The buzzer sounded, and I flicked her off. My hand froze in that position when they hit me with the prods. I let myself fall without a fight. I had a plan, and I was going to stick with it no matter how long they tortured me.
This continued for hours or days or weeks for all I knew.
Buzz. Shock. Vomit. Buzz. Shock. Vomit.
Finally, Stella got bored and ordered her men to stop. And that’s when my plan started.
To my delight, a man came in sooner than I’d expected. He carried a bucket and some towels. He set the bucket down and handed me a damp towel. “Here. Use it to clean yourself up.”
I took it and wiped my face. He passed me another, this one was dripping with water, and I ran it through my hair. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because she asked me to. And because I know it sucks to be covered in puke,” he said, handing me another towel.
My plan had just gotten easier. “You know, it’d be really awesome if you could clean it up off the floor.” I scrunched up my face. “It’s very stinky in here.” I wasn’t good at cute, but I was trying.
His eyes darted around the room as he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a card. “Okay, but you have to stay in there. Promise?”
“Of course.”
Before he could move, the door swung open, and Stella came in. “Dammit Frank, I told you not to let her get to you. It only took five minutes for you to fall for her shit.”
I growled at her when she neared the cage. “Don’t get all pissy with me. I tried to do something nice for you and you try to betray me. Well, enjoy the last of it because you won’t be getting any again.” She tossed the rest of the water at me before leaving the room.
I scooted to the back of the cage where it was still somewhat dry and tried to sleep. I’d have to try again tomorrow. But now that she knew, she’d be extra careful with who she sent in.
I don’t know how long I’d been asleep before sensing I wasn’t alone. My eyes flew open to find Liam, Isaac, and Philip standing outside the cage.
“About time you showed up,” I said with a smile as I stood and walked to the cage door. I pressed my face through the bars for a kiss from Liam. He reached through to cup my face in his hands.
“Are you okay?” he asked, examining me for any harm.
“Yeah, just a little weak.”
“What the fuck is going on here, Em?” Isaac asked as he glanced around the room with wide eyes.
“I’m not sure. It’s what she calls the training room. She teaches shifters to perform. There’s a buzzer that signals them to shift. I’m not sure what the reason is behind it though. I refused, so they used high-powered cattle prods to electrocute me as punishment. It went on for a long time.” I glanced down at the blood-stained floor.
Liam’s energy spiked. “Stand back,” he said.
I moved aside and watched him as he pulled out a device and held it to the lock. Within seconds the door popped open, and I was free. “When this is over, you need to tell me what the hell is happening with my chest,” I said, rubbing the spot.
The door that Stella and her men used to come in and out of the room was in pieces on the ground. I glanced at Liam, and he shrugged. “We needed to get in.”
“Let’s find her,” I said, leading the way out of the room.
The long hallway was full of scents. Too many shifters had been through it for me to pinpoint Stella. “Can you pick her out?” I asked the guys.
Isaac inhaled deeply. “A little, but it’s mingled with too many others. And she’s gone in both directions recently.”
“Same,” Liam said.
Before I could even ask him, Philip stripped and shifted faster than I’d thought possible. I couldn’t stop my gasp when I saw his wolf. It wasn’t any bigger than the other shifters, and he had the same dark brown fur as the other Autumn wolves, but his face… It was black and hairless, and his canine teeth were longer and pointier than any I’d ever seen.
Liam smiled at my astonished look. “It’s okay. I’ll explain later.”
Isaac turned his head to Liam. “Is he what I think he is?”
“Perhaps. We will discuss it later,” Liam said again in his Alpha tone.