Page 15 of Ensnaring Their Rabbit

One thingI wasn’t used to was being bored. Out on the streets I was always doing something. Whether it was odd jobs for money, figuring out how and what I was eating for that day, finding a place I could shower and brush my teeth, or determining if I was safer sleeping as a rabbit or a human, my mind and body were always busy. I was always on the go. Yes, this tiny room the humans locked me in was warm, and they even gave me a blanket and pillow, but I was so fucking bored.

I lost track of how long it had been since the guards dragged me away from an unconscious Reeve and Riven and up to the warden in an office that looked like it would fit better in one of the high rises in the city than in a prison.

The warden was thrilled to not only see me alive but in such good shape, besides the bruise on my face from the fucking baton. Apparently, most of the prey who managed to survive were usually close to death when they were taken away from the predator inmates.The warden asked a lot of questions, trying to figure out why the twins would take such good care of me.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that no good would come out of the warden or any of these humans knowing anything. I still wasn’t sure if I bought into the whole mates thing, but I did know I trusted the twins more than I ever would any of these fuckers, and I sure as shit wasn’t giving them any ammo they could use against Reeve and Riven.

I was worried about them. Reeve just collapsed, and he looked like he was in terrible pain, and then Riven lost his ever loving shit. Both were cuffed and knocked out when they dragged me away, and I couldn’t sense or scent them at all. Not that I could smell anything besides bleach and the warden. Who the fuck was using so much bleach to clean up here anyway?

I tried not to gag as I slumped on the mattress shoved into the corner of the small room. I was exhausted despite doing nothing, but I had been trying to avoid sleeping as much as possible. I needed to find a way out of here, and the only way for that was for me to wait, watch, and listen, and take my opportunity as soon as there was one. Not being able to shift would make it harder, but I’d manage. I still wasn’t sure what the humans’ plans were for me, but I didn’t want to stick around to find out.

My biggest worry was about what I would do if I managed to get out. It felt wrong to even think about leaving without Reeve and Riven. It didn’t make much sense. I barely knew them. But all my instincts told me I couldn’t escape without them. Which…it would be hard enough to get myself out, how the fuck did my dumb instincts expect me to get them out?

Ugh. This was a mess, and my mind was all over the place. The one guard, the sketchy looking one they called Markel, argued with the warden and wanted to hold me out of the prison walls until they were ready. For what, still wasn’t sure.

Of course the warden had final say, and I ended up locked in this tiny windowless room that was through a hidden door in the warden’s office. No one would find me, not with the bleach scent blocking everything. Oh! Was that why this place reeked, because it masked my scent? I guess it made sense even if it was giving me a headache and making my skin itch.

I looked at the tray of food that I hadn’t touched yet. I bet it was Markel that had given it to me, because it was just a plate of raw carrots, still covered in the dirt from the ground, like I was a regular fucking rabbit and not a shifter. The warden wasn’t letting Markel in here with me for whatever reason, which pissed him off. So he decided to fuck with me, I guess.

I had nothing against carrots, they were delicious, but I preferred them cooked in my human form. I was refusing to eat them, on principle, but my stomach kept rolling, and I might have to give in if someone didn’t give me something else real soon.

After however much time of absolutely nothing, I gave in. I wouldn’t get anywhere if I didn’t have strength, so I grabbed one of the carrots and wiped it off as best as I could on the grey jumpsuit thing they gave me to wear. I looked up at the ceiling. I didn’tknowif there was a camera in here, but it was a good assumption.

I took a bite of the extremely hard carrot. “Happy, fucker?” I screamed out into the empty room. “Are you watching this? Find it funny? Haha, a rabbit eating a carrot. Get a life, asshole.” I took another bite.

I ate two before I just couldn’t fucking manage anymore. I hope he didn’t do something to it, because it wasn’t sitting well in my stomach at all. Keeping the pain of a groan to myself–I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction if they really were watching–I curled up on my side on the mattress and closed my eyes. Nothing had happened in hours. I could rest a bit. Just for a little bit, then I’d come up with a way to get out of here.

* * *

When I woke up the carrots were gone, and in its place was a whole head of lettuce and a radish. Like a whole ass raw radish. Someone had a sick sense of humor, and I was over it.

I waved my middle fingers around on both hands. I probably looked insane, but I had no idea where this hypothetical camera was and wanted to make sure they clearly saw what I thought about these meals.

I tried to sit up, but my body felt sluggish and even that minimal effort was taxing. The fuck? Were the carrots drugged? Wouldn’t be fucking surprised.

The small nagging pain behind my eyes that I had pretty much from minute one had grown into a full blown migraine. Even the dim light in this room was aggravating, and I squinted, focusing on the floor in an effort to block the light.

Standing was not an option right now, so I slid on my butt off the mattress and onto the hard, cold floor. My cheeks heated, knowing I probably had an audience that was being entertained as I crawled toward the locked door and the plate of vegetables. I didn’t trust it, not after the carrots apparently did me in, but I had to see if it was drugged.

The room spun, and it took a tremendous amount of effort to finally reach the food.

“Ever heard of spaghetti?” I muttered, picking up the lettuce. “Shit, I’d even kill for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

The scent of it was making me nauseous, but I couldn’t smell any kind of chemicals or anything but the vegetables. Tentatively, I ripped off a piece of the lettuce and placed it on my tongue. Immediately I started gagging. It tasted like lettuce, nothing else, but even the thought of trying to swallow it made me sick. I dropped it back onto the plate and fell back on my ass in front of the door. What the fuck was going on?

Also, on top of all that, that itch that had been under my skin had escalated and was now over my entire body. I was trying to ignore it, scratching always made things worse, but it was not easy. I felt like there were thousands of bugs crawling all over my skin and trying to tear me apart. The longer I was awake the worse it got, until it was the only thing I could focus on.

“C’mon, Brynn, you’re stronger than this. Don’t fucking scratch.”

Find Mates. I frowned at the voice in the back of my head. Was I hallucinating? I hadn’t been locked up long enough for that to be happening, right? It had only been a few days at most.

Sick. Need Mates to feel better.

It sounded vaguely familiar, and my subconscious pulled up an image of my rabbit, but that didn’t make much sense. The bigger animals sometimes had a stream of consciousness with their animal form, but I never heard of it happening with a rabbit or any other prey animal. It was probably just my imagination, inventing something to keep me from losing it in this place.

I somehow made it back to the bed. The itching was bad, but if I wrapped myself in the blanket, I could sort of forget about it. Besides, laying down seemed to be the only thing I had strength for. I had all these grand plans about escaping, but I couldn’t even stand on my own two feet. Pathetic. No wonder the world looked down on omegas. We really were helpless.

Need Mates. Only get worse.

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