Page 17 of Connected

Raul rummages in the cart drawer next to him for the supplies needed to extract blood from Zak—something he’s done so many times now he’s almost an expert. Tying the tourniquet tight around Zak’s bicep, he forces the deep-blue veins to the surface of the skin, and with no concerns for his welfare, he jabs the thick needle into his arm. Then, reaching into an old battered cardboard box, he attaches one of the many empty plastic collection bags that wait to be filled with the ruby-red liquid and he watches as the blood quickly flows—filling it. “Okay… uno.”

“Do the other arm same. Speed up—faster.”

“Won’ it make him enfermos—head sick? Too much too fast?”

“Nah-nah… he strong. He is fine. We do them both,dos—two at a time. We collect for ourselves, sí?”

“And her?”

“No… No, Fabien, he already takes extra from her, best not. We don’t wan’ her get sick.”

“Alvarez wantin’ hers for himself, it make me wonder what it taste like? The high—it gotta be special, right? If he risks, upsettin’ the Vampira to taste, Sí?”

“Hmm, sí… sí, I guess. Maybe we take some. Justuno… for us? Use now. No-one knows, Sí? Try and see if it is good as they say, yeah?” he laughs.

“Oh, no. No-no, I don’t know, maybe too risky? They kill us if they find out, sí?”

“ayvamos…vamos…we was stuck here for six months, more? Clean up—after the perras—mierdade lobo.Now we take some reward, for us.Sí? Recompensaparanosotrassí?”

“Yeah, sure. I guess,” Luiz replies.

“Hey, you hear that?” Raul quickly turns to look at Zak. “He gruñido… Grrr?”

“Probably… just a dream, some do. Hey, don’ worry. It reaction to drugs. Get on with it, hurry—prisa. I gotta relieve ereccion.”

Luiz smirks as he smooths his hand up the inside of Kat’s thigh and then across her stomach as her body lays unconscious on the medical couch. Then he continues—just as Raul does to Zak—preparing her arm and extracting her blood.

“Mmm… she beautiful—ellaeshermosa.” Staring at her laying there naked, he can’t help himself. He’s turned on and unzipping his pants, he removes them—throwing them onto the chair at the side of the room. He then drags her to the end of the bed where he positions her for sex.

As he does, there’s a loud rumble and he looks up to the sound of a deep growling voice. “Get the fuck away from her!”

It comes from nowhere, telling them firmly to “get away from her.” the tone is one of anger and Raul swallows nervously as he looks at Zak. His eyes are now wide open and before Raul can move, Zak sits up. His blue eyes glare brightly.

“I won’t say it again, keep your hands off her, you dirty fuckin’ shifter.”

Luiz stands still. With his boxers wrapped around his knees, he can barely move, and a bubbling sensation of fear sends gut-wrenching bile to his throat as he yells for Raul. “Sedate him!”

Raul can’t move, he’s frozen in fear—confronted up close by fierce blue wolf eyes. Taking a breath he finds some courage to move and turning his head he searches for the sedation-filled syringe.

It’s too late, and he’s too slow to react.

The wolf comes at him—swiping his face and slashing his skin with razor-sharp claws, which cut at his flesh like a scalpel to paper.

The ferocity with which Zak attacks knocks him backward and lets out one final scream before the snarling snap of teeth rip at his flesh and silence him. The small room is filled with the blood-curdling sound of bones snapping. Blood splatters the walls and Luiz can only stare in horror as the red liquid splashes his face.

Blinking in disbelief, he makes a grab for his pants, but it’s too late.

The huge brown wolf bounds the room and in one leap it jumps, sending him crashing to the floor with a heavy thud. The air is forced from his lungs as he lies on the floor—his eyes wide open in fear as he stares deep into the piercing blue eyes that are now focused only inches from his. The blood drains from every vein, making his skin glow with a haunted-white pallor, and the contents of his stomach evacuate from every orifice of his body.

His empty mind fills with fear and he begs, “Mierda…. please no!”

It’s all for nothing—there is no mercy.

The large and extremely heavy wolf pins Luiz by his chest to the ground. It growls angrily and with its entire weight holding him down, he can do nothing. His lungs are squashed by his ribs and as they crack under the strain, he’s barely able to breathe.

“Arrgh,” he screams in agony. The wolf rears up and again slams its whole weight onto his chest. Luiz grimaces—the pain almost forces his eyes from his head. One of his ribs snaps and pierces the skin. “Dios salve mi alma,” he cries.

Knowing he’s now staring death in the face; he’s going to die and it’s not going to be pleasant. He gasps and closes his eyes as the huge animal sniffs his face. The strong scent of wolf-breath fills his nostrils and all he can smell is fur, blood… and his own impending death.

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