SelkiesSeduction (12 page)

In the housing area, two more cameras covered every possible
inch of the living space, making privacy nonexistent. The furnishings consisted
of a bed, a table and a chair all in a drab green color. Real cozy. They needed
a new decorator.

The bathroom would have done credit to a correctional facility,
all gleaming chrome with a glass-walled shower. She looked up and sure enough,
a security camera was in position to catch just about anything she might do,
including shower. She sure hoped they were tough enough not to run screaming at
the sight of her in the morning.

Refusing to give in to despair or the hysteria she could
sense rapidly rising, Nikki wandered to the chair and sat, closing her eyes.
Part of her sister’s vision had come true so it stood to reason that the rest
would as well.

Concentrating, she searched her mind for that tiny corner
where she’d been able to feel Wolfe’s presence ever since that binding thing.
To her surprise, she could still feel him. Maybe he wasn’t as far away as she
thought.

Wolfe?

She couldn’t believe how disappointed she felt when he didn’t
answer. She’d come to rely on his solid presence, his calm reassurance that
nothing bad would ever manage to come between them. She tried again.
Wolfe?
Where are you? I need you!

Nothing.

She could feel him, but she couldn’t contact him. She had no
idea what that meant. Could he still feel her? Could he tell where she was?
Maybe this place had some sort of blocking system in place to make sure she
didn’t reach out for help. Damn this whole stupid binding thing anyway. She had
no idea if her captors were aware of her link to Wolfe. Why hadn’t she paid
more attention when he tried to explain it?

Frustrated, she picked up the mug on the end table and threw
it at the glass wall of the enclosure. It bounced off without leaving a mark.
Great, not glass. Must be some sort of Plexiglas or plastic polymer. Could be
harder than she thought to get out of here.

How had Sasha managed to get into the werewolf pen?

Nikki opened one eye and stared blearily at the wall of her
cell, trying to see what had disturbed her sleep. She’d spent a restless night,
her sleep punctuated by vivid nightmares of her sister’s vision.

The sound of a gong echoed through her cell, and set her
teeth on edge. Her eyes focused on the food hopper, where someone had shoved a
plate through the opening. Lovely. Even the meals reminded her of an
institution. Did they think she was some kind of rat, conditioned to eat at the
sound of a bell?

Pulling the blanket over her head, she rolled over and made a
determined effort to ignore the world, or at least her annoying little corner
of it. She felt for Wolfe’s presence, hoping it wasn’t just her imagination
that kept her hopes alive. No, she could still feel him but she had the
impression he was far away.

It didn’t matter. He would come for her.

She had to believe that, or she might go mad.

“Nikki. Time to get up. You have a full schedule today.”

What the hell? She pulled the blanket off her face and
looked around. No one. Maybe it was too late. She’d already gone insane.

“Nikki. Time to get up.”

She located the speakers hidden in the ceiling panels. She
rubbed a tired hand across her face and swung her legs over the edge of the
bed. This captivity thing was getting annoying. Stumbling to the bathroom, she
dashed some water on her face, and hazarded a look in the mirror. Maybe she
could let them see her before she brushed her hair. That ought to scare the
living bejeezus out of them.

Ambling into the main living area, she grabbed the tray from
the hopper and set it on the table. Her hand on the lid, she hesitated. These
people were living in their own little Dream World. Did she really want to know
what the madman might consider a suitable breakfast for a selkie? If there were
raw fish on this platter, she’d heave it right into that damn Plexiglas wall.
It may not break it, but someone would have to come and clean the damn thing
up.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted the lid gingerly and stared
at the plate. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, jam and a cup of orange juice. Not
bad. Apparently, the mad scientist didn’t concoct the menus. At least she’d be
able to keep her strength up until Wolfe arrived to rescue her. And he would.
She hugged his presence in her mind like a talisman. He was her Protector. He
wouldn’t fail her. She picked up the plastic fork and took a mouthful of the
scrambled eggs.

“Good girl!”

She put the fork down and looked around. Enough already. “Look,
you assholes. I spent half the night having nightmares, thanks to your
wonderful hospitality. Now I’m awake, and I’m eating even though I’d rather
spend the next few hours unconscious in the sack, and if you don’t bloody well
leave me alone to do it, I’m going to show you exactly how nasty a pissed-off selkie
can be. Now sod off and let me finish my breakfast.” She punctuated her tirade
with a glare around the room. Let them make some of their damn notes about
that. She picked up the fork and resumed eating. The voices in the ceiling
remained blessedly silent.

She’d just finished gulping down the last of the juice when
Mrs. Simmons appeared to unlock her cell. “Time to get moving. We have a panel
of tests for you before your meeting with the doctor.”

Nikki raised her brows. “I haven’t had time to shower or
brush my teeth yet.”

The guard pursed her lips. “You’re new, so I’ll give you
five minutes. In future, when you hear the wakeup call, you get out of bed.
Immediately. This isn’t some high-class hotel.”

No kidding. The room service sucked. She refrained from
saying it aloud, merely mumbled something that she hoped sounded suitably
thankful and headed for the bathroom.

Not a fan of taking a shower in front of however many hidden
cameras they had installed, she settled for a quick sponge bath, and stopped
dead.

Clean clothes. Not like they’d let her pack a suitcase
before they’d grabbed her. Wrinkling her nose, she went back to the kitchen
area. “How do I go about getting some clean clothes? These are starting to
smell.”

Mrs. Simmons shook her head. “You’re still persisting in
thinking of yourself as human. You’ll get over it. You all do, sooner or later.
Just take those things off and toss them in the trash bin. We keep the
temperature in each ecosystem warm enough that clothing is not necessary. The
male specimens are quicker to grasp that.” She picked out a bathrobe from the shelves.
“We supply bathrobes to be worn when you are being transported from one area to
another or when you are being interviewed by the doctor or one of the
researchers. Some of them find it uncomfortable to work with a specimen that
appears to be a nude human.”

Good Lord. No wonder the were-creatures all spent most of
their time in animal form! These people were certifiably insane. A shiver of
fear skittered up her spine. She needed to start planning her own escape, ASAP.
No telling how long it was going to take Wolfe to find her.

Dream Walking. For once, she truly wished she were more
talented at it. If she were stronger, she could go to her sister for help. Then
again, that would leave her body at the mercy of these people until she
returned. Did she dare?

“Get into the robe. They’ll need to run some baseline tests,
blood pressure, heart, pulse and so on. Those clothes simply won’t do.” The
guard prodded her impatiently. “Hurry up. You’re going to be late, and Dr.
Kvordic likes punctuality.”

Reluctantly, Nikki skimmed off her top and pants but kept
her underwear and bra on. Under the assessing gaze of Mrs. Simmons, she donned
the fluffy white robe. It was definitely high quality, warm and fluffy but the
lack of clothes made her feel vulnerable and she wondered if that was
deliberate on the part of her captors.

“There. That’s not so bad, is it?” The guard actually gave
her an approving pat on the back. As if she were a pet dog who’d just mastered
a basic command. Nikki gritted her teeth, keeping her eyes averted from the
damn security monitors.

The guard led her through a maze of ecosystems. “Most of
these are unoccupied as yet.”

These maniacs were actually planning to kidnap enough people
to populate this place? Surely, they realized that was insane. Someone, either
human or on the Supernatural Council would notice that many disappearances and
start to put two and two together.

They came to a bank of elevators, and the guard pushed the
up button. “Most of the testing is on the upper floors. The labs and work areas
are located there.” The elevator arrived and the doors opened with a
disgustingly cheerful ping.

“On we go.” The woman held her arm as they entered. Probably
to make sure she didn’t shove her out and close the door. Either she was good
at her job, or one of the captives had already tried that tactic.

Nikki studied the control panel with interest. There were
seven floors listed, two of them below the one with her living quarters. If the
testing and research facilities were above her, what lay buried in the bowels
of the complex?

The elevator rose swiftly and silently to level six. The
doors opened to reveal a setup that reminded Nikki of a hospital. A long
corridor painted in mint green stretched in either direction, with a
workstation directly ahead of them.

“Good morning, Nikki.” A woman dressed in a sparkling white
lab coat came out from behind the counter, smiling as if she expected Nikki to
be glad to see her.

“She’s still adjusting.” The guard got back in the elevator.
“She’s not as belligerent as the last one though. She may make a better test
subject.”

Wouldn’t count on that. Nikki kept her expression blank.
Just smart enough to know when to play along.

“I’m sure you’ll acclimatize quickly.” The nurse picked up a
clipboard off the counter and gave her a sympathetic look. “It must be a bit of
a shock, finding out we know all about your kind, but we’re not here to hurt
you. We just want to understand your species. First thing, we’re going to run a
bunch of tests to see what’s normal for you, health-wise.”

She led the way down the corridor to the left, and Nikki
trailed behind, trying to memorize the layout. It looked simple. The bank of
elevators and the desk were at the junction of two corridors. She couldn’t see
in the doors they passed, but most of them were labeled for convenience. Lab
#2. Blood tests. Stress testing. X-ray. Biopsy. It really did sound like a
hospital.

The nurse opened a door marked Main Testing Lab, and turned
to give her a disgustingly bright smile. “Here we are. Dr. Landers is going to
do your preliminary tests, and then you’re scheduled to meet with Dr. Kvordic
at ten thirty.”

Nikki didn’t bother to reply. You didn’t expect your dog to
wag its tail when you took it to the vet, now did you?

Dr. Landers took the clipboard from the nurse, and addressed
Nikki without bothering to look at her. “You’re late. We’ll need to hurry some
of the tests. Remove the robe, and get up on the table.”

Nikki blinked. Okay, now they had a problem. She wasn’t fond
of stripping in front of total strangers.

The door clicked closed behind Nurse Cheerful, and Dr.
Landers glanced up at her impatiently. “Strip and get up on the examining
table.”

Nikki raised her brow. One skinny doctor she could handle.
She crossed her arms on her chest. “What if I don’t want to?”

The doctor sighed and put the clipboard down. “Fine. I can
see you haven’t been disciplined yet.” She raised her eyes to the monitor in
the corner. “I need security in here. Nikki is being difficult.”

“Roger that. Stan will be right there.”

Nikki felt her heart sink. “Who’s Stan?” The self-satisfied
smile on the doctor’s face didn’t bode well.

“Stan specializes in instilling obedience in you creatures.
Usually one session with him is enough to convince you to cooperate.”

The door opened and a hulking giant of a man stepped
through. The grin on his face was anything but reassuring. “You called for me,
Dr. Landers?”

Nikki took a deep breath and shrugged out of the robe, glad
she’d kept the dubious barrier of the undergarments. The smirk on Stan’s face
made her want to show him one of her karate moves, but she had a feeling it
would just bounce off his huge body. The one thing her sensei had drilled into
her was common sense. Don’t take on an opponent who vastly outmuscles you, and
if in doubt, run.

Running wasn’t currently an option, so playing meek little selkie
seemed like the most reasonable course of action. She hopped up onto the cold
steel table.

“Smart girl.” The smirk on Dr. Landers’s face galled. These
people really needed to stop talking to her as if she were an unruly puppy. “Stan
will just stay to remind you to behave.” She favored the man with a flirtatious
smile that made Nikki wonder what their after-hours relationship was.

“I see Mrs. Simmons didn’t have you remove your
undergarments. Do so now please, then lie down, arms above your head and feet in
the stirrups.” The doctor opened one of the many drawers along the far wall and
extracted a pair of surgical gloves.

Nikki glanced at Stan, who returned her gaze with a deadpan
expression. She suppressed a sigh. They thought of her as an animal. Why would
they consider her privacy? Good thing they couldn’t read her thoughts as easily
as Wolfe or she’d find out exactly what they meant by disciplinary action.

She tried not to wonder how far away he was, or whether he
would actually be able to find her. There was so much she didn’t know about
their bonding. For the first time in her life, she wished she’d paid more
attention to Trina’s gushing over her and Jack.

“We’re waiting, Nikki. Please get in position for the exam.”
The doctor’s voice betrayed her impatience.

With a defiant toss of her head, Nikki stripped off her bra
and panties and lay down as directed, trying to ignore the brute’s gaze as it
lingered on her exposed genitals. Maybe she could make friends with one of the
werewolves and sic him on Stan. The thought helped her to ignore him as Dr.
Landers conducted the most thorough physical examination she’d ever had to
endure.

“Excellent. You’re in fine condition. We’ll just take a few
blood samples and send you on your way. I’m going to schedule a stress test and
some physical challenges for you tomorrow. Find out just how fit you are before
we begin our research. Stan, could you bring me three of those blood vials from
the desk, please?”

Fastening a tourniquet around Nikki’s upper left arm, she
peeled the protective covering from a syringe and felt for a vein. “Good veins.”
She inserted the syringe and attached the first vial. “You’ve behaved very well
this morning, so I’ll make a notation to reward you at dinner this evening. We
would never compromise the nutritional quality of your meals, but you’ll find
that cooperation makes them a whole lot more palatable.” She inserted the
second vial, and then the third, labeling each and placing it in a tray when it
was full. “You missed your shower this morning, and Dr. Kvordic is very
fastidious so you’ll need to take one before you put your robe back on. You
need to keep him satisfied, you know.”

If Nikki didn’t know better, she just might think that was
sympathy in the doctor’s eyes.

“The lack of clothing takes a bit of getting used to, but
you mustn’t compromise your hygiene for the sake of modesty. The sight of a
naked female that resembles a human is hardly novel around here. Our training
and testing can be quite rigorous, and you need to keep your strength up. The
shower stall is in the corner.” She nodded toward it.

Nikki swung her legs over the edge of the table and slipped
to her feet. Ignoring Stan’s leering eyes, she stalked to the shower, opening
the clear glass door and adjusting the temperature before she stepped in. She
took her time, soaping every part of her body and trying to scrub off the
invasive feel of Dr. Landers’s hands on her.