A Shifter's Curse - Raven Steele (best e reader for epub .txt) 📗
- Author: Raven Steele
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“Do you still wish to join?” Dominic asked. “This will be your only opportunity to quit.”
“Quitters are for pussies.” I raised my head, leveling my eyes with his.
Several of the members chuckled and one shouted, “Hell, yeah!”
A smile tugged on the corners of Dominic’s mouth, but not because he thought I was funny. It was more of a grin that said, “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
“I couldn't have said it better myself,” he said. “Come on, then. Let’s discover your worth.”
I followed him down a long hall expecting the pack to join us, but only Silas and Gerald trailed behind.
“What about everyone else?” I asked. “Aren’t they coming for the show?”
Dominic didn’t look back at me when he said, “There’s not much room where we’re going, but don’t worry. They’ll be watching from the theater room, eating popcorn and drinking beer.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck, trying to ease the sharp and sudden pain gripping my spine. Something was starting to feel severely off.
He stopped in front of an elevator and when the doors opened, he motioned me to get inside first. Shit. I hated elevators, and this one was especially small. “Can we take the stairs?”
“Get in.” His voice was hard.
Holding my breath, I stepped inside. I kept my eyes forward as the doors shut, trapping us inside the small space. I tried not to give in to the overwhelming panic climbing up my throat. Focus. Think of something else. I’m at Sinsual. Pouring drinks for a hot shifter wolf with a muscular chest just begging to be petted. I lifted my eyes to his face. Luke’s steel-blue eyes stared back at me.
I shook my head to quickly get rid of the image, but then I was stuck back inside the cramped elevator. I sucked in a breath. Air caught in my throat and refused to fill my lungs.
I gripped the sides of the elevator and lowered my head, fighting the clawing, gripping sensation against my chest.
An image ripped through my mind, taking me to a place that existed only in my nightmares. Water, cold and dirty. It swirled around me, continuously moving as if creatures just below the surface had somehow risen from the mud, summoned by my presence. I opened my mouth to scream, but the motion ignited a burning fire in my throat, and I tasted blood. Even my voice had betrayed me. It couldn’t take my constant cries for help.
A voice said my name. The water slowly retreated but even as my consciousness returned to the elevator, my blood and flesh remained cold. I clutched at my stomach as shivers wracked my whole body.
Silas clamped his hand on my shoulder, and my eyes shot open. He said something but the words were distorted. I needed to get out of here! And then, as if I had made it so, the doors opened.
I shot out, putting as much space between me and the elevator as possible in the narrow hallway. Leaning over, I sucked in deep breaths until I could control my shaking.
I looked up to see Silas and Gerald looking at me like I was a complete idiot. I chuckled uncomfortably. “Not a fan of elevators. The whole up and down thing going against gravity. It’s unnatural.” When that didn’t seem to be enough, I tried something else. “And, uh… I may be a little nervous.”
Silas and Gerald relaxed, but Dominic’s eyes bore into mine as if he could sense my inner turmoil. The set of his face was still, and his thumb and forefinger tapped together as if memorizing something for the future.
“Which way?” I asked quickly, trying to distract him.
Dominic motioned his head to the left. “Not that much further.”
I followed behind him taking in my surroundings of the basement. It was cool and damp and smelled like moist earth and rusted pipes. Our steps were loud against the concrete floor. Each footfall made my heart jump.
Dominic took a series of turns stopping only when he reached a large steel door. His hand hovered over the knob. “No matter what you see in here, you are not to react. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” My breathing quickened, wondering what they could possibly know about me. Had they found out my true identity somehow? Could my uncle have sold me out?
The door opened slowly.
I stepped inside trying to process what I was looking at. When the pieces came together, and I realized what they were going to ask me to do, my legs grew weak, and I nearly collapsed.
For I realized in that heart-wrenching moment that all my plans had been destroyed.
The smell of fear permeated the small room making the white walls appear darker than they actually were. A long counter had been built into the back wall, and on its top was a series of instruments, the kind you only see in an operating room or a horror movie. Depending upon how one used the tools, they either saved lives or destroyed them.
No lives would be saved tonight.
Luke stood in the corner looking everywhere but at me. I wish he would look at me; I wanted him to see the repulsion on my face. How could he be a part of this?
Finally, I let my gaze settle on the one person in the room that could deter me from my revenge even as my legs grew weak.
Lynx sat bound to a chair with silver chains; her wrists and ankles raw where the shackles held her in place. She had been stripped to her bra and panties. Tear-smudged mascara stained her cheeks, and her lips pressed into a firm line, as if she was stifling more cries. When her eyes met mine, a spark of life ignited inside them.
“Oh, Briar.” Her chin quivered, but she kept her voice steady. “Thank God, you’re here. These animals kidnapped me. Please tell them they have the wrong person and get me out of here.”
“It’s going to be okay.” My voice cracked as the lie attempted to break through. I turned to Dominic, growling. “What the hell is this?”
He linked his hands behind his back and walked toward Lynx. “She’s your roommate, right?”
“Yeah, so? Why do you have her?”
“Because she is your friend.”
My blood turned to ice, but I kept my composure and shrugged, as if he was asking something as simple as whether I liked the color red. “That’s debatable. We barely know each other.”
Faster than I could blink, Dominic withdrew a small blade from his pocket and slammed it into Lynx’s shoulder. A terrified cry ripped from her lungs.
I took a step toward him, my wolf preparing to attack. She wanted to come out, to destroy everyone in the room. I felt confident I could kill Silas and Gerald fairly quickly, if he tried to stop me. He had a begrudging respect for me, and that would make him hesitate.
The only two I worried about were Dominic and Luke. Luke had strangely shown deep loyalty toward Dominic, and I’d seen enough of his hardened side to know he would try to take me down if I went after Dominic. As for Dominic, he was an Alpha which meant his strength was unmatched. I’d never lost a fight, but I’d also never fought an Alpha. A fight between us would probably last awhile, giving the rest of the pack a chance to get at me.
I don’t think I’d survive that.
I readied myself, willing to take the chance, but the terrified look on Lynx’s face is what stopped me. I’d briefly felt something for her. Friendship. In that split second, I made the decision that I wanted to live. I could have a life after this. Love, family, friends.
Maybe there was better way. Maybe I could talk us out of this.
Though my clenched jaw, I said, my voice a command, “Stop.”
Dominic blinked his eyes, and everyone else in the room stilled. I forced myself to calm down. I couldn’t let him see the real me. Not yet.
I cast my eyes downward in submission, compelling my wolf to retreat. “Please.”
His lips turned up into a grin. “So you are friends?”
“Fine, yeah, we’re friends.”
Tears ran down Lynx’s face, but she didn’t cry out loud. By the way she was holding her mouth, I’d guess she was biting the inside of her cheek. I admired her courage for trying to appear brave when she must be in an intense amount of pain.
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