by Godiva Glenn
“For men aiming to accomplish remarkable things, you sure do start late in the day,” Kalle goaded.
“Do you have somewhere else to be?” The other man yelled through the glass.
It was supposed to be soundproof, but they didn’t seem to realize it wasn’t. Kalle’s hearing was impeccable, so while they listened to him through a microphone and linked speaker, he could hear them muttering as they analyzed his blood. He could hear all the pathetic jokes and crude commentary at his expense.
When he got out, he’d tell them about it. For now, he played along and pretended to hear nothing unless they practically screamed it.
Kalle shrugged. The man who glared in his direction was taller than his companion and much younger. His deep brown skin contrasted against the pale blue shirts he wore daily. His favorite color had to be blue, in fact. His slacks were navy. Some days he wore a tie, and it always had diagonal stripes in a variety of blues.
Well dressed for a man who spent each day fiddling with chemicals when he wasn’t torturing an innocent lupine. He sipped from a travel mug and shook his head at Kalle. The earthy scent of his coffee mingled through the vents and tortured Kalle’s aching stomach.
The cells were most likely meant to be sealed tighter. What was the point of having a vent just for him when the outside air made it in just fine? And what came in went out, which meant they were breathing the wolfsbane too. He hoped it had some hidden adverse effect on humans. Hell, maybe it caused cancer.
It was insulting to be stuck in a poorly kept facility like this. There was a lot to be left desired, really. But the chains were durable. The one thing that hadn’t been skimped on.
Mr. Blue and Gramps walked closer to the small room that separated Kalle’s cell from the laboratory section. Mr. Blue set his coffee aside. They gave each other a look before tapping their fists on their open palms. It was a strange ritual to determine who would play janitor for the day. Gramps kept his fist solid, but Mr. Blue slammed his flat palms together, then rejoiced.
Humans and their simple games.
Mr. Blue grabbed his coffee and got back to work while his partner grabbed cleaning supplies, Kalle stepped away from the glass. The chains retracted until he was splayed with his back against the wall so that his captor could enter the cell safely.
This was the other reason he frequently made them clean. Enough repetition had made them lazy. They no longer closed and locked the door each morning when they entered. Which meant it was only a few quick steps to freedom—if he wasn’t chained up.
One problem at a time. He couldn’t break the chains in his weakened state, but that didn’t make him lose hope. If only he could clog the damn vents from down here.
He glanced up at them. He couldn’t smell the wolfsbane, but he could feel it.
Gramps entered the partition swearing under his breath. He looked old and fragile, but he was every bit as foul as his partner. He avoided looking at Kalle as he sprayed each inch of the glass with the citrus cleaner and wiped quickly, leaving giant smudges. After he cleaned the floor in the same lazy manner, he put his supplies aside and looked Kalle in the eye.
“Just you wait. Dr. Gregor is coming.”
“Gregor.” Kalle chuckled. “And why should I care?”
“He’s perfected extracting everything he needs from beasts. Not just information.” Gramps licked his lips. “I’ve seen him de-fang vampires without breaking a sweat.”
Kalle composed his most bored expression. One, he didn’t care. The constant pain had largely eaten away at his ability to give any fucks. Two, he was biding his time. Sure, the air he breathed was pumped full of wolfsbane, and they were starving him to stress test his body, but it wouldn’t last.
He’d find a weakness in one of these assholes. He’d escape. He’d find Sky and take her with him. All in due time.
“I guess I should break out the champagne,” he muttered.
The phone rang and Gramps turned away. He picked up his supplies and locked the doors behind him. He and Mr. Blue huddled.
“She wants to see him,” Mr. Blue whispered.
“Gregor said not yet.”
“It’s not like she’d get to fuck him now.”
“Too pretty to be bending over for a beast. But that’s how women get. Deluded.”
Kalle held back a growl. They talked too often about Sky, and never with any amount of respect. When the phone would ring, they would often comment about her. She wanted to see Kalle. At least that meant she wasn’t a prisoner.
Mr. Blue shook his head and pulled a tray of vials forward. “Of course, it had to be her that survived, of all of them.”
“Gregor isn’t mad. He’s more… amused.”
“Perfect stock.”
“Perfect.”
* * * *
They may bring in another soon,” Gramps said while lining up blood collection tubes on a tray.
“Hmm. We could test how they react to each other. Chemically.”
“Ideally. See if their blood changes due to proximity. Scent.”
Kalle’s ears perked up and he tried to keep his expression neutral. He picked at the threadbare shirt he wore and didn’t look at the men.
“It could also mean we may dispose of this one earlier than planned.”
“Gregor’s plans have us keeping him a while. Another male could speed the process, he thinks.”
“Competition?”
“Exactly.”
Kalle tried to put the pieces together but he wasn’t sure what they meant. He’d gathered that they were trying to isolate the lupine genes but were having no luck. It made sense to him. Lupine weren’t created by science. They were created by magic.
The moon and ancestors weren't giving up their secrets that easily.
Speaking of the moon, Kalle scratched another line into the plastic bucket in his cell. It had now been thirteen days. That plus the ones he’d spent with Sky meant a full moon was coming.
He didn’t look forward to spending it in this cell. He could only imagine the fun tests they’d run on his wolf form. All the wolfsbane in the world couldn’t block the magic from pulling his human form down, but it would leave him damn helpless.
“Blood draw,” Mr. Blue said while pushing the button on the one-way speaker to Kalle’s cell.
Kalle stood as the chains shortened to a specific length that allowed him just enough range to hold his hand forward. His feet marched to the line painted on the ground indicating where he was to stand. The circular opening flipped up and he stuck his fist through.
At first, he’d resisted the blood draws. By now he’d figured that cooperating was better than the alternative, which meant him against the wall while these two fuckers jabbed needles everywhere they damn well pleased.
Mr. Blue took his time, meticulously double-checking the tubes and his notes in the tiny airlock room. Then he lifted a curved ledge on his side of the glass that kept Kalle’s arm steady and restrained with two cuffs.
The buzzer went off, but Mr. Blue continued his work, carefully placing the biggest needle in existence into the bulging vein at the inner crease of Kalle’s elbow.
Kalle looked past him. A new face had entered the room. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. A familiar smirk and a suit, as if they weren’t in a dingy hole in the ground. Kalle would bet big money that this was the dad of the blue-eyed asshole who’d threatened Sky.
“Dr. Gregor.” Gramps greeted the man with a level of admiration in his voice that seemed wholly unreasonable.
“Small. Insufficient. Depressing.” Dr. Gregor sighed. “But at least it’s my own, I suppose. A bit of effort and it could look better.”
“Of course,” Gramps groveled. “I’ve been saying that. It doesn’t have to feel like an abandoned bomb shelter down here.”
“Right.” Dr. Gregor glanced in Kalle’s direction. His eyes lit with interest that left Kalle unsettled. “Is this our stud?”
“It is,” Gramps beamed.
Kalle bristled
at the term. He’d been called different terms, but stud was new. Usually, it was beast or specimen. Dr. Gregor moved to the side of Kalle’s cell. His hands were in his pockets and he rocked on his toes as he watched Mr. Blue and appraised Kalle in turn.
Mr. Blue slipped the needle out and shook the last tube as he picked up his supplies. “It’s a perfect match,” he said loudly, unlocking the cuffs on Kalle’s arm. “Word is she got rough and dirty with him before they got picked up.”
Kalle flexed his fingertips and snagged the edge of Mr. Blue’s tie. In a second, he had his fist around the shiny, cheap material and yanked Mr. Blue by the striped tether until his face smashed against the glass barrier.
Dr. Gregor smiled as pain shot through Kalle. The collar was still in place, but they rarely used it now. Something about repeated abuse leading to permanent nerve damage. Which wasn’t stopping them now.
The chains creaked as they retracted and pulled him back against the wall.
“Put it out. For now,” Dr. Gregor ordered.
ELEVEN
Kalle opened his eyes to a new day. It seemed that each time the collar took him down, it stole more hours from him. The only way he knew at least a night had passed was the different clothing on his captors.
And now instead of two fools watching him, he had three.
“It’s about time,” Dr. Gregor said. He typed something on his laptop then closed the lid and turned to Kalle with a grin. “I was becoming concerned. Lupine are supposed to be filled with stamina. Vigor.”
“You got a runt,” Kalle lied.
“That’s his sixth knockout,” Mr. Blue said. “Once after his original capture, again at the cabin, and a few times here to teach him to obey orders.”
“Excessive,” the doctor chided.
“He’s strong and stubborn as a mule,” Gramps added in defense.
“When was the last time you fed it?” Dr. Gregor asked no one in particular.
Gramps flipped through a chart and squinted. “Ah… two, no, three days ago. But there are painkillers in his vent system to keep him from cramping too badly.”
Dr. Gregor checked his watch. “That won’t do.” He reached around a counter and grabbed a cup from beyond Kalle’s vision. “It can have my lunch.”
Kalle stared at the white Styrofoam container in the doctor’s hand. It looked like any drink from any fast food place. And though a soda wouldn’t stave his hunger, he’d gladly take it.
Dr. Gregor entered the airlock and placed the cup on the floor at the edge of the cell. He tossed a straw beyond it. “You’d better enjoy this.”
“What is it?” Kalle asked. It didn’t matter. Even if it was poison, he’d take it, but it smelled like strawberries.
“One of those over-priced smoothies packed with protein and energy and antioxidants. It tastes like candy, but it’s supposed to be good for you.”
Kalle arched a brow. The man’s tone was oddly devoid of the hatred he’d become used to tasting. “Who are you?”
“Dr. Gregor. And yes, I am a real doctor. I’m not pretending.”
Kalle didn’t care and made sure his expression was unimpressed. “How come your name isn’t a secret? Those two won’t tell me theirs.”
Dr. Gregor pushed his hands into his pockets and glanced back over his shoulder. “Paranoia. Not that it fits. If you were human, and if you happened to escape, you could use details like names to turn us in.” He grinned. “But you won’t be escaping, and you wouldn’t go to the human authorities, anyhow. Anything you find out here would do you no good.”
“Fair enough.”
“And I don’t fear you. Sky’s told me all about you. I feel then, that you should know something important. Sky is like a daughter to me. I raised her into the beautiful, strong—though a bit misguided—woman she is today.”
If the information presented was meant to make Kalle hesitant to hurt Dr. Gregor, it had backfired. Knowing he was the piece of garbage that had brainwashed Sky did nothing but sign his death warrant.
“Did you kill her parents?”
Dr. Gregor’s lips formed a thin line. “No. Your kind did.”
“I smell a lie.”
“Eat. The tests we have for you are a bit different today, and you need your strength.” He rubbed his chin. “Sky got me that, you know. She worries about me. Knows that when I’m deep in work I forget to eat.” He retreated and stared at the lock with extra effort before returning to his desk.
Kalle scrubbed at his face with weary hands. He didn’t want to react to the doctor’s words. Didn’t want to think of Sky caring for such a bastard. Luckily, his weakened body was an easy distraction. Every muscle limped with lethargy. The aroma of strawberries wafted over him and his stomach wakened with a harsh growl. He crawled across the floor and didn’t bother with the straw, simply ripping the plastic lid from the container and drinking.
In a way, it reminded him of that night when Sky had pitied him enough to give him a brick of grains and blueberries. The best taste in the world. Because maybe it would be his last.
But he didn’t allow himself to enjoy this meal or even think too long on it. He couldn’t remain here forever. There was only so much blood he could give, torture he could withstand. The last time they’d tied him to that cold table, they’d taken something from him. A kidney, or something.
They’d stitched him up and shown him the piece of him in a jar. They’d spread ointment on him, and he’d healed, ridiculously fast. Overnight. It was a fucking miracle. Sure, lupine could recover from almost anything, but organ removal? It should’ve taken time. Healing, they explained, was one of their main priorities. But so far, it only worked on him. Because the ability came from him.
Maybe one day they’d unlock it for human use, but until then, they’d use it to keep him coming back from whatever they did on the table.
His hand traced the side of his stomach where a scar should be as he slowed down his frantic chugging of the syrupy treat. The pain of their treatment always knocked him out, which was the only thing he could be grateful for, yet he had to admit his bravado was wearing thin. The last time they’d walked him from his cell he’d begged them to leave him alone.
He was breaking. Given that he healed in a day, it wouldn’t surprise him if he’d be back on that table by the end of the week. He had to save Sky before he had nothing left. Pride was empty, that he always knew, but it was closely bonded to his strength. He was Kalle Lowe. He was supposed to be an alpha. What good was the powerful blood of his veins and the blessings of ancestors if he couldn’t save the female he was certain was destined to be his mate?
He wanted to ask where Sky was, but they’d use that interest against him. Still, he needed to know. When he broke out of here, he wasn’t leaving her behind. She had to be close. Every now and then, when the hallway connecting him to the lab cracked open, he would catch her sweet scent. She smelled like hope.
* * * *
Hours passed. Kalle kept waiting for tests that never came. The clock’s main hand moved closer to four. Only a few hours to go before they’d pack it up for the day. He sat on the floor and watched the men work in mostly silence, the only sound coming from fingers clacking on keyboards.
The life of a scientist, even an evil one, was apparently a lot of paperwork.
He ran a hand through his hair. What he wouldn’t give for a shower. He closed his eyes and imagined a warm bath like the one he’d had back when Sky was his jailer. Thinking of her made him ache.
As much as he hated himself for getting caught the second time around, he had more regret for not taking more time simply holding Sky and getting to know her. It seemed like they could put it off. There was more to her than he’d gotten to figure out in their time together, and now it bothered him how much mystery sat between them.
She didn’t know why he was alone. They’d never spoken in length about his past, or hers. There were dozens of conversations he looked forward to having, even if he used to be the type of gu
y who hated talking.
The buzzer sounded, startling him. He glanced toward the door and out of the corner of his eye noticed the men standing and gathering their things.
Dr. Gregor closed his laptop and picked up his suit coat in one hand while tucking his computer under the other. “Right on schedule.”
“This should be interesting,” Gramps said under his breath.
“I’m not sure he deserves it,” Mr. Blue said grabbing his mug.
“I won’t hear any slander,” Dr. Gregor chided.
They filed to the door, leaving much earlier than they ever had before. Anxiousness rose in Kalle. There had been few surprises during his stay so far. Everything had become routine. Going against that couldn’t be a good sign. What did he not deserve?
The door closed. A few minutes passed, then it opened again. It wasn’t one of the men returning, but Sky entering hesitantly.
She took a deep, bracing breath then headed to Kalle. He stood so quickly it made him dizzy. His palms hit the glass in his eagerness to see her up close.
“Sky.”
She didn’t meet his eyes. She paused at the controls that handled his cell and pressed the button for the speaker. “I need to collect a sample.”
He waited a moment. Truth be told, he’d expected their reunion to have more… emotion. Then again, there were cameras around the lab and one in his cell. He assumed they had audio feeds, but it was only a guess.
“Okay.” He backed away from the glass even though it pained him. He lined up with the painted line on the ground.
She pressed a button and opened the outermost door. As she stepped in, she kept her head down. Her soft hair shaded her face. It seemed longer, even if he knew it couldn’t be. She came to the next door and waited while the chains pulled tighter.
They kept pulling, in fact, and he couldn’t stay at the line. He was drawn back to the wall until he had no slack at all. Come to think of it, he saw no needle. No tray of various collection tubes.
She’d waited until he was fully restrained as if she had something to fear from him.
