Ignoring his outburst, Oracle continued, “I cannot wait to see my husband’s face when I tell him I was mistaken for a call girl. Wait, maybe I should use prostitute instead…no better use call girl because if I know him, he will tell my sons, who will be embarrassed by it.”
Shaking his head slightly, Cain couldn’t believe how she thought his response was a funny joke, already anticipating her family’s reaction to it.Wait…family?That was another new one for him. None of his jailers, including his current ones, ever brought up their family. It was another one of those unwritten rules of every prison. Guards and inmates didn’t talk to one another about personal shit since it was too easy to be viewed the wrong way by other inmates.Talking to me about her husband and sons is definitely off-limits.
The pain in his arms was growing, and Cain wondered if the woman’s goal was to distract him long enough until his ability to tolerate it was gone. If that was their game, then they would soon get their wish. Dropping his head down against his arm, he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in an effort to stave off the inevitable outcome of his current predicament.
Within a moment, as Oracle realized what was occurring. She looked up at the camera mounted in the corner and raised her hand, signaling for the cell door to be opened. She had no desire to cause Cain pain because that would only have him rejecting her proposal out of hand. And as she had learned during her childhood, it was a sure path to failure. Turning around when the door slid open, she walked over to Frank, who was standing where she’d left him.
“Finished?” Frank asked.
“Not at all,” Oracle stated. “Cain is chained up too tightly, and the pain it is causing him is making it impossible for us to talk. His restraints must be loosened so I can have his full attention.”
“No…he stays as is,” Frank replied firmly. Then seeing the look on Oracle’s face—one he knew only too well—softened his tone. “Oracle, please. It’s too dangerous.”
“For the gods’ sake, Frank. I am not asking you to free him…only to decrease the tension on the chains, giving his muscles a chance to relax and reduce the pain so he can put his full attention to what I have to say.” She saw his inner turmoil reflected in his eyes but could not wait for him to give a response to her request. Cain was nearing his breaking point and, if that happened before she could give him the message from the Fates, she knew all would be lost.
When Frank remained silent, Oracle had no choice but to play the only card she had left. “If you do not do as I ask, I will be forced to inform the Fates of your refusal to help me carry out their orders.”
Frank was stunned at her threat and a gasp escaped him before he could stop it. His wolf was also becoming furious at Oracle’s threat. Frank turned to her and growled, “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Unfortunately, you are leaving me no choice. I am Oracle…I am the voice of the Fates on earth…I cannot lie as you well know…I have informed you I have a message from the Fates for Cain Foster, and in order to deliver it, he needs to focus on it and not on the pain he is currently enduring.”
Gazing at Oracle, Frank’s face remained impassive, giving no clue as to what he was thinking. Then, he turned and walked over to the two guards, giving them orders about the prisoner in accordance with her demands. He would comply, but it would be a long time before he would forget Oracle’s threat.
Looking at Frank’s back and his rigid posture, Oracle sighed, recognizing the hurt she’d caused by her warning, but she would have to deal with it later. Reentering the prison cell, she watched as the guards carried out her wishes, saying nothing except to tell them when their efforts were satisfactory. Then stepping aside, she waited for the guards to exit and the cell door to slide shut.
Cain closed his eyes as the pain in his body lessened. His nerves were on edge at how close he’d come to breaking and surrendering to his jailers. What they did to him was torture, pure and simple. And for the first time since he landed in this prison, his confidence in surviving whatever his captors dished out, was at the lowest it had been during his entire life. And that made him extremely uneasy because it was his only defense that had steadfastly worked to see him through the worst of times and now it was perilously close to being shattered. Hanging his head, Cain dug deep within himself, desperately trying to find more resolve.
“Mr. Foster,” Oracle called softly. “Do you know who I am?”
Keeping his head down, he muttered, “I know you aren’t here for sex…pity.”
Smiling slightly, Oracle said, “I am an Oracle, otherwise known as the voice of the Fates on earth. Are you familiar with the Fates?”
“Did you do this for me?”
“Do what?”
“Get the fuckers to stop torturing me.”
“You mean loosen the chains? Then yes, I did. Are you feeling better?”
“Why?”
“Why what?” Oracle responded, pleased Cain was finally interacting with her. Even though his questions were brief, it was a beginning but she knew she’d have to tread carefully. There was a long way to go before she fulfilled her mission
“Why did you do it?” asked Cain, his eyes wary.
“Because you were in pain.”
Raising his head, Cain snorted at the bullshit answer. None of his previous jailors cared if he was in pain; it was their job to dish out as much of it as they could. “I gotta say it’s an interestin’ game you’re playin’ but it’s a waste of time cuz I’m still not interested.”
“Do you know about the Fates?”
“Shit, you won’t leave, will’ya?”
“Focus Mr. Foster…the Fates…I have a message from them for you.”
Squinting at Oracle, Cain tried to figure out what his brain wasn’t getting—she’d confounded him ever since she entered his cell. Giving up, he was too tired to continue the latest round of shit. “I don’t care…just fuckin’ leave.”
