“Yeah, it’s me,” the gruffness and the familiarity washed over him. Thank fuck Sheriff was there. The only problem, Sheriff sounded a bit defeated, sorrowful at the thought of them being there. Where ever there was.
Brenton finally looked up and began to shake. His grip tightened on the bars. Fury swept over him. Despair followed.
He was in a cage. He was looking at several others, all of them holding people. The one next to him hurt the most. He made a sound, nearly falling to the ground at the pain that lanced through his heart.
Riley was crumpled on the concrete, nude like he was. Even her piercings were out. She was pale, shivering from the chill in the room but asleep.
“You’re all here,” Sheriff told him softly. “They got all of you. You’re the first one to wake up.”
Brenton looked around and located all his pride members. They were in a warehouse.They were in a row together. Zachary was on the other side of Riley. Andrew, Gabe then Troy were on his left side. Sheriff was right in front of him and around Sheriff were five more very awake shifters, all watching him in silence.
“Fuck,” Brenton continued to look around the room, his palms sweaty. He felt his pulse in his forehead, telling him a headache was on its way.
He rubbed his face with his hands and looked at Sheriff. The bear’s eyes were full of pity and despair.
“I was taken from my house. Wife was still out of town, thank God.” Sheriff shook his head, looking down to the concrete. “Elites, they call themselves. Real big game hunters.”
Brenton leaned on the back of his cage, rubbing his face again. Finally, he just stared at Riley in her cage.
“Why were we captured and not killed?” Brenton looked back up to Sheriff, but the bear wasn’t the one who answered.
“So they can sell us to the highest bidder,” a voice rang out. Brenton looked towards it, a male on Sheriff’s right. Brenton sniffed the air. He recognized a few scents in the air for their species. Feline, but only his pride. Bear, Sheriff. Wolves, three of them, and then two foxes. Predators, all of them. The strongest and best game a hunter of any type could possibly want. The foxes, maybe not, but they were really elusive, compared to other shifters.
“To kill us,” Brenton snarled. “Finish it, they sell us to the highest bidder who will then hunt us like caged animals. Because we pissed them off by escaping them once.”
“You, yes,” a fox growled. “All the males. But… you had a female with you when you were captured.”
Brenton snapped his head to the two foxes on Sheriff’s left.
“Excuse me?” He nearly couldn’t speak in fury, his voice almost inhuman.
“Brenton,” Sheriff used a soothing tone, but nothing could make his words okay. “They collar and sell females off as… they are going to try and turn her into a pet. They apparently do it to all the girls, regardless of species.”
He slammed into the front of his cage, grabbing and shaking the bars. No! They fucking can’t! They can’t do that to her, he wanted to scream it all but all that came out was a roar, totally lion in sound as he tried to break the cage.
It snapped his pride awake. He didn’t pay attention as they forced themselves up and took in where they were.
A pet… He continued to try and force his cage open but every second it didn’t give, he felt his hope wash away.
His name was being called, husky and lovely. It tried to calm the beast in him, and he snarled, shaking the cage as he dropped to his knees, letting them crack onto the concrete.
“Brenton,” her voice caressed him. And he may never hear it again.
“Riley, let him rage for a moment.” Sheriff’s voice was still soothing. Sheriff was trying to be a father, even in captivity.
He listened to the wolves and foxes tell his pride what they’d told him. He heard Riley’s whimper when the collar was mentioned.
“No. No. No no no no…” she stumbled into the back of her cage and Brenton’s chest tightened at her pain. Her warm eyes were full of panic and unshed tears.
“Baby, we won’t… we won’t let them do that to you,” Zachary tried to calm her, but Brenton knew a panic attack when he saw one. He had to help her. He had to get off his knees and go to her.
He couldn’t. He just stared at her as those tears fell and she kept whispering no.
“I’ve never seen a reaction like that to it. I mean, it’s better than dying,” one of the wolves sounded a bit disgusted.
That was all Brenton needed to hear.
“You don’t get to talk about her, fucking dog,” Brenton snarled. His entire pride was posturing, furious.
“Don’t call me a dog, you fucking ass. It’s the truth,” the wolf snapped back. He was another Alpha like Brenton and a strong one. “We’ll all be hunted and fucking slaughtered. She’s going to get two square meal a day and-”
“Raped.” One of the foxes hissed. “I would rather die quickly than be tortured for the rest of my fucking life. Kept on a fucking leash and used as a goddamn toy.”
Brenton turned back to Riley and saw she was pale, eyes misty. Her hands covered her mouth like she was hoping to hold back the sounds she was making.
She was terrified, and there was nothing any of them could do. They stood and looked at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity.
“Well, look who’s awake! We’ve been waiting for all of you to arise and meet your fate!” A few humans walked in holding cattle prods. They were armed and ready. The leader who spoke was grinning like he was seeing old friends. “Now, I know this is all very new, but there’s really no reason for all the noise.” He pointed the cattle prod he had at Brenton, who stepped back to stay out of reach. Fuck, those things were just as bad as goddamn shock collars.
“You felines pissed off a lot of people,” one of the other hunters laughed. “You got a bit too high and mighty for our tastes. The entire SHS was calling for you to be caught or put down after you failed to just fucking die for a Colorado Chapter. Eight dead because of you assholes. Eight good fucking humans who were doing good work for our world to rid it of the animal infestation we have in our society.”
“You can stop, Jack,” the leader chuckled. “I think they figured out exactly why they are here. Like all shifters, in the end, you will look best as pelts on the wall.”
“Now, I’m only in here right now because I have some work to do. So… all of you be quiet while I do it.” He was pleasant and nodded to them all. He moved the six feet to Riley’s cage. She stood up to meet him, glaring. He could feel the hatred pouring off her, it was so strong, he was a little afraid. “Darling, what’s your shifter form?”
None of the shifters said anything. They might all be assholes but none of them would give up her form if the hunters didn’t already know it. It could possibly save her.
“I don’t have one,” Riley told him, keeping her voice toneless.
It was strategy number one. Convince them you are human. They might let you walk out, thinking you just know shifters but aren’t one.
“Liar,” the leader grinned and walked around her cage. When he got within cattle prod range, she jumped away only to be hit by another of the guys. She hit the concrete after a short scream. She only fell to her knees though, so Brenton didn’t worry about head trauma. Yet.
“I’ve been tortured before,” she hissed. “You’ll have to do better.”
Fuck, her mouth. Brenton felt the headache began to pound. She needed to not antagonize them.
“That’s fine. I was hoping a quick shock would just give me an answer, but I need you healthy, so no real torture,” the leader sounded amused. “Get her. Our guest wants to see her. He’s thinking of purchasing her, regardless of her form. He’s quite taken with her human body, so it works.”
Brenton roared, shouldering his cage door. The entire pride was trying to get out, but the cages wouldn’t budge. Sheriff shifted and tried to knock down his cage but not even a bear could make it happen.
Her c
age was opened, and she tried to kick the guy who walked in. Brenton was desperate. He had to get out, he had to help her. A shock left her helpless to the four men to grab her limbs. She began to struggle again once she recovered. The leader was just watching as if he was amused by her fight, her fire.
Not again…
She couldn’t be taken from them again.
This couldn’t be happening.
Once they were gone with her, her screams still echoing, Brenton collapsed.
RILEY
She kicked and screamed as they carried her. A few of them were laughing, holding her hard enough to bruise. Upstairs and still, she screamed. She couldn’t stop fighting.
She was thrown onto a bed, her arms and legs held out. She felt the cuffs go on and screamed louder, less angry and more scared.
She swung her head around as they tried to put a blindfold on her.
They put a muzzle on her, with a built-in leather and metal gag. She could no longer scream. No one would hear her now.
Then, they left her alone.
So very alone.
She tried to pull out of the restraints, the blindfold getting cold from its dampness. She didn’t notice her tears as she pulled.
Nothing budged.
She grew weaker as she struggled. She couldn’t shift forms in this position, it would severely injure her.
“She’s right in here, waiting for you,” said the leader’s voice. He sounded like he was pointing someone to a business meeting. “You get one hour.”
He was a sadistic fuck.
“Thank you,” the door opened. It was a man. Oh God. It was a fucking man.
The door closed, and footsteps came toward her.
She caught the scent, and it hit her, blasting through her terror for a moment.
Shifter. Male. Lion. Not fucking Brenton.
Not again. Never again. She couldn’t fight back this time. She couldn’t die like this. She screamed internally, willing anyone to hear her.
“Calm down, Riley,” a smooth voice chuckled. “We’re just going to have a little fun.”
No.
She shook her head, but she felt the hands. She tried to imagine Brenton or Zachary. They had tied her down before. They had blindfolded her. But they never muzzled her. They never took away her voice. They never…
Please don’t.
Maybe she could make it through this if she thought of her boys. She had to. She had to get back to them. She couldn’t be taken from them again. She couldn’t.
Stop.
“I see why they like you so much,” the smooth voice sounded amused, whispering in her ear. It wasn’t Brenton. It wasn’t any of them. “I’m not much a fan of the tattoos, but I’ll live with them. I am so happy that they took out your lip rings, though.”
Oh God.
“And your so secret form… Very intriguing.”
Oh God, a shifter knew her form by scent. He was going to give her away. They would know.
“I hope you enjoy this as much as I will. Too bad the hunters won’t let me have any real fun with you. Can’t have the full package until I pay for it.”
No no no no.
She knew she would spend the rest of her life trying to forget what happened next. And she couldn’t even scream for mercy. She couldn’t beg or plead or give a safe word.
She was still conscious when he left. He left her shaking, horrified, and mostly uninjured in the cold room. But not okay. She would never be okay. He didn’t even… He just used his fucking hands.
“Take her on a hunt to learn her form. You can have a go when you catch her, as a reward,” the smooth voice chuckled. “I’ll buy her, but I want to know.”
Oh God… he just gave them permission to rape her when he already knew her form. She cried silently at that, hadn’t stopped since she was strapped to the bed.
“Alright, we’ve broken the females like that before. They behave so well after that.” The leader still sounded so fucking pleased. “It’ll be fifteen million, as planned?”
“That’s right. I won’t go higher. It’s more than you’ve ever gotten, so don’t think to ask. Clean her off before you take her back to them. I don’t want them catching my scent. Don’t lose the hunt, is that clear?”
“We can make that happen. Boys, clean her up and make it good. Then put her back in her cage. Don’t worry, sir, she won’t escape us.”
The door opened, and she was drugged, feeling the prick in her thigh. Her time in the room was over, finally over.
TROY
He saw her get carried back in. She was back. Oh God, she was back. He should have been happy.
But he saw her wrists, dark purple bruises. Saw the way she was dumped into her cage like a piece of meat. Saw the bruising hand prints all over her, in the worst places.
He caught no scent from her except cheap soap. They had cleaned her, which told him more than anything.
“Gabe?” His voice cracked from disuse. He looked desperately at his brother, his best friend.
“I…” Gabe trailed off, not really saying anything.
No… He grabbed the bars of the cage and pressed against them, trying to get a better look at her. Brenton and Andrew were between him and her, also looking at her body. Zachary was horrified and furious over in his cage and had a great view of her.
“Hope you guys say goodbye to her,” one of guards laughed. “We’re doing a hunt with her at dawn, then handing her over to her new owner, broken and collared. She should be well over the drugs by then.”
Troy tried to get his hand and arm out to punch the mother fucker, but the bars were too close for him to reach through.
Then they were left alone again. The silence crept into Troy’s mind, just like every horror he could possibly imagine they might have done to her.
“She has to escape,” Andrew sounded like he was trying to convince himself, more than anyone else.
“This can’t be fucking happening!” Zachary roared.
But Troy watched Brenton. He stood silently, staring at Riley’s downed form.
“When she wakes up, we have to make a plan for her to get out!” Andrew growled.
“If she makes it to the fence, she’s free. They won’t follow her on to the other properties. It’s a rule to their game,” a wolf. He sounded like he knew she would never make it. “They don’t want to risk getting caught on property they don’t own.”
“She can make that. She can do it.” Andrew, still trying to convince himself.
“She will make it.” Brenton’s voice snapped out, calling the entire pride’s attention.
“Oh really?” A fox laughed from the other side of the holding area in his own cage. “You sure about that?”
“Yes.” Brenton’s face held no emotion as he looked at the fox, Sheriff (who was completely silent, pale and sweaty with death written on his face), the wolves, and eventually the pride. Troy saw it then. The fire in his eyes. He truly and completely believed she would make it. She would win the hunt.
Troy felt a bit of hope seep back into him, but not much. They would need to wait until she was awake to make a quiet plan. Or maybe Brenton didn’t have one. Maybe he just trusted her to make it happen. She was being given a chance to get gone and she would make it. Maybe, he just truly believed their speed demon could make it.
He looked to his brother. There was no hope in those eyes, but he nodded to Troy anyways. His brother was falling, and Troy could see the life leaving his eyes. Gabe was leaving him, falling into his haunted world of memories. And Troy couldn’t save him either.
He would need to save himself just like Riley would need to. They had to save themselves.
He couldn’t lose either of them, much less both.
RILEY
She had the strange feeling of being hollow. Like she had no heartbeat. No emotion. No future or past. No thoughts. No dreams.
The lion shifter took all of it from her. Took those things and crushed them. She didn’t know if she could
get them back.
She stood slowly, holding the bars of her cage.
“Riley,” the deep, warm, and hoarse voice that said her name snapped her back to her reality. “Beautiful…” Emotion surged into her. Pain. Defeat.
“He…” she sobbed. “He…”
“You don’t need to say anything,” Zachary whispered. “Nothing at all, baby.”
“Riley,” Brenton spoke in a fierce whisper. “You. Must. Win. Today.”
“Brenton, I can’t-”
“Yes, you can,” he snarled, grabbing the bars of his cage. “Get to the fence. I don’t care how far or how fast you have to run. You have to get off this property.”
She looked at him, unable to accept what he was saying. It just didn’t process.
“I can’t-”
“You can!” He snarled. “You will, god damn it!”
She felt the order slam into her. He just went Alpha on her.
If you can follow the small day to day orders, I know you’ll listen when I give you one that would save your life or the life of one of the guys.
She couldn’t even shake her head as she stared at him.
“Did you just fucking do that to her?” The wolf sounded incredulous. “Shit. Hope it works.”
“What are you going to do, beautiful?” Brenton whispered, his eyes pleading.
“Get to the fence and escape,” She couldn’t stop bawling as she said it. “Run as fast as I can for as far as I can to achieve that goal. Win.”
“That’s right beautiful. You get over, through, or under that fence. Win,” Brenton sounded just as desperate as she felt. “Now, collect yourself. They are coming at dawn, beautiful.”
She shivered and nodded. She tried to hold back the tears and the agony. She tried to push the misery out of her soul.
It wasn’t much longer when they came for her and she looked desperately at Brenton. She met all of their eyes as they jacked her cage up. She caught the strange scent that she had now encountered so many times.
Wild Fire (The Kingson Pride Book 2) Page 17