8. Apryle

Chapter 8

Apryle

I 've been scared many times in my life, but when Kye's eyes close, it is as if everything stops.

The only thing that keeps me from going feral is that I can still sense him through our bond. He's not dead, he's still breathing, but I can smell his blood in the air.

Stay calm, Apryle.

I can't use magic. Every time I try to draw on my power, the bracelets around my wrists send a wave of electricity through my body and it hurts like a motherfucker. I need a new plan, one that doesn't involve using my magic until these shackles are off.

Kye hasn't moved from where he fell and my heart squeezes painfully. I don't have the first clue what to do to save us, but I'm not letting us fall into the hands of our enemy. I can't be a prisoner, caged like an animal, or used like a science experiment. I don't want that for Kye either. He'll never tolerate being a captive.

One of the assholes grabs my bicep and not too gently drags me onto my feet. I glare at him as I come up, but he just smirks at me as if I'm no threat to him.

"Move," he orders as he shoves me forward.

I'm not expecting it, so I stumble on uncertain feet before turning to scowl at him. "Asshole."

"That's me. A total asshole. Keep fucking moving."

He pulls out a phone and types out a message. When he's done, he pockets it and lifts his eyes to his friend. "Transport's on the way."

Transport doesn't sound positive. We won't be getting into any kind of vehicle. It would be the beginning of the end for Kye and me. That's not happening.

I glance around, searching the street for any sign of our party, but we're alone. My stomach dips. No one is coming to help us. I'm the one who needs to save us.

It's hopeless, and I know that before I act, but I can't stand by while we're captured. So I risk it in a last-ditch desperate attempt to save us both.

As soon as I draw on my magic, the bracelets around my wrists surge to life. The result is instantaneous. Blinding pain shoots through my body, lightning-hot agony that almost drags me to my knees. I don't know how I find the strength, but I blast the two hunters, watching with satisfaction as they go down, blood spurting from their nose, mouth, and eyes.

That satisfaction is short-lived, though. My own pain is building to a crescendo that I can't ignore. Every muscle in my body is contracting in waves and dragging in air feels impossible as my lungs tighten.

I stumble, losing my footing as I try to focus on anything other than the pain working through me. It feels as if I am being split in half and I have to fight the nausea swirling through my gut as my body and my wolf urge me to stop.

I'm not sure what happens next, but I blink and I'm on my knees, my palms pressed against the asphalt, blood dripping from my nose. I can taste metal in the back of my throat and my head pulses in time with my racing heart.

I try to move, but I'm dizzy and lightheaded.

Son of a…

I let out a scream, though it sounds as if there is a hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing the breath out of me. I want to keep fighting, but my body is no longer cooperating. Twitching and convulsing, I fall face first onto the ground, my limbs like water.

Get. Fucking. Up.

I try to move, but my body is lead, and my head is swimming. Peering along the ground, I seek Kye. He's lying maybe ten feet from me, slightly tilted onto his side, and his slack jaw and closed eyes tell me he's still unconscious.

Realizing how fucked we are has terror swirling through my belly. I can't be captured. I don't want to be forced into breeding super soldiers for whatever war the Order thinks is coming.

Don't fall asleep.

I try to blink the gritty exhaustion from my eyes, but they're becoming heavy.

"We need to move fast," one of the hunters says.

"Get her loaded. You know we're gonna to be rewarded for this." He sounds gleeful and I want to smack him in the face. For him, this is a successful mission; for Kye and me, this means our lives are over.

"That's why we do it," the other guy says.

Unable to hold on, I give into the pull of exhaustion and sink into the darkness.

When I wake, the first thing I can smell is antiseptics. I blink my eyes slowly, prying my eyelids apart even though they feel like concrete. The pain doesn't register for a moment, but then it hits me full force. Every inch of my skin feels tender, as if the capillaries and arteries below have been fried.

I suck in a breath between my teeth, trying to control the sensations rocketing through me as I quickly glance around the room, my adrenaline flaring inside me.

I've been captured.

My worst nightmare came true.

Swallowing down my panic, I try to get my bearings. Rows of beds line both sides of the room, with equipment and low metal tables scattered between. There are curtains separating the beds, creating an illusion of privacy that is shattered by the blinking camera in the corner near the ceiling.

Who's watching?

I'm not sure if it is a positive thing that I'm here alone. Where the fuck is Kye and what have they done to him? Are there other tau here? What about Callum and the others?

I reach through my mating bond, trying to seek the male who shares my awareness, but there's nothing but silence.

Fuck, please be okay, Kye.

He's not dead, but he's also not conscious, and that scares me to death. As I sit up, pain spreads through my body like a whip cracking. It's so dizzying, I have to close my eyes and grip the edge of the bed to stop myself from sliding off.

What did those assholes do to me?

My brain feels sluggish, and my stomach knots as bile coats my throat.

Breathe in and out.

Over and over I do this until the nausea starts to abate and I'm able to open my eyes again.

I have to move. I can't sit here and wait for someone to come to me. I glance around, searching for anything that might tell me where I am or where he is. Are we still in Montana? Is this a breeding facility?

I'm not getting warm and fuzzy feelings about wherever we are. Despite looking like a hospital, it feels more like a prison. There are no windows to the outside and there's only one door. It doesn't scream hospitality.

A grim thought enters my mind. The Order wants to breed my kind. What if they tried while I was unconscious?

The savage twist of my belly almost makes me retch.

Did they…

A spear of terror pierces through my chest as I press a hand between my legs, feeling for any soreness there. The relief that floods me when nothing hurts almost overwhelms me. I seem to be intact, and I'm still dressed, which makes it easier to breathe.

"Fuck," I mutter as my vision clears. If they so much as try to touch me like that, I'll kill them—or die trying.

Focus, Apryle .

Guilt gnaws at my gut. I should have trusted Kye's instincts. Despite my reluctance to accept him as my mate, I understand that he has only ever tried to take care of me.

Why am I always trying to prove something, even if it's at the expense of the people around me?

This is what you do , a dry voice in the back of my mind reminds me. You always fuck up. It's who you are, Apryle.

No, it's who I was. I'm not that same girl. I have someone who cares about me the way I am now.

I open my eyes and my wrists are still shackled, meaning my magic is not going to help me.

I groan, my head dropping onto my chest as I suck in as much air as I can manage. These fucking bracelets are going to be the death of me.

Trying to ignore the pulsing headache building behind my eyes, I tug at them, searching for a clasp, but I can't find one, and time is ticking away.

Starting to panic, I try to reach my wolf. Unsurprisingly, I get no response.

Now is a really bad time to be hiding, I complain.

Still nothing.

I glance around the room, this time with a more analytical eye. There's nothing obvious that would make a good weapon, but if this is a hospital, surely there will be something sharp and pointy somewhere.

Scooting off the edge of the bed, I press my bare feet to the tiled floor and gasp.

"Fuck, that's cold!" I hiss through my teeth.

There's no sign of my boots or socks, so I guess I'm hotfooting it bare.

As I move across the floor, I expect someone to appear and stop me, but no one does. It's eerily quiet, and that sets my internal alarm bells ringing. Where is everyone? Why did they bring me here just to leave me alone?

I lick my dry lips as I approach the only way in and out of the room. What the hell is on the other side of the door? Is this a trap?

Scared, I try to reach Kye through our bond once more, but he remains out of reach of me. I wish he were here, and that's not something I thought I would ever desire.

I don't want a mate, right?

And yet the thought that he's in danger sends waves of fear through me. The need to get to him and protect him almost overwhelms me.

I search the room, looking for any clue as to where I am, but there is nothing in here, not so much as a chart. If this is a hospital, I don't think it's the kind that normal people can just wander into.

Trying not to make a sound, I tiptoe over to the door and press my ear against it, using my wolf senses to listen. Silence greets me, but I'm still cautious. The door could be thick, metal, or any number of things that would prevent me from hearing.

Without knowing fully what's on the other side, I twist the handle, and, to my surprise, the door pops open.

My breath hitches, clogging my throat as my anxiety skyrockets. They didn't even lock me in… Why?

This is a trap…

It has to be.

I glance at the camera in the corner of the room expecting to be swarmed by the enemy, but when nothing happens, I gulp in air. Then I gently pull the door toward me and carefully peer around the edge into the corridor beyond. The walls are pale green, almost inviting and calm, but there's no one waiting to drag me back to the bed.

I sniff, relying on my wolf senses, and while there are multiple scents, there's nothing fresh.

Fuck. I don't want to just waltz into danger, but staying put isn't an option.

Keeping close to the wall, I use the mating bond as a beacon to tell me which direction Kye is in, and I head that way. There are more cameras in the hallways, blinking red lights watching my every move. It's creepy, but still there is no sign of life and no one tries to stop me.

As I approach the end of the corridor and a set of double doors, there is a wheelchair sitting abandoned against the wall. I snag it, certain that Kye will not be in a condition to walk out of here. He was shot and barely conscious the last time I saw him.

Backing through the doors, checking I'm not about to be attacked, I'm relieved to find the next corridor is also empty. The lack of people or anything keeping me from escaping doesn't feel like a good thing. My sense of unease is growing by the minute.

As I move, an unfamiliar smell infuses my nose. It's not wolf, which is a relief because there is no way I can mask my scent without my power, and any wolf with a nose will be able to smell me before they see me.

No, this scent is human.

And that stuns me. What the hell are humans doing involved in this? They don't know about our world—or they're not meant to—and yet there is no mistaking what I'm smelling.

It's getting closer, and my frazzled brain remembers I'm not supposed to be here.

Hide, I have to hide.

I backtrack a couple of steps, dragging the wheelchair with me, and with no choice, I shove into one room off the hallway.

I expect to be wrestled to the ground immediately, but the space is dark other than the flood of light from the multiple screens on one wall.

I press against the door so I can close it without making a sound, and when I turn back into the room, my heart sinks into my gut. The wall of monitors shows what looks like a bunch of cells. There are beds in each one, a toilet, and a basin, but nothing else.

I scan each screen, my pulse fluttering even though they are all empty. Is this a prison? A holding place for tau?

There's so much information in front of me that I almost miss the small figure sitting against the wall on one of the middle screens. I lean in closer for a better look and my stomach knots at the way her knees are drawn to her chest.

I don't know who she is, but she's so small she has to be a pup. Her long hair curtains her face, hiding her and making it difficult to guess anything, but it's clear she's a prisoner here.

Sweat beads on the back of my neck as I will her to move, but she doesn't so much as flinch.

Is this a live feed?

A static picture?

Is she really here?

There is movement on other screens, soldiers armed with guns and people in lab coats. Yeah, it's live. Fuck. I can't leave without finding the girl, but how the fuck am I going to do that?

"Who are you, kid?" I murmur, noting the writing in the bottom left corner of the screen.

MAIN FLOOR ROOM 7.

I make a note of it before continuing to scan the screens, my eyes darting back and forth as I search for him. Eventually, I spot Kye.

The camera is angled in such a way that only a small section of the room is visible. I don't care about any of that. My gaze is locked on the male who shares my consciousness. Kye's lying on a narrow bed, sheets pulled up just barely over his hips, and his torso is exposed. Someone undressed him, and that makes me angry. If they used his body while he was unconscious, I'll destroy them all.

I study the piece of gauze taped around the front of his abdomen, spanning around the side of his ribs and disappearing behind his back, and cold spreads through me. The size of that dressing scares me. Just how bad was he hurt?

FIRST FLOOR ROOM 10.

I go back to scanning the monitors, ignoring the figures milling around on various screens. Eventually I recognize the room I left, spotting the blanket I piled on the edge of the bed when I climbed out.

MAIN FLOOR.

That means the girl in the live feed is around here somewhere.

But Kye needs me…

Fuck. She's a child. A tiny, frightened little girl. I can't walk away and leave her if there's a chance I can help her.

My gaze bounces to his screen and my stomach knots. What if she's part of this and I risk everything to rescue her? I can't do that to Kye. He would never leave me and yet… What if she's in trouble and I do nothing?

Fuck.

I chew my bottom lip as I find her again on the camera. She hasn't moved from her position, but her shoulders are shaking. She's crying.

As I cover my mouth, my insides are twisting. It's a risk to try to save her, but it's one I have to take. Kye would understand why I have to go to her first. I'm certain of it.

I spot movement on the screens as a small woman wearing a white lab coat walks along the corridor I think I was just in. As I watch her, my lips peel back from my teeth, a snarl poised to release.

That bitch looks so normal, and yet she works at a place like this.

The urge to go after her and tear her throat out with my teeth weighs heavily on me, but I don't move, waiting instead until she disappears into another room.

ROOM 2.

I duck down behind the desk and find the plug to the monitors. Tugging it out of the wall, I use my bare hands and my wolf strength to rip it apart. I don't know if it will give us a head start, but I'm not about to leave this working when it can lead our enemies directly to us.

Grabbing the wheelchair, I slowly inch the door open and double check it's clear. Nothing moves, and the obnoxious overhead strip lights are irritating as I step out of the room.

I can smell the woman, her scent lingering in the air, as I move up the corridor in the direction she came from. This time, I pay attention to the numbers above the doors.

Following the pattern, I figure out I'm near where I need to be, and thankfully, it only takes me a few moments to find the right room. There are no fancy biometrics to stop me from entering. In fact, it seems low-tech for an Order facility.

I bend to examine the lock, wincing. I don't know how to pick one, but I know how to kick a door in. Just as I'm about to lift my foot, I pause. My door had been open, so maybe this one is too.

Slowly, I reach for the handle, and it pops open.

My brows fly up my forehead.

"This definitely feels like a trap," I mutter as I push the door open.

I see the girl sitting there, exactly as she was on the camera—or rather, I see the curtain of her hair. The white gown that covers her body almost to her calves doesn't hide her dirty feet sticking out of the bottom, and the way her knees are drawn to her chest allows her head to rest on top of them.

To my complete horror, the smell of blood lingers in the air. It's not fresh, but it's not old either.

Is it her blood?

I swallow down the bile trying to climb up my throat, wondering how best to approach her. I don't want to scare her, but we don't have time for drawn-out conversations either.

Propping the door open with the wheelchair, just in case it locks from the inside, I walk over to her slowly. A discreet sniff as I approach tells me she's tau, like me. Her witch side is stronger than her wolf, which isn't unusual, but it's clear to me she's been mistreated here.

I can't tell how old she is, not without seeing her face, but her ankles are so small the bones protrude unnaturally, and her bare arms are so thin I could wrap my fingers around them without a gap.

Anger flames through my stomach. How could these assholes treat a little girl this way?

"Hey…" I speak softly, careful not to spook her, but she doesn't look up or even acknowledge my presence.

Is she drugged or under the influence of magic that is keeping her subdued?

I glance back at the door, feeling as if there is a giant clock ticking over my head. I have to find Kye, and I have to get us all out of this place.

I move closer to the girl, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. "My name is Apryle. I'm like you—a hybrid. Tau. We don't have much time, but we need to get out of here before anyone realizes we're gone."

Nothing.

My heart racing, I step closer and gently reach out to her. My hand is barely an inch from hers when her fingers lash out and wrap around my wrist like a vise. I let out a squeal, surprise rather than pain stunning me.

Piercing ice blue eyes lock to mine as her mouth pulls into a snarl.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I immediately tell her, hoping she is able to hear and understand I'm not her enemy. "I'm here to free you."

Her head tilts to the side, her lank, greasy hair parting enough that I see her dirty face. She's young, maybe eight or nine—it's impossible to tell—and she's not scared. What I see in her eyes is anger.

"They caught me too, and my… my mate." I stumble over the word, even though saying it feels right.

Her sharp eyes narrow on me. I show her my wrists that are still encased in the metal bracelets. "I can't use my magic. Can you?"

Her gaze lingers on them before she lifts her lashes to peer at me. She isn't wearing shackles like I am. "I knew you'd come." Her voice is raw, as if she's screamed over and over.

"You… did?"

"I saw it. Saw you."

Premonition isn't that unusual among our kind. Both Hester and Tessa have the sight. "I hope you also saw us getting out of this place, kid."

Her eyes lift toward the corner of the room, and I realize she's looking at where the camera is positioned.

I grit my teeth, trying to keep my expression neutral so I don't scare her. "They can't hurt you anymore. I'll never let them touch you again. What your name?"

"I'm not supposed to use it," she says in a voice that is barely more than a whisper.

My throat is tight. They've tried to strip back everything she is. "You can use it with me. And you'll be able to use it anytime you want from now on," I promise, despite the fact that we're not free yet.

Getting me and Kye out of here is going to be tough enough. Adding another person increases that risk, but what other choice is there? I can't leave her behind. This little girl could have parents out there looking for her, a family missing her. I can't leave her to be tortured more.

There is mistrust in her eyes as she looks up at me. "My mama called me Savannah."

Relief makes my shoulders sag. It's a small step, but it's a good one. "Do you think you can walk, Savannah?"

"I can try."

The determination in her voice has my eyes stinging. So wounded and hurt, and yet she's still showing strength.

I reach out, helping her stand and supporting her when her legs shake. I can feel how thin this child is, and it makes me want to unleash hell on the fuckers who did this to her.

We need to move fast and she's not going to be able to do that, so I gesture at her to sit in the wheelchair.

Pushing Savannah, I use my mating bond like a beacon to lead me to him as if we are tethered by a string as we walk past more rooms, my brain memorizing each of their numbers.

The more time passes without encountering anyone, the more my tension grows. Shouldn't there be other people here? Guards? Anyone? Why has no one tried to stop us?

We have to take the elevator to the floor above, and my heart is in my throat until the doors slide open and we're looking down an empty hallway.

As we get closer to where I think Kye is, my skin crawls. Something isn't right, but I press onward.

I stop outside the room numbered the same as I saw on the monitors. He'd been alone on the screen, but I'm not sure if he still is, so I enter with caution. My heart is pounding.

When I step into the room, my heart is no longer racing—it's sinking.

He's not here.

But he is close by. I can feel his presence and smell him.

I pull the wheelchair into the room, letting the door close behind us, and quickly take in what's in front of me.

This doesn't look like the room I saw on the screen. There is a bed in the middle of the floor, thick straps hanging down—straps designed to hold someone in place. My mouth dries. What in the torture chamber is this?

A sound catches my attention. I spin around as a door I didn't even notice opens and the woman I'd seen on the camera steps in.

She gives me a warm smile I don't trust for even a second.

"You really are very resourceful," she says as if we're having a normal conversation. "It was interesting watching you. I thought for certain you'd come for him. I never imagined you'd try to save her too."

I knew it was a trap, but I'd hoped just once luck would be on our side. I pull Savannah out of the wheelchair, pressing the little girl behind me protectively. I promised her I would get her out of here and I'm not about to break that vow. The woman in front of me is human, and her kind is so very fragile. I will hurt her if that's what it takes to get us out of here.

As if she senses my thoughts, the bitch gives me a dark smile.

"If you try anything, your mate will die."

I jolt. "You touch him, and I'll rip your throat out."

I'm surprised by how fierce I sound. Only a few hours ago I was telling Kye to leave me alone, and yet here I am, threatening to kill someone to protect him. I guess I like him more than I thought.

"He did everything he could to get to you. In his last moments of clarity, he leveled many colorful threats at me and my men if we dared to touch his mate, but he lost a lot of blood and was too weak to get up. Still, despite his own situation, he tried . The bond mates have never ceases to amaze me. Does it develop over time? Or is it just inbuilt? I'm curious to know."

Savannah presses closer to my back as the woman moves toward us, her question hanging heavily in the air.

I pull her tighter against my spine. "And you're never going to," I spit out the words. "You're not going to leave this room breathing."

She lets out a dry laugh, as if she doesn't believe me, but unlike her, I have something to fight for, and I will do it to the death. "That's a big statement to make for someone who is my captive."

"Take these shitty bracelets off and I'll show you exactly how big of a statement it is," I fire back, inching me and Savannah toward the door on the other side of the room where I suspect Kye is being kept.

"You're not going anywhere. While you were unconscious we took a little blood sample from you." I want to check my arms to see if she's telling the truth, but I would have to release Savannah and I'm not doing that.

"Why?"

"Your blood is special. We've been looking for someone like you for a long time, Apryle."

Cold spreads through my body, but I keep my expression unreadable. I can't let her know she rattled me.

"Well, you found me, and I'm going to be the last thing you see before you take your final breath."

"You have no idea how special you are, do you?" Her eyes are bright as she says this, and a cold shiver goes down my spine.

"What the hell are you talking about? The Order doesn't care about special. You assholes just want to destroy us."

Her brows knit together. "Don't insult me! I'm not with those assholes."

My mouth dries instantly. We assumed they were hunters, but did we get it wrong?

"Then who are you with?"

"We serve only one. Revna."

Revna? What the hell?

This woman is crazy and all I care about is getting to Kye. I inch closer to the door, even though I have no idea how we're getting out of here.

"You keep serving her, but we're leaving, and if you try to stop us, I will hurt you. Where's my mate?"

The woman gives me a thin smile. "I'm afraid I can't allow that to happen." She flicks her wrist up to look at her watch. "They'll be here soon."

Cold spreads through me as Savannah tightens her hold on me. "Who will?"

She makes a sound that is almost gleeful. "Don't worry, Apryle. We're going to have a little party, and you're going to be the guest of honor."

What the fuck ?