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Tyce (Skin Walkers Book 15) by Susan Bliler (27)


Chapter 29

Briel had been way too excited as Tyce led her out of the kitchen.  That excitement faded though, turning to nervousness when he led her to a door beneath the stairs in the foyer.  She’d always just assumed it was a coat closet, but Tyce peeled back a panel and punched in a code before the door opened, revealing that it wasn’t the normal wooden door it appeared to be from the outside.  It was thick iron, and Briel’s belly bottomed out when Tyce pulled her behind him through the door.

Behind them, the door sealed shut with a heavy clink, and suddenly the air felt thinner.  Her breathing increased, and Tyce turned to look at her as he led her down a narrow corridor that was all plain gray cinderblock walls leading to a set of stairs going down.

“Easy,” he crooned, squeezing her hand reassuringly.  “It’ll be alright.  I’ve got you.”

She couldn’t hold back any longer, and asked, “Wh-where are we going?”

“You’re gonna have to trust me, now more than ever.”

His words brought her feet to a stuttering halt.  “Tyce!  What’s going on?  Where are you taking me?”

Stopping he turned to face her.  “We’ve got interrogation rooms, cells, and some surveillance rooms in the basement of the house.”

“Why are you taking me down there?”

“There’s something I’d like you to see.”

She wanted to protest, but curiosity won out.  Her feet started moving again, and she followed Tyce down a long set of stairs.  She’d expected the temperature to drop the lower they got, but surprisingly it stayed just as warm all the way down to the landing.

Lights flickered on as they walked, and Tyce commented, “Motion sensors.”

Briel wasn’t listening though.  Her stomach was twisted in knots.  Tyce had said cells, and right now Briel was wondering if there was someone she knew that Tyce could be holding prisoner. 

No.  She didn’t really know anyone.

The lights flicked on row by row as they advanced, but when they got to another door, the lights stopped.  Briel peered into the darkness, wondering how far this area extended.

“Come in.”

For all intents and purposes, the room Tyce ushered her into looked like any other conference room.  A long glass-topped table sat in the center of the room surrounded by a dozen black leather chairs.  The room felt industrial chic.  A gunsmoke gray couch sat along one wall while exposed metal beams hung high overhead.  Stainless steel panels covered all the walls except for the far one.  That wall was clear glass windows.

Tyce gestured to the windows, and Briel slowly walked closer until she was looking down over a large room below.  It looked like a massive hangar.  The cinderblock walls were painted a muted gray and the floor matched.  There were no windows, and glancing to one end of the massive space, Briel realized the room wasn’t empty after all.

A man stood against the far wall.  Squinting, Briel’s heart seized when she realized he wasn’t standing against the wall, he was chained to it, manacles around both of his wrists. 

“Tyce?”  She didn’t recognize the man at all, and her mind raced as she tried to place why Tyce was showing her this.  Her eyes drank in every detail, slamming to a halt on the halo around the man’s throat.  He was a Skin Walker.  Skin Walker, Skin Walker?  Why?  Why is Tyce torturing a Skin Walker?

She kept her eyes on the man as she pleaded, “Tyce, if this is about him being one of the ones who came and took me, I don’t want…”

“It’s not that, Angel.”  He stepped up beside her and bent to press his lips to her brow.  “But there you go again, surprising me with your generosity.”

She didn’t look up at his compliment.  She couldn’t.  Her eyes were riveted on the man.

Clad only in jeans, muscles tense, abs flexing with each labored breath, he glared furiously from beneath inky-black bangs.  His frame was hulking and hunched forward as if he were prepared for a battle, dark brows dipping down into a vicious sneer. He looked like a beast.  Wires were strapped to his muscled chest and hooked to monitors that beeped furiously.

Briel’s stomach dropped.  “W-what’s happening?”  She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know.  Her eyes were glued to the man.  “Who is that?  What’s wrong with him?”

Tyce spoke again.  “That’s Marko.  He’s a Walker.  Right now, he’s rabid.  Feral.”

“Feral?” she asked quietly.  A sound drew her attention to the opposite end of the room and as she watched the door opened and Pyper entered.  She was wearing a sterile-looking lab coat and held an e-device in her hands. The Sentry Briel knew as Bronco followed her in, leading a pretty woman into the room.  She wore a soft blue sundress and no shoes.  Her golden hair shone brightly around her shoulders, and soft blue eyes locked on the man chained at the other end of the room.  The woman tried to back up, but Bronco kept his grip firm.  Petal pink lips parted in an ‘O’ as her eyes locked on Marko.

She took a step toward him, but Bronco’s grip on her arm stopped her.

Tyce spoke softly behind her.  “The woman is Thea.”

Briel was no longer looking at the terrified woman though.  Her eyes had gone back to Marko.  His hard gaze was locked on where Bronco’s hand restrained Thea.  Clearly, Marko didn’t like Bronco’s contact with Thea. 

Marko’s breathing increased until his chest was heaving in harsh, animalistic pants.  Suddenly, he lunged forward, but the chains held him secured to the wall.  Across the room, Thea gasped and jerked back. She didn’t get far, because Bronco’s large body blocked her escape.  Bronco released her and dropped to a knee as Pyper handed him something.  Briel hadn’t been paying attention to the doctor, so she hadn’t even noticed the woman pulling a length of chain from its place secured to the wall.  Bronco made fast work of securing the chain around Thea’s ankle.

“W-what’s he doing?”

“So she can’t escape.” Tyce supplied.

“But…”

Bronco turned and headed toward the door, and Pyper followed.  Once they exited, Marko and Thea were alone, each chained to the wall on opposite ends of the hangar.

Minutes ticked by as the two simply stared at each other.  Marko had his chin dipped and his brows speared down, his eyes narrowed on Thea.  She was much more submissive, her bottom lip caught between her teeth and a worried expression marring her pretty features.

Finally, Thea tore her eyes from Marko.  Looking down, she grabbed the chain with trembling hands and tugged hard where it was secured to the wall.  It didn’t give, and she tried again.  Her yanking grew more and more firm with each attempt, and when it was clear she wasn’t going anywhere, Thea slapped the wall and shoved off it, pacing the length of her chain before stopping several feet from the wall to drop her head into her hands with a sob.

The sound was like a trigger, and Marko lunged forward again.

Thea’s head whipped up at the sound of Marko’s chains rattling, and she recoiled back when Marko lunged forward again, this time snapping the chains that held one of his arms.

A horrified gasp exploded from Thea and she stumbled back, falling as her foot caught on the length of chain.  She went down hard, a whimper leaving her lips at her jarring impact with the ground.

Briel pounded on the glass as alarm shot through her when Marko snarled and lunged again, clearly wanting to get at Thea.  “He’s going to hurt her!  Do something!”

Tyce didn’t move from his position right behind her.  She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, his large hand settling on her hip.  “He couldn’t hurt her, even if he wanted to.  He may be a beast right now, but he’s her beast.  He belongs to her fully.”

Briel couldn’t take her eyes off Thea and Marko.

Thea struggled to her feet and limped back to the wall where her chain was secured.  Frantically, she jerked and jerked trying to get loose.  Her fear-filled eyes kept checking on Marko over her shoulder.  Both hands were gripping the only other chain securing him.  Eyes still locked on Thea, he planted his feet, took in a breath that expanded his chest, and yanked hard. 

The chain ripped from of the wall, sending fragments of cinderblock shooting halfway across the room.  He was free.

On the other end of the room, Thea worked harder, but the chain was too secure.  She couldn’t get loose.

“Help her!” Briel yelled.

It was too late though.  Marko was already moving.