Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
REID
Dr. Black looked at me like a disappointed parent. “Reid, you’ve been here for two days now and you’ve hardly eaten. You’re weak. You need to get some fuel into your system.”
I crossed my arms and raised my chin. I didn’t think I needed to say that I didn’t trust anyone here. My expression spoke volumes.
So far, they hadn’t laced my meals with anything toxic, but that could be because they were lulling me into complacency.
He arched a salt-and-pepper eyebrow. “If we wanted to kill you, we wouldn’t bother with poison. There’s no point, when I could have one of the enforcers break your neck and bury you in the woods.”
I stiffened.
His lips twisted in a grimace and his mustache twitched. “That wasn’t a threat. I just want you to see reason and finish a meal before you pass out.”
I gnawed on my lower lip. While I knew I could hold out for much longer, he had a point. If they’d wanted me dead, it would have been simpler to just kill me alongside Trent. Instead, they’d gone to the trouble of kidnapping me.
Reluctantly, I reached for the sandwich he’d brought me and took a bite. All I tasted was peanut butter and jelly. Even when I concentrated, I couldn’t detect any strange undertones, so I finished it in only a few bites and put the plate on the nightstand.
“Good.” His eyes twinkled. “Provided you eat, you’re well enough to be discharged so we’ll be moving you later today.”
I froze, my senses on high alert and I cursed myself for relaxing for even a second. “Am I going to Zander’s house to be claimed?”
Dr. Black’s eyebrows furrowed. “No. You’ve been invited to stay at the Clan Alpha’s house. Don’t worry, they’ll treat you well.”
“I’ve heard that before,” I muttered, dread churning in my gut and making me want to throw up the sandwich I’d just eaten.
Dr. Black leaned toward me, his forearms resting on his thighs. “I know you’ve had a rough time, but I swear to you, no one here wishes you harm.”
I’d believe that when I saw it.
“I know it’s hard to trust us considering what you’ve been through, and I’m sure you’re still struggling with the loss of your mating bond, but if you’re willing to take a tiny leap of faith, I think you’ll find you could be very happy here.”
I blinked rapidly, refusing to let my tears fall. “I used up my supply of faith a long time ago.”
Even before I’d met Trent, I’d known not to expect kindness or good deeds. No one did anything without an ulterior motive, and meeting Trent and his pack had just reinforced that. I’d taken a leap of faith by going on a date with him, and look where it had gotten me.
I sure as hell wasn’t lining up to do it again.
“I think you’ll find that faith is infinite.” Dr. Black stood. “You just need to look a little harder to find it within yourself.”
I rolled my eyes. Thank you, Yoda.
“They’ll be here to get you in a few hours.”
He left.
I showered, brushed my teeth, and changed into a fresh pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, relieved that at least have clean clothes.
When someone arrived to collect me, I was surprised to find that it was Melinda, the kindly woman I’d met a few times now.
“My husband is the Clan Alpha,” she explained as she escorted me to a large black car.
Oh. Well, maybe this wouldn’t be so terrible. She seemed nice. Not that I trusted she’d stay that way, but the first few days might be bearable.
Perhaps I’d even get the chance to escape, although I wouldn’t be getting far without help and I doubted I could convince anyone in this tiny town to lend a hand when it went against their Alpha’s wishes.
She opened the door and held it while I got in, then circled around the other side. She sat, buckled, and pulled the door shut.
Smiling over her shoulder, she said, “We’re going to take care of you.”
I wished that didn’t sound like a line from The Godfather.
The car started and she pulled out onto the road and turned left at the corner.
“If you really wanted to take care of me, you’d let me use my magic,” I muttered, glaring down at the cuffs that were still on my wrists. They looked like bracelets, but the truth was so much uglier.
With those cuffs in place, blocking me from my magic, I was defenseless.
And okay, fine, I didn’t know how to do much with my magic, but at least I could use basic wards and throw sparks. That was a level of protection I didn’t currently have.
I’d hardly dared to sleep last night in case someone came into the room while I was unconscious. Without magic, I had no way to defend myself and it wasn’t as if I had any kind of muscle. Even Melinda could probably best me in a magicless fight.
Guilt flashed across her face. If I hadn’t been watching her so closely, I might have missed it.
“You just lost your mate,” she said softly, hesitantly. “We don’t want anyone hurt, so we can’t risk that yet.”
Sighing, I went limp against the seat and looked out the side window. I hadn’t expected any different, but disappointment rested heavy in the pit of my stomach anyway.
Melinda turned down a cul-de-sac that backed onto the forest and parked outside a two-story house—the largest in a row of similar homes. I waited for her to get out of the car before following her to the front door.
The interior was warm and welcoming. Homey in a way I wasn’t used to.
It reminded me of the houses I’d seen in the Hallmark movies I’d binged behind my parents’ backs.
They hadn’t wanted me to watch TV or even to read books.
Any of that might have given me hopes and dreams beyond what they had planned for me.
Gods forbid I want something for myself.
Melinda led me down a hall and into a cozy bedroom. The bed was piled with pillows and the bedspread was neatly turned down. The dresser was unadorned, as was the nightstand, so I assumed this was a guest room.
“You can stay in here,” she said, gesturing at the bed. “If you need anything, please let us know. We want you to be comfortable.”
I nodded even though I had no intention of doing any such thing. Letting them know what I desired would only give them something to use as leverage over me.
“I’m about to have lunch with Danny and Milo. Would you like to join us?”
I shook my head. “I’m tired.”
I wasn’t tired. Not even a little bit. But I didn’t want to be stuck at a table with them while they studied me like a new exotic pet.
“We’ll save you some in case you’re hungry later,” she said, retreating from the room and shutting the door to give me privacy.
“Thank you.” I did need to eat more, and it didn’t seem as if they intended to do anything untoward with my food.
I opened the dresser and went through each drawer, searching for a listening device, hidden camera, or evidence of spell craft.
Then I checked underneath the bed and inside the nightstand.
Finding nothing, I flopped onto the bed and closed my eyes.
If only I wasn’t too on edge to sleep. I could use the rest.
I waited until I really had to pee and then tiptoed out of the bedroom.
I couldn’t remember if she’d said where the bathroom was, but the sound of voices lured me in one direction.
It was only when I reached the doorway that I realized I’d found the room where Melinda was sharing lunch with her sons.
Melinda and Danny both fell silent and, as one, they glanced toward me. I backed away, my heart in my throat.
Shit. Was I allowed out of the room? Would they think I’d been listening in on them?
My heart pounded so hard it was almost painful and I turned and sprinted for the guest bedroom, ignoring the discomfort in my bladder. I shut the door and leaned against it, debating whether to climb through the window to get away from them.
Only the thought that any of the supernatural beings here could track me in minutes stopped me from going through with it.