Page 19 of The Prince's Mate

"I know, right? I was just as surprised when I saw you walking down the street yesterday, my warrior cat," he'd said, flashing me a fang-filled grin. He'd turned into a vampire.

He’d used something to take me down while I was distracted. The fact that it'd actually worked told me it had to be dark magic, and everything was a blur after that.

I tried to sit up, and gritted my teeth against the pain flashing through my body. Blinking my eyes open, I scanned the dark and realized I was alone in the room, trapped inside a cage similar to the one Andras used to keep me in when I'd belonged to him back in my human life.

There was a collar around my neck, its spikes digging into my neck and shooting pain down my spine with every movement. Good lord, he'd had these created with black magic. Did he havea witch or a warlock on his payroll now? Or were they slaves, like I'd once been?

I needed to get out of here, to get back to Walker. He probably thought I'd left him again. Fuck.

My wrists were handcuffed behind my back, more spikes digging into my skin there, as were my ankles. I could barely move without sending pain through my body. I knew what he was doing. He'd left me here to build up my fear, to make me docile, but it wouldn't work this time.

I wasn't the scared little boy he'd known before. I was a fighter, and I had a mate I needed to get back to. I wasn't going to fall in line this time, and now that I knew he was alive, I was going to make sure to rectify that.

Jerking around again, I tried fruitlessly to somehow get out of these shackles, but they were too tight. Even breaking my thumb didn't seem to help, and that was when I realized that I wasn't healing. Shit. That complicated things a little.

Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply, steadying myself and trying to convince my racing heart that things weren't as dire as they looked. If worse came to worst, I'd get them to kill me, because unlike last time, I knew exactly where I'd go this time. It would put another delay in my bond with Walker, but it wasn't like we'd grown all that close in the time we had anyway, and I'd rather spend another 900 years alone than let that bastard touch me one more time.

A sound upstairs had me jerking my eyes to the door, and I watched as it opened, and the asshole walked in. I scowled at him, and he tsked softly, coming over to stand outside the cage.

"You used to be such a good pet. I'm sad I'll have to break you in all over again," he said with a shake of his head, and I growled, staring at him with narrowed eyes. Whatever he'd done to me, it was stopping me from shifting or using my magic to get thehell out. It was like he'd hit the pause button on my magic, and I didn't know how to turn it back on.

"Fuck off, you asshole," I growled, and he shook his head.

"Now, that's no way to talk to your master, is it? I'm going to let you sit here for a few days, make sure you remember who you belong to. I'll be watching," he said, tilting his head to a camera in the upper right corner of the room. I hadn't noticed it before, but it gave a clear view of the cage to whoever was watching.

"You won't break me this time, Andras," I told him, and he smiled. Once upon a time, that smile made me tremble in my boots, afraid of what was to come, but now all it did was fill me with anger.

"We'll see, warrior cat, we'll see," he said as he strolled back to the door he'd come from. I heard the lock click and then slumped forward, panting.

I didn't want to believe it, but I might be in a bit of a pickle, and I had no idea if anyone was even looking for me. What if Walker thought I'd just left and didn't even try to look for me? What if he didn't tell anyone that I'd left either? Would Ro know I was in trouble? Or would I have to deal with this alone?

I allowed myself a moment to feel pitiful, to realize that no one would be coming to my rescue, before I shook it off and straightened up. I'd always taken care of myself, and I could do it again.

The cage was bare. The ground was cement, though, and so I moved back until I was leaning against the cage's bars before lifting my legs up and slamming them shackle-first onto the ground. Pain rocketed through my legs, but I kept going. Maybe if I could get out of these shackles my magic would start working again, and I could escape. It had to work, because I had no idea what I'd do if it didn't.

Ro'Shassz

The plan had officially gone off the rails. While I knew nothing was bound to bring them together faster than a little danger, I didn't like the thought of Caelan actually being in danger. Otherworlders were supposed to be safe in the human realm for the most part, and I did not like the thought that that wasn't true anymore, because it made my job that much harder. I had to protect Walker and help save Caelan. Whoever had thought hurting Caelan was a good idea was going to regret it.

Step Nine: Save Caelan.

Ten

Walker

I stood frozen as I took in the room we'd appeared in. It was dank and dark, with no windows or artificial light.

A metal cage occupied the middle of the room, and a lone familiar figure inside. He'd spotted me too, and his blue eyes widened in surprise, as if he hadn't expected to see me here. I totally deserved that after the way I'd treated him, but it still hurt.

"Camera," he hissed before I could take a step, and Ro slithered off me, and made his way up the wall before covering the camera in the corner with his body.

I used my magic to get inside the cage. When I realized just how injured Caelan was, I wondered why he wasn't healing.

Shaking off the thought for later, I fell to my knees in front of his slumped over figure. I reached out, and he didn't stop mefrom grabbing the shackle around his wrist and breaking it into two before doing the same to the other one. I gasped when I saw the spikes on the inside, realizing why he hadn't broken free yet. I could feel the dark magic infused in the shackles, and they must've been muting his powers, which was why Ro couldn't find him.

Caelan was stiff as a statue as I worked, and one glance at his legs and the broken shackles lying a ways off told me he'd been ready to fight his way out of here, and I wondered again if he'd expected to not be rescued. Had he really thought I would give up on him? Then again, when had I ever given him a reason to believe otherwise?

Reaching for the collar around his neck, I met his eyes. There were so many questions swirling around in my mind, but I couldn't ask any of them until we were all in a safe place.

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