Page 4

CHAPTER 4

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M y knees crack against the white tile floor as the guard shoves me into another room and slams the door behind me with a loud bang. I hide my wince at the sharp pain radiating up my legs as I struggle to my feet.

Unlike the past two rooms, this one isn’t empty. There are three people in lab coats buzzing around the room. As I stand there awkwardly, they all ignore me as they check on various equipment scattered about. The only sound in the room is the quiet humming of the machines and their shuffling footsteps.

The scientist-looking people complete their assessment, each standing by one of the three machines. The man who is ordering the others around and seems like he’s in charge nods at the two-way mirror on the right side of the room.

A moment later, the door next to the mirror soundlessly opens and a large man steps out. As soon as I see his salt-and-pepper hair, brown eyes that are so dark they’re almost black, and scarred face, anger surges in my chest. He’s the same man who planned to kill my mates and ripped me away from them.

“You,” I growl, the sound hollow without the power my wolf usually injects into it.

He rolls his eyes at me. “Yes, me. Now if you’re quite done with the dramatics, I would like to move this along.” The man strides over to me, his long legs eating up the distance in no time. His hand whips out and snags my bicep before he drags me over to the center of the room. I grit my teeth to keep from yelping at his punishing grip on my already bruised and sore arm.

Jesus.

What is it with all of them manhandling me? Have they ever heard of, I don’t know, asking? Not that I’d listen, but that’s really not the point.

When we reach the center, he pushes me to the ground before backing up a few steps. As soon as he moves away, a sickly brown circle flares to life around me. By the electricity skating over my skin, I’m going to take a wild guess and assume I’m in a mage-containment circle. Mages typically use these to prevent volatile spells from spilling outside their work area, but they work to keep just about anything, including people, inside them.

Awesome.

With my super-strong hybrid magic, I should be able to break out of it, but I’m still getting the hang of calling on it, and I’m pretty drained right now. Even if I can summon my magic, it probably won’t be strong enough to do anything.

“As you see, you are trapped in here. There’s no point in attempting an escape. Should you touch the boundaries of the containment, fifty thousand volts will course through your system. It’s not enough to kill you, probably, but it sure will hurt. Let’s avoid that unpleasantness, shall we?” He waits for my reluctant nod before continuing. “You can call me Ryker. Any questions before we start?”

Just one. How do I get out of here?

I assume that question won’t go over well. Instead, I ask, “So, what do you want me to do?”

Ryker grins at me. His smile is edged with malice, and I shiver from the promised pain in his expression. “Eager to get started, I see. It’s simple, really. You just need to shift.”

I squint my eyes at him, wondering what the trick is. My distrust just makes his smirk grow, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he watches me with his dark, calculating eyes. Since he isn’t giving me any more information, I decide to do as he told me to. Being in my wolf form will also make me stronger, so it seems like a win-win for me.

Closing my eyes, I blow out a breath and try to call my wolf to me. Unlike usual, neither Dido nor my wolf appear in my mind, and I don’t feel myself transforming.

Huh. That’s odd.

I wade through my mind until I find the place where my magic and wolf usually are. While I see a faint blue flame of my magic that’s weaker than usual, my wolf isn’t anywhere to be found. I spin around, but no matter how hard I search, I can’t find her. Feeling panic thrum in my chest at being unable to reach her, I snap my eyes open.

Ryker gives me a smug smile. “Having trouble?”

“What happened to my wolf?” I glare at him as I try to hide how my frame is trembling. I haven’t had my wolf or Dido for very long, but they already feel like a part of me. Without either of them, I really am here alone. The situation feels crushingly hopeless without their help.

“We have a suppression field at this facility to keep any of you from shifting. It’s powered by the same magic that keeps female wolves from shifting. Since you can get past that magic, you should be able to shift here. We want to study what happens when you break through the suppression field so we can make it stronger. Now shift, whelp.” He punctuates his statement with a clap, like I’m actually a dog and not a person.

Well, that’s not good. I don’t want to give them what they need to make their spell stronger. I’m trying to break the curse, not be the reason it continues. Although I desperately want to find my wolf, I refuse to do what he says, choosing to level him with a defiant look instead.

Huffing, Ryker reaches into his shirt and pulls out a brown stone necklace on a black cord. Gripping it in his palm, he stalks over to me. When he hits the edge of the containment circle, I expect him to get zapped like a mosquito in a bug lamp, but Ryker’s unharmed as he gets into my space. I don’t have time to wonder at how he got past the magic before he delivers a hard punch straight to my solar plexus.

I clutch at my abdomen and double over as sharp, stabbing pain steals my breath. A whimper tries to work its way out of my mouth, but I bite my cheek to keep it in as I ride out the agony. As much as the hit to a mass of nerves hurts, it’s nowhere near as bad as what Patrick did to me regularly.

When I can finally straighten, I meet Ryker’s disappointed gaze. His eyebrows are furrowed, like he expected me to dissolve into sobs or beg him not to hit me again. He chose the wrong girl to kidnap if he thinks I’ll break at the first sign of violence.

My lips quirk up slightly at the corners as I enjoy being a thorn in the Knights’ side anyway I can. Ryker’s gaze darkens at my small smile. “As you can see, I have no problem going through the containment area. Each time you fail to shift, the consequences will get progressively more severe. Now, shift.”

I close my eyes like I’m trying to shift as I hunt for my wolf once again. There must be some way to get to my wolf and Dido. While I won’t do it here where they’re watching me, having the ability to shift would certainly help my escape attempt.

While I can reach the flame like last time, there’s still no hint of where my wolf went. I resist the urge to growl in frustration and, instead, shout for Dido again. Dido! Where are you? I could really, really use your help right now.

If that isn’t the understatement of the century. I’m sure the millennia-old queen would know how to get out of this mess, but it looks like I can’t reach her.

Helplessness and frustration try to sweep over and drown me in despair as I wonder how I’m supposed to get out of here without my wolf, Dido, or reliable magic. But I shove it into the steel box in my mind with my other distracting feelings. Panicking won’t accomplish anything.

“Time’s up,” Ryker calls. I open my eyes just in time to see him aim a roundhouse kick at me. His booted foot slams into my ribs with an audible crunch. I can’t stop from gasping at the pain that feels like someone shoved a white-hot fireplace poker in my side, but I don’t double over this time. My breath comes in short pants as I try to breathe through the pain that flares with every inhale.

Ryker looks more pleased than he did last time, so I must not be blanking my face well enough. Taking as deep a breath as I can with fractured ribs, I meticulously wipe all the pain and hopelessness and worry off my expression. I embrace the agony radiating through my side and use it to clear my mind.

“Should I try again?”

Ryker’s face contorts in frustration, but he gives me a sharp nod.

Filled with a renewed sense of determination, I close my eyes and go straight to where my magic and wolf should be. My wolf isn’t there, but my magic is. The ice-blue flame is smaller than usual, but it’s still burning, which is something.

Instead of trying to pick up the flame or call the energy to me, I picture what I need to happen. I envision a cool, light blue breeze floating over my broken ribs, knitting together everything it touches. I imagine the cold, soothing power flowing through my tired and weary body, invigorating me and healing anything that needs it.

While I’m picturing my magic, I feel silky fur reassuringly brush up against me. My eyes pop open, and I look down at myself, expecting to see that I’ve turned into a wolf. Disappointment sparks in my chest when I realize I’m still in my human form. The feeling doesn’t last long as I take a breath without any pain.

A grin tries to break out across my face as I realize I did it. I used my magic consciously for the first time. I shut my smile down because I can’t let the Knights know I have magic. My power staying hidden is probably the only advantage over them I have right now. They have numbers, home field advantage, and better tech and weapons, while I have moody magic that rarely listens. When I put it that way, it doesn’t seem so great, but oh well. It’s more than I had ten minutes ago.

Ryker’s sharp voice jars me out of my thoughts. “Admitting defeat so soon this time?”

Gritting my teeth at his smug face, I shake my head before reluctantly admitting, “I felt my wolf.” While I don’t want to help the Knights, I only have so much magic to heal myself. Having a bunch of injuries is only going to make escaping harder, so I have to play along for now. Hopefully I’m not giving them anything useful.

Ryker’s eyes light up, and he hustles over to the scientist people beep-booping away at their machines. He comes to a stop beside the lanky guy with close cropped tawny hair. “Anything, Clark?”

Clark doesn’t look up from his screen at Ryker’s approach. “We observed a magic spike approximately sixty seconds before subject six hundred and twenty-six reported connecting with its beast.”

Ah, nothing like being referred to as subject six hundred whatever to really hammer home how the Knights don’t see me, or any supernatural, as a person.

My heart also feels heavy knowing there are hundreds of other people here. I kind of hoped Anson, the other people in the hallway, and I were the only ones. There’s no way I can leave all of these people behind when I break out. So, I guess I’ll just have to figure out a way to jailbreak six-hundred-some-odd supernaturals without the Knights noticing.

No biggie.

“What does that mean?” Ryker demands.

Clark pushes up his glasses with one hand and gestures to his screen with the other. “We are uncertain what exactly it means for the wider shifter suppression project until we see it happen more. However, we need time to analyze the data before being equipped to compare this instance to another one.”

“Then stop wasting time yapping and figure it out.”

Clark jumps at Ryker’s bark. “Yes, sir,” he stutters as he rushes to type something into his machine.

Done terrorizing the scientists, Ryker stomps his way back to me. He clutches the brown stone in his hand again before passing through the containment circle. That must be some sort of charm from the mages working with him that allows him to travel freely.

The fact that the Knights are getting help from not just mages but the freaking mage council is a whole other can of worms I don’t really want to deal with right now. I’m sure that’s going to make my escape plan that much more complicated. And when I do get out of here, we have to find some way to deal with the mage council and stop them from supplying the Knights with magic.

His footsteps clomp loudly against the tile as he marches over to me. I fight the urge to flinch when he stops in front of me and raises his hand. Bracing myself for a blow, I lift my chin and look Ryker in the eyes. Instead of hitting me, he gives me the first genuine smile I’ve seen from him. “Good work, cur. You get to go back to your cell early today. Following directions and getting results will get you rewarded. As you’ve seen, the opposite will incur punishments. How are the ribs, by the way?”

He darts his hand out toward my previously injured side, and I flinch away from his touch. The last thing I want is for him to know I can heal myself with magic I’m not supposed to have. Wrapping my arms protectively around my side, I narrow my eyes on him. “Fine. Thanks for asking.”

Ryker barks out a laugh. “You’re not a very good actor, whelp. Your broken ribs will be a good reminder of what happens when you defy me. Now come on, time to go back to your temporary accommodations.” He gestures for me to walk in front of him. As I do, I contemplate what he means by “temporary,” which sounds so ominous in that context. “Not so fast. We can’t have you learning the layout of our facility.”

As I turn to ask him what he means, I feel a hard hit to the back of my head, and everything goes black.