Shifter Situations: The Chronicles of Sloane King Page 15

  14

  York

  Friday, June 5th

  Early Morning

  Just looking at all of the cages—the people in them—had made me panic.

  I vaguely recalled Sloane saying my name and Grim pulling me into another room.

  Flashbacks from the camp had begun hitting me in waves, taking my breath with them as they rushed away. My vision tunneled, my ears rang, and I barely registered that I was repeating my thoughts aloud.

  “I need to leave. I can’t be here.”

  “York?”

  Grim shook my shoulders, bringing me out of a downward spiral. Vivid purple eyes locked on mine, and I copied his movements, taking shaking breaths with him until I could calm myself.

  “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

  I nodded my head, counting the days I’d been able to feel the sun on my face and the earth under my feet.

  Nineteen.

  I was safe.

  I knew I wasn’t going back to the camp, but that didn’t stop me from reliving some of the worst moments.

  The smell of death saturated the entire building, covering any of the other scents that might have been prevalent.

  I had seen enough to know that the shifters hadn’t been fed regularly, if at all. Their clothes were torn and tattered. They hadn’t been able to bathe. Filth was caked up on their cheeks, some of them with streaks from tears.

  It was hard to see it happening to someone else knowing that it also happened to me.

  As I glanced around the small room Grim had brought me to, I realized that it was a similar setup to the camp. It was empty save for a metal medical table. But instead of fae crystals lining the workbench, there were needles, syringes, and vials of shimmering milky liquid.

  Grim slipped two into his pocket, and I slammed the rest of the vials onto the ground, needing an outlet for the frustration that was building up inside me.

  No one needed to touch that fucking drug again.

  At the camp, they had drained my power. And that controlled magic was passed from hand to hand in order for them to make the drug that was being administered to these people against their will.

  I wasn’t sure how to react to what was happening, but the longer I stayed in this warehouse, the more my adrenaline kicked in, and that made me want to just... Run.

  I needed to get out of here.

  I needed to get out of here and away from everything.

  Walking out of the medical room was a mistake. As soon as the cages were in my sight again, I began to wonder how long the shifters had been here or when the last time they’d eaten had been.

  My breathing was too rapid and shallow. I wrapped my arms around my waist, desperately trying to hold myself together. I froze in the doorway, unable to cross the threshold.

  I was gasping for air when Novak’s eyes snapped to mine. The tense set of his jaw told me that he didn’t like it any more than I did, but the furrowing of his brows told me that he had heard my thoughts.

  He’d probably seen some of my flashbacks too.

  I should have talked this out sooner.

  I couldn’t let this make me a weak link in the group. If something like this could cause me to freak out so badly, then what would happen—

  “Hey.” Sloane pushed me through the door and shut it behind her. “York, stop. Don’t think like that. We’re getting out of here, okay? Come on.”

  She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the Void. I didn’t ask what we were doing, where we were going, or what she had planned… All of my trust was in her grasp as she led me away from the place that was so similar to my nightmares.

  We landed on a flat ridge at the top of a mountain. The view was lit by the rising sun, and dense wilderness surrounded us. I looked up, closing my eyes as I took a deep breath of fresh air.

  Her raspy voice filled every crevice of my mind, soothing me as I fought to truly control myself.

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  Sloane’s thin fingers wrapped around my wrist before sliding down to my hand. She intertwined them with mine. The strength in that motion grounded me more than anything else.

  I glanced down at her, and she lifted her left hand to show me a small speaker and my cell phone. She gave me a moment to compose myself, flipping through my playlist until she found what she was looking for.

  Sway by Michael Bublé played quietly in the background as she turned me to face her. She took my hand again, placing it on her waist, guiding me through the motions without missing a beat.

  She didn’t speak, waiting for me to sort all my thoughts out. But she counted, “One, two, three,” over and over, and it was the only thing I could focus on. She led until I could get my feet to work properly.

  By the fourth repeat of the song, my inner struggle had settled enough for me to take over.

  We danced across the flat ridge at the top of the mountain, and I lost myself between her, the morning sun, and the music. The control she was giving me back, just by dancing with me, was giving me life right now. And I couldn't thank her enough for it.

  I was grateful that she knew me so well.

  That she could somehow give me both space and comfort.

  After the twelfth repeat of the song, I was as ready to talk about it as I’d ever been.

  I sighed, and she gave me a small smile.

  “You don’t have to talk about it, York. If you need to, then I’m here. If you don’t want to…” she trailed off, shrugging. “I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I know,” I admitted, releasing her as I took a seat on the edge of the ridge and let my feet dangle over the side. “I want to show you something.”

  She sat beside me, her brows drawn together in concern. I closed my eyes and tugged her into a memory from one month ago.

  The last power drain.

  Not the worst.

  I rested my back against the wall, wrinkling my nose at the moldy air. Water dripped from the ceiling of the cell, cascading down the eroded stone in a constant, monotonous rhythm that made me tired.

  But I couldn’t close my eyes.

  There was only one thing I wanted more than a breath of fresh air, a solid night of sleep, or a full meal.

  If I fell asleep, then I might dream of her, and Kelvin would see too much. I couldn’t do that. I clenched my jaw as I yawned, begging the universe to keep me awake for another day.

  It didn’t listen.

  I dozed off, clutching my stomach as the crippling cramps from not eating hit me again.

  Pain was all I felt, even in my dreams.

  Red lips stretched into a grin, her giggle echoing around me.

  “I cannot believe that you lost.”

  I released a frustrated breath. “I can’t either. I was sure I was going to win that round.”

  “You know what that means, right?”

  “I do, but it's four in the morning, Sweetheart. Where are you going to find an open tattoo parlor at this time?”

  “I’ll call around. I have the best idea, and you are not talking yourself out of this one.”

  I snatched her to me before she could walk away. “How about we try in a couple of hours? I think I can keep you busy until then.”

  She hummed in agreement, her vivid red nails dragging across my bare chest as her voice faded away from me. The memory was replaced with black smoke, a flickering flame in the background.

  “Make the call, Druid,” she taunted me. “I’m always ready for you.”

  The dreams weren’t ever the same, but the endings were.

  I was awoken by a different type of torture.

  Scorching heat against my chest had my eyes flying open, wishing they would end this suffering already. Kelvin leaned into my line of vision, his face blurry as I focused on anything except his eyes.

  “Screaming for us today, Druid? We certainly would be a lucky bunch if you did. When will you show us your girlfriend’s face? Or was tha
t your mate? I can never tell. You’re so vague when you think of her.”

  I’d rather die on this table than let him see what she looked like. As badly as I longed to hold her one more time, I had mixed emotions about her finding me.

  I hoped that she didn’t. I was too weak to fight them with her.

  I hoped that she did. I wasn’t ready to die without making amends for the mistakes I’d made.

  As they drained my power, I did my best to keep the bond closed between us without thinking about my actions. The one thing that fueled my need for silence was the mind-reading vampire-mage.

  After they got what they wanted, two bear shifters dropped me onto the floor of my cell, kicking me in the gut before slamming the barred door.

  I crawled across the floor, digging out a fragment of one of the stones, and I marked the wall.

  Eight hundred and forty-six.

  When I knew that everyone was gone other than the guard, I called quietly to him. “Levi?”

  He padded over, his clunky boots making no noise as he stopped at my cell door.

  “I need you to do me a favor, one I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay.”

  “Name it. I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.”

  I pulled myself up to rest my back against the damp wall, letting the dripping water fall onto my shoulder and down the burn mark on my chest.

  “I have a mate, and when Kelvin kills me, I need you to find her.” I blew out a long breath before continuing.

  “Davidson County, Tennessee. Reignwood Drive. Don’t go inside the gate, Levi. Wait for her to come out, then tell her I’m so fucking sorry and I love her.”

  “I can’t do that, York. We just need to figure out a way to get you out.”

  I smiled sadly at him. “You can do it. I’m not getting out.”

  “Just… Rest while I’m here. I’ll wake you up before my shift is over. We have at least fourteen days to come up with some ideas.”

  “Right. Rest.” I snorted.

  I’d see only her when I closed my eyes, and that torture was greater than any I’d felt in all the days that I’d been here. Her broken heart was a tangible thing that I could touch in my dreams, but I wouldn’t let myself.

  I couldn’t properly put all the pieces back together from here.

  When I opened my eyes to glance at her, she was wiping her cheeks. The tears flowed freely down her face, dripping off her chin as she stared at me.

  “That could have been you,” I whispered into the morning air. “Locked up in a cell—a cage. Being tortured or worse. Do you still think it was selfish of me?”

  “York, I—”

  I shook my head at her. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I knew you were angry and hurt, and I made you feel that way by lying to you about something so big. I should have told you they were following me.

  “I showed you that because I want to make sure that you understand that I had it easy compared to what they would have put you through.”

  I glared at my hands, only softening my focus when she linked her fingers through mine.

  “I know you can handle so much, but I didn’t want you to go through that; I still don’t, and that won’t ever change. You have too much fight in you for people like that, Sweetheart.

  “They would have done everything they could to break that spirit, and that wasn’t something I was going to let happen if I could stop it. I know I’ve said it before, but I would make the same decision again.

  “My actions may have broken your heart, but that’s damage that I’d gladly spend a lifetime mending.” I brought her knuckles to my lips, inhaling her sweet, earthy scent.

  “If they would have taken you, then they would have had me anyway because I wouldn’t have been able to keep going without you. I’m not that strong. I closed our bond so you wouldn’t find me, so they wouldn’t find you.

  ”I would rather carry this damage than look into your eyes and not see any light there. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if they did the things to you that they did to other females that came through the camp.”

  Her shoulders drooped as she rubbed her thumb across the back of my hand.

  “I’m not angry with you. I mean, I was, but I’m not. I’m…” She sighed, staring at our joined hands.

  “I’m mad at myself. I looked for you for all the wrong reasons. I should have tried harder, searched longer. The what-ifs won’t stop haunting me. What if I had put in more effort? What if I hadn’t been asleep when you left? What if we hadn’t argued the night before? What—”

  “Stop.”

  She turned her head away from me, closing her eyes as she bit her lips together.

  “All of that is done. It’s in the past. I don’t want to keep living in the past.”

  “I don’t want to forget all of it either,” she mumbled.

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, tucking her against my side. “Some memories are worth letting go, Sweetheart. Others are worth holding close.”

  I threw the dart, and I didn’t know why, but the shot went so wide that it stuck into the wall.

  Sloane’s red lips stretched into a grin, her giggle echoing around me. “I cannot believe that you lost.”

  I released a frustrated breath. “I can’t either. I was sure I was going to win that round.”

  “You know what that means, right?”

  “I do, but it's four in the morning, Sweetheart. Where are you going to find an open tattoo parlor at this time?”

  “I’ll call around. I have the best idea, and you are not talking yourself out of this one.”

  I snatched her to me before she could walk away. “How about we try in a couple of hours? I think I can keep you busy until then.”

  She hummed in agreement, her vivid red nails dragging across my bare chest lightly as she smirked at me. “I made an appointment yesterday.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “You peeked!”

  “No!” she said before bouncing her head. “I mean, maybe, but either way, one of us was getting a tattoo, so I thought I’d be responsible and call ahead.”

  We stared at each other, and I waited for her to break. She rolled her lips in, her bright eyes gleaming under the lights of the near-empty game room.

  “I knew you were going to lose, I just didn’t know how. I’ve been thinking about ideas all day,” she admitted, slashing her hands across her chest.

  I nodded, stuck somewhere between wanting to laugh or telling her that using her powers during a bet was definitely cheating.

  “What am I getting?”

  She cackled, tossing her head back as she wheezed, “The Jolly Green Giant.”

  I cocked my head to the side, furrowing my brows. “Who?”

  “What?” she gasped. “You don’t know who The Jolly Green Giant is?”

  I smiled at her stunned expression. “I know a green giant, but I’m guessing it’s not the one you’re talking about, Sweetheart.”

  “Oh my gods,” she whispered to herself. “It’s so easy to forget that you didn’t grow up on Earth.”

  “Who is it, Sloane?”

  “He’s, uhm.” She coughed, clearing her throat as her lips twitched. “He’s a giant, green man who wears a tiny toga made of leaves. And he stands stoic over the villages of the valley.”

  “What valley?”

  Her lips caressed the shell of my ear, making her response sound filthy. “The valley of the Jolly Green Giant.”

  “Why is that so funny? Have you given me a nickname that I don’t know about? How much have you had to drink?”

  She shook her head quickly, another bout of giggles bubbling up as she replied, “It’s not, I haven’t, and not enough.”

  “Why are you still laughing?” I inquired, taking her hand to lead her to the garage.

  “I asked the artist to make the design look like a pinup.”

  I stopped, twisting my head to give her a questioning look. “A what?”

  “Fo
r Devil’s sake, York.” She sighed playfully. “Come on. You’ll see when we get there.”

  “That’s a great memory,” she murmured, her voice full of amusement.

  “Why is that still funny?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

  She shrugged, nonchalant as she confessed, “Because it’s been years, and you never noticed that the end of his dick is hidden in the leaves on the edge of his toga.”

  “You…” I started, stunned enough to flounder for words. “There’s a dick tattooed on my ass?”

  She nodded, biting the edge of her bottom lip as she scrunched up her nose. “The tip of a giant, green dick.”

  I rubbed my hand over my mouth as I chuckled. “I cannot believe you. That’s why it’s been so funny since I got it?”

  “Yeah,” she drawled. “I thought you knew, though. You studied the design for like an hour before you even let him put the stencil on you.”

  “I didn’t, but now I need you to take a picture so I can see it. I need to know if I should have it removed or swear you to secrecy.”

  Her hands flew to her chest dramatically as she batted her eyelashes. “I’d be honored to take a picture of your dick.”

  I rolled my tongue over my teeth, shaking my head. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” She grinned. “Now, drop your pants, Druid. I haven’t seen your dick in a while.”

  15

  Sloane

  Friday, June 5th

  Midday

  After an eventful morning, we decided to meet in town for lunch. I hated the idea, but I couldn’t say no to Jack. I was also curious to see how he acted around his mate, now that I knew what was going on.

  The thought made me want to snort; I bit my cheek instead. Blaire was great, but Jack had to be confused. Or maybe he wasn’t.

  I glanced across the table, studying the way he watched her pull up her hair. She definitely checked all his boxes and then some.

  She was petite,and had dark hair and pale skin. She strutted on the line of sweet and bitchy. And from what I could tell, she didn’t mind his relationship with Grim.