Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Banic crouched beside the metal bucket, scooping handfuls of lukewarm water over his skin. The coarse fabric of the medical pants they'd given him to wear after his surgery scratched his skin as they clung wetly to his thighs. He grimaced at the sensation, his Rage rumbling at the back of his mind.

Soft footfalls behind him made him look up, and he turned to find Beth staring at the bucket, a frown creasing the delicate skin between her brows.

"Is that all they've given you?" she asked sharply.

He nodded. "Yes. The guards bring me this bucket and leave me to my own devices."

Her eyes widened, her lips parting in outrage. "I thought they were taking you to proper facilities when I wasn't around. This is unacceptable treatment for a patient!"

Spinning on her heel, she stormed toward the entrance.

"Get your asses in here!" she bellowed, and the two guards appeared, their expressions wary. They were the guards from the night shift, who usually dealt with his ablutions and food.

"What the actual fuck is this?" she demanded, stabbing a finger toward the bucket. "He's just recovered from major surgery and deserves to be treated with basic dignity. You will take him to the showers right away."

The taller guard shifted uncomfortably. "Ma'am, with all due respect, he's feral. Letting him out of the cage puts us all at risk."

"Risk? Risk? You want to talk to me about risk?" She rounded on them, her eyes flashing fire. "He's just undergone major surgery and needs to keep clean to ensure good wound healing and recovery! Anything less and you risk infections that could run rampant and jeopardize my research. Besides, do you really think I'd endanger my own life and that of my staff by releasing a threat?"

He watched, transfixed. She was magnificent as she yelled at the guards. A strange warmth blossomed in his chest at her defending him as if he wasn't a monster.

The guards exchanged uncertain looks. "We'd need Prince Isan's permission to mov?—"

"This is my laboratory! And in my lab, I make the damn rules," she snapped, storming over to stand right in front of Banic. She stood on the other side of the bars but well within reach of his claws. Leaning forward, she practically shoved her face into his. "Do you intend to kill everyone in the facility and escape?"

He stared down at her and shook his head.

"No," he rumbled simply. "I do not."

He had absolutely no intention of trying to escape. Not when she was here.

The guards muttered, but a look from Beth cut off any further complaints. His heart raced at the thought of her coming to the showers with him. Heat shot through his veins with the idea of her tiny body pressed against his sending a spike of desire straight to his cock.

He sat obediently on the bunk, extending his wrists for the cuffs. The guard made a move to enter the cage and secure them, but Beth stepped forward, her chin jutting out defiantly.

"I'll handle this," she stated, daring the guards to challenge her with a pointed look. "You stay back because apparently… he's dangerous."

Banic bit back his grin at the looks on their faces from her well-placed jibe. But neither of them seemed eager to tangle with the ferocious little human female. He didn't blame them. It was like being mauled by a tiny deearin kit, all flashing eyes and tiny claws.

She opened the cage door and stepped in. He breathed in as she leaned over to check the cuffs were secure, her mouth-watering scent washing over him. It was addictive and utterly intoxicating.

"You've had a lucky escape," he rumbled, pitching his voice low so that the guards couldn't hear. "If I got you into that shower, I'd have you pinned up against the wall in a heartbeat, screaming in pleasure. I wouldn't stop until this entire place knows my name."

The words slipped out before he could stop them, his primal side taking over. He watched her pupils dilate, her lips parting on a sharp inhalation. She straightened, color staining her cheeks as she met his gaze directly.

"I think you're a little late for that. Everyone already knows your name," she told him smartly. "Now behave so you can get cleaned up. And no more comments like that."

"Why? Are you sure you don't want to wash my back?" he murmured, watching her flush deepen. "Or perhaps you'd prefer I wash yours… before I bend you over and fill you full of my fat, feral cock."

She caught her breath, and he almost groaned as the sweet scent of her arousal filled the air around them. Her little round pupils dilated until her eyes were almost black. He bit back his grin. So his little female did like the idea of being ravaged by the big, bad feral after all.

He filed that knowledge away for a later date as the thought of her slick skin sliding against his under the hot spray made his mouth water. One thing was certain. He would make that little fantasy a reality as soon as he could.

?

Banic kept his gaze straight ahead as the guards led him down the dimly lit corridor, the clink of his heavy shackles echoing with each step. His bare feet made no sound against the cold stone floor, and he could sense the furtive glances and hushed whispers that trailed in his wake.

As they passed an open doorway, he caught a glimpse of several Izaeans huddled together, their eyes widening as they saw him looking at them. He heard one of them suck in a sharp breath, the sound carrying in the still air as another leaned in close to mutter something to his companion. His voice held an odd burr that Banic couldn't quite make out.

"Another one of us," the dark voice in his head murmured. "Like the youngling who fled. This one is older, though. We can't hear the voice."

Banic ignored it. He could easily see that the male was older.

Further down the corridor, a group of younger males, barely into adulthood, emerged from another passageway, their steps faltering as they noticed the procession.

Banic kept his gaze forward as the group of young Izaean males strutted toward them, their shoulders thrown back and chins raised defiantly. He could sense their bravado, the desperate need to appear unfazed by his presence.

As they drew closer, one of the males puffed out his chest, his eyes locking on to Banic's in a clear challenge. The others followed suit, their stances widening as they tried to block the narrow corridor.

"Foolish pups," the dark voice crooned. "Let's show them what a real male looks like."

A low growl rumbled in Banic's throat, the feral sound reverberating through the enclosed space. He bared his teeth, his lip curling back from his teeth as he glared at the upstarts.

The effect was instantaneous. The young males froze, their bravado evaporating as quickly as it had appeared. The sharp tang of fear filled the corridor around them, their eyes wide and uncertain.

He held their terrified gazes for a moment longer and then grinned. It wasn't a nice grin. It was little more than a baring of teeth, a warning of the bloody and brutal violence about to happen if they didn't get the draanth out of his face.

None of them moved.

With a snort, he continued walking right through the group, scattering them to the sides of the corridor as he continued down it, the guards hurrying to keep up.

Behind him, he heard frantic whispers and scuffling footsteps as the young males scattered. He allowed himself a low chuckle, the sound rumbling deep in his chest like a growl. They'd had a lucky escape, and they knew it.

Finally, they reached the shower block, the guards stopping him outside to remove the cuffs. One of them made a move to follow, but Banic stopped him with a low growl.

"No," he rumbled, straightening to his full height, well above that of a normal Izaean. "I will not have an audience for this."

The guard opened his mouth to protest, but his companion grabbed his arm, shaking his head. With one last wary look at Banic, they retreated, locking the door behind them.

Banic turned his attention to the row of showerheads along the tiled wall. He frowned as he caught sight of himself in the mirror. No wonder Beth had shrunk back from him when she'd first seen him. He looked like he was wearing a small animal on his face—a small, dead animal. He was going to need to shave. Walking back to the door, he called out.

"I need a razor!"

After a muffled exchange on the other side of the door, it cracked open slightly, the braver guard looking at him through the chink in the door. He fought the temptation to rip the damn thing off its hinges.

"Not a chance! There's no way we're going to give you a weapon."

He sighed and then flexed his hands. Wicked claws erupted from the tips of his fingers with a soft snick. The guard's eye, the one he could see, widened.

"I already have all the weapons I need," he stated calmly. "The razor is for grooming, nothing more. Unless you'd prefer I use these?"

Another hushed conversation and then the door opened a little wider. Someone threw a razor and a small can of shaving cream in like they were live ordnance, clattering across the floor. The door slammed shut again.

Banic chuckled to himself, retrieving the items. He stripped off the loose pants, tossing them carelessly aside before stepping under the spray of hot water. It sluiced over his body in rivulets, washing away the lingering stench of chemicals and antiseptic from his surgery.

His Rage purred with satisfaction at being clean, the steady thrum in his mind taking on an approving tone. It wanted him to look his best, to be pleasing to their potential new mate.

He tilted his head back, letting the hot water sluice over his face as he lathered up with the shaving cream. The dark voice stirred in the back of his mind.

"The little human female intrigues us," it rumbled. "She is so tiny and soft compared to us. We wonder how she would feel pressed against our body."

He gritted his teeth as images of Beth's slender form flickered through his mind. His imagination took flight as he thought about stripping her clothes from her and exploring her curves, the swell of her breasts, and the gentle flare of her hips.

"Yes, imagine running our hands over that soft, delicate skin. She would be utterly dwarfed by our size, our strength. Yet she does not fear us."

"Enough," he growled out loud, but the darkness chuckled.

"There is no need for restraint or shame. The urge to mate is natural, inevitable even. I sense your body's interest in her. Why deny us?"

He snarled, swiping the razor over his jaw as he tried to block out the voice. It wasn't wrong. He did react to Beth in a very primal way.

"We will go slowly," he told it firmly. "She is not like us. She is... different."

The voice made a considering hum. "Yes, I can sense her curiosity about us, her desire to understand. She does not recoil like the others. Perhaps there is potential there, after all."

Banic felt a flicker of relief that the voice seemed to come around. He focused on carefully lathering up and shaving away the coarse hair until his skin was smooth once more. As the razor glided over his skin, he couldn't help but imagine Beth's gentle fingers tracing the newly exposed planes of his face and neck.

He would have to let her take the lead and come to him in her own time. He knew she was intrigued by him, but that curiosity could easily turn to fear if he wasn't careful.

Rinsing the last of the lather from his face, he stepped out from under the spray of water. He shook himself like a great beast shedding water from its pelt. As he toweled off, he caught his reflection in the steamed mirror and paused.

"Better."

The voice was right. He looked his best like this, his features sharply defined and striking instead of hidden under a mask of coarse hair. Perhaps a clean, groomed appearance would help put Beth more at ease around him. It was a small gesture, but every little bit helped.

And maybe she would touch him again…

He wrapped the towel around his waist to hide his arousal as he reached for the pants on the hook by the door that the guards must have left while he was shaving. They were the same coarse material as before, but at least they were clean and dry.

Throwing the door open, he hid his smile at the way the two guards jumped and then strode past them, heading back toward the lab before they could even think to get the cuffs back on him.

The scream tore through the corridor like a blade, jolting Banic out of his thoughts and sending a bolt of fear straight to his heart. He was moving before he even registered the decision, his bare feet pounding against the cold stone as he sprinted toward the lab.

He knew that scream. He would know it anywhere. It was Beth. His Beth. She was the only female in this godsforsaken facility, but even so, he would have known it was her. The sound of her terror froze his heart, the thought of her in danger making his vision bleed red around the edges as a snarl escaped his lips.