Darrell threw me over his shoulder, my skull crashing against his lower back. I swallowed a groan as my head swam. The drugs he’d given me were wearing off, but not quickly enough. I risked a peek around us through the curtain of my hair, but all the other wolves had gone inside.
It was time.
Moving quickly, I looped the chains that connected my hands around Darrell’s neck, snapping them tight. He grunted and dropped me, which was a mistake. As I fell, I dragged him with me, turning us so he hit the ground face first.
Slamming a knee into his back, I gripped the chains and yanked hard. I heard a high whine escape from his mouth as the pressure around his windpipe increased.
He thrashed beneath me, his body bucking. My head spun dizzily, but I fought to hold on. Gathering my strength, I pulled back on the chain, tilting his head at an unnatural angle. All it would take was one good yank to break his neck.
Nausea roiled in my gut and bright multi-colored lights burst behind my eyes. Now that I was upright, the side effects from the drug were making it difficult to remain conscious.
I bit my lower lip so hard that I tasted blood, the pain bringing me back from the edge. I had to save Lachlan.
Darrell’s feet kicked wildly and his hands scrabbled at the chain, jerking against it. I took a deep breath, preparing for the final strike, when I heard a familiar whoosh.
Something sharp pierced my shoulder and I cried out. Immediately, my limbs felt sluggish and my head spun, but I kept a death grip on the chain. Rough hands grabbed me. I snarled and bit, fighting with everything I had, but the sedative was weakening me.
Finally, a fist crashed into the side of my face and I could fight no longer.
When I cameto, the throbbing in my skull was so intense that I gagged. Somehow I managed to keep from throwing up, probably because there was nothing in my stomach.
I fought to control the heaves, taking deep breaths until the urge passed. I opened my eyes and hissed as the bright light pierced my retinas. Squeezing them shut, I focused on keeping the nausea at bay.
When my body finally calmed, I opened my eyes again, squinting against the light. My forehead rubbed against cold, metal and my gaze focused. I realized my face was pressed against steel bars. I was in some sort of cell.
Turning my head, I looked toward my hands. They were tied with thick rope, spread out to my sides so that my upper body formed a T shape. A quick glance down confirmed that my ankles were tied down to the anchors in the floor so that I was spread-eagled. The front of my torso rested heavily against the bars. I had some room to move, but not much. I was glad to see that I still wore the t-shirt and panties I’d thrown on back at the house.
A groan caught my attention and I looked up. There was another cell next to mine. On the opposite wall of bars, Lachlan was trussed up in a similar fashion, only he was facing me and he was still shirtless. His head lolled forward and he groaned again, his body straining.
I knew he was probably fighting the same nausea and pain I had when I awoke.
“Just breathe slow and deep,” I murmured to him, my voice catching on the last word. “It’ll pass in a moment.”
His eyes opened and he stared at me blindly for a moment. I watched as awareness took hold and his eyes focused.
“Chloe,” he choked.
“I’m here.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Me too.”
“Oh, how touching,” a voice drawled from behind me.
I twisted my head and watched as Darrell sauntered into the room. I realized he’d brought us back to the Prater police station when I saw the familiar desks behind him as he came through the door.
“I’m glad you’re both awake because we have some things to discuss,” he said. The cell doors were open, so he entered the second cell, standing between Lachlan and me. “Now, I’m going to ask you nicely the first time and give you a chance to answer my questions without using pain as an incentive.” He turned to look at me. “I’d recommend you answer truthfully because we can all smell lies. If you lie to me, I’ll be forced to find other ways to gather the truth. I find that my imagination when it comes to you, little Chloe, is extremely creative.”
I stared at Darrell, taking in the changes to his demeanor. His hair was still the same dark brown, his shoulders still broad and strong, but he looked nothing like the man I knew as a pup. His brown eyes were glittering malevolently in the light and the muscles of his face seemed to tighten, thinning his mouth and lifting his jaw.
This man was cold, calculating, and cruel.
Even his scent was different, sharper and almost painful when inhaled. He might be a shifter, but the real monster lived inside his mind and it had long ago devoured his soul.
“What do you want to know?” Lachlan asked.
Darrell smiled, the expression feral rather than showing amusement. “Ah, I’m glad to see one of you is feeling reasonable.”
