by Lola Gabriel
Ellery did a quick calculation. They could move in roughly a circle with a six-feet radius. It didn’t take them even close to anything that might be of use. Unless she found a way to use a toilet paper roll as a weapon, it was back to the drawing board.
“There has to be…” Ellery started.
She was cut off by Ava frantically shushing her.
“Someone’s coming,” Ava whispered.
Ellery listened and realized Ava was right. She could hear the large door at the front of the warehouse rolling up. She peered out as the door opened. The bright sun hurt her eyes and she squinted, but she forced herself to keep looking. For what, she wasn’t sure, but she thought any information she could gather might be useful. She didn’t glean much before the large door started to roll back into place. She saw a narrow road, and then another big warehouse opposite. She could see from a quick glance at the other warehouse with its walls and missing windows that screaming for help wasn’t going to do any good. The place was abandoned.
She stopped thinking of escape for a moment as two large, muscle-clad men walked toward the three women. Each of them wore identical mean-spirited grins on their faces, and Ellery knew this was going to mean trouble.
3
Ellery shrank back as the two men approached them. They looked at each other and smirked, and then smiled maliciously at Ellery.
“Fresh meat,” one of them commented.
“No need to be afraid, little one,” the other man said. “As long as you do what we say, we’ll have a fine time together.”
Ellery bit her tongue. Telling these men what she thought of that idea seemed like a bad plan. The kind that might get her beaten up or worse. Ava and Lisa looked a little nervous, but they smiled and greeted the men like old friends. Ellery learned the red-headed man was Clive and the other one was Simon. She wondered absently if Ava and Lisa were just playing along, pretending to be friendly with the men, or if they were so institutionalized that they really believed the men were on their side somehow.
“Let’s start with you, Ava,” Simon said.
“Wait. Before we get started, fresh meat, what’s your name?” Clive demanded.
Ellery looked at him, her chin in the air, refusing to answer him.
“Oh, we’ve got us a rebellious one. I do love breaking their spirits,” Simon said.
He moved closer to Ellery, a fist raised. She still refused to answer him.
“Her name is Ellery,” Lisa blurted out.
Simon lowered his fist and backed away from Ellery.
“You get a free pass this time. Watch and learn how to behave and you might avoid the fist altogether. But keep up with that fucking regal shit and you’ll learn what happens to people who disobey us,” Simon warned Ellery.
Ellery turned her attention to Clive, who had stepped closer to Ava. He had a small slice of ham in his fingers. He waved it in front of Ava’s face and then backed away from her.
“Come and get it,” he smiled.
Ava went to stand up and Clive tutted and shook his head.
“You know that’s not how we do it. Now fetch, little doggy,” he said in a sing-song voice that set Ellery’s nerves on edge.
She could barely stand to watch as Ava crawled on all fours toward Clive. He stood just out of reach of her chains. Ellery saw then that the two women had been right. The length of the chain was nowhere near long enough for them to get to the shelves or the door.
Ava stretched out her hand toward the piece of ham, but Clive shook his head. A little reluctantly, Ava brought her hand back to the ground and stretched out her neck.
“Who’s a good little doggy?” Clive taunted her.
Ava pretended to pant and shook her ass like she was wagging her tail.
“Beg,” Clive commanded.
Ava sat up on her knees, holding her hands out in front of her like a dog’s paws. She panted again, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Ellery had already seen enough and she had a feeling the two men were only just getting started.
“Good girl,” Clive grinned.
He threw the piece of ham onto the ground beside Ava. She snatched it up and pushed it into her mouth, chewing quickly. They had said they got fed, but judging by this, Ellery thought that they were kept pretty hungry, likely only getting enough food on a daily basis to not die of starvation.
Clive turned his attention to Lisa, looking away from Ava in disgust as she shoveled the ham into her mouth.
“On your feet,” he commanded.
Lisa got to her feet with no further prompting. She looked eager to please Clive and her willingness to go along with these goons made Ellery feel sick to her stomach.
“Dance for me,” Clive commanded, showing Lisa a piece of ham similar to that which he had given to Ava.
Instantly, Lisa began swaying and moving her arms around above her head. She even hummed a tune. Clive watched in amusement for a few minutes.
“Not bad. Back on the ground,” he commanded.
Lisa did as he said. He went to throw her the scrap of ham, but Simon stopped him.
“My boot is a little dirty,” he said, pointing to a tiny speck of dust on the toe.
“Oh, well, we can’t have that, can we?” Clive said.
Simon beckoned to Lisa.
“Clean it.”
Lisa reached out and wiped at the boot with the end of one finger.
“With your tongue,” Clive grinned.
It was clear to Ellery that the two goons had already worked out all of this before they came into the warehouse. It sounded scripted, but the lack of spontaneity didn’t seem to hamper their enthusiasm. They were both clearly enjoying themselves here.
Ellery looked away as Lisa leaned forward and began to lick Simon’s boot. The humiliation was too much for her to stand. Her eyes moved around the warehouse, frantically searching for anything she had missed that could aid their escape. She saw nothing. There was nothing there to see.
“Don’t look so sad, Ellery. We haven’t forgotten about you,” Clive said, forcing Ellery to look back in their direction.
Lisa was munching on her slice of ham now and the two men were approaching Ellery. They towered over her, looking down on her. She had already decided she wasn’t going to be their next performing seal. She had too much self-respect for that. Maybe she would be hungry enough to perform one day, but this wasn’t the day for it.
“Stand up,” Clive said.
Ellery went to shake her head but decided against it. She felt at a disadvantage sitting on the ground, and maybe being on a more equal level with these two would make her feel stronger. She got up, staring defiantly at Clive. He smiled at her, a cold smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
He reached out and went to stroke her hair. She took a quick step back, avoiding his touch. Clive sneered and turned to Simon.
“She thinks she’s too good for us,” Clive said.
“Let’s teach her a lesson,” Simon replied.
“I’m going to give her one more chance first,” Clive said. “You hear that?”
He didn’t wait for a response. He reached for Ellery’s hair again, and again, she jumped back out of his reach. Clive shook his head like he wasn’t enjoying this in the slightest. He motioned to Simon, who moved around behind Ellery. Ellery made an angry sound as Simon grabbed her by the upper arms and held her in place. She tried to throw him off, but he was too strong for her. She stopped struggling when she saw Clive’s expression. He was enjoying her fruitless efforts a little bit too much.
He reached out for her again, but this time, he didn’t go for her hair. He grabbed her left breast and kneaded it roughly. He twisted it hard and Ellery cried out in pain. Clive grinned at her. He released her breast and spat in her face. The globule landed on Ellery’s cheek. She could feel the warmth of it as it dribbled slowly toward her jaw. She could smell the sickly sweet smell of it, and it took all of her self-control not to gag.
He watched her for a moment, and then his
hand darted out, slapping her clean cheek. It stung where his palm connected with her and Ellery stumbled to the side. Simon released her as she stumbled and she fell to the hard ground. Before she could push herself back up, Clive pulled his foot back and kicked her in the stomach. The air rushed out of her, replaced by an intense pain that brought tears to Ellery’s eyes.
“Sit up,” Clive commanded.
Ellery pushed herself up, ignoring the pain in her stomach and the smarting heat on her face. She reached up with one hand and wiped the spit from her face.
“Lick my boots clean,” Clive demanded.
“Not a fucking chance,” Ellery said.
Clive leaned down and smacked her face again, a back-handed hit that wasn’t quite a punch, but was more than a slap. Ellery felt her skin splitting open and a thin trickle of warm blood running from her cheekbone.
“How much worse do we have to make it before you will behave?” Simon asked.
Ellery decided it was time to play her ace. The thought had come into her mind while Clive was tormenting her, and somehow, she knew it was true.
“How much worse are you allowed to make it?” she said with a shrug of her shoulders, attempting to appear casual.
“What did you say?” Clive demanded.
“You heard me,” Ellery snapped. “I know why we’re here. And I have a feeling your boss won’t appreciate damaged goods. I mean, sure, you can slap me around a little, make yourself feel powerful, but you can’t do any real damage. Because around here, the only person with any real power is your pack’s alpha.” She paused and looked the men up and down in turn. “And something tells me that’s neither of you.”
Clive and Simon looked shocked for a moment, but they quickly regained their composure. Ellery felt fear in her stomach as they grinned at each other. Clive even snorted out a laugh.
“You can see why Alex has a thing for this one, can’t you?” he said.
Simon nodded and then turned to Ellery.
“Let me tell you something, Ellery. Alex, our pack leader, will be taking his next mate at the end of the month.” Ellery quickly did the math. Five days from now. “He has certainly taken a shine to you, and I think once we tell him how feisty you are, it’ll seal the deal. So you’re right. There’s not a lot we can do to you.”
Ellery grinned, but her joy didn’t last for very long.
“So here’s the deal,” Clive said with another sickly and cold smile. “You do as we say, or we’ll take it out on your friends there. And it’s going to be at least another month before either of them is needed. So believe me when I say we can do a whole lot of damage to them.”
It all clicked into place for Ellery then. Why Ava and Lisa were so obedient. It was about more than a scrap of meat. They had obviously already learned that their disobedience had consequences for other people. Ellery was willing to risk a beating, but she wasn’t willing to risk one of them taking a beating for her defiance, and it seemed the other two women both felt the same way.
“Do you understand?” Clive said.
Ellery nodded wordlessly.
“Good,” Clive said. “Now clean my fucking boots, or tell me which of them is getting punished.”
Ellery didn’t dare hesitate. She dropped to her knees and leaned forward. She licked Clive’s boot. The leather tasted musty and dry. She resisted the urge to retch as hot tears of shame and revulsion poured down her cheeks. Clive stood in place for a few moments and then he stepped back, signaling the boot cleaning was over.
“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he said. “We’ll be back later with your meal. I don’t expect any more of this nonsense, Ellery. Is that clear?”
Ellery nodded. The two men turned on their heels and stormed away. Without looking back once, they lifted the roller door and left, driving it back into place.
“Ellery…” Ava started.
“Don’t,” Ellery sniffed. “Just… just don’t.”
She wasn’t ready to face anyone, not after the humiliation she had suffered through. She lay on her side, her back to the other two women, and drew her knees up to her chest. She closed her eyes, ignoring the silent tears that ran from her face and formed a tiny wet patch on the ground beneath her cheek.
Ellery must have fallen asleep somewhere through her despair, because she jumped awake when she heard the smaller door beside the roller door rattling open. She pushed herself up from the ground, wincing at the pain in her body. The cut on her cheek stung and she could feel dried blood coating the skin beneath it. There was a dull ache in her stomach where she had been kicked, and her hip was hurting again where it had been pressed against the cold, hard ground.
She shrank back when she saw Clive coming into the warehouse. He was carrying something that made Ellery take notice. It was a large tray and on it were three bowls with steam coming out of them. She had expected their meal to be slop, but if the delicious smell wafting through the air was anything to go on, she had been wrong about that.
Clive set the tray down on the ground and turned and left the warehouse without speaking a word to the women. Ellery glanced across at Ava and Lisa. Ava gave her a sympathetic smile which she returned.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I just…” Ellery started.
“It’s okay,” Lisa interrupted her with a smile. “We’ve all been there.”
“So is that why you both go along with their demands? Because if you don’t, they punish someone else?” Ellery asked.
“Yup,” Ava nodded.
Ava got up and moved toward the bowls. For a horrible moment, Ellery thought the chain’s give was going to run out before she reached them but it didn’t. She picked the tray up and smiled as she started back toward the others.
“Soup,” she declared. “And a bread bun each.”
“I take it by that reaction that’s not normal, then?” Ellery said.
“Sometimes we get a nice meal, sometimes we get slop. Alex must be around. We get fed much better when he is. If he knew the things that went on with us when he wasn’t around, I think Clive and Simon would be in a lot of trouble,” Ava said.
“So none of the women who’ve been taken from here tell him how bad it was?” Ellery said.
“I don’t think so,” Ava said. “But I’ve never asked.”
“I think they probably do, but no one cares,” Lisa added.
Ava handed out the food and Ellery began to spoon the soup into her mouth. It really was good, and the bread bun she was given was fresh. The women ate in silence and Ellery got to thinking about their escape again. She still hadn’t come up with a plan yet, but she also wasn’t ready to admit defeat either.
Not long after they had finished their meal, the warehouse door opened again. Ellery looked up, expecting to see Clive or Simon, but instead, their visitor was a woman. She looked at Ava and Lisa, who smiled at the woman. She felt herself relax a little bit. It must be one of the women they had mentioned.
“Ellery, this is Laura,” Ava said. “She left our little prison a couple of weeks ago.”
“Hi,” Laura smiled at Ellery. “I can’t stay long tonight, ladies. I’m supposed to grab the bowls and spoons and not hang around.”
She dug in her pocket as she spoke and held out a chocolate bar to Ava.
“I managed to get you this. You’ll have to share it; it’s all I have.”
“Thank you,” the three women chorused together.
Laura began collecting the dinner bowls.
“Does Alex know how we’re treated down here?” Ellery asked.
Laura glanced at her, wincing when she saw the cut on Ellery’s face. Ellery was sure there would be a bruise there too. Laura shook her head.
“No. He doesn’t want to hear it. I’ve tried to tell him and I know some of the other girls have, but he just cuts us off, saying that was our old life and none of it matters anymore,” Laura said.
“What’s it like? Being Alex’s mate? Are you still a prisoner?” Ellery asked.
&nbs
p; “I suppose technically I am in that I’m not allowed to go out without Alex or one of the guards with me. But I’m not treated like a prisoner. I’m treated like a queen. And Alex isn’t so bad. He’s strict, but as long as we do what he says, he treats us well. And let’s face it, I know you haven’t been here long, but trust me when I tell you it’s better than being down here, being treated like an animal,” Laura said with a smile.
Ellery sighed.
“I’m not so sure I’ll feel that way about it when my time comes,” she said. “I mean, it’ll be nice not getting slapped around or felt up by the guards. But here I’m only treated like I’m an animal. When I get out of here, I’ll actually be one.”
“You mean the wolf thing? I didn’t think I’d like it either, but it’s not so bad. There are worse things to be,” Laura said with a shrug.
“But there are better things to be too. Like free. Laura, do you know where Alex’s guards keep the keys to these chains?” Ellery said.
“No,” Laura said quickly. She picked up the tray that was now loaded with the dirty dishes. “Alex doesn’t talk about anything like that with us. I have to go now. Goodbye, ladies. Hang in there. One of us will come back when we can.”
“Laura, wait,” Ellery said. “Is there any way you can try and get the keys?”
Laura’s face went white and she shook her head quickly.
“No. I’m sorry. It’s too dangerous. The best thing you can do is just embrace your fate and try to look forward to getting out of here and joining the rest of us.”
4
Grey Langdon looked around at his pack and felt his heart sink a little bit. It wasn’t that they didn’t care about the wolf attacks. They did care; he knew they did. It was just that they were a small pack, much smaller than Alex’s pack, and he could see they already felt defeated and like there was nothing any of them could do to stop Alex and his pack of hooligans.
“You guys all know I take these attacks very seriously. It gives every wolf shifter a bad name when Alex’s pack runs rampant and kills humans. And how long do you think it’s going to be before the authorities start questioning the likelihood of this being supernatural? I know generally humans are unwilling to believe in shifters, but it only takes one. And the more this happens, the more likely it’s becoming that someone will start to believe it. Even the most closed-minded human has to face facts eventually when they’re put underneath their noses often enough,” Grey said.