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They were coming.
The door rattled, splintering as something rammed it from the other side. The desk and other objects wouldn’t hold the opening closed for much longer. Sophie slid back, her eyes darting around the office. There had to be something she could use to hold the hunters off a little longer.
Her gaze darted upward to the open vent. Could she have gone with Eden and Xander? Probably. It was too late now. If she went up there, they’d follow her and track down the two wolves. No. I won’t let them get caught again. The door crackled and shards of wood sprinkled into the room, drawing her attention back to the door. It wouldn’t hold much longer.
Sophie drew in a deep breath and bit back a sob. Freedom. She didn’t even know what it felt like. But she could protect Eden and Xander so they could have theirs. She shoved a chair over, climbed up, and slid the vent cover shut. There, now she could give them some time. Maybe they really could escape. Would they send help?
A shiver of hope shook her heart as tears pricked her eyes. Her focus shifted to the burly man lying unconscious on the carpet. She knelt down and tapped him lightly on the cheek.
His stubble scratched the pads of her fingers, and she sighed in frustration when the movement got no reaction out of him. She swatted a little harder. His head lolled lightly back and forth.
“Come on, wake up,” she said through gritted teeth.
His handsome features remained relaxed and unchanged. She groaned and let her head tilt forward onto her chest. He’d be no help to her like this. She shook her head, staring down into the stranger’s face. His cocoa hair was mussed, and the enchanting stormy grey eyes she’d been mesmerized by earlier were shut. How could she get him to wake up?
“Callum?” Sophie shoved his shoulders. Nothing. How much sedative had the idiots used on him? “Callum,” she tried again, shaking him harder as her voice rose. Together they stood a better chance against the men on the other side of the wall.
The door groaned as a pipe burst through the wood. Sophie shot to her feet, grasped the heavy werebear under the arms, and tugged him out of the way. Sweat beaded on her brow and she grunted. His weight made her stumble, but she couldn’t bear the thought of him getting injured further. The hunters wouldn’t care if they knocked furniture onto him or stomped all over him when they entered.
The door shook again, shattering further. Arms reached in, shoving the furniture Sophie had used to blockade the door out of the way. She set Callum down in the corner and gasped in a deep breath. The guy was all muscle and probably had a good hundred pounds on her. How she’d summoned the strength to move him to begin with was beyond her. Enough about that, she needed to protect herself. Anything to give Xander and Eden a few moments longer to make their escape. She could only hope the pair would send help for her and Callum.
Her eyes darted around the room landing on the desk lamp. It wasn’t much, but it was something. She sprinted to the wall and ripped the cord out of the socket before grasping the light in her hand.
Gritting her teeth, she stomped toward the door and swung at the first man she saw. A sickening crack echoed through the room, followed by shrieks of pain. Sophie inhaled and struck out again. This time her pursuers were ready. A large hand wrapped around the base and shoved it backwards. The action jarred her elbow. She squeaked with surprise as pain sliced through her arm, but she didn’t release her death grip on the lamp.
A man hurled himself inside the office and pressed something cool to her arm. Sophie gasped as jolts of electricity ricocheted through her body from the taser. It should have been enough to incapacitate her, or at least make her drop the weapon in her hands, but it only ignited the fire burning inside her. Her captors had done too much – pushed her too far. She wasn’t going down without a fight. Swinging the lamp wildly, she connected it with the man’s jaw.
“Stupid bitch,” the hunter said as he caught the base with one hand and backhanded her across the face with the other.
Anger surged through her as dots blotted her vision. Too many times she’d hidden, doing exactly what they’d asked. Not anymore. She hissed as she lunged forward, taking her attacker off guard. They’d have to use a stronger voltage if they wanted to subdue her today. She was always the good little captive who never fought back. Today was the day it stopped.
Sophie grappled with the hunter, quickly gaining the upper hand as she tackled him to the floor. Her hands tightened around the lamp base as she pressed it down with all her might on the man’s throat. Her arms trembled as she focused her energy on the man beneath her. As a doctor, her duty was to save life, not to kill. But these men had done too much. Her thoughts drifted to her older sister, the pain and torture she’d endured over the years. Tears blurred Sophie’s vision, but her grip didn’t waver.
The man’s eyes bulged as he fought to draw in a breath. Satisfaction rolled through Sophie as he clawed at her hands. Shouts erupted around her as more hunters climbed in through the opening. She shut them out. Even if she couldn’t take them all on, she could end this one life.
Her fingers squeezed harder as angry hands yanked and tugged at her. The cool prick of a taser pressed against her neck and she flinched but didn’t let up. The energy zipped through her, causing her to whimper, but that was all. She’d been tased enough times just for fun that it didn’t affect her.
The man beneath her sputtered, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, but she didn’t let up even as another blast rocked her body. Fight. Don’t stop fighting.
Pain ricocheted over her scalp as someone embedded their fingers into her long, raven hair. She screamed as another man tugged her up by her roots. Her fingers released their grip on the lamp; the person beneath her had gone lax several moments ago anyway.
“You’re going to pay for this, Sophie,” a man snarled as he slapped her across the face.
Sophie blinked but refused to cry out in pain. They only got off on it.
The man grasped her jaw tightly between his thumb and forefinger as another hunter jerked her arms behind her back. “I’m disappointed in you, Sophie.” He squeezed her chin harder. “I know just what to do to you,” he whispered.
Sophie closed her eyes as his rancid breath puffed in her face. A shudder raced over her before she could stop it. She knew what these men were capable of. They had many different forms of torture, all painful and all equally effective in making the victim wish for death. What would they do to her?
“Take them both to the holding cells. Find the other two,” the man instructed as he pushed her face away.
Sophie opened her eyes and watched him shove the furniture out of his way and open what remained of the door. The wood scraped against the dead man’s arm and she swallowed, looking for the first time at his face. Nausea rolled in her belly and up her throat, making her gag.
“Let’s go,” a guy said from behind as he nudged her forward.
Sophie continued to stare at the body on the floor as she was forced to walk over it and toward the door. Oh my God. I killed him. She forced her eyes to move away from the carnage and out to the hall. The dense white hallway greeted her with a blast of cool air. She breathed it in as the man led her down the corridor and back towards the cells.
Her bare feet clapped against the white tiles as they made the trek through the compound. As they passed by the medical wing, her mind drifted to all the horrible things these men could do. Would they experiment on her? Torture her? Would she suffer the same fate as her sister?
A sob escaped her throat as she pictured her sister’s lifeless body. Whatever they decided, her fate would be cruel and long. Maybe she could find peace in death—if they let her die.
“Put them together,” one guy said as they entered the cellblock. The lights were dim and the walls were gray. Black bars stretched across the room, separating the room into tiny cages.
Sophie gulped. She’d never been behind the bars before. Never been in this room. It had always been her job to treat the poor souls locked in the cages. Now she was joining them. Perhaps it was what she deserved after helping her captors for so long.
The guy holding her captive yanked Sophie to the side, and she watched as two men hauled Callum across the room. Their movements were slow, and sweat beaded on their brow from their efforts. They walked into the cell and dumped him on the floor. Callum’s head cracked against the concrete, and his limbs slapped the floor hard.
“Careful,” Sophie said. “You’ll hurt him.”
The two men glanced at each other and cackled loudly. “Get in there,” the man from behind her said as he shoved her through the opening.
Sophie tripped over her feet as she fought against the momentum. The door slammed shut behind her and she whirled around just in time to see them twist the lock into place. The hunters didn’t spare her a glance as they joked and walked back out into the hall.
They’d been only gone for a moment when the door creaked open again. A steady beep echoed through the room, causing her to swallow. She knew that sound all too well.
The wheels of a hospital bed squeaked rapidly as a stretcher rolled down the hall. Sophie held her breath. Had Eden and Xander been captured? Were they hurt?
Bile rose up her throat as a familiar scent infiltrated her senses. No! No! No! Not Serena.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she grasped the bars in her hands.
“We know how much it bothers you to see Serena,” one of the men said as he pushed the bed before her. They stopped, placing Serena’s head right in front of Sophie.
“Stop,” Sophie said as she stared at her sister’s unmoving form. “Please stop.”
The man chuckled as he took a step back, looking proud of himself, before he strode back down the hall.
Sophie covered her ears with her hands as she stared at the concrete floor. She couldn’t do this. Didn’t want to see this. The beeps grew louder and the steady puffs of the ventilator taunted her.
Breathe. Just keep breathing and don’t think about it. It’s not Serena; it’s just a shell of her. Don’t think about it.
She inhaled a deep breath and leaned against the bars as she sank to the floor. The aches and pains in her body began to prickle as she sat rigidly against the iron bars. Her eyes drifted to Callum. His chest rose and fell in soft, even breaths. He was alive. At least for the moment. What the coming days had in store for them was anyone’s guess. But one way or another, it was going to be painful. She could guarantee that.
***
Everything hurt. Callum pried his eyes open and blinked through the hazy fog that plagued him. The room spun and he blinked several times as he fought through the muck. His limbs were jelly and refused to budge. Memories surfaced and he grunted as he remembered the blinding pain that had taken him out.
He didn’t need to be completely coherent to know he was back in his cell. He rolled his head to the side, and the bleak bars greeted him. Fantastic. What happened? How long was I out?
The steady patter of a beep drew his attention to the left, and he lolled his head in that direction. A woman sat curled in on herself, her face buried in her knees as she rocked slowly back and forth. The beeping grew louder and he frowned as he tried to find the source.
Outside the bars sat a hospital bed. He couldn’t see who was there from his position, and he wasn’t entirely sure he could move yet, but even if he could, part of him was afraid to know who lay in that bed. That didn’t stop him from trying to get up. He grunted as he clawed at the floor in a vain attempt to roll over to his belly.
“You’re awake,” Sophie’s soft voice said.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice groggy as he flopped around on the floor. His head spun and dizziness consumed him. Darkness pulled at his conscious and he balled his fists, determined to stay coherent.
“You’ve been out for a long time. I think they overdosed you,” she said.
That would explain why he felt like a truck had hit him. He closed his eyes and listened to the steady patter of the beep.
“It should pass soon,” she continued quietly as she placed the back of her hand to his forehead. “Just lie still and take deep breaths.”
“Eden and Xander?” he asked as he squeezed his eyes shut tighter. Jeesh. The room’s still spinning even with my eyes shut.
Sophie drew in a deep breath and let it out. “After we woke up, we were able to escape again. You were out cold and the hunters were chasing us. I got their trackers out, it’s how they zapped us the first time, but by the time I did that the hunters had nearly found us again. If they didn’t run we’d all be prisoners right now. I think they got away. They didn’t want to leave without you, but...”
“Did they make it out?” he asked.
“I don’t know. It’s been a long time, and I haven’t seen them. I hope so.” Sophie was quiet for a long moment before she spoke again. “Do you...do you think they’ll come back for us?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. Xander was a good friend—a good person. If he made it to safety, he would return. There was hope for an escape.
“I hope you’re right,” Sophie said as her attention drifted to the hospital bed.
Callum opened his eyes and watched her from his spot on the floor. His rubbery limbs still refused to move, but his vision was clearing.
“Who is that?” he asked, following Sophie’s gaze.
Sophie blinked and swiped at her eyes as her bottom lip trembled. “My sister.”
Sister?
“She’s brain dead.” Sophie buried her face in her knees.
Callum opened his mouth and closed it. The comatose woman’s presence was designed to upset Sophie. The hunters really were some sick bastards.
What had happened to Sophie’s sister? Was she experimented on? Though questions swirled in his mind, he didn’t have the heart to ask. It wasn’t his business anyway.
Instead, he focused his attention on moving. His arm shook as he pulled himself to one side. The rubbery limb barely held his weight and it took all his energy not to collapse onto the concrete. Blood pulsed in his ears, roaring deafeningly as he fought to sit up.
Damn. How many sedatives did the hunters give me?
His head throbbed uncontrollably and darkness clawed at his vision. He was briefly aware of Sophie’s voice, but it sounded miles away. Callum groaned as dizziness fogged over and tossed him back into the haze.