Page 32 of Captured

Gra’ar’s handy little knife came to the rescue again as he popped the door open. He could have kicked it in but that would have made it harder to secure once they were inside.

The stale air that rolled out was less than welcoming, causing Flea’s nose to scrunch as she resisted the urge to sneeze. The air scrubbers on the level were already running below standard, and with the home closed up for so long she shouldn’t have expected anything else.

Tugging her shirt up over her nose, she slipped around Gra’ar’s bulk as he strode through the doorway, looking around the inside. It was so dark she could barely make out the white walls in the gloom near the door, and nothing deeper in the house, but he acted like it was clear as daylight.

Grumbling under her breath, she took a few steps into the room before bumping into a chair and almost falling. Her burns screamed a protest at the sudden motion with the adrenaline of getting away wearing off. Only large fingers curling around her bicep kept her upright, and she yanked her arm from his grip as soon as she had her feet under her again.

“Why don’t you let me lead?”

She could hear the amusement in his voice and it only irritated her further, but she didn’t feel like stumbling over anything else. When she felt the air stir as he passed by she reached out, fingers connecting with his belt before he moved out of arm’s reach. Holding on, she kept pace behind him, eyes straining despite knowing she wouldn’t see anything.

Gra’ar moved around the home, seemingly opening doors and cabinets at random. Her patience was running thin, her skin crawling with sweat as cramps began low in her belly, and she was about to snap at him to go to the main bedroom when a light suddenly bloomed in front of her.

“Here.”

Gra’ar thrust the candle at her, keeping his head turned and his second set of eyelids closed until she took the light and he could turn away.

“Just keep it behind me.”

Despite the gruff words, she still appreciated the gesture. He clearly had no need for the light and had only gotten it for her.

Of course, with her hormones going haywire, the sweetness only made her wetter, her stomach clenching in another hard cramp. Gritting her teeth and trying to tamp down the urge to climb him, she held the light out to look around as Gra’ar moved further into the house.

It was clear to see where the people who’d lived there had packed up and taken most of their things, though plastic draped furniture still cluttered the home. Drapes still hung around the windows, edges frayed and dusty after so long.

Spotting the stairwell, Flea made her way towards it, calling out to Gra’ar so he didn’t think she was trying to sneak off.

“I’m going up to find the saferoom.”

She heard his footsteps move closer as she climbed the steps, and she shielded the candle with her body so he wouldn’t be blinded by it. Pausing at the head of the stairs, she took a guess as to which direction the main bedroom would be, getting lucky with the first door she tried.

The massive bed in the center of the room called to her, but the layer of dust atop the plastic covering made her shy away. Plus, she doubted Gra’ar would think the room was defensible enough, so she pulled her gaze away and walked through the room to the closet.

She’d been surprised the first time she found an unexpected door in the back of a closet. Thinking she’d found some secret treasure stash, she’d spent days trying to break into it. The disappointment when she’d finally figured out how to get the door open and found nothing but an empty room had almost crushed her. She’d seen different designs during her explorations, some with better security than others, but the importance of the room hadn’t dawned on her until last year when the thought of what was coming finally sank in.

A shiver rolled down her spine. Her cycle was finally hitting, and while she’d always planned to use one of these hidden rooms, she’d figured she’d be alone in it.

Gra’ar’s words replayed in her head, causing her core to clench as more fluid leaked from her. She could hide behind her heat and blame it on hormones, but part of her was glad he was there. That she wouldn’t be suffering alone. She wouldn’t have considered having him tend her through her heat in any other circumstances, but she found herself not too worried about having the option taken away.

The home was too old to have the technological advances of the upper levels, but whoever had it built had done their best to hide the saferoom. There was no obvious door like there had been with the first one she’d found, but she knew it was there, and it didn’t take long for her to find the hidden switch on the sidewall that popped it open. The entire back wall of the closet swung away from her, the little candle she held revealing a small but comfortable space beyond.

“How can I secure that? Why would they have a switch out here?”

The low grumble behind her made her startle, candlelight wavering around the room and wax splashing her already burned hand before she steadied herself. Letting out a low hiss, she peeled the hardened wax off before turning to look over her shoulder at the alpha.

“The outer switch can be disabled from inside the room, plus there’s locks that can be engaged. How else would they get in when they needed to use it?”

Gra’ar huffed before moving forward to take her hand in his. The candle showed the reddened skin, little blisters of fluid glistening in the light. She hissed again when he turned it to see how far it went, his fingers gentling.

“What happened?”

His words were quiet and seemed to hold a touch of regret. Shrugging her shoulder and looking away, she withdrew her arm.

“They hogtied me with rope and left me beside a fire, so I used it to get free.”

She kept her back to Gra’ar until she heard footsteps. When she looked he’d turned away and was heading back out into the bedroom. She listened to his footsteps continue on before turning her attention back to her new hiding place. It had seemed large enough when she’d first looked into it, but the alpha coming in had reminded her she wouldn’t be the only one in there. His massive frame would take up most of the space. There’d be no getting away from him once they shut the door.

Her belly cramped again, forcing a grunt from her throat as her hand moved to clutch the space between her hips. They were coming closer together and growing more intense, so she knew she didn’t have much time left.

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