26. Captured
26
CAPTURED
Nat began struggling immediately. “Help!”
A fist struck the side of his head, sending a burst of pain through his skull.
“Keep quiet, if you know what’s good for you,” a terrible, familiar voice said.
It was the voice from his nightmares.
Giblin.
Ice plunged into Nat’s stomach. His entire body hurt with phantom pain.
He tried to convince himself that it was someone else. That it wasn’t Giblin who had captured him. But the hands on him were rough and painful; they hauled him off his feet and carried him away.
If Nat struggled hard enough, surely Xannon would notice from the receptionist’s desk?
Raised voices drifted over. Someone was arguing with Xannon, loudly enough that they distracted Xannon completely.
Nat felt his hope dwindle with every second that passed.
“I’ve looked everywhere for you,” Giblin said, his arms like iron bands around Nat’s struggling body. “Imagine my surprise when someone said they saw you headed here. Where I found you cheating on me, you worthless slut.”
“I’m not yours!” Nat snapped before he could think.
Giblin slapped him so hard, he saw stars.
Nat didn’t want this again. He didn’t ever want to see this alpha, didn’t want to hear how useless he was at everything in life. For a while back there, Giblin had convinced Nat that no one would ever want him.
He had said Nat was fat and ugly; he had told Nat to be grateful that he even tolerated Nat as his omega.
Knowing the way Duke cared for him now, Nat could’ve laughed.
The thing was, Giblin was also fast and loose with his punches. And there was a tiny life in Nat’s belly that he desperately needed to protect.
What if Giblin found out about Duke’s baby?
Nat tried not to panic. Giblin was walking fast away from the Brimstone Industries building; traffic rushed by them on the street. Nat couldn’t tell where they were headed, though. And even if he wanted to kick, he couldn’t—Giblin was holding him so tightly that he couldn’t move.
“Someone, h—” Nat tried yelling again.
“Finish that sentence, and I’ll punch you so hard in the gut, you’ll vomit blood,” Giblin said.
Nat’s throat closed.
Oh gods, oh gods! Nat couldn’t stand the thought of losing his baby. Not only that—he could already imagine Duke’s disappointment and sorrow, if he told Duke that he’d failed at protecting their child.
Nat kept quiet and still, trying to figure out if his phone was still on him. It seemed to have fallen off somewhere.
They turned several corners, until the traffic sounds grew quiet. Then Giblin opened a door, and dumped Nat on the floor.
Nat hit the concrete hard, hissing in pain. Giblin yanked the sack off his head.
The sudden brightness hurt Nat’s eyes. They were in some sort of abandoned warehouse, with broken windows and sunlight shining through the dust motes.
“Kylie says you’re whoring yourself out for that demon,” Giblin sneered, eyeing Nat like a piece of meat.
Nat froze. “Kylie?”
Giblin closed in on him, grabbing Nat by the front of his shirt. He felt Nat up and yanked out his staff access pass—for the office. “We had plans, ” the alpha snarled. “And you had to open your big mouth, get her fired.”
“She threatened me!”
Giblin slapped him again. “She told me things. Like how you’re sleeping left and right, popping out babies. Spreading your legs for anyone who even looks your way.”
Nat tried to stay still even though he wanted to escape. “I’m not sleeping with everyone.”
Giblin sneered, ugly and terrifying. “Stop lying.”
“I’m not!”
The alpha hit him again. Nat whimpered, hurting. He needed to keep himself in one piece. So he could contact Duke. Or Hubrie. Someone.
The door to the warehouse opened again, and Kylie stepped in.
Nat had never hated anyone like he hated her. “You!”
Kylie scoffed. “Where’s his pass?”
Giblin tossed the lanyard at her. “I don’t want to see your face again.”
“Right back at you.” Kylie spared Nat a glance. “Mr. Brimstone will be mine.”
“Don’t you dare touch Wanda!”
“She won’t be in the picture for much longer,” Kylie said offhandedly.
She stepped up to Nat, claws pushing out of her fingertips. With a flick of her wrist, she tore open Nat’s shirtsleeve, drawing lines of fire through his skin.
Her claws came away dark with blood.
Kylie smiled triumphantly and left.
How did she plan on reaching Wanda? There were protection spells around the playpen that Uriel had written. Nat had to be present in order for the barrier to allow anyone through.
His blood.
Nat’s stomach clenched. That’s why she stole my blood. To gain access to Wanda.
His head swam. What was Kylie going to do with his daughter? Would Duke catch her before it was too late, or was he still in his meeting?
Would Kylie sell Wanda to a kidnapper?
Nat felt sick. He clutched his belly, scrambling backward when Giblin approached him. “I can’t believe you would work with her.”
Giblin curled his lip. “We had a deal. Not that I want her. She’s even more of a slut than you, except she’ll get further because she has the looks for it, while you don’t.”
“You can have anyone else in the world!” Nat knew he should keep his mouth shut, but this didn’t make sense at all. “You said it yourself. Kylie’s prettier. Why wouldn’t you get someone else to be your omega?”
Giblin crouched in front of him and grabbed his hair, yanking him forward. “Because you obey me.”
Nat wanted to spit that he’d changed; he was stronger now. That his heart belonged to someone else.
Faced with Giblin, Nat saw his life with greater clarity. Duke was everything he’d ever dreamed of having in an alpha, everything that Giblin wasn’t. Duke was kind and patient, he accepted Nat with all his missing fingers and flaws. He had been giving Nat every single good thing, instead of taking them away like Giblin had for so long.
And so Nat knew: Duke would come to rescue him.
He felt like crying. Duke really cared about him.
Just that Giblin had the advantage here; he had Nat and the unborn baby as hostages.
Knowing Giblin’s penchant for violence, the best way to keep his baby safe was to play along. “Okay.”
Giblin shoved him backward; Nat hit the wall with a painful jolt. “Tidy up this place. I want a decent room to sleep in by tonight.”
Nat hurriedly nodded. At least that was all Giblin wanted. He didn’t know how long he could preserve his safety, but... he was going to try.
It was the only thing he could do.