Page 13 of Under a Wicked Moon
What liquid green crap? This memory-loss issue irritated him. He stared at the small chute. At the end, through a clear plastic window, was a thermos. Somehow, he remembered this was food.You have to drink to survive.
He retrieved the container, clicked open the sippy top, and smelled. He rotated the cap and stared at the thick green liquid that had to be some sort of vitamin concoction. One sip and he gagged.
This was why he’d lost weight. He couldn’t thrive off a liquid diet. He set down the thermos and fell back onto the bench.
Had he already been incarcerated for years? He couldn’t believe that without it making him crazy.
…
Vivi landed on her knees when one of the guards threw her into a new room. One sniff inside the dark cell, and adrenaline surged a rejuvenating jolt through her. Warmth radiated everywhere inside her.
Ky was here. And breathing. Not dead, thank God.
She shouldn’t care. But somehow, he’d become a light in the darkness. He was the only person she could commiserate with. He was the only person she minimally trusted.
“That you, Vivi?” he asked. His voice was low, deep, and sexy. Like a male’s should be.
That’s moon madness talking. Keep it together. Never give in to what the humans want.
“Looks like we get a third full-moon rendezvous.” Her retinas acclimated to the low light. When she got a good look at him, she died a little bit on the inside. He’d lost weight, and although his body was still solid, his cheekbones had hollowed out above the beard now in place. Had they stopped feeding him? Or had hestopped eating?
“A third? I don’t remember a second.” He gripped his head and cursed. “I can’t remember a lot of things… Did we…? Tell me we didn’t.”
“No. We resisted last time. They were super pissed at us for not doing what they wanted.”
“Here, you take the bench. I’ll sit on the floor.” He was careful when he got up off the only bench in the room, leaning on the wall, as if unsure of his balance.
“I’m fine to take the floor,” she said, going unexpectedly teary over his chivalry. “You stay. You look like you need to remain seated.”
“I insist.” He settled on the floor opposite the solitary bench with his back against the wall. “I’m doing okay.” The words were a lie. There was dried blood on his scrub top, and she could smell it.
Deep shadows dug into the skin beneath his eyes. If he didn’t get better sustenance soon, it was game over for him. Their kind could die, but they were more resilient to body stressors like torture and starvation than humans.
Her vision clouded, but she refused to cry.
He said, “I’m here. I’ll do all I can to make sure you’re safe.”
The words were so simple. So beautiful. It was the same thing he’d said to her last time, the last full moon that he seemed to have forgotten. Coming from him, they meant more than she was comfortable admitting. Truly, they were what got her through the bleak weeks since she last saw him. She heard them in her head when she slept. They were the first thing she thought of when she awoke. They comforted her.
With him, she did feel safe. She trusted him not to attack, no matter how much instinct drove both of them to get naked. He’d proven, even weak, he’d fight to protect her against himself and against any humans who came into the cell. He fought them thelast time when they came in to take her away. He’d advised them to let her go. Then they’d had to zap him with the collar at the highest level. They’d warned him when the lower levels didn’t stop him. He’d put serious hurt on both humans who’d been tasked to remove her before he’d passed out. No one had gone away from the incident blood-free.
As they stared at each other across the divide, there was a vulnerability in his eyes, which hadn’t been there before. Maybe it was just her feeling exposed and projecting. They shared their dreadful existence, each silently commiserating over the tortures they’d shared since their last meeting. She was susceptible to his allure in this moment after weeks of hoping to see him again. She liked his calm assurance they’d escape, but at this point, it was no more than a fantasy she clung to in order to survive.
“I’m glad you’re in here, even if it’s only for tonight,” he said softly. “I’ll worry less.”
Did that just mush her up inside to think of him barely surviving his own hell but worried about hers? The ache in her chest spread. This was just about having someone familiar in her life. Someone who gave her a smidgen of hope that she wasn’t alone and that they might have a chance to get out. The idea of freedom kept her optimistic, even though a life outside was too far from their current reality to dwell on.
He said, “Can’t stand the thought of them throwing some other guy in with you again. That you might have to defend yourself from some young, crazed moron who can’t handle himself on full-moon night.” He rocked his head back and forth. “Makes me crazy thinking about it. You deserve better.”
“Thanks. Last full moon was easier for us to get through. Wasn’t like the first time.”
“I don’t remember last time.”
“I’m sorry.” She understood his confusion. “A day, a week…ayear… It all blends together.”
“What happened last time? I feel like there was a close call.” He dropped his head and pressed on his temples as if forcing his brain to work. “Something happened.”
“Nothing like you’re thinking.”Not much in the romance department.She’d been punished for not enticing Ky into sex. As in decreased rations and more time in the experiment room. A memory of them injecting her with different things to see what venom worked on her slithered through her brain. She shuddered, despising the memories that came in fragmented bursts.
