Page 11 of The Lycans: Vol Four

It was my turn to grit my teeth at what he called me. I hated that, after all these years, that derogatory term toward me still got under my skin. But this particular guard liked making me feel like less than the dirt on the bottom of his boots.

I was about to take a step back, make him work for my pain, but before I could move, he leaned another inch, wrapped his meaty hand around my upper arm hard enough a gasp left me, and jerked me forward.

My chest collided with the bars, a cry being ripped from me as all that power surged from the metal and coursed through my frame. He had both my wrists in his hands now, forcing me to wrap my fingers around the bars.

I was helpless, because the pain was too great for me to fight. I was immobile, my entire body tense, tears streaking down my cheeks.

“Jesus Christ, D. Enough. Tore is gonna find out you’re playing with her and reprimand you.” The other guard’s voice was harder than before.

“Shut the fuck up, Q,” D snapped but didn’t look away from me. He kept his hand tightly wrapped around me, kept me pressed to the bars.

“I can’t help it,” D gritted out, low. “There’s something about this one.” His brows pulled together, and I refused to be the one to break eye contact.

Let him get off on my pain. I’d show him that I was still strong. I’m not broken.

He let me go but not before I reached out and grabbed a chunk of his hair, pulling him forward with the little strength I had left. I brought him in until his chest slammed against the bars. He cursed, and his arms shot out through the bars, but I stumbled back, breathing hard and glaring at him.

My cheeks were wet from my tears, my throat raw from the cries.

D’s anger was palpable, and the other guard shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable as he kept glancing down the cell block, as if he expected someone to catch them down here.

“We gotta go now, D.”

I glanced down at my hands, my palms blistered and red, inky black veins snaking up my forearms from the magic that had coursed through my veins.

The pain would fade. It always did, but the memory of it would be forever etched in my brain. It was a scar on me now and forever. Even though it healed, I’d be able to see it, run my fingers over it and feel it.

These moments were now a part of me.

I expected to hear the cell door opening, that his worry had manifested others, but when silence continued to build, I forced myself to look up, to hold D’s gaze.

“Seriously, D. We gotta get out of here. We’re not even supposed to be in this block right now.”

I kept staring, wanting him to see the fire flashing in my eyes. And when his nostrils flared and he clenched his jaw, I knew it worked.

“Look at you,” he murmured in a tone that had me freezing. It held a note of something else, something darker… more malicious.

It was desire.

“I bet you’re so thirsty, aren’t you.” He didn’t phrase it like a question, and he wasn’t speaking about a glass of water for my parched throat.

He and I both knew what he meant. Being a water nymph meant I derived energy from natural bodies of water. I’d been starved of that for so long. They were sparse when they gave me the essential nutrients I needed, wanting to keep me alive but nowhere near strong.

Because broken merchandise was no good to them and didn’t make them money.

So they hosed me down with spring water, and although I wasn’t human, it was absolutely a very dehumanizing experience… to stand in the middle of the cell as they sprayed me like I was a stray dog.

“I say you’re due for time with the hose again, aren’t you?” His voice was low, maybe too low for the other human to hear. He was taunting me, teasing me. This was another form of torture.

With one more prolonged look in my direction, he turned around and started stalking out of the cell, the other guard following him.

I exhaled and stood there a second before shuffling to the bars. Making sure I didn’t touch them again, I craned my neck enough that I could see them leaving and watched as D produced his key card and swiped it across the electronic panel on the wall. The lock disengaged loudly, and both men exited, the heavy metal door closing behind them loud and menacing, like a bullet firing.

I closed my eyes and just breathed, feeling the power of the magic slowly start to ebb from me. Once I felt more like myself, I bent down, picked up the tray with the half-eaten sandwich and bottle of water, and went back to the cot.

And that was where I stayed until exhaustion finally took over and I couldn’t pretend to be strong anymore.

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