Chapter 549 Chapter 549
Griffin paused with the bacon in front of his mouth. Had he ever been this hungry before? He didn’t think so. Four bars, a plate of bacon, six eggs, and several pieces of toast and he was still hungry. It was as if his bear had been starved his entire life. He hesitated, chewing slowly, his bear. He was a bear, no, not him, or was it him? Balling his hand into a fist, he looked at the muscles in his arm. He wasn’t out of shape, exercising was a good way to burn off frustrations and—life, but he’d never had muscles this defined before.
“How are you feeling?”
Licking the grease off his fingers, he shrugged, “not as hungry.”
She smirked, “they’re always hungry.” She motioned to her chest, “the animals.” Clearing her throat, she stood there, it wasn’t anything obvious, but he could sense she was uneasy. “How’s your animal feeling?”
Setting the plate on the floor, he finished chewing the mouthful slowly. He didn’t know how his animal was feeling, he hadn’t been able to ‘get in touch’ with him like she’d told him to try. “I don’t know.” He said it quietly, trying to suss out if he felt anything different inside of him. “There’s anger.” He was more stating it out loud than talking to her. It was anger, a deep-rooted rage he hadn’t ever felt before. He’d never wasted his energy on that emotion. His circumstance of birth wasn’t his fault or anything he couldn’t fix. “Very angry.”
“I get that. If my cat had been suppressed for twenty years, she’d be livid.”
“How do you separate what you feel and she feels?”
He watched her as she looked him over for a few moments. “You don’t really. Your animal is a part of you. Together you’re one unit.”
That wasn’t the revelation he was looking for. “I guess it will take some work.” Picking up the plate, he stood up and moved awkwardly toward the door. “Moving too.” He glanced down at his legs.
She came over and opened the door and held her hand out for the plate. “Yeah, bulking up without notice has got to be a challenge. Stretches,” she shrugged, “might help get you used to your newfound hulkness.” She closed the door. “Listen, I called in when I went outside,” she looked at the plate for a second, then stiffened before she looked at him. “They want me to fry that tracker in you, so if we have to make a run for it, our movement isn’t traced.”
“Fry it how?” Was his voice deeper?
“A good jolt of electricity should do it.” She spun and went into the kitchen.
Griffin watched for her to return. “A jolt of electricity?” She kept walking without comment and went into the other room with the ‘gear’.
When she stepped back out, she was carrying a long rod with a forked end.
“What is that?” His heart accelerated as he watched her examine it.
“An electric prod.”
“It looks like it’s industrial strength.”
She went over and picked up the gun off the table and then turned back to him. “You need to try to control your animal while I do this, so I don’t have to tranquilize you.” She held up the gun.
Griffin looked from the prod to the gun. “You’re going to fry it with that?”
She nodded, “you tried to take it out last night.” She shrugged, “there’s less blood this way.
“More pain, I imagine,” Griffin crossed his arms over his chest and then looked down at them. Muscles made that more difficult to do. “So you’re going to zap it and that will fry it?”
She nodded again.
“Then I can’t be tracked?”
She sent him a hard look. “Don’t get any ideas about taking off.”
He’d dreamt of being free his entire life, but the reality of it was different, “and go where? I don’t know anyone, I have no money, no car…”
“Give me your word that you won’t try anything.” She moved over and stood outside the door. Her green eyes held his own hostage.
He couldn’t have looked away even if he’d wanted to, women didn’t look him in the eye.
“You’ll trust my word?” He uncrossed his arms because he felt ridiculous with how they rested inches from his body.
“You’re a pretty smart guy. Everything you remembered and wrote down,” she jerked her chin toward the table where the notebook sat. “I’m sure you understand that I’m your best bet to stay alive if Tomas comes for you.”
He hadn’t thought of that, not really, but the vibes coming off her were intense and there was something inside of him that trusted she would keep him safe. That was new as well—someone protecting him. Of course, that was saying he survived the jolt he was going to have to get to leave here.
“Okay, you’re stuck with me until your Alliance decides what they’re doing with me.”
The air between them was heavy as she stood there, looking him up and down. “Let’s do this.” She opened the door, “it will probably be easier if you knelt.”
He turned around and dropped to his knees, “oh sure, let’s make it easier for you to zap me.”
“Do you want a warning or just do it?”
He hunched forward as he heard the static sound behind him. “Give me a count down.” He blew out a breath and rested his balled hands on his knees. Gritting his teeth, he inhaled through his nose.
“Three,” his shirt was pulled out of the way, “two.”
Every muscle in his body tensed.
“One.”
All that registered was the deep guttural sound that came from him. It stung like nothing he’d ever felt where she pushed, and the pains were shooting down his body and up into his head. It felt like every nerve in his body was jumping at the same time. The pain was less alarming than not having control over his own limbs as he twitched. He wasn’t sure how long he could stand it and was about to move away when she removed it. He was on his feet fast, grabbing the wand from her and snapped it in two and then stood there frozen, looking down at the mangled item in his hands.
“Take some deep breaths, settle your bear down,” her tone was soft and soothing. He dropped the broken prod to the floor as he focused on her tone more than her words.
“Do you think it worked?” He rubbed the area of his neck. His skin still hurt.
“Let’s hope. You killed the prod.”
Griffin looked down at the pieces by his feet. “Sorry.”
Blaise shrugged, an expression close to amusement on her face, “could have been worse.”
Griffin nodded, not sure he wanted to know how.
“Look, if you want to stick your head outside for a second, go ahead. It might settle your animal down.” She motioned up and down him.
Griffin looked down to see his muscles straining against his shirt and pants fabric. Seeing it caused his heart to speed up again. A strange feeling came over him, if it didn’t scare him, he would have paused to explore it further. “Yeah. Fresh air.” He stepped out of the cage and then paused. Was he actually free from Aiden tracking him?
“Don’t go far, I don’t want to have to find you if you get lost in the storm. I’m going to see if Raymond has some clothes here you can borrow.”
Clothes that weren’t tight would be good. Although most of it was his skin, not the cloth covering it. “I’ll just be outside the door.” A gust of wind hit him as he stepped outside. He relished the fresh air and sucked it into his body. He was free. As long as Aiden never found him, he might have some kind of life. Once he settled his debt to the Shifter Alliance. A debt he’d earned merely from who his father had been. Griffin wasn’t sure what hoops he’d have to jump through to gain their trust, but the first step was that they had the same objective in mind.
Stop Aiden and his associates and free all those being held.
He was free.
Sucking in another breath, he held his hand out in front of him and looked at his arms. He also had a bear inside him. That was going to take a while longer to digest. His entire life he’d pictured what animal his mother may have been. Never once had he thought bear. Rubbing his hand on his chest, he exhaled. “What do you say, bear, we keep it together and not do anything both of us will regret—or get us killed.” He waited like he was going to get a response. The anger was till there, but it felt less intense. He’d take that as an answer. Not once in all the years had he ever thought that they’d have to communicate and control their animal side. Actually, he never paused to think about it much, his main concern had been to stay alive and as far out of sight as he would manage with his father, brother, and their human partners.