Going down the hill the next morning was the hardest walk of Shaelan’s life. She was a complete wreck, second guessing this idea with each step. Nona had decided to come with her, to distract the guards so Shae could speak to this green-eyed man. She didn’t even know his name. Did she want to know his name? No, she didn’t think so. Part of her hoped he turned her down flat. She wouldn’t feel slighted if he did. The only problem was, if he did, then she may have to be with Brock for the rest of her life.
“You think any harder on this and I’m going to get a headache,” Nona said as they neared the bottom of the stairs.
Huffing out groan, Shae looked at her. “I can’t help it. This is so bizarre, Nona, I’m still swimming in my own thoughts, trying not to drown.”
“I know, child. I didn’t sleep a wink last night, turning it over in my mind, but I can’t see another way out of this Brock mess.”
As they neared the entrance of the prison, Shae turned her head and spotted Brock and her father walking toward her parents’ home. A feeling of dread and panic hit her.
“If that’s not fate giving you a shove, I don’t know what is,” Nona said as she nudged her toward the opening gate.
Shae clutched the bag Nona had given her this morning, filled with her own supplies. It should have meant something special to have her own bag, but that had been buried under the weight of what she was about to do.
She didn’t hear a thing that Nona and the guard, Morris, said. Her mind was buzzing so loud she wasn’t sure if she was going deaf from it. Nona elbowed her in the arm.
“Shae will check the new fella and I’ll go see how those stitches of hers are holding out.”
Morris stopped and turned around. “Let me see if he’s awake, before she goes in. He gave us some trouble this morning.”
Nona shook her head. “Tell me you didn’t shoot him full of darts again. We can’t check the whole body if it’s a puddle on the floor.”
He laughed. “No, he got a mild sedative in his water earlier, just to make him more amenable.”
Shae held her breath, hoping he was awake. She didn’t think she had the nerve to come back a second time to ask him.
“You do know he’s attached to the wall, Morris. Might be a bit unsociable yourself if it were you,” Nona said with a flat tone.
Her disapproval made Shae feel better, the shock of seeing the man in here yesterday, the way he was chained up, had bothered her to her core. Criminal or not they were still human…beings, or close enough, she supposed.
They stopped outside a door. She looked at the floor, unable to make eye contact even with Nona. Not waiting for the guard to check on him, she walked in, before she changed her mind. She was almost vibrating as she looked at the man across the small room. His scruffy black hair was hanging in his face as his green eyes were looking over her shoulder, glaring at the guard.
“I don’t think…”
Setting down her bag, she opened it and pulled out a small bottle and needle. “I’ll just give him a top-up and he’ll be easy to manage.”
“If you’re sure.” He stepped in and walked over to him. “I’ll hold his arm while you stick him.”
Shoot. She hadn’t thought of that. “That would be great.” She had no idea what she’d even put in the needle, but it didn’t matter because she didn’t intend to give it to him. Going over, she leaned down, so her long hair hung across his arm. Taking the cap off the needle, she held his bicep and made sure the needle went behind his arm near her fingers. She squirted the contents onto the floor and then straightened and stepped back.
Morris gave her a small grin and stepped back as well.
“Just stand back till he’s dopey, child. We’re going to go see the other one. I’ll see you back at the entrance when you’re finished.” Nona moved out of the doorway.
“Okay, Nona-Eve.” Shae stood there and watched the man as she heard Morris leave. Closing the door, she turned back to him.
He looked at the floor where she’d emptied the syringe and then back to her, confusion on his face. “I won’t bite,” he said roughly.
Shae was still looking at his eyes, she could see why her mentor thought they were appealing. She had seen green eyes before, but his were a deeper green and very pretty. She didn’t imagine he’d appreciate that description. Snapping out of it, she picked up her bag. “Good, I wouldn’t want to have to pull your teeth out.”
He didn’t smile. “I don’t suppose I can get any more answers from you than I did that Nona lady?” He gave her a wary look.
Shae knelt beside him to look at his shoulder. “You probably have more answers than I do at this point.” His shoulder didn’t seem to show any signs of infection. With the low light in the room, she leaned closer to double check. As she did, she inhaled and found his scent oddly appealing, which was strange, considering the amount stink weed they used in this place. That was a small bonus, that his smell didn’t nauseate her.
When she had the urge to lick his injury, she jerked her head up and rocked back onto her heels further away from him. She bit her tongue, like it was going to lick him without her permission. Cat, remember, she told herself. Probably a normal animal thing to do. Right? She exhaled and tried to settle down again. “Has the injury been bothering you?”
“My whole arm, both arms, are pretty much f…numb now. I tried to tell that idiot guard this when I couldn’t eat…because I can’t feel my arms…” He shut his mouth with a click of his teeth.
Standing up, she looked at the chains, they were shortened by hooking the links through some sort of clip in the wall. It was probably against the rules, but rules were the last thing on her mind right now. Stepping behind him, she opened the clip and pulled the link out. His hand dropped to the floor with a clank. “Sorry,” she whispered. Moving over she did the same to his other arm.
Squatting down, she looked at the chain attached to the collar. “I don’t know how to work this one, I think I need a key.” She knelt beside him again, then noticed the scrapes along his jaw. “Yesterday was my first time in here.”
“Mine too,” he said in a monotone voice as he rubbed his wrist and flexed his fingers to return the feeling.
Shae cringed at his tone. The chances of him helping her was going to be slim. If she ever got up the nerve to ask him. “I’m going to clean up your jaw.”
He tilted his head, giving her access.
Pulling her bag over, she got what she needed and gently started to wipe the blood away. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she did. “I-I, uh…” She exhaled. “I need your help.”
He turned his head as far as the collar allowed and looked at her, his brilliant eyes giving her a ‘you’ve got to be joking’ glare.
Dropping her hands into her lap she bit her bottom lip. “I know, it’s ridiculous.” She looked down at her hands, then briefly back into his eyes. “I’ve only just found out…what I am.…My whole life has been a lie…” She felt her eyes well up. Embarrassed, she almost got up and ran out of the room. She would not break down in front of a stranger chained to a wall. “My father is going to make me m-mate with this man that I don’t even know, and honestly can’t stand to be near Brock…” She put her hand over her mouth and stared at the floor. “This is insanity. I’m sorry.” She capped the bottle and put it back in her bag and started to get up. Pausing, she looked back at his face, to apologize again and then stopped. He was watching her intently, with what looked like compassion in his eyes.
“So, you want me to, what, beat this guy up for you?” He lifted his hands. “Bust me out of here, and I’ll put the beats on anyone you want.”
She snorted. “If you only could.”
“What do you mean you just found out what you are?” His green eyes searched hers.
“I’m a…cat. Until last night I thought I was just a normal human girl.” She held her hand against her forehead, still stupefied. Her eyes started to tear again.
Without warning, he cupped the back of her neck lightly and pulled her closer to him. She forgot how to breathe as his chin touched her shoulder and he inhaled deeply. She thought he mumbled something about stench then he released her. She straightened away, trying to stay calm, and decided that ended her problem of asking him.
“How am I supposed to help?” He lifted his cuffed wrists higher again, to illustrate how impossible it was.
“I thought…” She was shocked he was asking. “I was told.” She huffed out a breath and looked at him. “I know nothing about any of this, nothing.” Her cheeks heated before she could even voice it. “My aunt told me if I smelled of another man…”
“I’m not going to be your sperm donner…”
Her jaw dropped, cheeks flushing. “No. I don’t want to get pregnant.” She thought she heard voices in the hall. “I need to smell like another man…just…please, help me.”
Again, he lifted his hands and jingled the chains and motioned to the door, as if to remind her where they were.
“I’ll figure it out…Nona will help…please.” She heard Nona laugh outside the door. She leaned close and whispered against his ear. “I’ll come back tonight.”
“I’ll be here,” he whispered back with a heavy sarcastic tone.
She wasn’t sure if that was a yes, but it was all she had time for. Getting up, she clutched her bag against her legs and backed to the door. “Try not to get beat up and drugged again.”
He just looked at her, didn’t nod or say a word.
Opening the door, she stepped out quickly. She gave Morris a hard look. “I lowered his hands. He was getting pressure wounds on his wrists and the circulation was slowing down. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to be dealing with a cripple.”
He pulled the door closed and nodded. “As long as he behaves, we can give him more room.”
Without waiting, Shae started walking back down the hallway. Her heart was in her throat, and she was trying not to have a nervous breakdown before she got out. How she was getting back in tonight, she had no idea. She was going to need to be sedated before tonight at this rate.
Calum stared at the closed door for what could have been hours. Lately his life seemed to be taking turns that he never could have predicted. Then again, who in their right mind could possibly imagine any of this happening. That was it right there, he was now positive he had some sort of brain damage from hitting his head. Rather than demand some god damned answers, he joked with her.
Heaving out a sigh, he rotated his shoulders to get the blood flowing. At least he could move his arms now, she’d at least given him that. He looked down at his crotch, ok, maybe she gave him a bit more. Because that was normal, getting turned on while being held against your will…and what possessed him to smell her, he had no idea. One of my least brilliant ideas, ever. Clouding his mind with thoughts like that wasn’t what he needed. Whether the drugs they’d hit him with were still in his system, he didn’t know, but he was already having a hard time staying alert and focused. Although right now, he was focused on a closed door. He had no idea why checking her scent seemed so important, and he could barely smell over the bloody stench in this place. He thought for a second he smelled cinnamon, but that was impossible. This certainly wasn’t a bakery. When she’d looked at him with tears in her eyes, he felt like someone stabbed him in the chest. Calum glanced down at his chest, like he was going to find a knife sticking out of it. He could take on full-grown shifter in animal form, any species going berserk, but a single tear, hell, even the glisten of one and he turned pure coward.
Seriously, what was with people not knowing what they were lately? First Rayne…she had a good reason, her parents died before telling her. That almost excused the reason Kelsey didn’t know, except the fact she lived with other shifters every day after that. But this one…whoever she was…as far as he could tell was surrounded by cats, so many cats and they even had a fetish for collecting extras and chaining them to walls!
Had he agreed to help her? He went over everything that was said and still wasn’t sure. Maybe when…if she did come back tonight, he could persuade her to let him go. Shit. She said the collar needed a key? Reaching both hands up, he felt his way around the metal collar on his neck. No wonder his collarbone was killing him, damn thing had to be half an inch thick. Shit! It did feel like it needed a key at the back. Was that something the guard would carry on him or leave at a desk…
He really wanted to pace right now, not to mention he’d lost all feeling in his ass yesterday sometime. Closing his eyes, he concentrated and tried to see if he could hear anything outside the walls of the room. Huffing out a breath, he opened them again. Nothing. This place was solid, unless it was right outside his room, he was hearing nothing.
The door swung open, and the guard walked in. “Figured a shower would be good while Shaelan has you doped up.”
Calum slumped his head down a bit and tried to look dopey. This might be my chance to get the fuck out of here.
The guard stepped closer and held up a rubber covered bar with a clasp at the end. “See this?” He clicked a switch on the handle and sparks arced out of the end. “This is clipped to your collar, so don’t try nothing.”
Or not. Holy fuck, he’d be a vegetable if he zapped this metal around his throat with that thing, if not completely dead. Well, at least he was going to get to stand up and wash off this stink. Maybe he could figure out more if he got to see outside this room. He relaxed his whole body and fought the urge to beat the guard to a pulp with his own lightening rod, as he moved around to do something with the chains.
“Okay, buddy. It’s on your collar so behave like a good kitty.” He laughed at his own quip.
He let him lift his arm while he undid the cuff at his wrist. I’ll show you a good kitty just as soon as you take that thing off my neck.
“Normally there’s two of us to take you to the showers, but Shaelan said you’ll be docile most of the day.” He chuckled. “Don’t know what she gave you, but it makes my job easier.”
He stored that fact for later use. With only one, he may have a shot at this. Shaelan. At least he knew her name, that was more than he’d learned the whole time he’d been here.
Calum wasn’t faking when he stumbled as he tried to get to his feet. Every muscle was numb or so stiff he could barely move. The guard wasn’t overly helpful either, not moving the bar attached to his neck as he stumbled, choking him a few times in the process. I get out of this and I’m going to beat on every single…male, I come across.
“Slowly now. You hit the floor and I’ll have to call for help to get you back up.”
It took a lot of determination to keep his head hung down, so his hair blocked his expression. That guard needed to shut up and not make him do something that was going to get him electrocuted.
Once out into the hall, he walked slowly, staggering a bit here and slight stumble there, so he had more time to look around and see if he could figure out the place.
The walk wasn’t as long as he would have liked. All he got to see was a hallway with a door at the end, and four more closed doors before they reached the shower room.
He had him strip and stand facing him with his arms straight out as he clipped his collar to a locked clasp behind the shower. Flipping the water on, the guard went and stood by the door.
Calum looked at the empty soap holders and glanced at the seat at the end of the waist high stall, no soap or shampoo there.
When he finally accepted this wasn’t a bathe clean deal, only a warm rinse, he turned to put his face into the spray, which was more of an excited trickle than actual pressure. A movement beside him almost jolted him out of his supposed dopey act. He turned his head to find Dale, one of the men he had been coming to find—chained to the shower wall three feet away.
Dale’s eyes widened, so Calum gave a quick shake of his head so he wouldn’t say anything to give away the fact they knew each other. He still didn’t know what was going on in this place, but giving them information about fellow clan members to use against them was never a good idea.
“I’m down here,” the guard bellowed from the door.
Calum turned to see what was going on…stitches, shit. He turned again to get the injured area out of the water. The guard gave them a quick look, then walked out the door and out of sight.
Dale looked over his shoulder at the door, then stepped as close as he could with the length of chain he’d been given. “How the hell did they get you?”
“With two darts.”
Dale looked beaten and worn, bags under his eyes. “Oh, damn. Dart barely punctured my coat and I was out.”
“What is going on with this place?” He glanced back to the door.
Dale shook his head and wiped the water out of his eyes. “If you don’t know yet, I’m sure you’ll find out.”
“Have you seen Marc or Gene?” Calum stepped back out of the water so he could hear if the guard was returning.
“What? They’re here too?”
“I don’t know. I tracked you guys here. Now tell me what the fuck is going on.” He thought he heard laughing in the hall.
“It’s some kind of…breeding farm or…fuck, I don’t know what else to call it.”
Calum almost gagged from jerking around too fast because collar did not turn with his body. “What?”
Dale nodded. “Swear on my momma’s life. They feed you some kind of aphrodisiac herbs and then toss a woman at you while she’s in her heat cycle.” He frowned. “Both I’ve been with smelled like my mate. That’s not possible, right?”
Calum glared at him. “There’s only one. Must be what they’ve given you.” He needed to sit down, or something. Breeding farm? They had men, he’d been hit by them, hunted and drugged by them…why the hell would they need to chain up fellow shifters and use them that way? He glanced at the door again. “They’re cats? The women?”
Dale nodded again. “Not old, fat or ugly either, from what I can tell in a room that’s almost dark.”
“Do they ever let us out of the rooms?” He heard voices coming down the hall.
“No. Only here every few days.” Dale stepped back under the water.
The guard walked in before Calum could say another word. Turning he leaned a hand on the wall and hung his head under the spray. Breeding farm. His brain stuck there. He’d never heard of such a thing. Other than the Tomas family…but they were one-forms and using the shifters as enforcers. What reason could other shifters have to do this? Did that woman, Shaelan, know what went on? Judging by the things she said, he didn’t think so. Could he use that to get out of here? She seemed compassionate. Or she just let him believe she was, to get what she wanted out of him…
“You look like you’re going to slide down to the floor green-eyes, best get you back to your room.” He flipped off the water and handed Calum a towel.
Calum didn’t even care if he was dry, he just went through the motions. Handing the guard back the towel, he took the clean pants and put them on.
“Be back for you in a minute,” he told Dale as he clipped the rod back to Calum’s collar.
A fucking breeding farm. Calum walked where he was guided on numb legs. A fight ring he’d heard of. People holding shifters and then putting them in a ring together to tear each other apart for entertainment, but this? This was…he didn’t know what, his brain was on pause. This was a lot to digest and later he’d still have to process what he was going to do about it.