Page 29 of Into the Dawn

My stomach turns at the metallic scent. Everything smells too strong today.

He holds them up in front of him, spreading his fingers out, so I can see the dark, cracked red coating on all of his digits, as well as the sleeve of his shirt.

"You think you're so fucking clever, that you're above all of us, but you're not. Because if you had half a brain, you wouldn't be pissing off the one man who has access to your mate, and it would be no problem slitting his throat in the middle of the night."

Through our bond, I feel Ben's steady presence. Safe, for now. So I play along with Jed's game, letting him think he's scored a hit.

I gasp and press a hand to my chest, the heat of my skin surprising, even through the fabric of my dress. "Don't, Jed. Please."

Jed sneers, getting right up in my face and pointing to the front door. His scent overwhelms me again, wrong in ways I can't explain.

My beast wants to snap at him, to run to Ben, and to do something to ease this growing restlessness.

"You better play nice, little sister. Because when Dad's gone, you'll have no protection at all. Your name won't mean shit around here. But maybe, maybe if you prove that you can have pups, I'll have my own personal breeding bitch right here with the genes I need to ensure my offspring are stronger than anyone else’s."

Horrified, I reel back and stare at him, my stomach roiling. The room spins slightly. "You can't be fucking serious, Jed. I'm your sister, that's disgusting. And not funny."

He shrugs and lets his lecherous eyes wander up my bare legs. "Just fucking try me, Vanessa. Just try me."

I turn away from him, pressing my palm against the cool glass of the window. Through the smeared pane, I can just make out the path they took Ben down. My reflection shows cheeksflushed pink with what I try to convince myself is nerves and anger, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I know better.

We need to find Ben and John soon. Before whatever's happening to me makes everything more complicated than it already is.

16

BEN

Rattling the iron bars as hard as I can, I sigh before giving up and resting my forehead against them. The metal burns cold against my sensitive skin, and it feels like I’m about to burst open at the seams.

I knew this would happen, and yet the claustrophobia my beast is experiencing from being trapped in here is stronger than I imagined it could be. Something about this place sets my beast on edge in ways I can't explain.

The dark cell that Jed has shoved me into falls silent, except for my laboured breaths. Water drips a steady rhythm somewhere in the darkness, calming me and making me impatient at the same time.

The air hangs thick with old fear-scent and decay, tickling something primal in my beast. It's nothing more than compacted earth as a floor, a small worn carpet, and a mattress tossed in the corner, with metal doors that aren't going to budge, no matter how many times I throw myself against them.

"Well, this was a fucking great idea, Ben," I mutter to myself, kicking a stone through the gap in the bars with my boots. Thesound echoes through the tunnels, echoing back distorted and wrong. "What the fuck do I do now?"

Other than passing out from hyperventilating, that is.

My animal is more agitated than this dire situation we find ourselves in warrants. Normally, he trusts me, but his irritation makes me feel like there’s something else I need to worry about that I’m not yet aware of. Through our bond, I catch hints of Vanessa's anxiety, but is that enough to make my beast pace this restlessly?

"That's not the attitude," somebody replies in a voice much deeper and huskier than I remember, but familiar, all the same. The sound bounces off damp walls, mixing with the steady drip of water.

"John," I croak out, as a whirlwind of emotion sweeps through me, yet none more so than pure, unadulterated relief that he’s actually alive. The stale air suddenly feels easier to breathe. At least coming here hasn't been completely for nothing.

"I'm here, Ben," he says quietly, his response scratchy and pained. Iron scrapes against earth as he moves in his cell. "And don't get me wrong, I'm glad to hear a familiar voice, but son, what have you done?"

He sounds weak and frail as he coughs.

I grit my teeth, trying not to let anger cloud my thoughts. The animal inside me rages against the general shittiness of the people who live in this god-forsaken place. My beast bristles harder than usual at John's obvious pain, my control slipping with each rattling breath he takes.

John is a good man. He raised me and Evan, and even Kali, once her dad got injured, as if we were his own. When our own shitty parents abandoned us, he gave up a relationship with the woman he loved when she didn't want to live in Sutton, because he knew that as shifters, we wouldn't survive in the city.

He gave up everything for us because he's got a heart of gold. He doesn't deserve any of this.

The musty underground air carries traces of old blood, and I can’t help but wonder how much he’s endured down here.

"Fuck, John. I'm so sorry it took us so long to find you," I say, pacing my small cell as sweat beads on my skin despite the chill. "These fucking shitheads. Are you okay? Have they hurt you?" Dragging a hand back through my hair, I shake my head. "We thought it was Scott, thought he'd killed you. And we almost stopped fucking looking."

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