Caged (Savage Men 1)

I wait until she sits up in bed, clamping her stomach with her arms.

“Ah … I …” I mutter.

God, it’s so hard. Why does it have to be so hard to speak?

I’m fighting as hard as I can. I won’t give up. Not until she hears me. She deserves to hear these words.

“I’m …”

She turns her head at me in shock as I try to vocalize what I’m thinking.

“I’m s-s-s …” My voice is hoarse, but I persist. If I can do it with Cage, I can do it with Syrena. I trust her. “I’m … s-sorry.”

I clutch my hand near my chest and place the other one on the glass, hoping she understands. I feel terrible for what happened to her.

“It’s m-my … f-fault,” I say slowly, trying to pronounce the words right.

She groans again, clearly in pain, and it only makes me feel worse. I wish I could come close and hug her, but I can’t. I hate being stuck in here.

“I’m … s-sorry,” I repeat, hoping she can hear it.

“Don’t …” she says, her voice squeaky.

I know she must be so pissed at me, and I’ll understand if she never wants to talk to me again. After all, it’s because of me she’s in this state.

“Don’t apologize,” she mutters, catching me completely off guard.

“Wha—”

“You can talk,” she says, her lips still parted as she’s still facing the glass, trying to find me with eyes that can no longer see.

“Selective muteness,” Cage grumbles as he leans up from his bed, rubbing the back of his head. I’m surprised he remembered.

“Wow …” Syrena says, but then she cringes again, touching her stomach.

It’s weird to everyone, I guess, not just me. I don’t know why I’m suddenly capable of talking. But when Cage didn’t stop Graham from taking Syrena away, I was so mad. It just felt as if I couldn’t hold back something huge bottled up inside me for so long. And then my voice burst out of me like lava from a volcano.

However, talking isn’t important right now. What’s important is finding out what happened to Syrena.

“I …” I mutter. “What did they d-do to y-you?” I ask with great trouble. My voice isn’t a hundred percent yet, but I’ll take having one over nothing at all.

She hisses from the pain. “He gave me to another client. Said I was his gift. Only while he was here, though, because Graham didn’t let him take me with him. He’s still waiting until someone pays up for me, but in the meantime, he’ll use me as entertainment for his guests. And this one was extra vicious. Like … ow …”

“He hurt you?” Cage asks, his voice low and gravelly.

“Graham? He … used a Taser on me,” she says.

I grimace at the thought of feeling a current of electricity run through my body.

“But that man …” She shivers. “He was pure evil. I’m lucky to be alive. Lucky Graham didn’t want him to ruin something he could still sell,” she scoffs, making a fist with her hand. “Bastard.”

“I’m s-sorry,” I say again.

I know she doesn’t want to hear it, but I don’t know what else to say.

I can’t make her pain go away. I can’t stop Graham from doing this to her.

I could’ve prevented it from happening if I had only done what he wanted, though, and I didn’t. And that will always be a part of me now.

“It’s not your fault,” she says, coughing then immediately making a face again from the pain.

“I should’ve … done what h-he asked.”

“And then what?” She raises a brow. “Have sex with Cage?”

I almost break out in a sweat, thinking about that very thing.

“No, I’d never ask that from you, and it wouldn’t be fair to ever agree to something like that,” she adds.

“But …”

“No.” She purses her lips. “It’s his fault.”

Cage grimaces as he realizes she’s talking about him.

“N-no,” I say. “He c-can’t … h-help himself.”

“Really?” She folds her arms, but she doesn’t last long from the pain and immediately leans back on her bed.

“He’s a c-caged animal,” I say.

I don’t want him to feel bad, but … that’s what it is.

We’re all caged animals. Except, he’s never known any better. It’s who he is.

And I feel sorry for him.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s his dad. You can’t trust him.”

“He doesn’t k-know any better,” I say.

“If Graham opens his door, he wouldn’t even try to escape,” she scoffs. “He plays on the wrong side, Ella.”

“I don’t play on any side …” Cage barks.

“You don’t k-know that … y-yet.” I swallow.

“Well, I’m not going to wait and find out.” She perches herself against her pillow and lies down again.

She’s right, though.

We can’t wait until Cage finally does something to thwart Graham, but I don’t feel we should write him off. He’s strong. He absorbs information. He loves everything I tell him. I know it’s in him— the need to see more, and the desire for control over his own life.