Lielit
Being left alone to wait and think was the hardest part. Not because I doubted Fenrir and Blaidd would come for us, but because of the dark thoughts of what could be happening to women and children. The man had planted an image of my babies in my mind that I couldn’t drive away.
It was fear that plagued my thoughts, forcing me to visualise my twin babies being harmed. No matter how hard I tried to distract myself, my mind kept circling back to them.
Hours could have passed. There was no window—no way to tell where the sun was. All I needed was a sign that Blaidd was here, and I’d shift out of the cuffs.
I heard shoes clicking on the concrete.
It was him.
There were at least four people in the building. They could be armed, and I couldn’t risk losing the twins by trying to escape on my own.
The door wasn’t locked. That didn’t surprise me. The whole place looked as though it was about to collapse. Rusted iron beams ran along the ceiling, graffiti covered the walls, and the far corner—where he’d stood earlier—was littered with discarded needles.
“Dinner is served,” he mocked as he walked toward me.
He held out a tub of fruit, a packaged sandwich, and a bottle of water.
I didn’t move.
He dropped them onto the floor.
“I’d tell you he agreed to our terms,” he said, “but I’d be lying. You’re worthless to him.”
Are they all this stupid? Bouda asked.
Or do they just think we are.
“Why don’t you show me the exchange?” I asked. “Whatever was said or recorded.”
“Unfortunately, I had to dispose of my SIM card after the interaction.”
“How convenient,” I said, sounding bored.
His lip curled in contempt. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
“I don’t care whether he comes through or not,” he snapped. “You’ll never see him again.”
This time, the door didn’t fully close behind him.
“What a nasty fucking prick,” I muttered.
It didn’t help that the thought of never seeing Fenrir or Blaidd again hit me in the gut like a silent punch. I didn’t even bother trying to analyse it. Bouda’s bond with Fenrir had been plain to see in the woods.
The human side was more… complicated.
The last few weeks had been a quiet truce of sorts. I’d almost stopped messing with his OCD brain—almost. Every now and then, I’d change something just a fraction, just to see if he’d notice.
He never bought you flowers again, Bouda chuckled.
I smiled reluctantly, remembering the massacre of the roses.
I never chose Blaidd or Fenrir. Perhaps it was a mixture of fate and the will of his wolf.
He sensed Bouda within me. Through that single bite, Bouda had been activated.
Nothing meant more to us than the survival of our children.
That was all I truly knew about the four of us—the one thing we agreed upon.
I glanced at the door.
And that prick thought he could lie to me.
?
?
?
It didn’t take long for the arsehole to saunter back into the room. I bit my tongue to stop myself from cussing him out. I didn’t know how, but I could read him—the way he watched me when he spoke, as if he were waiting to see my fear surface or hoping I’d beg for mercy.
It reminded me of my early days with Blaidd. He’d tried to break my spirit then. Now I was sleeping comfortably beside my former enemy.
I won’t mince my words, but you never dwell on that when he has you bouncing up and down on that bed, Bouda sniggered.
“Do you have a name,” I asked, “or are you afraid to tell me?” He hadn’t spoken yet.
“I work from the shadows, and I never give my name. It can be dangerous in my line of work,” he said, toeing the sandwich packet. “You’re not hungry?”
“I prefer my food drug-free.”
“You’re not what I expected,” he said, rubbing his jaw.
“And what was that?”
“A privileged rich bitch who’d be a blubbering mess by now.”
I decided to toss him a bone.
“Do you think this is my first kidnapping?”
He frowned for a moment before smiling.
“Of course that freak couldn’t get a woman in a normal manner,” he said, stepping back.
This has to be the most unpleasant human I’ve ever met, Bouda snapped.
“Yet here you are,” he sneered, his gaze dropping to my stomach, “impregnated by him.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Eat your food,” he said. “You’re being transported tomorrow, and I doubt you’ll get much to eat or drink with the next lot.”
This time he was calmer as he closed the door behind him.
I think we might need to rescue ourselves at this rate, I told Bouda.
The warehouse was cold—though not as cold as the stone cell—but at least there was a mattress keeping me off the floor. I lifted the sandwich, checking the seal before opening it.
Once I’d eaten, I was trying to figure out how to get out of my clothes so I could shift when Bouda froze.
My ears pricked up, but all I could hear were the men in the distance, playing cards.
I never heard his voice, yet I had the distinct feeling he’d stay nearby until I was handed over to the next set of goons.
He’s close, she said softly. They’re here.
I almost let myself feel relieved—until I remembered Adam’s warm blood splattering across my face. It felt like a lifetime ago. That had been Fenrir at his worst, in his ginormous form. Not the smaller wolf who’d been frolicking in the woods with us.
Bouda didn’t care. She was looking forward to the bloodbath.
I tutted at her, but she ignored me.
If I could let them know where I was, maybe I could temper the murderous rage. I glanced at my wrist and gently tapped the handcuff against the pipe.
Tap, tap, tap.
Pause.
I repeated the sound, hoping he’d hear us.
My arse was sore and freezing from the dirty cold floor.