Flame (Fireborn) (19 page)

"I'll take care of
it," he says.

"We have to
undress her and put the offering on," Lenora says, amused. "And
I don't think
you
should be doing that."

Rhys makes a sound, and
it sounds suspiciously like a smirk. "I'm sure I can figure it
out."

More images of things I
want to do to him enter my mind, including using the ropes on my
hands to tie him to a tree for the wolves.

"How about this,
you can get the offering on her and I'll be close by in case you need
my… skills." Rhys suggests.

"All right,"
she reluctantly agrees. "If she wakes up the whole compound with
her screaming, don't tell me I didn't warn you."

"She won't."

"If she tries to
run, don't tell me I-"

"She won't."
There's a pause. "Don't you trust me?" Rhys asks softly.

"You know I do,"
Lenora replies just as softly. "But Malachi-"

"Shh!" he
hisses, and I know he doesn't want to say more in front of me. "Let's
go."

My legs stir, and I try
to stretch them, testing them without him noticing. I'm scared he
does though, because he walks faster. I can hear Lenora's heels
clicking softly, and I know we're inside a building. A few more doors
open, and then we stop. He settles my body onto something hard.

A chair.

I try to sit, but my
body's slouching like my bones have disappeared. A gentle hand hoists
me back up, tenderly laying my neck back. I'm facing the ceiling and
faint light penetrates through the cloth over my eyes. Lenora's
clicking fades away, and we're alone.

"I know you can
hear me," Rhys says in a low voice. "Just do everything
you're told and you'll be ok. Nod if you understand."

Bastard,
I try
to say, but nothing comes out.

"Nod if you
understand." Maybe he senses my fear because his voice is
gentler. "Lenora's going to undress you. She's going to put you
in something else. Please don't try to leave or they will send
someone to get you. There are consequences for prisoners who try to
escape."

Prisoners?
My
throat feels dry. What did he mean by that? Why was I in prison? My
questions can't be voiced, and he won't answer them anyway so I keep
the growing terror to myself.

His hands touch my
shoulders, and I'm surprised. I wonder if he knows they're shaking.
"Please don't leave, Kenna," he repeats softly.

I don't answer him. I
couldn't if I wanted to anyway.

"I'll wait by the
door," he informs Lenora. "She's alert."

I hear her walking,
approaching me with hesitation. "I think you have to keep your
blindfolds on. So I'm just going to help you pull your shirt and
pants off, okay?" She lifts my shirt up, but it's hard because
my hands are still tied in front of me. Lenora pauses. "I wonder
if I should cut the ropes off.'

Yes, yes,
my
mind is screaming.
Do it!

She asks Rhys, and his
quick "no" seals the deal. She goes back to struggling with
the thin shirt, and I hear a tear as she finally pulls it over my
arms and head.

"I'm sorry!"
Lenora sounds apologetic. "I hope you didn't like that shirt.
There is a... very cute bird on it." She sounds so contrite I'm
almost amused, but then I remember how I got here and I hate her
again. "There are many birds on your pants though. I'll be
careful, I promise."

The pants are easier,
partly because my legs feel like putty she can move any which way she
likes. Within seconds I have on nothing but a bra and panty.

"Don't peek,
Rhys!" she calls out.

"I'm not," he
responds, but he sounds like he's laughing, and I get madder.

She puts something soft
and silky over my head. It smells fresh, like clean linen.
Struggling, she calls out, "Rhys! I have to cut the ropes. I
can't get the dress on."

He sighs and walks
over.

I'm mortified. Even
though the top part of me is covered, my thighs and legs are not.

"Pull off the
dress," he tells her.

I make a loud strangled
sound, the loudest I've made yet, and they pause. Rhys comes closer
and whispers to me, "I won't look. I promise. Do you trust me?"

Hell no!
I shout
in my head.

The words still can't
come, but he knows what I'm thinking because he's saying, "Use
this pocket knife to cut it off. I'll stand behind you in case she
tries something." His voice gets dramatically loud to make sure
I hear. "I'm turning my back, Kenna,
I won't see a thing.
"
All I can think about is I wish my legs could kick.

When the ropes finally
come off, I make a sound of relief. I want to rub my wrists, but I
have to stretch my fingers and arms. It's hard to raise my arms
without help, but I try anyway.

"Good,"
Lenora says encouragingly. "Just keep stretching them." I'm
confused. Ten minutes ago she wanted to knock me out with a needle,
but now she's encouraging me to regain my strength back? It makes no
sense, but I can't think anymore because she's pulling the dress over
me again. This time it flows down without a hitch. Lenora adjusts my
top until I'm properly covered, then says, "Ok, Rhys, all done."

All I hear is a sharp
intake of breath. There is silence for a long moment and I'm
wondering what he sees.

"I'll take her to
her room," he finally says, his voice thick and strained with
something that makes my insides warm. His arms are gentle when he
picks me up.

I want to squirm with
frustration. I want to hate him so bad. I
do
hate him, but he
plays with my emotions when he touches me like I'm something
precious. He pulls my head closer onto his chest. His breath is warm
on my forehead, and I'm tingly there. Something sounding like metal
opening drifts into my ears, and I brace myself.

He sets me down on the
hard floor. "When your hands are back to normal you can take
your blindfold off."

I try to speak, but
only disjointed sounds form.

"You'll be able to
talk in an hour or two," he says. "You might not see me
much. Do what you're told, but
listen to your instincts
."
He touches the side of my head. "Listen to the voices in here."

There's a long moment
of quiet where I can't hear anything but his breathing. In the
darkness, my sense of touch is heightened. The barest whisper of his
fingers trace the sides of my face. Against my will, I shiver. For
some sick reason I want this moment to last forever. My body repulses
me. Within seconds, he's gone, his strong footsteps fading as more
terror grows inside me.

I'm more scared alone
than when I was with Lenora and Rhys. Feelings of confusion and
betrayal flow through me. For a long while, I remain motionless,
willing myself not to cry. I lay my head down, but don't close my
eyes. It's still dark either way.

Out of boredom and
adrenaline-filled fear, I stretch my body and attempt to move it. My
legs are sluggish, but my arms are coming around. It takes time, but
eventually I can lift them. Soon my fingers can move with enough
coordination. I'm able to rip the cloth from my eyes. More darkness
greets me. With enough concentration my eyes adjust, and that's when
I see where I am-
what
I'm in.

He was right. I'm a
prisoner. And Rhys had locked me in a cell with no way to get out.

I hear the screams
first.

At first I think it's a
nightmare. I see the dingy walls surrounding me, and the foreboding
metal door, and I know this is no dream. The cell is archaic with
only a hole for a toilet. There's no bed and no blankets. The floor
is even and smooth, but it's cold and uncomfortable.

The voice screams
again, louder this time, and I jump up. There's a small rectangular
window in the door, and I stand on my tiptoes to peek through.

Someone is dragging a
girl by her hair. They move past us and I gasp. She's wearing the
same scarlet colored dress I have on. What does it mean? Do people
wearing red die first? I watch them until they round a corner, and
the last thing I see are the ends of her ruby dress flittering
helplessly in the wind.

I step back, numb with
fear. All at once understanding comes at me full force. I'm alone. No
one knows where I am. I don't even know where I am. No way to get in.
No way to get out. Trapped, and at the utter mercy of aliens.

I start
hyperventilating, something I've never done before, but the short
breaths keep coming, smaller each time. My chest constricts because
I'm fighting to take in enough oxygen, but it's not enough, and I'm
shaking so badly. I curl into a ball, covering my face with my arms.
No one can see the tears glistening in my eyes. No one hears my sob
over my harsh breathing. And, even as I lay on the cold floor,
looking defeated, I know I can't be.

I have to get out.

I have to tell everyone
the truth.

The Saguinox are not
what they seem.

Shame covers me, making
my body hot with anger. How the aliens must've laughed, seeing how
malleable we were. Humans welcomed them with open arms like the baby
life forms they thought we were.

My humiliation is mixed
with guilt. Every lustful thought I ever had about Rhys runs in my
head, bulldozing my conscience and crumbling my heart. I literally
handed myself to them tonight, tricked by a pair of Angel eyes and a
handsome face that's poison.

My anger's the only
thing that gets me through the night.

I hear the screams
first.

At first I think it's a
nightmare. I see the dingy walls surrounding me, and the foreboding
metal door, and I know this is no dream. The cell is archaic with
only a hole for a toilet. There's no bed and no blankets. The floor
is even and smooth, but it's cold and uncomfortable.

The voice screams
again, louder this time, and I jump up. There's a small rectangular
window in the door, and I stand on my tiptoes to peek through.

Someone is dragging a
girl by her hair. They move past us and I gasp. She's wearing the
same scarlet colored dress I have on. What does it mean? Do people
wearing red die first? I watch them until they round a corner, and
the last thing I see are the ends of her ruby dress flittering
helplessly in the wind.

I step back, numb with
fear. All at once understanding comes at me full force. I'm alone. No
one knows where I am. I don't even know where I am. No way to get in.
No way to get out. Trapped, and at the utter mercy of aliens.

I start
hyperventilating, something I've never done before, but the short
breaths keep coming, smaller each time. My chest constricts because
I'm fighting to take in enough oxygen, but it's not enough, and I'm
shaking so badly. I curl into a ball, covering my face with my arms.
No one can see the tears glistening in my eyes. No one hears my sob
over my harsh breathing. And, even as I lay on the cold floor,
looking defeated, I know I can't be.

I have to get out.

I have to tell everyone
the truth.

The Saguinox are not
what they seem.

Shame covers me, making
my body hot with anger. How the aliens must've laughed, seeing how
malleable we were. Humans welcomed them with open arms like the baby
life forms they thought we were.

My humiliation is mixed
with guilt. Every lustful thought I ever had about Rhys runs in my
head, bulldozing my conscience and crumbling my heart. I literally
handed myself to them tonight, tricked by a pair of Angel eyes and a
handsome face that's poison.

My anger's the only
thing that gets me through the night.

An alarm rings,
screeching through dreams of glowing eyes and fire. I jerk awake, and
notice that I'm still in the same position from the night before. I
stretch my neck, arms and legs, feeling lighter as I realize my body
is back in working order. The alarm sounds again, and the buzzing
hurts my ears.
There is a loudspeaker in the room somewhere.
I
stand.

Walking, I peer through
the door. I try to look for faces, but the windows are small, and the
lights dim. I see nothing but an empty corridor with gray walls. It
reminds me of a nightmare I had, and goose bumps ripple over my arms.

"All clear."

Someone's walking, and
I press my face against the glass to see. He has dark hair and eyes,
and his lips are turned in a frown. There are two other men with him.
All three look ahead, their glowing eyes a beacon in the dark. He
nods, and the sounds of opening doors rumble in the corridor. I step
back as the door of my own personal prison push out. My hands tighten
on the handle, and with a shaky breath I shove the door forward,
stepping out.

When I'm in the
corridor I see there are about a dozen people standing with me. I
gasp. I'm wrong. There are a dozen people and
other creatures
standing with me.

My eyes are wide. I
can't help but stare at the one closest to me. Her skin is green,
completely and vibrantly green. Her black irises are large and
luminous. Her body is shaped like a human girl, but scales that cover
her chest, belly, and crotch. A tail hangs behind her, and I only
notice it because she swings it, sweeping it to the front. Her feet
have toes, but they're oval shaped, and are like green raindrops.
She's not wearing a dress, but a red shawl covers her. It's the same
color as mine, and she pushes the hood over her face. She turns to
the Saguinox, and I do, too.

"You will be fed
this morning, and then you will return to the caves to harvest.
Tomorrow some of you will offer yourselves to the crystal."
There is a collective sound of horror, and I look around, afraid. He
is unperturbed. "Do as you're told. Escape is an illusion.
Should you try," -a malicious smile appears on his face- "he
will
find you."