by Jenika Snow
“Come here, Annabelle,” he said low, and she instantly shuffled over to him. He positioned himself in front of her, and closed his eyes for a second to channel his inner animals. “Stay behind me, and when I tell you to go, then you run.” They had been talking about the layout of this place for the last couple of days, and although she had mainly stayed in the prison area, she did tell him that she had seen a few of the guards leave through one door down the opposite corridor. She said they had a key for the heavy looking lock on it, but she had seen stairs ascending, and assumed it was an exit. They were not sure, but at this point they didn’t have an option. They’d die if they didn’t try, so there was no question of what he needed to do. The guards stopped at the cell, but it wasn’t just three of them, but also O. The sadistic bastard had this cocky smile on his face.
“You’re up.” O grinned wider. “I’m glad, because I wanted to see your expression right before they knock you out for the transfer. Just knowing you are aware of what is to come is a pleasure all on its own.”
Annabelle held onto the backs of his arms, and Roake could smell her fear.
“You all are sick bastards, and no way in hell am I going to sit around and go down easily,” Roake growled out, felt his animals rise up violently, and knew that he’d be strong enough to fight them off. At least long enough for Annabelle to escape. He didn’t care about himself, because for once in his selfish life he’d be helping someone else besides himself. He had the shiv in his hand, his fingers wrapped tightly around the handle, and his anger rising with every second.
“You’re feisty today, stronger even,” O said and took a step closer. The stench of his corrupt animal came through like a vile, evil entity. “I look forward to seeing you again soon, Tion.”
Roake bared his teeth, but didn’t respond.
“You are by far the strongest hybrid we’ve had, more beast-like for sure.”
It didn’t matter to Roake, because these savages didn’t make any sense in what they did. There were bad humans in the world, and bad shifters alike. It was just the way the world was, and always had been. It was no secret or mystery that if two shifters had a baby, that child would only take after one of the parents’ animal sides. But on rare occasions those two animals from the maternal and paternal sides melded, became one, and that was passed down to their child. Roake was an example of that, and so was Annabelle.
And then there were these fuckers, shifters that needed to be the ones in cages because they were twisted and deranged, and so damn backwards that they should be put down like rabid creatures. O shifted and tried to look at Annabelle, but Roake growled out low, his lion and tiger making themselves known.
“I have many plans for you, female,” O said and grinned.
“You don’t fucking look at her, and sure as hell don’t talk to her.” Roake spoke low, deadly, and with so much malice he felt the chill from it run down his spine.
O tsked and then grinned. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think she is your mate for how protective you are of her.”
Roake didn’t bother telling him that Annabelle wasn’t his mate, but that he looked at her as if she were his family. They were in this together, and she was so fucking innocent. She had no one in this fucking cage aside from him, and he’d protect her like no other.
“Besides, I’ve already seen every part of her, Tion, and soon you will, too.”
Before Roake could respond, O turned to the three panthers beside him. “Sedate them heavily. We need them out until we cross state lines and get to the new facility.” He looked at Roake and grinned. “I’ll see you two very soon, Tion.” And then he turned and left.
One of the panthers unlocked the cell and then pushed the gate open. The other two shifters stepped inside. One of them inhaled deeply and made this low sound in his throat. “There is something very different about you, Tion, something that almost reminds me of how you were when we first brought you here.”
Roake had fought tooth and nail with them when they had gotten him a year ago, even killed several of the men that had touched him. But over time they’d weakened him, injected him with sedatives so he couldn’t fight, and then beaten him so he was weak. A year was a long fucking time, and he was ready for it to end, one way or another. The two guards came forward, chains and needles now in their hands, but Roake was ready. When the first one tried to make a grab for Annabelle’s leg, Roake felt his nails grow into claws, and his animals snarl in distaste. He was protective of her as an animal was of a young in the wild. It was a strange feeling for him, because up until he was taken and had met Annabelle he hadn’t cared about anything else.
He’d have to be quick, smart, and logical, because the next several minutes were of utmost importance. The next sequence of events happened so fast it was like a blur. He had been planning this for a while, and he was ready to put these fuckers down. He swiped out with the shiv, and with that fast, but calculating move, he sliced the panther right in the jugular. Blood sprayed on the stained stone wall, but Roake didn’t wait around and bask in the pleasure of seeing his enemy die. The other two panthers rushed forward, but the cell was small, and he had plotted this out to know his every move. Adrenaline pumped through his body. Roake hauled Annabelle up, and lunged for the other panther while keeping her behind him. The third panther was behind the second because the cell wouldn’t allow for them to charge at him at the same time. The male knew it was coming and jumped back, but that had him crashing into the guard behind him and stumbling slightly. He went to reach for the gun he wore, but what he should have done was shift, because not even that man-made weapon was going to stop Roake right now. He was faster, more determined, and had the energy of his felines growing more fiercely inside of him.
Roake used his claws this time, reaching out and dragging them along the panther’s face. He watched as the male’s eyes started to darken, and knew if he didn’t end this now then the guard would shift into his panther, and be a hell of a lot stronger than Roake. As it was he may be feeling his animals giving him strength inside of him, but it wasn’t nearly as much as it could be if Roake had been in perfect health. He kept Annabelle behind him, roared out, and sliced this panther’s neck clean open, too. Warm blood sprayed along Roake’s face and chest, and he tossed the now lifeless panther body aside. He faced off with the last panther, and bared his teeth. The panther was on the verge of shifting, and the bastard’s animal snarled and hissed at him. Roake charged forward until they were both out of the cell now.
“I prefer a little fight before I incapacitate you.” The panther bared his teeth, and his canines punched out.
Roake remembered all of the times he had been beaten and tortured by this particular shifter. He felt adrenaline move through him harder and faster.
“So come on, Tion.”
Roake’s claws were fully out and ready, his canines pricked his bottom lip, and the tingling of his beasts wanting to come out moved under his skin. He charged forward at the same time the other male did, and they clashed together. The panther was stronger right now, but Roake was not going to give in that easily.
“Run, Annabelle,” Roake yelled out, and just when the panther tried to move away and get to her, Roake took the shiv and shanked him right in the gut. The other male howled out in pain and backhanded Roake. He grunted in pain, but that was nothing compared to what he had endured here. He stabbed the asshole again and again, and saw Annabelle run toward the side door, but right before she opened it and left she looked back. No, she had to leave, because her staying here and trying to help, which he could tell she wanted to do, was only going to get her hurt.
“Go. Fucking go, Annabelle,” he yelled out, and grunted again as the guard tried to gain supremacy once more. Roake stabbed him repeatedly, and when the shiv was knocked out of his hand he used his claws. He tore the fuck out of the other animal’s face. Roake pushed him back, and the panther fell backward, but immediately got onto his feet. In a matter of seconds he shifted, an
d then the black fur covered piece of shit stood in front of him on all fours. Roake wanted to shift so fucking badly, but he was too weak, and the fighting was draining the little bit of strength he did have. The panther charged forward, and Roake wrapped his arms around the muscular body and took the animal down. They grappled for what seemed like forever, and then the sound of a gun going off filled the small room. His ears rang, and the heavy weight of the animal slumped on top of him. The scent of blood and death filled his nose, and he pushed the now lifeless body off of him. He stood, glanced down at the panther, and then lifted his gaze to Annabelle. She held the gun from one of the guards in her now shaking hands. Her eyes were wide, and she stared at where the shifter was bleeding out on the floor.
“Shh, it’s okay.” He held his hand out. “Give me the gun.” They needed to get out of here, because there would be others in the Purebred Brotherhood that would be here any moment to finish what these fuckers failed to do. Her hand shook even harder, but he made sure to keep his focus on her face. She was about to become unhinged. Her pupils kept dilating and contracting, and he knew it would be only a matter of minutes before she couldn’t focus and really lost it. “Come on, Annabelle. Give me the gun.” He stared at her face, saw the big tears track down her cheeks, and wanted to kill all three of these assholes all over again. She finally handed him the gun, and he exhaled. “Let’s go, sweetheart.” He grabbed the gun from the other guard lying on the floor, put one in the tattered waistband of his jeans, and held onto the one she had given him. He took her hand, and they ran up the small set of stairs. Right before he opened the door he waited to make sure he didn’t hear anything.
“This way,” she said softly, and led the way down the grey stone corridor. They stopped once when the sound of loud, heavy footsteps seemed to come through the walls. “That door is where I’ve seen them leave and enter, although I could never get close enough to see what was behind it.”
“Stay here.” He moved away from the wall, kept the gun trained at eyelevel, and moved closer to the door. Someone shouted, and the scent of a panther filled Roake’s nose. He turned, stared at the panther shifter in the eye, and then pulled the trigger without thinking. The male fell to the floor, but instead of Roake leaving with Annabelle he moved closer to the open doorway across from their potential escape. The room he stared at was the same one they tested him in repeatedly. The rust colored splatters on the table and floor spoke of the violence and death that had happened in that room.
“Fuck.” He growled out low, and turned and moved swiftly to Annabelle, grabbed her hand again, and made his way toward the door. He fired off shots until the lock broke off, and once he opened it he saw that a set of stairs ascended in front of him. His blood pumped a little harder through his veins. He went first, because although he was praying to whoever the hell would listen that the door led to an exit, he had no idea what would be waiting for them on the other side. The sound of an alarm blaring had them both stopping and covering their ears on instinct. He didn’t know what that alarm meant, but it couldn’t be good. By now the bodies of the guards had to have been found. He took her hand again, raced up the stairs, and told himself that what was out there had to be a hell of a lot better than what they would be facing in here. There were several more locks, and after moving her behind him, pointing the gun at the largest one, he fired off a shot. The corridor was long, narrow, and when the gun went off his ears rang. Sparks flew momentarily, and then the sound of the heavy metal hitting the floor superseded everything else. He faced the door again and fired the gun off at the other two locks. The ringing in his ears intensified, but he used all of his strength, what little he had anyway, and pushed the thick, industrial sized double cellar type doors open.
The sun and the fresh air were the first things that slammed into Roake, but he didn’t bask in the glory that he was finally free. He grabbed Annabelle’s hand again, tore out of the underground facility, and ran as fast and as hard as he could. She had a hard time keeping up because she kept tripping, but he pulled her forward. They were in a forest, and his senses picked up on the smells of a stream close by, of the animals scurrying away from him, and of isolation. There were no aromas of anything aside from wildlife, but that didn’t stop him from running as far and as fucking fast as his feet could carry him. And then this massive rumbling started under his feet, shaking the whole fucking ground, and he faltered slightly. He picked up his pace, forced Annabelle to run harder, and grew angry that she cried even more. He was a bastard for thinking the latter, but right now his animals were taking control, and his instincts were telling him that all they should be focusing on surviving and getting as far away from that fucking place as they could.
“I can’t run anymore.” She breathed out heavily.
He didn’t respond, just turned and scooped her in his arms, and pumped his legs faster. The earth shook once more, but this time a great explosion right behind them followed it. The force of the blast was like a set of giant hands pressing heavily on his back, pushing on him until his feet were no longer on the ground. The scream that Annabelle made was the last thing he heard before she was out of his arms and he was flying through the air.
Chapter Three
Emma stepped out of the grocery store, the shopping cart in front of her having a fucked up wheel, and making a squealing nose every time she turned a corner. It never failed that she always got the shitty carts. She walked across the street to her pickup truck, and right when she stopped and went to fish out her keys, this booming sound shook her. She gasped and glanced up at the mountains. The massive flame nearly touched the sky, and she took a step back. It was right in front of her, and although she was miles away, she swore she felt the ground vibrate beneath her.
“Oh my God,” someone said behind her.
Cars stopped right in the middle of the road, and people actually got out just to look at the fire.
“Call the fire department.”
“Ohmygod, call 911!” someone else screamed out.
The town of Sweet Water pretty much congregated out of their shops and cars, and stared at what could only be an explosion of some kind. The flames were bright red, and the dark black smoke was starting to cover the sky. She needed to call Jason and make sure he was okay, but as soon as that thought crossed her mind her phone vibrated. She grabbed her phone and saw it was Jason.
“Are you okay?” she asked Jason, her attention back on the fire. There was a massive crowd gathered in the street now, and the voices were raised high, frantic, and filled with fear and worry.
“Shit, I’m good, are you?” The anxiousness in Jason’s voice was evident.
“I’m okay. I’m just leaving Smith’s with the groceries when whatever the hell happened in the woods shook the whole damn ground.”
“No shit. It’s close to the farm, Emma. I put the animals in the barn because the smoke is already thick in the fucking air.”
She could hear the sound of sirens in the distance, and everyone in the street moved away as the noise became louder.
“Just get home, Emma,” Jason said.
Her brother might be younger, but he could be a demanding little brother at times.
“It’s only going to get crazier with people loitering around to watch the spectacle, and then the roads will be blocked of.” He sounded out of breath, and she could tell he was outside, most likely getting things situated.
“Yeah, I’m coming home now.” She got off the phone, stared at the sky darkening from the smoke, and put the groceries in the back of the truck. Once she was in the driver’s seat she maneuvered her way out of the parking lot, but it took far longer than normal because people had to move out of the way. When she finally made her way toward the farm, she increased her speed. Jason was right. It would soon get crazy in Sweet Water with everyone coming out to see what the hell was going on. She turned onto the side road that led up the mountain. It was about a half hour drive to her home, but she couldn’t go as fast as she wou
ld have liked because the road was uneven and not paved, narrow, with trees lining either side of her perilously close. The higher she went up the mountain, the darker the air became, almost thickening in a suffocating way. She rolled up the window, gagging on the smoke as it clogged her throat, and maneuvered the truck through the twisting and winding road.
Her family’s farm was on ten acres. They were in the mountains, away from the actual town, and totally isolated, but it was a big clearing that had been in her father’s family for several generations. She took one more turn, and the road evened out, but after a few minutes more of driving she saw something lying in the center of the road. Emma leaned forward, squinted, and slowed down. Was it a fallen log? It certainly hadn’t been on the road when she drove down, but then again the explosion and fire were far closer to the farm. There was probably debris all over the place. Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she glanced to the side and felt her eyes widen. A young woman came stumbling out of the woods, her face bloody, dirty, and her eyes vacant as she stared off in front of her.
Emma slammed on her brakes, and the truck skidded to a stop. The woman tripped and fell against the front of the truck. Emma was out of the truck and beside the girl in the next second. The scent of smoke filled her nose, but underneath all of that she scented the girl’s dual animal aromas. Emma started coughing the longer she stayed outside.