
I nodded and quickly left her office. Once I was safely back in my own, I let out a long breath that I did not realize I was holding. Jesus, I got lucky that she believed me. As I waited for Grady to arrive, I contaminated his blood vial to make sure my story was accurate.
The blood pressure monitor beeped and pulled me from my thoughts. I looked at the readings and let out a sigh of relief when I saw that he was within normal range. I removed the monitor from his arm and placed it on my lab desk. When I went back to look at him, his blue eyes were staring back at mine. I gently squeezed his wrist.
“I’m so glad you are okay, Grady,” I said honestly.
“Are you real?” he asked with a scratchy voice. I removed the washcloth from his forehead and allowed my hand to linger on his cheek.
“Let me get you some water.” I walked over to the sink and poured him a glass.
“What the hell happened? Last I remember I was being hooked up to all of these machines?” I handed him the glass of water and he took a long chug.
“Your heart was being tested on how it could handle stress,” I said sadly. “As soon as I found out that they were going to do that test on you, I knew I had to help you.”
“How did you get me here?”
I smiled shyly. “I may have lied and said that there was something abnormal with your blood that I needed to test when you were finished.” Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed Grady’s hand. The feel of his warm hand on my skin calmed me and I moved my body closer to him.
“I’m just glad you are okay; that test they were doing was extremely dangerous.” I didn’t want to tell him about the other test subject. I was sure that hundreds of shifters had met that same fate, but I did not want to make Grady nervous, after all that he had been through.
Grady squeezed my hand and pulled me up so that I was sitting on the stretcher with him.
“You know, this is going to sound strange, but I think it was the thought of you that was able to calm my heart during the test.”
While he was undergoing all of that madness, he was thinking about me? Butterflies lightly danced in my stomach.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, everything is a little blurry, but I could feel my heart about to beat out of my chest. I knew I needed to somehow calm myself down, so I started to think about you.” He reached his hand up and gently pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. His hand lingered a bit as he lightly caressed my face.
“I thought about your beautiful honey colored eyes, and your sweet voice.” The butterflies danced in my stomach faster and I felt my body lean closer to his. God, the man just went through hell, but all I could think about was the sexy sound of his voice and how much I wanted to hop on top of him.
His hand moved from my cheek around to the back of my neck. “The biggest thing I thought about, though, was how much I wanted to kiss you.”
He gently pulled my face to his and our lips crashed together. He wrapped his other arm around my waist and pulled my body on top of his.
I could feel his length under the cotton sheet and I was immediately wet. Our kiss deepened as I slowly started to roll my hips on top of his.
His hands moved up to my collarbone and he gently pushed off my lab coat. I tugged at the sleeves on my wrist and pulled it off the rest of the way, letting it fall to the floor. His hands moved down to the buttons on my blouse, and he slowly started to unbutton them. He reached the last button at the hem of my pants and pushed his hands inside, running them behind my back. The movement of his hands left a trail of fire across my skin. I reached down and tugged my shirt out of my pants and broke out of the kiss to pull it off.
“God, you are beautiful.”
I smiled at him and leaned back down to his lips. His hands moved behind my back and unhooked my nude lace bra. He pulled the straps down my shoulders and grabbed it from my hands. He pulled me up slightly and captured my nipple in his mouth. I closed my eyes and let out a slight moan. The feeling of his tongue on my hard nipple sent shivers down my body.
While his mouth was still on me, his hands moved down to my waistline, and he started to unbutton my pants. He slowly pulled down the zipper and teased me slightly by trailing his fingers along the edge of my thong.
His tongue flicked across my nipple as he pushed his fingers underneath my thong to my core. He trailed a slow circle around my clit, and I felt my whole body react to his touch. He moved his fingers downward and gently dipped inside of me and pulled his fingers back toward him. I let out a loud moan as I felt him hit my g-spot.
He rubbed his thumb in a circle as he started to move his fingers inside of me. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. His touch was like nothing I had ever felt before. It was as if he knew what I wanted without me having to tell him. A slow pressure began to build up in my core. His hands started to move faster, and his tongue moved over to my other nipple.
I felt my body shudder over his as I let out a load moan.
“Get up and take off your pants and thong,” he said. I slowly stepped off the stretcher and removed my clothes. I climbed back on top of him and sat on his waist.
“No, I want you up by my face.”
I moved my body up and braced myself on my lab desk. I lowered my hips onto his face and let out a small cry as his warm tongue captured my clit. He slowly started to circle his tongue as he moved his fingers up my leg. He then slowly pushed his fingers inside of me and I felt my whole body tighten. He continued to flick his tongue as I slightly rolled my hips on his hand. The pressure started to build again and I bit my lip to hold back my orgasm and let it build for longer.
“Oh God, Grady, don’t stop,” I cried out.
The pressure bubbled over and I fell slightly forward as waves of pleasure racked my body. He pulled me down from his face and moved the sheet that was between us. He was only in thin cotton pants, and I could see his large erection through them. I bit my lip as he tugged on the waistline. Once he was exposed, I grabbed him and pulled him inside me. He wrapped his arms tightly around my hips as I cried out slightly. He felt so damn good.
He pushed his hips up as I rolled my hips on top of his. I grabbed onto his hard chest for support as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. He ran his hands back up to my breasts and lightly tugged on my nipples. My hips began to move faster as the pressure inside me grew. I looked down at Grady’s face and he smiled brightly at me. I couldn’t believe how good this felt.
My hips moved faster and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer.
�
��Come for me, Ava.”
He pushed his hips up harder and I rolled my hips faster. He tugged on my nipples and I dug my nails into his chest.
“Oh God, Grady!”
I felt my whole body shake and I moaned loudly. He growled underneath me, and the feeling of his release only made me come harder. When I was finished, I collapsed on top of his chest.
“There aren’t cameras in here, right?”
“No, they’re only in the hallways.” That would have been terrible if there were cameras here.
He gave me a cocky grin. “Well, if they did, then I would have to request a copy of the tape.”
13
Grady
I was back in my cold, dark cell, but my body felt warm at the thought of Ava’s body on top of mine. I closed my eyes and remembered how it felt to grab on to her hips and push myself inside of her. God, she was fucking beautiful. I leaned my head back on the hard cement and closed my eyes.
Loud growls pushed through the silence of my cell and my eyes sprang open. I didn’t need my powerful hearing to understand what was going on; it was the large wolf in the next cell over from mine. I got up quickly and walked over to the bars to see if I could see what was happening.
There were three guards standing in front of the wolf’s cell. Two of them had automatic weapons and they were both aimed to shoot. The last guard looked like he was desperately trying to tug on a long leash. While I wasn’t a huge fan of wolves, no one deserved to be pulled on a leash. I tightened my hands around the bars in anger.
“Will you shoot him already?” the guard with the leash yelled at the other two guards.
“We can’t shoot. The doctor did not want him tranquilized. She needed him alive and alert for the test.”
The guard cursed under his breath. The wolf was putting up a huge fight and I hoped that he would at least get to bite the bastard. The guard got pulled into the open cell and the other two guards followed. There was a loud scuffle, and I craned my neck to try and see what was happening. Then there was deafening silence. I dropped my eyes to the floor, hoping that they didn’t kill the wolf. The two guards with guns walked out of the cell and pulled in a rolling cage. There were several loud grunts as I assumed they hoisted the wolf into the cage. They pushed it out of the cell and I saw the wolf laying at the bottom in defeat. A tranquilizer dart stuck out of his back leg, and one of the guards quickly pulled it out. I watched as they rolled the cage in front of my cell, and the wolf’s eyes caught mine. Anger coursed through my body as I dropped my hands from the bars and started to pace back and forth in my cell.
