Tested

by Stalder, Janelle

  In one swift move, he wrapped his arm firmly around her waist, hoisting her up against him, and turned, slamming the door shut again. He didn’t give a fuck if he was still stuck in this prison. As long as she was stuck in here with him, he was happy.

  Two quick strides brought them across the room to the small, single bed he’d been provided. He lowered them onto the mattress, instantly covering her body with his. A moan escaped him at the feel of her soft curves beneath him. She was feminine in all the ways he admired. Her hips cradled his perfectly against her like she was made for him.

  Tyler didn’t know why he was so drawn to the small, golden haired lass, but every instinct inside him screamed to claim her as his own. An intangible force drew him to her like no other, and now that she was beneath him, he was never going to let her go.

  He breathed her in, burying his face in her neck. Grazing his teeth along the slim column, a need to mark her arose so strongly it took all his effort not to bite into her flesh. In his lust filled daze, it took him longer to notice how still she had become beneath him.

  Lifting his head, he propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at the little goddess before him. Her skin looked paler, her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. She looked frightened, her hands balled into tiny fists against his stomach. Tyler realized then that it was he who was scaring her. Despite his anger toward the technicians that poked and prodded at him, something inside him instantly recoiled at the idea that she would be scared of him.

  “Lass,” he said softly, leaning forward to nuzzle his cheek against hers. “Look at me.”

  Her eyes slowly pried open and the fear he suspected was confirmed there in the blue orbs staring back at him warily. A fierce protectiveness washed over him. For some reason this brave little creature had come to offer him release. Why? He wasn’t sure. When she had first called his name, he assumed she was simply reading it off the charts most of the technicians kept. It occurred to him now that they didn’t know his name here. Here he was simply a number to everyone. Did they know each other?

  Tyler let his gaze roam over her, trying his best to rack his brain for any memory, but found nothing. As far as he knew he hadn’t seen this woman until the other day when she’d walked into the room to take his blood. He still remembered the way his body reacted the second her scent hit him before he’d even looked up. When he did see her, it had felt like everything in the room stopped. His vision had zeroed in on her, and he’d known she was his.

  Were they lovers? He highly doubted it. There was no way a man would forget a woman like this if he’d known the honor of having her in his bed. His mind raced with all the ways he’d show her pleasure and convince her to not leave. He grew harder just thinking about it, his pants now painfully tight. He could tell the instant she felt his need, her eyes widening and filling with unshed tears.

  Was she scared of a man’s touch? Perhaps she was still a virgin, he thought. “I will not hurt you, lass,” he said, lifting his hips slightly so she would not fear him.

  “I-I k-know,” she stuttered.

  “What is your name?”

  Her pink tongue darted out to swipe at her bottom lip before she replied, effectively distracting him for that second. All he wanted to do was taste her now too, but remained unmoving.

  “Don’t you remember me, Tyler?” The broken, dejected note in her voice had his heart aching. He desperately tried to remember her, but there was nothing there but the same fuzzy, confusing thoughts he’d been having for weeks. It was hard to remember anything before being in this room.

  “Should I?” he asked, instantly cringing at the way her entire body sank at his words.

  A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, running down her face into the sunshine of her hair. He swiped the wet path with the pad of his thumb, revelling in the smoothness of her skin. She was so soft and fragile.

  She took a deep breath. “I’m Missy,” she said.

  The air in his lungs froze as that name sent sharp pangs zinging through his mind. He closed his eyes against the pain, but didn’t fight it. His mind worked to connect that name with – anything. Right as he seemed to be grasping onto something faint – the smell of food and the warmth of a fire – the door to his room slammed open. Four male technicians stood there, one holding one of those damn dart guns they used.

  Tyler flew off the bed, placing his body in front of her. He growled loudly as all the rage that had been consuming him for days wash over him again, no longer repressed by the mere presence of his woman behind him. He could sense her fear, only enraging him more. His hands grabbed onto one of the men, tossing him easily aside, before he heard the unmistakable click of the gun. A shot of pain radiated up his arm, his vision blurring immediately as the drugs raced through his veins. He turned to Missy, reaching a hand out before he felt himself falling and everything went black.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Missy yelped as Tyler’s heavy body fell on her, his dead weight trapping her against the mattress. The men who had just entered, minus the one who was still recovering from literally being tossed by Tyler, hurried over to roll him off her. It was only then that she noticed one was Geoff.

  “What the fuck, Missy?” he said, his face red, eyes bulging. “Why are you in here?” He seemed to get a hold of himself, his eyes roaming over her as he asked in a calmer tone, “are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, her eyes immediately going to Tyler who lay sprawled horizontally across the tiny bed in an extremely uncomfortable position. It couldn’t be good for him to be knocked out again after just the day before. She had a feeling this was something that frequently happened to him, since the men who worked here seemed completely incapable of handling him when he was awake.

  His face seemed softer in sleep. A soft puff of air escaped his slightly parted lips as he breathed deeply. She had a sudden urge to reach out and stroke back the hairs that had fallen forward over his forehead. Had that been a hint of recognition in his eyes before they were interrupted? Perhaps not. Missy wanted nothing more but to believe he would remember her, but she had no idea how much damage had been done to him.

  She could have sworn she saw something happening to him when she mentioned her name. If they’d been given more time would he have eventually remembered? A burst of hope exploded in her chest as she watched him silently. She could bring him back, she decided. If she could do nothing else to help their movement, she could at least do this. Missy would save Tyler and get them both out of here if it killed her.

  Turning her head to stare at the shocked and angry expressions of the men who had barged in, Missy decided that last thought might be closer to reality than she liked. If they were going to get out alive, she was going to have to start using her head better. She should have known someone would come to check for her if she took too long. Of course, she hadn’t counted on him trapping her beneath him like he’d done.

  Missy looked back at Tyler, remembering the way his much larger body had caged her in. At first she’d been terrified. All the memories of being forced to the ground, the feeling of being unable to move as her body was used. The pain and laughter from multiple voices. All of it had washed over her as she’d felt his excitement trapped between them. She could do nothing but brace herself and wait for him to take what he wanted.

  But he hadn’t. Instead he had forced her to look at him and she could see that concern was radiating from his eyes as he’d stared down at her. She’d tried her best to get him to remember her as she’d forced her body to slowly relax beneath his, no longer sensing any danger.

  Could she get over her fears for a man like Tyler? His size alone scared her, but she got a sense that he somehow knew to be gentle with her. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of lover he’d be as she stared at him. Something told her Tyler’s passion would be overwhelming. Her blood heated at just the thought, making her pause. Maybe she was closer to being healed than she thought. She’d never been tested this way by a man s
ince her incident, and wasn’t sure how to react.

  “What were you thinking coming in here? Didn’t they tell you it’s strictly against the rules?”

  Missy snapped out of her thoughts to look at Geoff and the others. A blush crept along her cheeks at the expressions on their faces. It was clear they all thought she was an idiot, and for some reason that really bothered her.

  “I didn’t hear him moving around in here so I got worried,” she lied. “I just wanted to check and make sure he wasn’t seriously injured or sick.”

  “If you have any concerns about a patient, you come and get one of us, understood?” Geoff said slowly, as though he were speaking to a child.

  Missy nodded trying her best to look sheepish while she thought of how she was going to be able to speak with him again. She highly doubted they’d let her do the dinners for this floor again after this.

  “Are you sure he didn’t…hurt you?” he asked, looking her up and down.

  Her blush deepened as she shook her head. “No, nothing happened.”

  “What was he saying to you?” one of the other men asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  “Gibberish,” she replied with a shrug.

  “He’s clearly taken with her,” another one said, turning to the others. “Maybe we could use her to help us with him.”

  Missy stiffened at the suggestion again. He was the second technician to make such a comment and she didn’t like it. Then again, she needed to be able to have some sort of contact with Tyler, and maybe this was the only way she could.

  “What would you need me to do?” she asked, just as Geoff opened his mouth to reply. He looked at her in surprise, clearly expecting her to react the way she had before.

  “I’m thinking he’d be a lot more cooperative if she was in the room when we dealt with him,” the same man answered, still looking at the others and not at her. “It would save us having to tranq him every time and wait for him to come around again.”

  “I’ll run it by the big guys and see what they say,” Geoff said, watching her. “I’m not sure how they’d feel about involving someone so new, especially a woman.”

  Missy bristled instantly. “What does being a woman have to do with it?”

  “Sweetheart, you have no idea what goes on around here. Trust me, it’s not for the faint of heart,” Geoff replied. Missy didn’t appreciate being called “sweetheart” by this man – not that she would say anything. It had occurred to her that she was in a room alone with four men she didn’t know. Well, five, but he wasn’t going to be waking up any time soon. Sweat beaded on her upper lip and lower back. She eyed the door but forced herself to remain looking calm.

  “I’m willing to help if you need it,” she said.

  Geoff didn’t look too happy when he replied, “we’ll see.”

  It was five days later that one of the men from that night approached her again. She’d been working on some filing alongside Heather , who had yelled at her for going into Tyler’s room, when he stopped just behind them. They both turned at the same time.

  “We need you,” was all he said but Missy knew exactly what he meant. Her heart had hammered straightaway. A mixture of fear and excitement that she was finally going to see Tyler again coursed through her. Sure, he had no idea who she was, but that wasn’t going to stop her and didn’t lessen her desire to see him. For the past five nights, or mornings would be more accurate, she’d lain in bed thinking about him. Unfortunately no opportunity had arisen that allowed her to even go to his floor, so she’d just grown increasingly frustrated.

  Following the man down the hall, Missy couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that she’d see him again. It was strange to think that she’d gone from hiding from him when he’d first arrived at her house, to counting down the minutes to when she’d see him again. It was only because she really wanted to help, she reasoned. Her sister and the rest of the group were counting on her. Missy was determined to get him to remember her, no matter what it took.

  When they entered the elevator she expected him to push the button for the fourth floor, but instead he pushed the button for the basement. Unease immediately slithered into her stomach as she pressed closer to the opposite side of the small space. Why were they going down and not up?

  The doors opened and the man walked out, not bothering to look back to see if she followed. Taking a deep breath, Missy finally forced herself to put one foot in front of the other in the direction the man had gone. No one else was around. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as they continued to walk through what had once been an underground parking garage from what she could tell.

  They walked across the damp, gloomy area toward a single door at the other end. Their footsteps echoed off the concrete walls. Missy had to walk twice as fast to keep up with his long strides. He was a lot taller than her and seemed to be in quite a rush. As they drew nearer she started to hear the sounds of men fighting. Grunts and the sound of slapping against mats echoed out into the area where they were.

  He opened the door, the sounds magnifying as Missy stepped inside the room. She stopped, surveying the large, open space that had been set up for what looked like training. Some men were working with weapons – bows, staffs, short blades. She didn’t see any guns, but she figured that would be done in a more sound-proofed area.

  Missy didn’t know too much about the resistance, but she knew enough to know Douglas Hatcher had managed to accumulate a decent sized artillery. Other people looked like they were doing gymnastics as they walked on beams, some flipping on a trampoline or swinging from rings hanging from the ceiling. Another area was simply set up with exercise equipment. Phoenix would die to get into this place, she thought to herself. It wasn’t easy to find the kind of equipment they had. Of course, this building had electricity as well, and their home certainly did not.

  The last area was set up with a large cage where two men faced off in hand-to-hand combat. It was closer to this area that she spotted Tyler, restrained to a chair again. Her heart literally felt like it stopped when she finally found him in the crowd. Part of her wanted to look closer at the people in the other training areas, since she had a good feeling they were all “patients” and therefore enhanced in some way. The other part, the one that won, just wanted to get to Tyler as quickly as possible.

  Missy followed the man in front of her across the large space, ignoring all the curious stares she got from patients and technicians alike. She was halfway to him when she noticed him stiffen and turn his head slowly, all his attempts to break free from the chair forgotten. Their eyes met and held as she closed the distance between them.

  It depressed her to still see no sign of recognition in his eyes. She had really hoped something would have registered with him when they were last together. His eyes reflected nothing but that dark hunger he exuded whenever he looked at her. As upsetting as this was, she still felt her pulse increase and something akin to anticipation curl in her stomach.

  Tyler was, by all accounts, even scarier now than he’d been when she’d first met him. Danger radiated off him like a tangible force. And yet for some reason Missy found herself even more attracted to him. She couldn’t make sense of it, but knew that the way he looked at her now had a lot to do with it.

  They reached him just as two more men joined them. The sound of the men fighting beside them in the caged area made her want to cringe. She forced herself not to look that way, having no stomach for outright violence.

  A man in a white lab coat stepped in front of Tyler, blocking her view of him. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by a loud growl Missy was quickly becoming familiar with.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Everyone froze except Missy. As all heads turned to find the source of that threatening sound, Missy simply took a small step to her right so that Tyler could see her again. How did she know that’s what he needed? She wasn’t sure, but when his eyes found her again, the deep, inhuman growl ceased.

  Their
eyes held again, but Missy could see the man in the lab coat looking between the two of them from the corner of her eye.

  “Interesting,” he muttered. Her attention swung back to him to find that he was looking at her as though she were some sort of strange creature. Ironic, considering the people in the room, she thought. Everyone there, aside from the people who worked at the institute, was essentially a science experiment.

  “I wasn’t sure my men’s observations were correct, but I can see now that they weren’t lying,” he said.

  Missy cocked her head to the side in confusion. “Weren’t lying about what?” she asked.

  “About patient 2140’s reaction to you. He seems to be oddly possessive. I can’t decide if it’s a side-effect or something else.”

  Her palms started to sweat under the intense scrutiny of the man in front of her. Two more had joined them as well, wearing similarly confused expressions.

  “Side-effects of what?” she said, feigning ignorance.

  “Careful, doc,” one of the new men said. “We don’t want the little thing to know too much.”

  Was he referring to her? Missy looked around and decided he had definitely just called her a ‘little thing’. She bit the sides of her cheek against the snide reply hovering on the tip of her tongue.

  “Don’t worry, John,” the doctor said. “She’s going to have to be brought into the loop to some degree, though. I think we’re going to be able to get some good use out of her.”

  That didn’t sound like it boded well for her. Shifting anxiously on her feet, she glanced over to Tyler to see that he still stared at her, almost as though he were completely unaware of anyone else around them. The way he looked at her was as if she were the only important thing in the room. It brought a flush to her cheeks as she forced herself to look away again.

  “Take a walk with me,” the doctor said, motioning with his head. A warning sound from Tyler had everyone looking back at him. “Or perhaps just step over here where he can still see you,” he suggested.