Chapter 3

Cain stared through the glass as the drug wore off, only getting a glimpse of the ice-green eyes before they disappeared. Bracing himself?at least as best he could?he knew what was about to happen. The only thing left to think about was what new form of torture would be used against him, but fuck, it wouldn't matter—they'd never be able to break him.

The heavy cell door rolled open on its tracks, jerking to a stop with a loud clang. It was a sound he'd never become used to; it always foreshadowed something bad. Keeping his eyes focused on the opening; he'd save his energy until his torturer entered before letting loose with his latest volley of insults and curses. It was the only weapon he had left since they'd stripped him naked after he'd tried to use his clothes to strangle his last bunkie. What a piece of shit he was!

Pushing thoughts of his former bunkmate aside, Cain inhaled quietly, then exhaled, waiting for the next round of pain. When no one appeared, he cursed silently; his captors were attempting to fuck with his mind, but he was wise to their games. So he waited quietly, knowing it would lead them to believe they were winning.

Cain counted the minutes in his head, and when five of them had passed, he smiled inwardly. He'd forgotten that patience could be a very effective weapon. Finally, his eyes demanded relief from their unrelenting stare, so he gave in and blinked. It was then that he saw her.

The woman was stunningly beautiful and, though she appeared to be old, her body was tight, her face unlined, and the only indication of age was long silver hair falling in layers around her face, highlighting sculptured cheekbones and soft lips. Her ice-green eyes were like lasers, ready to latch onto prey which in this case, he realized, was him. What kind of fuckery is this? He watched her as she walked into his cell, wearing a loose, flowing green dress, accenting the color of her eyes, moving with an uncommon grace that spoke of a much younger woman. Cain was so fixated on her that he never realized his cell door had banged closed without causing him to flinch. Shifting his eyes back to the woman, he waited for her to identify herself.

Standing inside the doorway, Oracle kept her eyes on Cain, instinct telling her it was wise to do so, especially with him. Even though she saw a flicker of curiosity in his eyes, she did not speak, refusing to engage with him in their silent battle of wills. The situation reminded her of the times Slate tried the same tactic as a child, always so sure he would succeed and get his way. Although it never happened, she had admired his optimism that one day he would prevail.

The tension in his cell grew, swirling around Cain until it seeped into each of his overextended quivering muscles. But even with the visible signs of his body rebelling against the position chosen for this round, he refused to lower his eyes. Strength was the difference between life or death in prison?it was a lesson he'd learned the hard way and, regardless of whatever methods were used in his current situation, the basic rules still applied. Don't show weakness. Better to fight than be beaten up. Don't tell the authorities anything. Keep your prior life a secret. And the most important one, don't trust anyone—and that applied to guards and fellow prisoners as well. These were the rules that had kept him safe during the other times he was incarcerated, and they would not fail him this time either.

Five, ten, fifteen minutes had passed, yet Cain remained silent. Oracle knew how hard it was for him to keep his composure and she was impressed. As usual, the Fates were right; Mr. Foster was the perfect man for the job. And now it was her job to convince him to sign on. Changing the rules of his game, she made the first move. "Mr. Foster, my name is Oracle. I have a proposition for you."

It wasn't often someone could get the drop on him, but the woman had achieved it with her blatant offer of sex. None of his previous jailers had tried using a prostitute to pry information from him, but he figured it was a sign of how desperate the authorities had become. "Not interested."

"How do you know?" asked Oracle.

"Not interested."

"Why not?" Oracle asked.

What the fuck is it with her?Ignoring her, Cain had something more important to handle than answering her useless questions. His muscles were reaching the end of their tolerance for counteracting the position in which they were being stressed, which meant the next stage would be extreme pain. Trying to relieve the weight on his arms, he reached up and grabbed the chains connected to his shackles, pulling on them slightly. While it wasn't ideal, it helped reduce a small amount of strain, enough to buy him more time.

Oracle waited until Cain was breathing easier, then said, "I can help you."

Staring back at Oracle, Cain decided to be more explicit since it was obvious she didn't understand his previous answer. "Yeah, I'm sure you tell all your customers that, but I don't need your ‘help' cuz my fist works just fine."

Oracle's eyes widened a bit before her laughter filled the cell. When it finally faded, she wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and then smiled at Cain. "Thank you for that…I feel much better now."

What the fuck?His patience finally at the end, Cain growled, "What the hell is your problem, lady? Haven't you heard…no one can help me so why don't you move your ass and get the fuck out of here. There's nothing you can say or do that will get me to play ball."

Ignoring his outburst, Oracle continued, "I cannot wait to see my husband's face when I tell him I was mistaken for a call girl. Wait, maybe I should use prostitute instead…no better use call girl because if I know him, he will tell my sons, who will be embarrassed by it."

Shaking his head slightly, Cain couldn't believe how she thought his response was a funny joke, already anticipating her family's reaction to it. Wait…family? That was another new one for him. None of his jailers, including his current ones, ever brought up their family. It was another one of those unwritten rules of every prison. Guards and inmates didn't talk to one another about personal shit since it was too easy to be viewed the wrong way by other inmates. Talking to me about her husband and sons is definitely off-limits.

The pain in his arms was growing, and Cain wondered if the woman's goal was to distract him long enough until his ability to tolerate it was gone. If that was their game, then they would soon get their wish. Dropping his head down against his arm, he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in an effort to stave off the inevitable outcome of his current predicament.

Within a moment, as Oracle realized what was occurring. She looked up at the camera mounted in the corner and raised her hand, signaling for the cell door to be opened. She had no desire to cause Cain pain because that would only have him rejecting her proposal out of hand. And as she had learned during her childhood, it was a sure path to failure. Turning around when the door slid open, she walked over to Frank, who was standing where she'd left him.

"Finished?" Frank asked.

"Not at all," Oracle stated. "Cain is chained up too tightly, and the pain it is causing him is making it impossible for us to talk. His restraints must be loosened so I can have his full attention."

"No…he stays as is," Frank replied firmly. Then seeing the look on Oracle's face—one he knew only too well—softened his tone. "Oracle, please. It's too dangerous."

"For the gods' sake, Frank. I am not asking you to free him…only to decrease the tension on the chains, giving his muscles a chance to relax and reduce the pain so he can put his full attention to what I have to say." She saw his inner turmoil reflected in his eyes but could not wait for him to give a response to her request. Cain was nearing his breaking point and, if that happened before she could give him the message from the Fates, she knew all would be lost.

When Frank remained silent, Oracle had no choice but to play the only card she had left. "If you do not do as I ask, I will be forced to inform the Fates of your refusal to help me carry out their orders."

Frank was stunned at her threat and a gasp escaped him before he could stop it. His wolf was also becoming furious at Oracle's threat. Frank turned to her and growled, "You wouldn't dare."

"Unfortunately, you are leaving me no choice. I am Oracle…I am the voice of the Fates on earth…I cannot lie as you well know…I have informed you I have a message from the Fates for Cain Foster, and in order to deliver it, he needs to focus on it and not on the pain he is currently enduring."

Gazing at Oracle, Frank's face remained impassive, giving no clue as to what he was thinking. Then, he turned and walked over to the two guards, giving them orders about the prisoner in accordance with her demands. He would comply, but it would be a long time before he would forget Oracle's threat.

Looking at Frank's back and his rigid posture, Oracle sighed, recognizing the hurt she'd caused by her warning, but she would have to deal with it later. Reentering the prison cell, she watched as the guards carried out her wishes, saying nothing except to tell them when their efforts were satisfactory. Then stepping aside, she waited for the guards to exit and the cell door to slide shut.

Cain closed his eyes as the pain in his body lessened. His nerves were on edge at how close he'd come to breaking and surrendering to his jailers. What they did to him was torture, pure and simple. And for the first time since he landed in this prison, his confidence in surviving whatever his captors dished out, was at the lowest it had been during his entire life. And that made him extremely uneasy because it was his only defense that had steadfastly worked to see him through the worst of times and now it was perilously close to being shattered. Hanging his head, Cain dug deep within himself, desperately trying to find more resolve.

"Mr. Foster," Oracle called softly. "Do you know who I am?"

Keeping his head down, he muttered, "I know you aren't here for sex…pity."

Smiling slightly, Oracle said, "I am an Oracle, otherwise known as the voice of the Fates on earth. Are you familiar with the Fates?"

"Did you do this for me?"

"Do what?"

"Get the fuckers to stop torturing me."

"You mean loosen the chains? Then yes, I did. Are you feeling better?"

"Why?"

"Why what?" Oracle responded, pleased Cain was finally interacting with her. Even though his questions were brief, it was a beginning but she knew she'd have to tread carefully. There was a long way to go before she fulfilled her mission

"Why did you do it?" asked Cain, his eyes wary.

"Because you were in pain."

Raising his head, Cain snorted at the bullshit answer. None of his previous jailors cared if he was in pain; it was their job to dish out as much of it as they could. "I gotta say it's an interestin' game you're playin' but it's a waste of time cuz I'm still not interested."

"Do you know about the Fates?"

"Shit, you won't leave, will'ya?"

"Focus Mr. Foster…the Fates…I have a message from them for you."

Squinting at Oracle, Cain tried to figure out what his brain wasn't getting—she'd confounded him ever since she entered his cell. Giving up, he was too tired to continue the latest round of shit. "I don't care…just fuckin' leave."

"Mr. Foster, how long do you think you will live in High Council custody? A day, a month, a year? Or maybe you think that somehow you will escape, or maybe a lawyer will succeed in getting the charges dropped." Walking up to him, she ran a finger over one of his wrist shackles until she reached the bolt connecting it to the chain. Then giving it a yank, she listened to his grunt of pain, before returning to her previous position.

"If you have any of those thoughts, it is best to forget them. You were caught in the act of purchasing a wolf shifter and under our laws, it is regarded as trafficking…a crime punishable by death…and that is if you are lucky. However, it is more likely you will be sentenced to life and while some might think it is a better alternative, let me assure you it is not…especially since you will be in a paranormal prison. One option the High Council is considering is solitary confinement for the rest of your natural life. Think about it…24 hours in a cell, no one to speak to, no visitors, nothing to occupy your mind…just your thoughts. Your meals will be delivered through a slot in the door and if the guards have to enter your cell, you will be sedated first…never to know the touch of another. But this option is not the worst one you could get."

Holding up her hand to stop him from responding, Oracle continued. "Our prisons are nothing like the prisons you previously were in. The High Council can decide to send you to a prison containing only shifters since they were the ones you targeted. There, you will be part of the general population. The only good thing about that placement is none of the inmates are able to shift into their animals; however, you will still not be safe as a human because a shifter's strength, even in their human form, can kill you easily.

"So in order to make sure you are protected, the other inmates will be informed that a human will be joining them. A series of fights will ensue with all the participants vying for a chance to own you, and the last one standing will have you as their slave. For the rest of your days, you will serve him…in all ways. Of course, that is, unless someone gets jealous and decides to kill your owner. If that happens, you will be forced to serve a new one. This will go on, until your owner no longer wants you or until you can no longer serve him due to your age. Then he will sell you for whatever he can get or, if there are no takers, kick you out into the general shifter population where you will be forced to beg for food, clothing, protection, and a place to sleep until death claims you. This is what happens to humans who commit crimes in our world.

"Right now, I can see in your eyes the doubt you have, but remember, I am an Oracle. It is impossible for me to lie. I have described the future you can look forward to. You have already been found guilty in absentia at your trial since your presence was deemed too risky based on your recent behavior. Your sentence will be announced shortly. Once that happens, I will no longer be able to help you. Do you still want me to leave or do you want to learn how you can escape the bleak future I have described?"