CHAPTER 21
P ain pounded Saar’s skull, pulsing at his temple with each beat of his heart. He inhaled through clenched teeth, and the fragrant scent of sweet peas raced into his lungs. The fog in his brain trapped any rational thoughts from forming, so he concentrated on breathing, letting Kaelyn’s unique perfume work into every fiber of his being.
A warm touch, followed by a gentle cool washcloth on his forehead brought him through the gloom.
He opened his eyes.
Blinding light from a bare bulb in the ceiling sent a jab to the back of his eyes, reigniting the pounding in his brain. He tried to sit, but a firm hand on his chest and the rattling of chains stopped him. Metal cuffs bit into his skin.
Confusion, unease, and anger all roiled together in his gut, fighting for dominance.
He lashed out, the tendons in his neck straining from the exertion. “What…”
“Shh…shh… You’re okay.” Kaelyn’s soft words and the warmth of her hands on his bare chest brought him fully alert.
Glancing around, he fought to regain his bearings. He focused on four blank walls, a small table in the corner with an assortment of tools spread across the surface, a broken down chair, and tufts of material sprouting from a hole in the arm. Thick, dark metal clamps bound his wrists and ankles. A heavy chain led to large bolts secured into the concrete floor.
His pulse raced. Captured.
Chunks of wood and grit from the hard wooden floor bit into his bare back. Somewhere along the way, they’d removed his shirt. He glanced down. Thank the goddess, they’d allowed him to keep his pants and shoes.
His attention focused on Kaelyn. He raised his hand as far as the chain would allow. With a gentle caress, he stroked the soft, smooth skin on the inside of her arm. “Kaelyn.”
A brief flicker of relief passed over her face before her features hardened.
His chest squeezed the breath from him. He hated to see her like that.
“You’ll live, for now.” She withdrew her hands, and the cold air replaced her warmth.
Memories of the fight in the forest resurfaced in his mind—the Gossum, the bear, Theron, and Kaelyn. Her mace, as if in slow motion, careened toward his head. She’d taken him down. Heaviness settled over his shoulders.
By all accounts, he should be dead. Why didn’t she kill him when she’d had the chance? Because she’s my mate…
Even in his head, the thought was a growl. Was it possible she hadn’t wanted him dead? By the thin line of her mouth and her tight features, though, she seemed like she could kill him given the opportunity.
“H…,” he cleared his dry throat, “how long have I been here and why am I here?”
“All day. It’s early evening now. You’re here for information.” She stood and turned her back on him, but not before he caught the pained expression in her eyes.
His shoulders ached from the deep scratches, still healing, and his leg tingled, the last of the Gossum’s muscle-freezing venom working through his body. He jerked on the chains, testing their strength. They were solid, but they wouldn’t hold him. If he were at full power, he could free himself in a matter of moments, but he was still too weak from the attack to try. He’d have to bide his time. “For you, I would sell my soul, but for your friends, no.”
She whipped her head around, glaring at him over her shoulder. A flash of anger or, perhaps, desire flitted through her eyes. He wasn’t sure which. She turned to face him and crossed her arms. “You’d be wise to—”
The creak of a door echoed from the next room. Heavy footsteps, complemented by a pair of high heels clicking against the wooden floor, grew louder as the new arrivals approached.
Kaelyn’s brow furrowed, and she gnawed at her bottom lip. “Please, Saar, do as they ask. Don’t—”
The door swung open. A soft breeze filtered into the room. Chokingly sweet, the scent of roses filled the air. Mauree.
Rage, bitter and vile, crept up his throat. She added a whole new level to the word ‘traitor.’
He yanked on the bindings, and the cuff’s sharp edges dug into his skin. The chain pulled taut. A slight creak eased from the bolt, but it didn’t give way. He wasn’t at full strength, not yet.
Mauree stepped into the room, her arrogance swirling around her like a dark cloud.
The bare skin on his chest prickled as if ants had crawled over him.
Theron, the male he’d battled in the woods, followed her into the room. Behind him came two Gossum, and Saar got a look at their bald heads and dark eyes up close and personal.
The need to battle his enemy sparked anew, and he strained against his bonds.
“Hello, Saar. So good to see you again.” Mauree tittered, the high-pitched squeal loud and grating.
Saar curled his lip. “You’re a disgrace to all Stiyaha.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Have you looked in a mirror lately? Your ugly mug hasn’t changed one bit since the last time I saw it.” With a pronounced swagger, she approached him. “Still plagued with guilt over Noeh?”
Her words hit him harder than he cared to admit, and a pang squeezed his heart. He was as much a traitor as she. His marking for loyalty burned on his shoulder. He didn’t need to look to know that it had faded yet again.
Mauree stepped closer until the tip of her glossy red high-heeled shoe touched the side of his chest. “We want the location of the manual entrance. How difficult an interrogation this becomes is up to you.”
The throbbing at his temple flared. There was no way he’d sell his kind for his own hide. He pinched his lips together. “Bite me.”
She rammed the tip of her shoe into his ribs. One snapped. He held his breath as the pain washed over him.
“I figured you’d be difficult. That works for me. I do have more than one pointy end on my shoes.” Mauree raised her foot. The dark steel rod, a nail showing through the worn-out rubber, glinted in the light.
“Stop!” Kaelyn stepped forward, invading Mauree’s personal space. “I said I would interrogate him. After he tricked me into leading him toward the lake house, I deserve my revenge.”
Trick her? That was never the plan. Initially, he’d intended to kill her, and that was so much worse, but as he’d led her from the Keep, talked with her, saw her courage and determination, his goal had changed. To what, he wasn’t certain, but he never tricked her.
Mauree chuckled. “My, my, if I didn’t dislike you so much, I’d find your moxie refreshing. You asked if you could interrogate him, but I never said you’d be allowed to. Remember, you work for me, not the other way around.”
She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Theron, take her and leave us. My two Gossum friends and I will obtain the information we seek or our prisoner will die in the process.”
Saar renewed his struggle against his bindings, drawing on the strength of his beast. He bucked his body against the floor, his muscles straining, yanking the chains again and again.
The bonds held.
Kaelyn lurched toward him, but Theron wrapped his arms around her. She fought as hard as Saar wrestled against his shackles, but like him, she couldn’t break free. In the depths of her moist eyes, determination and remorse glittered. His throat constricted.
Theron hauled her from the room, and Saar burned his last image of her into his mind. He’d need it in order to survive.
Theron’s fingers dug into Kaelyn’s wrist. She struggled against him, but he dragged her from the room and out into the darkening twilight. A blast of spring’s cold air hit her on the cheek. Saar’s battle to free himself and the look of pure reverence when he’d met her gaze had done her in. She couldn’t let them torture him.
“Theron, let me go!”
He crushed her against him, keeping her in place.
She morphed into her bear, the fur growing over her clothing and skin in an instant. Her uncle was unable to contain her, and she broke from his grasp.
“Kaelyn, what are you doing?”
She growled and paced in the grass outside the small cottage. In her bear state, sounds amplified—the whir of a mosquito, the soft flutter of a bat’s wings, and through the cracks in the wooden structure, Saar’s short, labored breaths and tortured groans.
The muscles in her hind legs tensed. She wanted, no, needed to fight, to burn off some of her frustration, but she wasn’t sure who was friend and who was foe, not anymore.
Theron held out his hands and took a tentative step toward her. “Kaelyn, calm yourself. You can’t help him this way.”
Her long claws dug into the soft soil, and she ripped pieces of grass out by the roots. She’d seen Saar’s reaction when she’d said she’d wanted to interrogate him. His brow had furrowed, a flash of surprise crossing his features. His actions were contrary to what Theron claimed—that he’d led her on, toying with her. Perhaps Saar hadn’t freed her just to follow her here.
“Come with me.” Theron headed along the path that led into the forest.
She followed on padded feet, jogging, and then bursting into a full-on sprint. Energy, quick as liquid, slid through her veins, fueling her muscles. She ran past him, letting her frustration burn itself out before returning. As she morphed into her human state, her pants and T-shirt reformed on her body. Placing her hands on her knees, she leaned over to catch her breath.
“You ready to talk?” Theron reclined against the base of a large oak tree. The gnarled branches reminded her of the Gossum, and she longed to scratch her claws through their dark, emotionless eyes.
Rising from her crouch, she nodded.
He pushed away from the tree and ran his hands down her arms. The comforting gesture was a familiar one. “Good. Now, what exactly is going on here?”
“I…I…” She wasn’t sure what to say, what to think. It all sounded so ludicrous.
He placed his finger under her chin and drew her attention to him. “Kaelyn, please. I know something’s wrong. Tell me.”
He was her uncle, and the one male in this world she trusted without question. “I think…he might be…my mate.”
Theron blinked. His eyes flicked back and forth as he studied her then his features hardened. “If you say he’s your mate, I believe you.”
Her breath hitched in her throat. “I’m going to get him out.”
Theron’s warm, assuring smile curled his lip. “Somehow, I thought that’s where you’d end up. I’ll create a diversion. That’s the best I can do.”
“Thank you.” She leaned into him, knowing this might be the last time she ever saw him. Her decision to free Saar put her on a new path. Although she wasn’t sure where her choice would lead, this was one gamble she had to take.
Theron gently squeezed her shoulder. “Where will you go? Do you have a plan?”
She smiled. “I have a plan, but it’s best I don’t share that with you.”
A soft chuckle eased from him. “Good. Smart. May the good graces of the gods be with you.”
“Thanks, but I’d prefer to take my own chances.” Kaelyn had enough of meddling gods to last a lifetime.