“Whatever you’re planning on doing to us, you better do it now. Otherwise, you’re a dead man,” Caiden warned, his tone gravelly and dark.
A shiver spiked throughout my spine. The vision of Caiden murdering the mystery man was a terrifying thought. I had witnessed my father hit my mother, and that was scary enough.
I couldn’t imagine witnessing a murder.
“Watch your mouth, young man. I’m the boss around here.Don’t worry; you have some time before your time is up. I like to play with my pets before I slaughter them. It’s more fun.”
He chuckled, a low, rough sound. The glint in his eye, however, held no amusement; it was the cold gleam of a predator sizing up its prey.
I was struck with dread. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t cry. All I could do was sit and contemplate his words.
My insides swarmed.
Each second stretched into an eternity. His words echoed in the hollow chambers of my mind, a chilling symphony of impending doom.
I tried to swallow, but my throat felt constricted. Escape seemed impossible, a cruel joke in this macabre game of cat and mouse.
“Now, where were we? Ah yes, your contribution to the fun.”
“Fuck you, you sick fucker,” Caiden shouted, jumping up from where he stood.
Before he could storm over to my side of the cage, right next to where the mystery man stood outside, a glass barrier descended from above.
Caiden was trapped on the other side; we were now divided.
A cruel, demonic laugh tore from the man’s throat. “Did you think I would let my pets roam freely without a plan? No. I built this cage with the intention of dividing it. To fill my subjects with fear.”
I looked up to where his eyes went. The barrier had come from above. It had been built into the ceiling, a clever mechanical device that could be lowered and lifted. But how?
I glanced back at the man. He stood close to the cage from the outside, and I could see a device in his hands, a button.
Of course.
My stomach sank a little more. He had thought of everything.
The cage felt smaller. Claustrophobic. The walls closed in, and each breath became a struggle.
“Dammit!” Caiden bellowed with furious intensity. His foot ascended and kicked the barrier, but it was pointless. It may have been transparent, but it was thick.
He kicked it again. And again, screaming a string of curses at the man.
A pleasurable tint filled the man’s eyes as he watched,a slow smile playing on his lips. The realization hit me like a physical blow, a sickening feeling that twisted my stomach and clouded my mind.
He enjoyed this. He found a perverse pleasure in our agony; the sounds of our choked breaths and desperate cries were a symphony to his ears.
“Caiden, stop! You’re giving him what he wants. Look at him! He’s enjoying this.” The thoughts reeling through my head tumbled out in a torrent of words. Watching Caiden tear himself apart, the raw agony in his eyes was unbearable.
Caiden heard my desperation. Thankfully, the barrier wasn’t soundproof. He halted his destruction but stood defiantly, a murderous expression filling his dark eyes.
“Now, sit and be a good pet. I want to be able to play with my female pet, but I can’t have you rushing at me like a bull.”
Oh god.
A sickening feeling washed over me. He wanted to play with me. I wanted to pretend I didn’t know what he meant, but the horrors of my experiences knew exactly what he intended. I slid to the edge of the cage, pressing against the barrier.
The door opened, but I was frozen in place. Caiden’s voice rang out, urging me to run. But I couldn’t. My eyesight clouded, and I felt heavily sedated.
Then, the answer struck me, the food. Caiden’s accusation of it being drugged. His plan was to drug me so I couldn't resist him when he came to assault me.
