“Let me fucking go!” Trace roared, yanking on the chains that wouldn’t budge.

“What will you do for me if I do?” Mary asked tauntingly.

There was absolutely no hesitation when Trace screamed, “Anything!”

“I’ll give you the key after you give me what I want,” Mary promised, but…

She lied.

She always lied, Indie thought numbly, barely hearing the screams around her anymore as she pushed herself up on shaky arms. Mary always said that she wouldn’t hurt her anymore, but she always did. She’d promised that she wouldn’t go back on her word, but she always did.

She lied.

Mary lied, Indie thought in a daze as she stumbled towards her open cell door.

“I-I’d like to leave now,” she mumbled absently as she was forced to grab hold of the bars when her legs threatened to give out.

It was time to go, Indie told herself as she slowly made her way out of the cell as her fingers fumbled with the hem of her tee-shirt, searching for the one thing that she always carried with her. It was…it was time, Indie told herself as she dragged herself along the bars as more screams erupted around her, the sounds of chains rattling and laughter, that horrible laughter that used to terrify her more than the beatings as she walked into the next cell and…

“I’m sorry.”

*-*-*-*

“I’m sorry,” the small woman covered in bruises mumbled as the second shifter let out a bloodcurdling scream as Mary turned around and-

“I’m sorry,” the small woman said hollowly as Mary dropped to the ground screaming as she frantically tried to reach behind her.

Without a word, the small woman dropped to her knees and grabbed Samantha’s arm and slowly pulled her towards him. Trace reached out as far as the chains would allow, and then, he had her.

As he held onto his wife, the small woman grabbed the key that had fallen to the floor and unlocked one cuff and then the other one so that he could pull his wife closer and once he had her in his arms-

He did what he’d promised his father that he would never do.

He allowed his fangs to slide down as he brought his wrist to his mouth. He pried his wife’s lips open, placed his bleeding wrist over her mouth and slid his fangs into her neck while he sat there, waiting for a miracle.

“Take it out!” Mary screamed, kicking out at the small woman as she made her way to the bars. She released a pained grunt when the kick made contact but didn’t stop until the key was pressed into Kale’s waiting hand.

“No! No, don’t!” Mary screamed as she watched Kale unlock the silver-coated cuffs before he gave the key to Nathan, who wasted no time in unlocking his cuffs. Once he was free, he handed the key to the other shifter, pulled himself to his feet, and stumbled out of his cell.

“Sammie, come on, sweetheart,” Nathan said, stumbling into the cell past the shifters tearing at their skin, screaming.

“You have to get the blood to flow,” the small woman said in a daze, gesturing towards Samantha with trembling hands as Trace’s blood pooled in her mouth only to escape and run down her chin. “That’s how they do it on TV,” she said, gesturing for him to lay Samantha down.

“She’s right. Lay her down,” Nathan said, moving to do just that only to pull his hands away when Trace released a warning growl against her neck.

After a slight pause, Nathan met his eyes and whispered hoarsely, “Please.”

Trusting the Sentinel, Trace laid her down on the floor, careful not to tear her tender skin as he moved with her, keeping his fangs lodged in her neck as he bent over her as he watched the Sentinel place his hands on Samantha’s chest and began pushing down.

“Come on, Sammie,” Nathan said, pushing down on her chest. “Don’t you fucking do this to me, you little brat! Come on!”

Closing his eyes, Trace blocked everything out, the sounds of the shifters screaming, the sounds of his father’s chains falling to the floor, and listened as his wife’s heartbeat sputtered with every push against her chest as he knelt there, waiting to taste his blood mixed with hers, letting him know that she would be okay.

He blindly reached out and took her hand in his as he did the one thing that he’d promised himself that he would never do again.

He prayed.

*-*-*-*

Tags: R.L. Mathewson Pyte/Sentinel Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net