Chapter 64
Skye’s POV
Nadia lunged forward, her face contorted with rage. Before I could stop her, she spat directly into Kane’s face, the glob of saliva striking his cheek.
You disgusting piece of filth!” she snarled. ‘I’d rather die than let you touch me!
For one breathless moment, no one moved. The saliva slid slowly down Kane’s perfect skin, his expression shifting from shock to something dark and primal, His hand released my chin and shot toward Nadia with supernatural speed, fingers wrapping around her throat before she could retreat.
You’ll regret that,” he growled, yanking her against the bars with enough force that the
rattled.
I rushed forward, but one of the guards jabbed a stun baton through the bars, sending me sprawling backward with electricity coursing through my veins. Since our arrival at Kane’s fortress, we’d been given shift–suppressing injections, the needle marks on our arms still stinging a constant reminder of our powerlessness against them.
Kane pulled Nadia closer, until her face was pressed painfully against the cold metal. Despite the shift suppressor in her system, she fought with everything she had, clawing at his arm, her eyes burning with hatred.
I’ve always appreciated women with fire,” Kane remarked, his voice dropping to a dangerous purr as he wrapped his other arm around her waist, drawing her even closer. “The stronger the resistance, the sweeter the surrender.”
His hand moved upward, roughly cupping her breast through her clothing. “The more you struggle, the more excited I become,” he whispered loud enough for me to hear. “You two had better pray your precious Adrian agrees to my terms. Otherwise…”
The implication hung in the air, heavy and threatening. I pushed myself up from the floor, ignoring the lingering tremors from the stun baton.
“If we’re your bargaining chips,” I called out, drawing his attention away from Nadia, “then shouldn’t you ensure we remain… undamaged merchandise? What leverage will you have if you’ve already taken what you want?”
Kane’s eyes narrowed, calculating the logic in my argument. After a long, tense moment, he released Nadia with a dismissive shove that sent her stumbling
back.
“Always the clever one,” he acknowledged, straightening his clothing as if nothing had happened. His charming smile returned with disturbing ease, the monster once again concealed behind a mask of civility. “Very well. You make a valid point.”
He stepped back from the bars, hands raised in mock surrender. “You’ll both remain intact… for now. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll contact Adrian with my demands. I do hope, for your sakes, that he proves reasonable.” /
With a final predatory smile, Kane turned and left the dungeon, his footsteps echoing on the stone steps. One guard remained stationed outside our cell, his expression blank as he took up his post.
The moment Kane was out of earshot, I activated the mind–link with Nadia, focusing my thoughts carefully to crea
the
mental bridge between us.
The suppressant they used is short–acting, I projected, keeping my face carefully neutral to avoid alerting the guard. effective for six to eight hours
at most. They’ll likely return to administer another dose before it wears off completely. We need to escape before then.
Nadia’s response came immediately, her mental voice steady despite what had just transpired. Let’s check this place thoroughly. There has to be a way out:
We began a careful examination of our prison, Nadia testing the bars while I inspected the stone walls and floor, searching for loose rocks or hidden openings.
The cell was approximately ten feet square, with three walls of solid stone and one wall composed entirely of sturdy iron bars. A small, barred window set high in the back wall provided minimal ventilation but was far too small for escape. The stone floor was uneven but solid, with no loose tiles or hidden trapdoors. The sleeping pallet in the corner was little more than a thin mat on a stone shelf, offering no materials we could possibly use as tools.
After an hour of methodical inspection, we sank down against the back wall, the reality of our situation settling over us like a heavy blanket. Even if our wolves returned when the suppressant wore off, the cell was designed to contain shifted werewolves. The bars were reinforced with some kind of special alloy that even werewolf strength couldn’t bend, and the stone walls were at least three feet thick.
I won’t let Adrian sacrifice everything for us, Nadia whispered, her voice so low I barely caught the words, I’d rather die than see Ondskran läll .
The raw conviction in her tone reminded me of why she was Beta–her absolute loyalty to Adrian and the park transcended even self preservation.
“I’m so sorry, Nadia,” I said, guilt crushing my chest. “If I hadn’t insisted on attending that wedding, you wouldn’t be here. Adrian warned me it wasn’t intere but I didn’t listen.”
Nadia shook her head firmly. “Don’t blame yourself! This isn’t your fault. It’s that bastard Kane’s doing! Her fists clenched with renewed fury. “Were we supposed to hide in Oasisborn forever? Never venture beyond our borders? When he poisoned our fake, we should have struck back immediately.
She studied my face in the dim light filtering through the high window, her expression shifting from anger to concern. “Your left ear is bleeding.”
I reached up, my fingers coming away with a small smear of blood. “It’s nothing,” I said, touching the torn earlobe gently. “My earring must have been ripped out during the chaos at the wedding.”
My earring. The thought struck me like lightning.
“Wait, I gasped, grabbing Nadia’s arm with sudden urgency. Using the mind–link to avoid being overheard, I projected, My earring! I still have one earring left!
