Page 11 of Connected

“You know it. You know they will. Until there is no life left in them, they’ll come for us. You just gotta hold on to that thought. Kat, trust me, we’re gonna get out of here.”

She sniffs and taking a breath, she refortifies her determination and strength. “Yeah, you’re right—I know they will.”

There’s a sound and they listen as the outer door again creaks open.

Apprehensive, Kat and Zak move to the back of the cage and watch as the two men walk past. Kat frowns as she peers between the bars into the darkness beyond.

“It your fault,” says one of the guards.

“No, it you—you supposed to get it.”

“No, you. Oh, it no matter, let’s get dis done—we no need Alvarez to be pissed again.”

Kat and Zak sit silently as they listen to the petty argument that goes back and forth between the two lumbering goons—Luiz and Raul.

The room suddenly erupts into many strange sounds—hissing, and growling—the snarling gets worse until it becomes a frenzy of yapping and angry snappy barks.

Kat turns, looking at Zak as they hear a loud yelp. Kat slides toward the front of the cage and squashing her face tightly against the metal bars, her eyes search the dark gloom. Just able to see the other cages that fill the room, she takes a breath. “Zak, come and look, what is this? I can’t make it out—without Luna I can’t see so well.”

He moves beside her, rubbing his ribs. They still hurt from being prodded so much. “Holy shit!” he gasps. His wolf blue eyes can see clearly, and he counts, “One… three… five… six—there are six more cages.”

“What the…” Kat struggles to see as she peers between the bars—squinting hard she can see he’s correct. There are many more cages, each one filled with a large pacing wolf—each wolf was quiet and subdued when they arrived, but they are all now barking in a snarling frenzy as the men move something in the cage at the far end of the room.

“What the hell are they doing?”

She and Zak remain silent as they watch. They can just about make out the shape of a large black wolf. It lays still—motionless—like it’s dead, and then Kat gasps in abject horror as they hold something in the air. The light from the red bulb bathes it in a soft glow, “Oh my God Zak. It’s a pup—she has a wolf pup.”

Kat’s horrified and as she and Zak stare open-mouthed at each other, they can hear the tiny thing as it snuffles; and its mewling cries seem loud to Zak’s ears, even over the din of the other wolves. It’s helplessly crying, calling for its mother as she lies on her side, still and not moving.

“What the hell are they doing? Hey… Hey, what the fuck! Put it back!” she screams as she now realizes they’re taking the only days-old pup from its mother—she’s lying helplessly sedated on the floor of the cage.

“Hey… HEY,you assholes!” Kat continues to scream. “No. No, you give it back!” The sound of her voice quiets the other howls as she snarls through the bars, cursing angrily at the men.

Zak tries to calm her. “Kat, stop there’s nothing we can do.”

A face suddenly appears in front of the bars and staring her in the eyes, a hideous smirk curls on Raul’s mouth as he holds the pup by its scruff in front of her. Its tiny mouth opens and closes, yapping defenselessly it cries for its mother.

Angry, Kat stretches a hand to it. Clawing through the confines of the bars, she tries to grab it. She can’t reach but does get the opportunity to make a purposeful scratch on Raul’s arm—digging her nails deep into his flesh, she makes long bleeding channels.

He snarls a growl; his amber shifter eyes glow hot orange with the pain. Then Kat yelps loudly as a silver-dipped stick is jabbed forcefully at her ribs. “Get the fuck back…perra.”

She recoils against the assault to her body—the deep red wound flashed across her naked flesh. The suddenness of the attack makes her grab at her neck and the collar touches another virgin area of skin. It sends a sharp ripple of pain through her insides and just faintly in the distance, she can hear Luna cry out.

“Kat!” Zak grabs at her, holding her back. Free of the gag, he growls and snarls from inside the confines of the cage. His fiery blue eyes pierce into their tormentors.

“Wha’ you look at—lobo?” Raul snaps at him. Laughing, he squats down in front of the cage and jabs playfully several times at Zak’s body with the stick—tormenting and teasing—making Zak both yelp and growl at the same time. “You know…” he grins, “Alvarez is gonna have fun with you, amigo. Yeah,he el te jode.”

“Fuck you… you dirty-shifter-asshole.” Zak sneers.

“Oh yeah, yeah… you big-boy now. We play again—later. Hey,lobo… I break you. I break everyone. You and that loba-bitch. I break her too… with mypolla.” he smiles, gesturing his cock. “Hmm… I give her mypolla. Yeah, she sucks it—later?”

Zak lurches wildly at the bars, “Just so you know and remember this: When I kill you… I’m gonna tear your dick off first and then I’m gonna rip your throat out.”

He cries loudly as Luiz stabs again and again at him with the silver cane. This time inflicting larger, more purposeful wounds on Zak’s back and thighs. “Arrghhh…”

“Zak, don’t. They’re not worth it.” Kat places a hand on him as she glares and then snarls at Luiz. “Even for shifters, this is a fuckin’ low move.”

“You know…” Raul sneers at her. “I don’t know if it will be your blood or yourcoñothat will taste better? Huh, which is? I guess I try both,” he smiles.

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