Page 85 of Knot For Keeps

“It’s been so long since anyone but him has touched me.” Her body-wracked with sobs that she did her best to conceal from the camera that still watched our every move.

Tears gathered in my own eyes as I stroked my hand over Juniper’s hair. While I had been living my life complaining about dating annoying packs, or not being able to get a particular flavour of gummy bear, Juniper had been living a type of hell no one deserved.

I vowed to myself that I would get her out, that she would go home, and never have to wear goddamned pink ever again.

ChapterForty-Four

Lavender

Whatever had been in that tranquilliser dart had done a number on me, and it took a while for it to wear off. Juniper insisted I take the bed as I was recovering and Alec hadn't had the forethought to bring a second bed into the room before dumping me here. It felt wrong taking the bed from someone who was skin and bones, but I couldn’t stop the blackness creeping in at the corners of my vision.

The last thing I wanted to do was sleep, but the drugs ultimately won that battle. My sleep was fitful, and my mind kept running through various ways to escape. Most true crime stories I knew of had people escaping out of cars or when being transported. Usually when someone was stuck underground with no windows the outlook was bleak.

When I woke up, neither of us knew how much time had passed. There were no clocks, and no natural light sources so it was impossible to tell.

Juniper showed me around the room, the wardrobe, the bathroom I had zero intention of ever using. “What do you do all day?” I had asked her, hobbling around after her.

“Not much,” she had admitted with a wince. “Just sit here and look pretty for him—he occasionally brings me sketch pads and charcoal. I used to sew before this, but he won’t let me near any needles.”

“I wish I had a real weapon,” I mumbled. “Asshole needs a lamp to the head—if yours wasn’t so small I would use that.”

“It’s super glued down, I tried that.” Juniper smiled weakly. I chuckled, it was hard to truly ascertain Juniper’s character and personality while locked in a basement by a mad man, but something about her just seemed so steely and strong, and I admired that about her.

“Drat.” I turned back to the bed with a wobble. The lightheadedness was only getting worse, surely the drugs had to be leaving my system.

“You’re burning up,” Juniper said, touching my face. “You need to rest. I’ll make Alec bring some Tylenol next time, okay? Don’t wear yourself out.”

“I won’t.”

“I’m so happy to have someone else to talk to, even if I hate that he’s brought you here against your will,” Juniper admitted with a frown.

“I know, I hardly saw the guys for the first two weeks I was with them and I started to go insane from the lack of human contact, I don’t know how you’ve managed to cope so well,”

“I really haven’t managed to cope at all, I just put on a good face because that’s what I need to survive.”

“I understand that—Sage said something similar after she was taken.”

“Sage?”

“An omega friend of mine. She came to my Haven after she had been kidnapped by a criminal pack. She came to us for sanctuary for a few days until her mates could come and get her.”

“She still wanted to be with a pack, after all that?”

“She told me it was totally different. That the pain she went through was still there, burning under her skin but being with her pack helped to soothe that feeling… Her alphas build her up, make her feel strong. That’s what a true partnership does.”

“Did my brother do that for you?” Juniper asked.

“He did, in his own way. He’s a little overprotective given what happened to you. But I’ve watched too much true crime, and I’ve picked up a thing or two. I even scratched Kane up real good in the early days. I bet it's easier to take down a beta…” I trailed off, looking toward the locked door.

“You think we could really hurt him?”

“I think we could. Is there a blank spot on the cameras?”

“Not really.” She grimaced.

“I watched a documentary a while back, where a girl who was in prison made a weapon by filing a toothbrush handle down.”

“I have nail files!”Juniper said happily. “He likes my nails to look pretty and manicured,” she said, flashing her sparkly pink nails. “He’s watching us though, and would notice us getting the file out… unless… Why, Lavender, I think you need a manicure!” She grinned at me, her voice dripping in over enthusiastic sarcasm. “I mean, just look at your poor bitten nails. I am just being a good girl getting you pretty,” she smiled, and I could see through her words immediately.

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