Chapter 5 #2
I didn’t know someone’s voice could be so soft. So low. It slid into me and spread a soothing warmth along my bones, and I wanted him to keep talking.
“Oh, maybe you think they’re poisoned or something? Here.” He picked up one of the—the slices, he’d called them, and bit into it. I watched his mouth closely, my eyes following the juices that glistened on his lips. He darted his tongue out to catch a stray drop, then chewed.
“Hm?” He held the plate out to me. Was he asking if I wanted it?
My stomach growled, and he laughed. “I’ll leave it here for you.
I have to go take care of something, but I’ll be back.
Do you need anything else? I’ll come check on you soon.
” He took a step, then reached out and set the plate on the edge of the bed, backing away once it was out of his hands.
I watched him with narrowed eyes, unsure what to do with all these weird emotions and sensations that were curling through my body. They were things I’d never felt before and had no way of identifying.
They scared me.
He seemed disappointed—I had no clue why—and turned toward the door. “Alright, I’ll be back soon.”
When he left, I listened for locks clicking into place but again heard none.
Then I turned my attention to the plate of…apples.
He’d only eaten half of a slice, had set the other half back on the plate.
I wasn’t sure if he did that on purpose or didn’t like apples or what, but that’s the one I would try first. He’d talked about poison, but I really didn’t know anything about poison.
I’d heard of it, but wasn’t sure what it was or what it did, I just knew it was bad.
I reached out and grabbed the edge of the plate, dragging it toward me. I picked up the half slice he’d put back and brought it to my nose.
It didn’t really smell like much. Maybe a little sweet.
I slid the thin slice through a gap in the muzzle and bit into it, chewing tentatively. It was crunchy. Crunchy and crisp and sweet and juicy and it was the best thing I’d ever tasted.
The deepest kind of pleasure and an overwhelming excitement filled me, and I devoured what was on that plate as fast as I could. I choked on a piece at one point, coughing until my face was burning, but I got it dislodged. Then I kept eating, though a little slower than before.
I wanted more.
My stomach gurgled as the food settled.
I wanted him to come back so I could tell him to bring me more. Bring me all the apples he had. What if that was the only one?
I glanced over at the cup on the little table. I was so thirsty. Was it water? I pushed the plate away and scooted over to the edge of the bed, reaching for the cup. I brought it closer, looked at the clear liquid inside. Smelled it.
It seemed like water. I was so thirsty and had no other options, so I just tipped my head back and poured it into my mouth through the muzzle, then set it back on the table when I was done.
I wanted more.
More water, more apples.
No, no, I needed to leave. I needed to focus on that.
Two knocks sounded at the door. I wished I could see the sun, that there was a window in here, because I had no clue how much time had passed.
Back at the prison, there had been a few small windows near the ceiling that let in the sunlight, and I would tell how much time had passed by the positioning of the shadows of the bars on the ground.
I didn’t have that here.
I stayed quiet, my eyes glued to the door.
“I’m coming in,” a muffled voice said. Then the door slowly creaked open, and the giant stepped inside. He shut it behind him, but didn’t lock it.
Good.
His eyes dropped to the empty plate, and his smile was wide and bright. “You liked them? They’re good, right? Want some more? You should have some broth, too. It’ll help you get your strength back.”
I didn’t respond.
“Oh, what’s your name, by the way? Mine’s Cain, in case you forgot. Cee ay eye en, not kay ay en ee. I’m twenty-three.” He rubbed his jaw, his brows scrunching together. “Actually, I’m not really sure what my exact age is since my dad just kind of guessed, but it’s something around that.”
I didn’t know what he was saying in that first part at all. It sounded like nonsense to me. And why did I care how old he was?
But he was like me, in a way. I didn’t know exactly how old I was either. I only knew what I’d heard from Hunter and Hayes—that I was ten or eleven when they’d taken me from the lab. I’d been with them for thirteen years, I knew that.
He pointed at his chest and said, “Cain.” Then he pointed at me, raising his brows expectantly. “You?”
Now he was going to treat me like I was stupid?
Everyone thought I was an imbecile. The hounds, Hunter and Hayes, and now this guy.
“I can understand you,” I rasped, irritation prickling beneath my skin.
He blinked, his lips parted, and his face started to turn a little pink. “Sorry, I just...”
“Three,” I said. “Twenty-four.”
His eyes were fastened to mine as he stared at me so hard it felt like he was seeing into my mind. Seeing all my shame and badness. Seeing how much of a monster I was.
I shouldn’t have told him my name. Now he’d know I was a hound, now he—
“Three?” He tilted his head, his brows knitting together. “Twenty-four…? Three twenty-four what? Sorry, I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me.”
This was frustrating. I didn’t want to talk about names or ages, I wanted him to go bring me more apples or water or just leave so I could find a way out.
“My name,” I growled. “And age.”
He only looked even more confused. “Your name is…three?”
I glared at him.
“Like the number?”
I nodded once.
“No, your name can’t be a number,” he mumbled, frowning. I didn’t like that expression. I wanted him to smile again. “Can I ask you where you came from?”
Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell him. He’d just take me back there. I said nothing, watching him as he watched me.
“Okay,” he finally said when it was clear I wasn’t going to answer him. I shouldn’t have ever spoken in the first place. His gaze lowered to my muzzle, then the collar, then wandered back to mine. “Can I ask you why you’re wearing those…things?”
Had he never seen a hound before? Hayes told us they were everywhere. That everyone had hounds. That we should be grateful that Hayes and Hunter were our masters because there were some owners who weren’t as kind as them.
“I’m a bloodhound.”
“You’re a…what?”
“I’m a hound. We all wear these.”
Anger briefly flashed across his face, a muscle in his jaw jumping as his eyes hardened.
Ah. That was an expression I was more used to.
I kept my eyes locked on him, gripping the blanket and preparing to run.
“There are more of you? Like this?” The anger fled quickly, replaced with a sadness that didn’t make sense.
I tensed when he looked around the room, but he just moved to the chair in the corner and sat down heavily. He rubbed his hands down his face and muttered, “This is why I never leave. What a fucked up world.”
He was farther away from me now, so I relaxed a little.
“Okay, well, how about a new name that’s not a number? And my offer still stands, I can get those things off you if you want. They seem like they’re hurting you.”
A new name? What would I do with a name anyway? It didn’t matter. There was no one to call me by a name, and there never would be. And why did he care if these were hurting me or not? Was that another trick? No one cared about a hound’s comfort.
“Is there any particular name you’d want?
Oh, you know what—” He pushed to his feet and walked over to the wooden structure full of things with words.
“Here. I’ve got tons of books, you can pick from one of these if you need help.
” He started pulling a few of the things off the shelf, then walked over to me.
He held them out as I just stared at them. When it was clear I wasn’t going to take them from him, he sighed and set them on the bed. “You can look through these if you want. Have you ever read them before?” He tapped one of them. “This one’s my favorite.”
It had a plain blue cover with words written on the front in white letters.
I didn’t want words I couldn’t read. I didn’t want his company or his questions. I wanted apples, water, and to get the fuck out of here.
I raised my eyes to his and said, “Apples.”
The slow smile that stretched across his face made my heart pound. Little crinkly lines appeared at the corners of his eyes, and he had two deep grooves on either side of his mouth that only appeared when he smiled. They were…nice.
“Okay,” he said softly. “Apples.”
He picked up the empty plate and left the room.
I’d leave after I got some more apples.