Page 20 of Sergi
I was also surprised that I hadn’t run into Tallon or that one of the guards would try to push me into an empty cell. For some reason, I appeared to be off-limits. The only thing that made sense was that I wasn’t just a prisoner—I was a worker. Right. I was special. I should be happy with the situation and focus on my job, but something had shifted. I didn’t know what, but when I glanced back down the last corridor, I knew exactly what had changed.
The new prisoner. The vampire.
Why would they be torturing one of their own?
Something my uncle had once told me niggled in the back of my mind, but it was elusive. I’d remember eventually. The decision at this single point in my life was whether to go to that cell on my own or skip it for the day.
But they’d know. Someone was down there with the vampire. Why else would he have screamed? Maybe I’d be lucky and could refill the water and be done.
I pushed the cart down the corridor to the end, suddenly noticing the squeaky wheel. It did that when the cart became heavier with waste.
When I reached the last hallway, I paused. There was a guard standing outside the last cell. He leaned against the wall, his beefy arms crossed over his chest, one knee bent with his boot resting on the wall behind him. Was he enjoying the show?
I considered backing up, but before I could put my thoughts into action, the guard waved me forward.
“Get down here, girl. We’ve been waiting for you.”
His gruff voice pricked at my wolf. Had they continued torturing the vampire while they’d waited for me? It shouldn’t have bothered me. It was just a vampire. Yet, that nugget of memory I couldn’t recall made me wince with guilt, and I pushed my cart forward.
I ignored the sneer from the guard when I reached the door and tentatively peered in.
“What are you waiting for?” A large male dropped a bloody dagger on the table and wiped his hands on a rag. “Get in here and clean this up.”
I didn’t want to look at the male pinned to the wall, but it was beyond my power not to. He was a bloody mess with dozens of cuts. A couple of them must have been deep because blood still dripped on the floor. He wasn’t healing quickly. They weren’t giving him blood. The cuts were more than just inflicting pain, they were draining him. They wanted him weak.
I glared at the male, who I now recognized. He was the gorilla they used for their special interrogations. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I glanced down at the bloody floor where it pooled and congealed.
“I can’t clean this.”
When I didn’t move, he growled. “Don’t you clean the labs?”
“Yes, but I don’t have the right supplies for this. The only thing on my cart is water. I don’t have the proper rags, buckets, or disinfectant.”
He stared at me, and I dropped my gaze, waiting to see if he’d hit me, send me back to my cell, or provide the supplies I requested. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been cleaning up blood for the last few weeks, but I wasn’t going to do it without the proper supplies.
“Check with Dallas and get her the supplies she needs.” He stepped close and yanked my head back by my hair.
I tried not to look, but it was impossible with the way he held me in place. It took every ounce of strength to hold the wolf at bay and give this vampire my most submissive glance. “I’m told I can trust you.”
I didn’t respond. What could I say to that? Sure, you can trust me. Just don’t turn your back while all those shiny instruments are within my reach. I don’t know why he was torturing one of his own, but I could see everything I needed to know about this vampire by his soulless eyes.
He shoved me away, and I stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to miss the edge of the pooling blood. Great. Now the prisoner’s blood was all over my shift.
“Start with the trash and refill the mug.” His laugh sounded a little crazy. Then he threw the rag he’d been wiping his hands with at me. “And you can use this to get started.”
The rag landed a few feet from me, and I crawled over to pick it up.
“I want the floor spotless and the instruments gleaming for my afternoon session.” He strode next to me. I kept my head down, staring at the floor, waiting for him to hit me, so all I saw were his thick-soled boots. “Don’t disappoint me.”
Then he strode out, and I released my breath as his boots faded down the corridor. When I heard him turn the corner, I whispered, “Fuck you.”
It was silly, but it made me feel better.
Clutching the rag, I stared up at the vampire on the wall. Only one of his wounds still dripped blood, but the rest had stopped. Some appeared to have healed but others had formed crusty scars. I’d been right. His body couldn’t heal as fast as it should. They were starving him.
Stop it. His fate doesn’t concern you.
When the guard returned with the supplies, I stood and rubbed my head where my hair still tingled from being pulled. I picked up the trash basket and the mug and returned to the cart. I checked over the items the guard had dropped by the cart and nodded. “These will do.”
