Prisoners of Scythia Shifter Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  As soon as he began to slide inside me, my body gave in to the pleasure. He laughed a little, “You are very easy to please.”

  I clutched myself to him as soon as my body began to relax. My voice was raspy as I pleaded, “More.”

  “I’m just getting started.”

  Chapter 6

  Loss and Gain

  For the first time that I could remember, I woke feeling happy. Stretching, I smiled and rolled over, expecting to encounter the warm body that had been so close every other morning. Nothing. I stretched out a hand, thinking perhaps he had moved a distance away for some reason I couldn’t fathom.

  When I didn’t feel him, I sat up. “Bryce?” I asked into the emptiness.

  There was no response. Frowning, I thought maybe he was playing a trick on me. “This isn’t funny. Where are you?”

  Still no response.

  “Look, if you aren’t going to respond to me, I’m going to remove this.” My hand touched the blindfold. “So if you don’t want me to hurt my eyes, you had better stop me.” I was surprised to find that it was much harder to remove the handkerchief than I had anticipated. Struggling with both hands, I finally managed to undo the knot. “See? I’m not kidding. If you don’t say something now, I’m going to remove this and finally get a good look at you.”

  Silence met my threat.

  “Fine,” I let the handkerchief fall, a smile firmly in place as I imagined what he would look like. Expecting him to be beaming at me from somewhere across the cell, I began to talk as I blinked against the dim lights, “You should have taken me seriously.”

  As soon as my eyes adjusted, I was surprised to see just bars and a stone wall in front of me. Turning around, I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to the darker parts of the cell. It was a lot smaller than I had thought, and I felt a bit claustrophobic. Putting that feeling aside, I scanned for the man who had taken care of me since the moment we had met.

  “Bryce?” Now that I could see him, he had disappeared. “Bryce, this isn’t funny.”

  A sound from behind me caused me to turn around a little too fast. I had not used my legs much, and the quick motion caused me to lurch to the side. Stretching out my arm, I hit the stone wall. Placing a hand on my forehead, I felt dizzy. Letting myself sink to the ground, it began to dawn on me that I could very well be alone now.

  It had been a very long time since the idea of being alone had inspired fear. Now the thought seemed absolutely terrifying. “Bryce, please, where are you?”

  Something nudged my hand. Shocked, I pulled away, my back hitting the wall. It was then that I noticed I was fully clothed. Bryce had made sure to put my clothes on before disappearing. It was a bit of a relief as one of the guards finding me in a state of undress would have invited attention I definitely did not want.

  My mind was registering this as my eyes met a pair of golden eyes a few feet from me. At first, my mind completely rejected the sight.

  In front of me was a wolf, his golden eyes the only thing that didn’t look capable of killing me. The creature sat down and looked at me, and I half imagined it was waiting for me to say something. Blinking a few times, I tilted my head to the side. My people hated wolves, dogs, and any creatures of their kind, a hatred that I no longer shared. I had once been saved by a wolf, and many of the places I had been included some friendly canines that had been the closest thing I had to a friend since leaving home.

  The creature stared into my eyes, waiting for something.

  My eyes moved around the cell. This had to be some kind of sick joke. Given how much he knew about Shingites, I had no doubt Bryce understood that there was a loathing between my people and this kind of animal.

  Or maybe it had been the guards. Maybe they had taken him in the night and left this creature here to…

  I shook my head. I had been entirely vulnerable as I slept, so if they had left the beast behind to kill me, it was obvious that plan had failed.

  “Unbelievable,” I muttered into the empty space. “Even in prison, men find a way to escape a woman.” My attention turned to the wolf who sat silently watching me. “I guess it’s you and me now.”

  Stretching out a hand to let the animal sniff me, I was startled when it put its muzzle under my hand. It was almost like a gesture of understanding. Tilting my head to the side, I smiled, “This might be a better arrangement. No more listening to someone bad-mouthing my species or pointing out my faults.” No one to hold you at night or to let you know that it was going to be okay. The thoughts were unbidden and unwelcome. Ignoring them, I began to pet the wolf, inching closer to it when it did not seem to mind. “And I promise not to belittle your kind either. Deal?” I asked. The wolf stared at me, then tilted its head.

  I moved closer until I was almost right up against the wolf. Still it did not move. My eyes went down and I quickly identified the creature’s gender. Looking back up at the wolf’s face, I said, “If I could, I would ask your name. But even if you understood me, I wouldn’t understand you. If you don’t mind, I’m going to call you Bryce.” The wolf titled its head in the other direction, a gesture that I interpreted as I pleased. “In fact I’m going to call you Better Bryce.”

  The wolf lowered his head and gave me a look that if he had been human would have been perfect with a set of glasses on his nose. That was the look of someone with something to say but no words to say it. It was a look that said everything that needed to be said.

  I laughed, “Don’t give me that look. I’m not good at making up names and I can’t name you after any of my people. That would dishonor their memories and you. They hate wolves and dogs, and you deserve a name that isn’t associated with hatred of yourself. So Bryce will have to do. If I think of anything better, I will use that. But please bear with me because I...” My voice trailed off. I what? What could I possibly tell a wolf about myself when I had no idea how I felt? I sighed, “I don’t even know what to think anymore.” I scooted so that I was sitting right next to the wolf. Not caring what the wolf would do to me, I put my arms around him and buried my face in his fur. “I don’t know anything anymore.”

  The wolf didn’t move as I began to cry.

  How long had it been since the day I had met Bryce? A week, or two at most. Yet somehow I had come to completely rely on him. Now he was gone without a word. I had no idea if he had managed to escape, leaving me behind. Or if the guards had come for him. There was no explanation for the wolf either.

  I had learned of my country’s fall and lost the only person who had showed me any compassion. Things just kept getting worse. If the wolf turned on me, I had no intention of fighting him. It would end a life that no longer had meaning.

  When I ran out of tears, I began to look around the cell. Maybe there was a note or some indication of what had happened. It was something I should have thought of earlier, just another symptom of how far I had fallen that I let emotions take me before fully exploring everything.

  My eyes definitely hurt as I looked around, but the light was dim. I had no idea what kind of damage Bryce had expected. Hopefully enough time had passed that there was no danger.

  After searching every part of the cell, I sat down on the cobbles. “Nothing. He didn’t leave me anything.” The wolf padded over and sat next to me. Without thinking, my hand reached out and I began to stroke him. “Well, at least that removes one problem.”

  Again the wolf titled his head, almost as if to ask me what I meant. At least that was what I imagined it to mean.

  “There was no chance that I could outsmart a humanoid. I saw that more than enough with my own eyes. He wasn’t wrong about that, at least—people simply cannot compete with the other species. It’s like a fox trying to take you on. The fox will be shredded and it won’t even register exertion on your part. I don’t know if he looked at me as his—well, that is no longer in question. Clearly he did not see me as his, whatever the laws of Scythia say about our relationship. ” The wolf lay down, his eyes still watching me. “Human g
uards are entirely different. With them, I can expect a lot greater chance of success. If you can wait a little while, I can formulate a plan to get us out of here. After that, you are free to go your own way. I suppose you are welcome to stay with me if you are homeless like me.” I patted his head, “Not that you can tell me. I won’t be offended if you run off on your own. It’s not like you asked to be here any more than I did.”

  I stood up and began to pace around the cell. “The question is what to do with myself after I’m out of here.” Those golden eyes watched my movements, but I didn’t feel threatened under the intense gaze. Instead, I stopped moving and placed my hands on my hips. “Don’t give me that look. I’m not like you. I can’t just go running off into a forest and find a new pack. My species is even crueler than yours, which is why we are both locked up. And living in the forest living off of berries and foliage doesn’t exactly appeal to me.”

  The wolf startled me by giving a low growl.

  After regaining my composure, I frowned at him, “Well, excuse me for not finding solitude the most suitable option. I may have worked alone, but I was always surrounded by my own kind. Look at me now,” I gestured around me. “Trapped in this place for how long with only one person to talk to. Now I’m having a conversation with you.” I waved my hand at the wolf. “It suggests that I’m already losing it.”

  Moving to a wall, I slid down and brought my knees to my chest. The wolf again padded over to me and placed his head on my knees. I smiled and patted his head. “At least you don’t seem to judge me too harshly.” I scratched behind his ears, and he leaned into my hand, his tongue hanging out a little. “Thanks,” I murmured before lying down on the cold stones to go back to sleep.

  Chapter 7

  Taking Care of Basics

  When I woke, my brain was already in full swing. I had a purpose, and I had a rough estimate of the odds. Humans I could outmaneuver, especially guards.

  The real question was how to protect the wolf. I couldn’t call the guard’s attention to the missing Bryce, not without putting the wolf in danger. I had fully dismissed the idea that Bryce had been hauled away, not after all of his bravado. No, he had done exactly what he had said—he had escaped, leaving me to my own devices.

  “So much for wanting to protect me,” I muttered, rising from the floor. Realizing there was no reason to speak in a foreign tongue, I switched to my native tongue. If anyone heard me talking, there was no chance they would have any idea of what I was saying.

  My eyes went to the ceiling where there was an opening. It might have been big enough for Better Bryce to squeeze through, but my body was not going to fit in that small gap. And the wolf wouldn’t be able to reach the ceiling. “That’s where the food comes down. But I’m going to have to keep you from eating it. I wish I could just tell you not to touch the stuff that comes out of the ceiling, no matter how good it smells to you.” The wolf blinked at me. “But I’m just going to have to make sure to get rid of it when it arrives.”

  I began to nip at my thumbnail, the sound of it against my teeth helping me to start focusing my mind. “We will need to find food to eat if what they send down is poisoned, though. It wouldn’t do much good to avoid eating poison only to die of starvation. Oh, that might work.” Remembering that I had not finished eating the day before, I looked around for whatever was left. I wasn’t sure where we had slept, or if the food was still whole. We hadn’t exactly stayed in one place over the course of the night. I didn’t even know what the food looked like. When I started to scan the floor, the wolf stood and came toward me. Mostly to convince myself I was on the right track, I looked at Better Bryce. “I didn’t finish eating last night.” I mimed eating food, as if a wolf could understand human miming. “There must be some around here somewhere.”

  The wolf made a little sound and moved over to a small smooshed pattern on the floor. When I got close, I could see that it wasn’t part of the stone as I had thought. “You are incredibly smart, aren’t you?” I smiled and patted Better Bryce on the head. I tried to peel some of it up. Managing to get a little under my nails, I held it up to the wolf’s nose. “Can you sniff this out? There has to be more here, but I have no idea where he kept it.”

  I was not willing to contemplate the idea that Bryce would leave me without food, even if he were willing to leave me to fend for myself in a prison. Nothing about the way he treated me suggested that he would save me from starving in his presence only to leave me to starve after he abandoned me. That just didn’t seem right. It was a human thing to do, something that he would avoid doing. Of course, nothing he had done suggested he would abandon me either. Not that I blamed him. He had comforted me, and perhaps he felt he had nothing else to offer me. After seeing the scar, he had to know that I wouldn’t get pregnant from the encounter, so perhaps he felt there was no harm done.

  “He only showed that kind of interest in me after I showed him that I couldn’t get pregnant. Maybe that was his way of saying goodbye. Even he had to know that I had come to …” I shook my head, unwilling to let my mind go down that route. “He left, so he is no longer my concern. If he cared what I thought of him or was interested in what happens to me, he would have taken me with him. Or at least left some kind of message. That would have been the easiest thing to do, since getting me out with him probably would have made things more difficult.” I kept coming to his defense every time I tried to fault him for something. “His plan didn’t involve getting out with me. But I’m not going to wait to be saved either. Not leaving any kind of missive was as much of a message as he could possibly leave to let me know what I need to do.” My hand stretched out and patted the wolf. I looked down into those golden eyes. As soon as the wolf was certain he had my attention, he turned and trotted over to a small area, where he stared intently. I moved over and put my hands around a stone. It came out easily without making a noise.

  “Impressive. Not sure how he managed to set all of this up, especially since there was no guarantee what cell he would be in. Still,” I reached my hand in and found a much larger hole with plenty of food in it. Grabbing what was on top, I pulled it out. It was a different color than what had been on the floor, but it tasted just as delicious. I broke a bit off and held it out to Better Bryce. “I hope you don’t mind eating out of my hand. I’m not about to make you eat from this disgusting floor.”

  Better Bryce’s eyes watched me as he licked a little food from my hand. He didn’t eat much.

  “Go ahead.” I moved my hand, “There is plenty more, and now is the time to get our strength up.”

  Better Bryce sat down a little distance from me, clearly uninterested in the food. Unwilling to let it go to waste, I finished the food. It was easily the best thing I had eaten, so there was no chance I was going to throw any of it out of the cell.

  Reaching back in and moving my hand to the other side, I found several flasks. Pulling out a couple, I sniffed the contents until I found one with water. My eyes moved around the cell, looking for something to pour it in. There was a small container on the other side of the room, but I wasn’t sure if that had held the poisoned food. “I’m sorry, Better Bryce, but I think you are going to have to drink out of my hand for now.” Those golden eyes looked at me, and I held up my hands, “I know it isn’t the best solution, but I have no idea what in this cell has been used for poisoned food. That doesn’t leave me with much choice. I promise to come up with something, but for now I can let you use me.”

  I moved over to him, not sure how he actually felt about any of it. After all, I was making up our interactions based on my own feelings (or what Bryce would have said—I quickly dismissed that unwelcome thought). I placed my hand near Better Bryce’s nose and offered a drink. His eyes didn’t leave mine as he leaned forward a little and drank. Again, he didn’t ingest much. When he was done, he sat back and watched me.

  Wiping my hand on my dress, I apologized. “I’m sorry. The next time it will be more comfortable.” I smiled at him. “Now to
think of how to get out of here without exposing your presence. And to keep an eye out for the food so that you don’t eat it. I suppose it really isn’t that much, huh? It’s a fairly light work load compared to some of the missions I’ve had. Still, one is going to be some work, and the other is going to be vital to keeping you alive. At least I know that I have a purpose at least for a little longer.” I smiled at the wolf as his eyes never seemed to leave mine. It was surprising to once again realize that I did not feel threatened by the way his eyes followed me around the small area. “Ah, you are right. I also need to find you something safe for drinking and food. That’s probably the most important and the trickiest. Should know what kind of plates or trays they use after a meal or two, so we can rule them out of whatever we have available. I know what that bucket is for, and it isn’t food.” I frowned and tilted my head to the side. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to use the bucket for going to the bathroom. I have no idea how often they clean it, but I suppose if you go near the bars, they aren’t likely to say anything. We just need to keep you out of sight whenever they make their rounds. There are a lot of variables here.” I began to nip at my nail again. “It’s going to be a challenge, but I will make sure to get you out of here safely. You don’t eat me, and I will get us both out of here. Doesn’t seem like the worst deal we could strike.”

  I knew that I was talking to myself, that nothing I said would make sense to my companion, but it made me feel better to have someone to talk to. The wolf was intelligent anyway. That was obvious from our limited interactions, and it made me feel like my attempts to communicate weren’t completely useless. Even if he didn’t understand everything, at least Better Bryce was able to understand when I was asking him to do something. He’s quick to pick up on what I want to do. Maybe he’s worked with people before me. Then what happened to those people?

  The thought rolled around my head as I pulled out all of the items that could potentially work as dishes for Better Bryce. A noise attracted my attention. Looking up, I saw Better Bryce sniffing one of the containers, his eyes still looking at me. He then moved a paw and knocked the small container away.