by Kit Tunstall
At first, she assumed he was using the wrong word, though his English had appeared flawless until this point. “Unbroken… Do you mean undefeated?”
The señor chuckled. “That too. So far, he has won all the fights, but I also mean unbroken. His spirit remains intact, and he’s still rebellious. Part of the pleasure of this endeavor comes from breaking them. It’s quite satisfying to watch them perform acts that go against their human nature, but the bears can’t refuse.”
“You’re going to make him fight until he’s defeated?” She was trying to grasp the man’s intent. She couldn’t seem to though, because she didn’t think the same evil, vile way he did.
“Perhaps, though it might not take being beaten by a foe to break Rampage. I suspect he’ll break internally long before he loses a fight.” He sounded satisfied by the idea.
Elgin leaned closer, putting his arm around her shoulder in a disturbing fashion as he brought his lips far too close to her ear, whispering in an intimate way words that he could have spoken just as easily from a distance. “He’s still strong and stubborn. We keep having to give him ever-increasing amounts of the aggression stimulator to get him to fight. I’m curious to see how much he can take, and Señor Calderon wants to break him. Therefore, he fights in every fight.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to hide her horrified reaction from the two, knowing giving away any hint of weakness was a bad idea with men like that. “I see,” she said as emotionlessly as possible. Instead of looking at either one of them, she forced her attention to focus on Hale. It was easy to watch him to start with, until he began to fight with the other bear. It was a vicious exchange, with both animals growling and grunting, and the occasional sounds of pain interspersing their exchange.
After less than a minute, she couldn’t stand to watch anymore, so she slammed her eyes shut. She couldn’t leave before the fight ended, since she was Calderon’s honored guest, but she didn’t have to watch it.
Unfortunately, closing her eyes did nothing to block the sound of the fight, accompanied by shouts of approval from the crowd. It was intense, and bile burned up her esophagus as she struggled not to vomit. She had to remain stoic so she could help the two shifters after the fight, and she was determined to find a way off the island and help them be rescued before the next fight. At least there were four days before the next fight, so maybe she had a chance to stop this before the bears had to do it again.
Finally, it was over, and she opened her eyes. Rampage was already being led from the arena, the two guards behind him prodding him with cattle prods while one before him led him with a catchpole. He was still struggling, but they seemed to have the process down pat, clearly having done it so much.
The other bear remained unmoving on the floor, and she couldn’t hide her dismayed reaction when two handlers came forward with a cart that they wedged under the bear and slid him onto before pushing him out of the arena. He must be seriously injured.
No longer caring about offending either one of the psychopaths in the box with her, she got to her feet. “I need to see to the fighters.” She hurried away, a little surprised when neither one tried to stop her.
She was completely unsurprised when Guillermo fell into line, shadowing her as she made her way to the enclosure. Like last time, two of the cages were out in the open, close to the entrances for the ring. The handlers were in the process of pushing Hale’s cage back using the pulley system, but the other cage door was open. The bear wasn’t in sight, and she walked over to one of the men standing near it. “Where’s the other fighter?”
He looked at Guillermo, who must have nodded or given some nonverbal sign of permission, before jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “Back there.”
She followed the direction he had pointed, which led her around the back of the enclosure. She stumbled to a halt when she saw the makings of a bonfire piled in an open area free of vegetation. Men were busy loading wood onto the pile, and she looked over to the side when she saw the bear on the ground. She moved toward him, and no one challenged her.
Even before she reached him, she was certain what she would find. The gaping wound in his throat, along with the deep gash in his chest, had clearly led to him bleeding out. Still, she kneeled down to make sure there were no signs of life, and she found none. She looked at the bonfire they were building and back at the bear before standing up to face Guillermo. “Are they planning to burn him?”
He nodded. “That’s what they do with them when they die.” He seemed unconcerned by it.
“But what about his family? They’ll never know what happened to him, and they have no input on his final arrangements. This isn’t right.”
Guillermo rolled his eyes. “I just do what I’m paid to do, señorita. I suggest you do the same if you want to enjoy a long life.”
She remained long enough to witness for herself that they loaded the bear onto the funeral pyre, requiring six men to lift the heavy body. She was a bit surprised he hadn’t changed back to his human form, but she supposed it made sense that he would stay in whatever form he’d been in when he died. The shifter gene wouldn’t magically survive the process of death and trigger a mutation back to one form or the other.
She didn’t stay around for them to light the fire, not needing to see that. Instead, she turned back to the enclosure where they kept the fighters and strode forward, determined to go to Hale. He’d likely need treatment for wounds, and she was afraid there would be one wound she couldn’t heal. He probably knew what had happened, and she was certain he would take it hard. Who wouldn’t? Señor Calderon might have finally succeeded in breaking the bear.
***
Hale was in a similar state to how she had left him, though the blood was fresh, and the wounds were somewhat different. She barked at a nearby attendant to let her in the cage, and either she was intimidating, or Guillermo provided tacit permission, because the man scrambled to comply. As soon as the lock was off and the door was open, she stepped inside, turning to Guillermo as they started to close the door behind her. “I’ll need that first-aid kit, or a medical kit, if you have one.”
She didn’t wait to see if he replied to her command, in no mood to deal with any resistance. As angry and sad as she felt, she thought she might be able to steamroll the whole complex at the moment.
His chest was torn up, and there were deep gashes along his sides, and what appeared to be a bite near his shoulder, but it was his eyes that showed where the true damage lay. He must be scarred at a soul-deep level by now. The brown orbs were full of agony and anguish, and she was certain not all the pain was from his physical injuries. Did he know? If not, should she tell him his opponent had died?
Guillermo returned with the same first-aid kit from before, and she bit back a small sigh, deciding it was better than nothing. She opened it and quickly tended to Hale’s wounds, though she could do nothing about the most serious injury, which was in his psyche.
“Okay, come out of there. The handlers want to put him away for the night.”
She stiffened at Guillermo’s words, turning her head to look at him. “I’m not leaving my patient.”
He was glaring at her. “Then you’ll be locked in overnight with the shifter.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “So be it.”
With a sound of exasperation, he gestured toward the handlers to finish their task.
She was silent until they had secured Hale’s cage along with the others, and a pang shot through her at the sight of the empty cage that had been occupied earlier in the day. They were down to four shifters now, and she wondered how they acquired more. Perhaps Hale would know the answer, if he became alert enough to talk.
A few minutes later, he surprised her by opening his eyes. He wasn’t completely aware, but he was more conscious than she had expected. “How do you feel?”
“I killed him.” It was a statement, not a question.
She nodded, deciding there was no point in lying to him when he a
lready seemed certain of what had happened. It wouldn’t do him any good, or help him heal faster, if he already knew the truth. She reached out and put a hand on his thigh, which happened to be the closest part to her hand. “You know it’s not your fault, right? Stone pumps you full of aggression stimulators, and you have no choice.”
He made a sound that was ambiguous, but his tortured expression didn’t change. “He was one of my own kind, and we had become friendly during our moments of shared alertness. Felix didn’t deserve that.”
“Neither did you, Hale.” She patted his thigh, ashamed of herself to find she was getting aroused just by touching him in an innocuous fashion while trying to provide comfort.
“She’s right,” said a slurred voice from the cage behind them.
She looked up at the shifter, realizing he was barely hanging on to consciousness. She nodded. “He’s right.”
“I know what I did, Alex,” said Hale, though he didn’t turn his head in the other man’s direction. “I let them push me to the point of losing all control, and now Felix’s paid the price for it.”
“You didn’t let them do anything. They’ve been experimenting on you from the day you fell into their clutches, and there’s no way you could have held out against the aggression stimulator.”
He shook his head at her words, either unable or unwilling to argue with them. He seemed so morose, and she leaned forward to push strands of the dark hair off of his forehead. Maya glanced at the shifter he’d called Alex again, finding the man had already returned to unconsciousness. “Are you friendly with Alex too?”
Hale nodded. “We grew up together on Bear Island. We were out for a night on the town when a group of men surrounded us. That normally wouldn’t have been too much of a concern, because shifters are stronger than humans even in human form, and we could have transformed into our bear form, if needed. Before we could do so, or decide how to respond to the threat, Stone had shot us both with the tranquilizers, and we woke up here.”
“How long ago was that?”
With a shrug, Hale said, “I’m not sure. Definitely weeks, and probably months. It’s hard to keep track of time when you’re drugged so much.”
She nibbled on her lower lip as her brain worked overtime. “You’re a lot more alert tonight. Did they forget to sedate you when they forced you to transform back?”
He shrugged again. “I don’t think so. I’ve had more periods of control and being able to stay awake, or semi-alert, for longer stretches.”
She smiled at him. “You must be getting immune to the dose they’re giving you.” She frowned a second later. “You can’t let them know that, or they’ll increase the dose.”
He nodded. “Figured that out already.” His voice was growing more slurred, and his stretch of coherence seem to be fading.
Since she was stuck there for the night, she curled up on a section of the hard cement floor of the cage, trying to make herself into a ball to conserve body heat. It was cold in the enclosure, though she was uncertain if the bear-shifters felt it the same way she did. Their metabolism probably burned hotter, so maybe they didn’t feel the same chill that she did.
Experimentally, she scooted a bit closer to Hale, wanting to see if his skin was warm or cool. When she placed her hand against his back, she found he was hotter than she’d expected. She hoped that wasn’t a sign of an infection. Giving into temptation, she scooted closer still, until she could feel the body heat radiating from him. It helped take some of the chill from the air, and though it was an uncomfortable slab of concrete, she actually managed to fall asleep.
***
She woke sometime in the middle of the night, at first uncertain where she was or what had awakened her. It didn’t take long for memory to return, allowing her to identify that she was in the cage with Hale, trapped inside the bear enclosure for the night. The why she had awakened took a moment longer to identify, but Hale cried out at that moment, thrashing, and it was clear he was having a nightmare.
She got onto her knees, wincing at the cold, hard surface as she did so. Maya leaned over him carefully, gently shaking the shoulder that wasn’t injured “Hale, wake up. It’s just a nightmare. You’re safe.” At least for the moment. She couldn’t offer him any guarantees beyond that, especially since Señor Calderon had identified him as too rebellious and stubborn and was determined to break him.
After another moment, his flailing ceased, and his eyes opened. He was more alert than he had been earlier. She could see his gaze was sharper and more focused, though he still suffered from the effects of the drugs they used to control him as evidenced by his slightly slurred words when he spoke. “My mate.”
She shook her head. “What?”
“I knew you were my mate the moment I smelled you.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion. She could hear what he was saying, and while she understood the words, she was still having trouble grasping the concept. “You smelled me, and that told you I was your mate?”
“Yes.” He didn’t expound or bother to explain, and perhaps he didn’t have the words to do so in his current state. Maybe he didn’t even understand the process himself, if it was a real thing.
“What does it mean to be a mate?”
“We mate, we have cubs, and I protect you.”
“Sounds a bit primitive.” It certainly did, but she couldn’t deny the idea of being his mate sent a warm flush through her, making her feel giddy at the possibility. She quickly shut down that reaction, reminding herself sternly that he was drugged and in no state to know what he was saying, or to even make sense. It was far more likely he was having some kind of drug-induced hallucination, and she’d be a fool to put any stock in that.
She could still long fiercely for it to be true. It was far too soon to consider being Hale’s mate, since she barely knew him, but she was strongly attracted to him, and she could dream he would feel the same if he was released from the drugged state and allowed to become himself again. Until then, it was best to ignore such ramblings.
That proved more difficult than she’d expected when he spoke again. “Not worthy.”
She glared at him. “How do you know I’m not worthy of you? You don’t even know me.”
His gaze locked with hers. “I am not worthy,” he enunciated carefully. “Don’t deserve happiness. Not after what I’ve done.”
“You had no choice in the matter,” she reminded him again, with a touch of exasperation. “You can’t take on all the burdens of the world. It’s not like you chose this.”
He didn’t respond, his expression making it difficult to tell if he was falling back to sleep or simply brooding. She let out a small sigh and lay down beside him again. “Do your people mate for life?”
“Yes.” The word rumbled through his chest, where she carefully rested her head to avoid aggravating the wounds there.
“How does that work? Is it like a human marriage?”
“Yes, but more permanent. It’s rare when a pair of bears split up. I’ve heard of it happening, but I’ve never actually met anyone who divorced their fated mate.”
She let out a wistful sigh. “It must be nice to know you’re marrying for life when you choose to do so with a bear-shifter.”
“We don’t have a formal marriage ceremony like humans, at least not in traditional cultures. Most of the time these days, couples have both so that they have a legal union. Our system is a bit more primitive,” he said, turning her word back on her.
“How so?” She was starting to sound breathless, and it was a direct result of his proximity, and how much he made her heart race. If they weren’t in a public place, one that was probably monitored by cameras when guards weren’t present, she might have been tempted to do more than just cuddle with him. He was in no shape for that anyway though.
“I bite you, and it infuses you with my pheromones, marking you as mine and warding off other male shifters. I have to bite you periodically to keep my scent on you.”
She
shuddered slightly. “That sounds painful.”
“I’ve heard it makes sex even more pleasurable. I don’t know for sure, never having had a mate. Until you.”
“That’s the sweetest thing anybody half-drugged out of their mind has ever said to me, Hale.” She patted his hip, where her hand rested. “I doubt you’ll remember any of this conversation in the morning, but if you do, you’re probably going to be embarrassed. Don’t be. I realize it’s the drugs coursing through you that put you in this state. I’m not taking anything too seriously.”
He reached for her hand, showing surprising strength in the face of his wounds and drugged state. He wrapped his hand around hers, clinging tightly. “I’m not delusional. You’re my mate.” The earnestness in his voice faded, and he let out an anguished cry. “I can’t claim you. You deserve someone who’s strong and whole, who wasn’t manipulated into killing his friends.”
She felt a surge of impatience, but tried to shove it aside. Keeping her voice soothing and soft, she said, “You’re more than worthy. You’re an honorable man, and I can see how Felix’s death is tearing you up inside. I’m not your mate, but if I were lucky enough to be the girl who was, I’d be proud to claim you as mine. You’ve done nothing of which you should be ashamed. Your friend’s passing was a tragedy, but the blame lies with Calderon and Stone, not you.”
He made a scoffing sound. “It wasn’t Calderon’s teeth that tore through my friend’s windpipe, and it wasn’t Stone who kept pummeling him and clawing at him even after he’d fallen. The tiniest part of me was aware of what was happening, but I could do nothing to stop it. I kept attacking him even after he was dead. I can’t explain it now, but I couldn’t stop then.”
“I can explain it easily enough. It was the aggression stimulators they give you.”
His lips were set in a straight line, and he radiated stubbornness. “I know what happened, I have only myself to blame. I’m done talking about this now.”
With a small sigh of concern, she nodded. “Tell me about Bear Island. You said you grew up there? Are there other bear-shifters there?”