“Good morning, little one,” he greets softly, and I glance up from his chest and into his eyes.
The black flares before it smoulders, and a cocky smile curls at his lips, his mouth opening to say something, but the door bangs and has us both jumping to our feet with Mishal standing in front of me. I peek around his broad shoulders to see the door opening and three guards stream in, faces all grim and set in anger. Oh shit, this isn’t going to be good. One stays by the door, keeping it slightly open as he crosses his arms and his eyes lock on me with a sneer. He’s big, huge for a human, and I shrink back before remembering myself.
The two others step into the cell with what look like cattle prods held in their hands. One laughs, slapping it against his other palm as they circle us, one to the left and one to the right. “It seems freak here needs to be reminded of who’s in charge, isn’t that right, boys?” the one to the right taunts, and my eyes swing to him before going back to the man on the left as he inches closer.
“I think so, maybe the bitch too. Seems he hasn’t killed her yet, maybe he likes this toy. I wonder if he’ll let us play with her?” He grins, flashing his teeth at me as he darts forward but scurries back with a laugh as Mishal snaps at him.
Placing my hand on his back, I feel Nyre surging underneath, rippling his skin as he seems to grow. The chains clank as Mishel’s head swivels to keep them in view, but he can’t shift. He can’t protect us both, I know that. He might be stronger and faster than a human, but even for him, he can’t keep his eye on me and take them all down…something has to give.
The man to the right lunges and Mishal turns to him, grunting as the cattle prod hits his chest. He roars, snapping at the man. I hear the movement a second too late and a scream freezes in my throat as my body convulses, my eyes locking on the cattle prod pressed to my shoulder. The man uses it to drag me away, out of Mishal’s reach as my body spasms, not responding to me. Mishal turns toward me, his eyes gold and green mixed with black, his chest heaving with a red mark from the prod. A roar splits his face when he sees us and he jumps at us, but the man behind him sticks him with the prod again, keeping it against his skin as I’m dragged away.
Once I’m out of reach of his chains, the man steps back and lets Mishal recover. My body has finally stopped spasming and tears wet my cheeks, but I feel weak and shaky. I was already weak from not feeding and now I’m regretting that. I try to spin but the prod hits my skin again, making me cry out and Mishal roar.
“Now, now. None of that. I will stop touching her, but you can’t fight back, understand me, dragon?” the man holding me sneers.
Mishal freezes, his eyes going to me, and I try to shake my head, knowing he will do it for me. He nods, spreading his hands wide and keeping his gazes on me as the two men, including the man from the door, step towards him. I try to scream, I try to kill the bastard holding me, but the volts are still working through my system and I’m helpless, trapped inside my spasming body as they advance on him and he makes no move to protect himself…because of me.
Close your eyes, mi cielo, you do not want to see this, Nyre tells me, his voice soft, but I can hear the helplessness and anger underneath and I feel the same way.
We are both trapped, watching as they hurt him. The big man steps up first, punching his stomach. Mishal winces, bending slightly before straightening, his eyes still on me like I’m his strength to endure this, or maybe his reminder. I try to thrash, but only a weak noise escapes my throat.
The big man pummels Mishal, hitting his face, stomach, side, back, and anywhere he can get a hold off. The other man starts pressing him with the prod, again and again until I can actually see the volts racing through his body. Not once does he cry out, not even when he falls to his knees with blood pouring from his face, and his body thrashing from the electrical current.
“Do you like watching? Oh, but you are pretty, maybe we will have our fun with you while he’s passed out,” the man whispers in my ear, laughing as I cringe.
Mishal roars, the sound forced and broken, and his eyes dart to the man behind me, warning him, but it only makes the man laugh again. The current in my body finally stops and I hang limp. Cries leave my throat as Mishal falls to the floor and they kick and punch him. I hear a bone break and scream for him, thrashing as much as my weak body allows in the guard’s grip.
Instead of tazing him with the prod, the man starts beating him with it, and I scream harder, anger racing through me as I fight in the guard’s grip. I manage to turn around and my weight drags us down with me on top of him. He grins up at me, flipping me before I can react, and I freeze. He is stronger than a human…how? Is he like us? That strange glowing from under his shirt catches my attention again, but when he licks my throat I gag and start to fight. The sound of bones being broken and flesh tearing only makes me fight harder.
No, no, no, no, I chant in my head. It even blocks the sound of Nyre’s infuriated roars as the man’s hand traps mine to the floor and he roams my body with his other one, touching, feeling, and pinching. I dart my head forward, head-butting him, and he screams as I hear his nose crunch. Blood gushes down onto me from it, but he keeps his grip on me so I turn to the side and rip out a chunk of his arm with my teeth.
The guard backhands me hard, my head smashing into the concrete and ringing, but I refuse to be beaten again, I refuse to be raped again. I refuse to lie here as they hurt the man I love again and again. No more. I turn to face the guard and he flinches at whatever he sees in my gaze, his hand stilling on my breast. Lunging forward, I knock him back as I tear out his throat, pushing my body through the agony to try and move.
Blood spurts into my mouth, but I quickly turn to the side and spit as much out as I can, ignoring the gurgling of the dying man underneath me. Getting to my wobbly feet, I kick his body and turn to the others to see them still beating Mishal, but all I can make out is a bloody body on the floor that’s no longer moving. I let out all my rage, all my pain, hopelessness, and grief, and scream. I scream long and ragged, and the two men freeze and turn to me, blinking when they spot the guard on the floor.
My scream cuts off and I growl at them, gnashing fangs. “Who’s next?” I yell.
“The fuck?” the big one asks.
“Kill her!” the other one screams, as they both rush at me.
I notice a flash of movement from Mishal and look towards him to see his eyes flicker open—completely golden and green. Nyre. My grumpy dragon.
The big guy hits me like a linebacker, throwing me back into the wall, and I groan at the crash, my bones rattling in my body, but I refuse to go down without fighting. I charge forward, head low, and throw him back and dodge the incoming lashes from the prod, moving as fast as I can, but I can feel myself slowing down. Slowing from the lack of my mate’s blood and the poison I can feel racing through my body.
I’m a fraction too slow, and a prod hits me in the back then a punch hits me square in the face and I go down hard, convulsing on the floor from the volts as bile comes from my mouth, black and red from the blood eating away at my insides.
Dabria! I hear both of them scream my name in my head, but I can’t even blink or think, trapped in the cycle of pain and fire.
Eventually, the volts stop and only then do I realise I have closed my eyes, they slit open to see the big guy’s fist coming straight for my face again. It hits me hard and I black out for a second before I choke on my own blood, my head turning to the side as I spit it out, my stomach refuses to let anything stay down.