Chapter 13

LAINEY I sit on the floor of my cell with my knees up and my ears covered. Tears streaming down my face.

“LET ME OUT FUCKING NOW…LAINEY!!...LAINEY HELP!!...I LOVE YOU!!...LET ME OUT!!....”

For three days now, his screams and rage echoed through the halls of the prison. I can’t see him, but I’ve heard every word. Every sound of him trashing his cell.

They took blood from him and me. We all don’t know why the lust lock isn’t letting him go.

I feel something breaking inside. It can’t be my heart, it hasn’t worked for decades. It’s something else in me creating this pain I feel for him. Something else is making the guilt that’s torturing me. Whatever it is, I can’t stand it. Hearing his pain. Hearing him suffer.

“Stop it.” I sob as I hold my hair. “STOP!!!” I scream.

“LAINEY!! HELP ME!!” He screams back.

It just makes me cry more.

I sit and shake as he starts throwing things around his cell with loud growls.

“Lainey.”

I turn my head and look through my arm.

The woman who was with the King is standing at the glass with a guard.

She looks at me with almost pity. She has a clipboard and in a white lab coat. “I’m Ricky. Can you come with me please?”

I sit up and wipe my face. I nod and stand.

“Just stay where you are.” The guard says.

I nod again, biting my top lip.

He opens the door, produces cuffs and puts them on my wrists.

They lead me out and we walk up the hall.

Like time slowed down, Hunters cell comes into view. His cell is trashed. The glass is covered in blood smears. He’s shirtless and bleeding. He’s breathing heavy. He slams into the glass.

“Lainey? Lainey, I just want to talk, Ok…Where are you taking her?!...What are you doing?...LET HER FUCKING GO!...LET HER GO, YOU BASTARDS!…GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER!!” He follows us along the glass.

I lower my head and cry quietly.

“Lainey…Don’t worry. I’m getting out, ok. I’ll save you. LET HER GO!” His voice is desperate and panicked. His anger is forefront. He slams his fist into the glass making me jump.

Ricky wraps her arm around me. “It’s OK. He’s Ok.” She says to me.

“He’s far from Ok.” I grumble.

I side eye him and our eyes lock. I leave his line of sight and lower my head.

“LAINEY!!!!”

I follow Ricky into the Unit halls. The people around look at me with horror. My eyes flick to the terrified faces with a warning look from my narrowed eyes. They move right out of my way.

Ricky takes me upstairs to a room with a glass wall. My eyes widen when I see the medical chair and equipment.

“NO!” Fear takes me over and I spin around, trying to run. The guard grabs me and holds on to me. I’m losing my knees as I cry and try to get away. “NO! PLEASE! GOD NO!” I sob. I’m in complete hysterics.

“Lainey!” Ricky tries to stop me from struggling. “We just want to check you over…”

“NO, PLEASE!!” I look at her with complete pain in my face and shaking my head fast. I’m in complete panic.

“Lainey, we won’t hurt you!” Her voice raises.

“YOU’RE LYING! I WON’T! PLEASE! DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS!!” I cry, beg and scream as I try to pull away from the guard.

Memories of my life flood my brain and increase my fear. “HELP ME!!” I scream into the halls.

The people gather and just watch.

I look at their faces. “HELP ME!”

They still do nothing.

Ricky finally gets a hold of my head and stares into my fear stricken eyes. My cheeks are soaked. “I promise you. You’re safe.”

Her eyes studied mine and I saw something in them that lowered my fear just a bit.

“What do you want?” I hitch.

She holds a hand up to me. “I just want to run some test to figure out what’s wrong with Hunter and find out why you can walk in the sun, ok. I promise you, we won’t do anything you don’t want to do, but if we want to save Hunter, we have to do this.” Her voice was almost calming.

I bit my lip. “For Hunter?” I ask, looking at her through tear filled eyes.

She nods. “For Hunter.”

My fear was still there, but I press my lips together and nod.

We walk in and the guard sits me down in the medical chair. I’m trembling bad. My mind is thinking of escape plans if this becomes something I don’t like.

“First.” She holds up a cup of blood. “I figured you could use a snack.” She smirks, I assume trying to make me feel better.

I look at her then the cup. My shaking hand takes it and I hold it in both hands while I drink.

She takes the cup and walks away. “You have an extremely high metabolism. It’s the reason you need to eat so much. When you were here last, we treated you like a normal vamp.” She turns with a small tray of needles. “For that, I’m deeply sorry.” She prepares my arm for taking more blood. “Trust me. I laid into the King when we got home. He slept in the guest room.” She smiles and looks up at me.

“The King is yours?” I ask quietly.

She nods. “Yep. Zander. He’s my big lug.” She chuckles.

“What's it feel like?” I ask as she gets up and I watch her come back with tubes.

She hooks the tubes up and my blood enters them. “What?”

“Love. Being mates.” I supply.

She looks down and her brows come together. “Um…It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s like the world is only for them. The only person you want to see, feel or be around is them. Like your life would be empty without them.”

“Oh.” I lower my head and pick at my shirt.

She leans her head to me. “Why do you ask?”

My eyes flick to hers. “No reason.” I mumble.

She leans back. “Oh…OK…well if there was a reason, you can ask me. I can give you some pointers.” She chuckles and winks.

The corner of my mouth ticks up.

She rolls back on her stool. “Ok. This next sample I need is going to hurt, I’ll give you a local, but you’ll still feel it.”

“What do you need?” I ask.

“I need some spinal fluid if that’s OK?” She spoke softly.

I press my lips together and nod.

She tells me to hang my legs off the chair. She walks around me and moves my hair. “Oh my god…”

“What?” I ask.

****

After inspecting my neck, Zander walks around to the front of me with Ricky. “Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know who they are.” My eyes avoid them because I know it’s them that did this.

“Lainey. Your neck is covered in scar tissue. That must have been next level experiments to scar you like that. You really don’t know who they are?” Ricky crosses her arms.

I glance at her and shake my head.

Zander looks at me. “If you’re protecting them out of fear, I can assure you, you’re safe here.”

“I…I don’t remember.” I stammer.

Ricky nods. “Ok. Well, if you do, you can tell me, ok?”

I nod.

Ricky takes my spinal fluid and sits down in front of me. “Once my tests are complete, we should be able to find out what they did to you too. We'll cure Hunter. He'll be fine.”

“That’s all I want. I know I’m as good as dead here. All I want is for Hunter to get his life back.” I look at her with pain in my eyes.

She nods. “He will. As for you, you don’t need to fear us, alright. We’ll talk more.” She smiles. “You want another snack?”

I nod and she hands me a cup.

She takes it back. “I have a feeling whatever was done to your neck, has something to do with Hunter being trapped in your lust lock.”

“I know it does.” I say. “I didn’t know at the time, but I figured it out later. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.” I play with my fingers.

“Do you know what the experiments were for?” Zander asks.

“They kept telling me I was going to save the world. That my blood was going to tip the scales of some war. I have no idea what they’re talking about.” I inform.

“Where was this?” He arches a brow.

“In the mountains north of here.”

“Brynja Mountain?” Ricky asks.

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “But it’s not too far from here.”

Zander crossed his arms. “Would you be willing to show us where?”

I think about it. Do I trust them? Once they find out that it’s the Alliance that did this to me, will they back track on their promise to keep me safe?

“What’s in it for me?” I mirror his image and scowl.

He stands in front of me. “What do you want?”

“Guarantee my safety and I’ll give you anything you want.” I state.

“You want me to protect a vamp.” He leans to me.

“Those are my terms. No more prison. No more captivity and I’ll show you where they are.” I tilt my head.

“Wait. You want me to free you?” He leans back. “Not happening.”

“Zander.” Ricky says quietly.

“Fine. Then I guess I don’t show you the secret government lab in your backyard.” I turn and lay down in the medical chair.

I side eye him as Ricky turns to him.

“We could find it ourselves.” He growls.

I shrug. “You could, but you won’t get in. I know how.” I pick at my nails.

“How?” Ricky asks.

“Am I free?” I narrow my eyes to her.

Zander paces around. “You only eat what we give you?” He stops and asks.

I nod.

“You help us with Hunter?” Ricky adds.

“100 percent. If you provide me with protection from him as well until his brain is reset.” My brow goes up.

Zander nods. “Ok. You wear a suppression collar at all times and armed escorts. You’ll have a room in the prison rooming house. It’s not total freedom, but it’s closer. Do we agree?”

I swing my legs over the side again and look at him. “I also want protection from Gia.”

He looks at me confused. “Why?”

I suck in. “I was Damon’s. Now, I’m hers. If she comes for me, I don’t want to go.”

He lowers his head and nods. “Well, she’s in prison right now, but if she does get out, I’ll have to approach the council on property rights of members. I can’t break treaties. There’d be a call for my throne.”

I point to him. “If you can’t protect me from her, then I’m gone. I’d rather die out there then end up in her hands.” I warn.

“I don’t understand? Isn’t she your leader? Shouldn’t you want to go back?” Ricky says.

“Yeah, if she wasn’t an evil bitch. Trust me, when you can’t die, she has a million ways to make you wish you could.” I furrow my brow.

Zander rubs his nape. “Sounds like Gia. Ok, I’ll do everything I can to keep you from her, but I swear, if you make me regret relaxing your incarceration, I’ll prove how nice Gia is.” He flashes his solid white eyes as his high king rises to the surface.

I glare at him and flash my green ones. “You have my word.” I growl.

He puts his wolf away. “One more thing.”

“What’s that?” I say with caution.

“You work with us to track the hives. We have information that an army is being built and we mean to stop it.” He stands with dominance leeching off him.

“You mean to wipe us out.” I clench my teeth. “You want me to help you exterminate us?”

“If you come from Damon, you know why.” He grinds.

“You’re asking me to turn on my kind. Most of whom only exist through no fault of their own. No, I won’t do it.” I shake my head.

“Lainey, I get how you feel.” Ricky places her hand on my arm. “I’m sure if there are any that want to help us like you, we’d help them, but you have to know how dangerous this is to everyone. Not just us.”

Zander nods. “If the vamps are able to control the country, the entire globe is in danger. Women, children…”

“Even Hunter wouldn’t be safe.” Ricky looks at me.

I press my lips together and hang my head. I put my hands on either side of my legs.

I think about what they said. I’m not stupid. I know my kind only thinks about the blood. Damon’s rhetoric about the treaty did not fall on deaf ears. I know his virtue signaling started this rebellion to over throw the council. That’s no secret. The problem is, if kept alive, I’d essentially be allowing mass genocide of my own people. How do I process this?

Without raising my head, I say one word. “Omega.”

“What?” Ricky asks, leaning to me.

I roll my eye to her. “You spare the Omegas. Most of them are women and children. Created into servitude. You promise to let them live and I’ll help you.” My eyes turn to Zander as he contemplates.

He rubs his chin. “You think they’ll not retaliate?”

I shake my head. “Most are just used for feeding. They beg for death at the hands of their males. They don’t deserve this treatment. They never have a choice. The men use them as mules for blood. Especially, the Masters and the Empress. It’s sick and I can pretty much guarantee, you free them, they will follow you.”

“Free the Omegas.” He considers.

I nod. “It’ll be rough for them, but I’m sure, with my help, I can get them through to independence. They’ll join me. I’m sure of it.”

“You want a hive here?” Zander arches a brow.

“No, Your highness. I want an alliance.” I look him dead in the face.

“An army of women vamps? On our side?” Ricky smirks. “I like it.”

“You would.” Zander smirks back.

“So, it’s a deal, then?” I turn my head between them both.

Zander looks at me and sighs. “Ok. Agreed. We’ll see how it goes. If it’s a problem, I will not hesitate to take care of it.”

I nod. “If you must, I won’t get in the way. We can discuss freedom of movement and hunting rights later.”

He gives me a small smile. “You make a good politician.”

“I’ve been around men all my life. I’ve picked up a few things.” I give a slight smile.

I’m not sure cutting a deal with the shifters is a good idea or not, but I won’t say my sisters don’t need help. They do. Very few women make the ranks in the hive. I’ve always believed this wasn’t fair. Complaining gets you killed, so we’ve always just kept our mouths shut.

If the shifters can end it, then maybe we can have a chance here.

We'll see how it goes. Right now, I need to prove to them I’m true to my word. I will hold up the Alliance to the best of my ability as long as they hold up theirs. I can control my blood lust if I can maintain hunting rights in the desert. I just hope my sisters can.

As I thought about my future here, a man came in and handed Ricky a paper. She read it.

“Huh.” She pushed out as she walked past Zander.

“Rick? What is it?” He asks.

“Hunters bloodwork.” She mumbles. She looks confused.

“Is it bad? Is he stuck like that?” I ask with slight panic.

“I’m not sure.” She looks up at me. “Were you at full strength when you locked him?”

“I think so. I just fed so.” My eyes jump between theirs.

“What’s the problem?” Zander asks.

“According to this, not Lainey. At least, not totally.” She drops the paper. “Hunters testosterone is at dangerously high levels. Your lust lock is there, but only barely. It’s like just enough to make rational thought difficult, but he could function around us like normal.”

Zander rubs his head. “I don’t understand.”

“Hunters not out of control because of a love spell, Zan. Lainey’s lock boosted what was already there. The levels in his system are basically left overs from being faded out.” She informs.

“So all of this…is Hunter?” I ask.

She nods. “For some time now. His hormones for attraction, pack protection and mating are being pumped out at a massive rate and not because of you. Zander, he was born with this. So far, it looks like it was manageable. Lainey just kicked it into overdrive.”

“Ok. So he should calm down soon?” Zander asks.

“Not unless we get these levels down. If we don’t, his aggression will only increase. His system isn’t regulating anything. Zander, he’s an Alpha on a mission. His drive to mate wants Lainey and I’m afraid he will kill to get her. I should add, that very soon, at this amount, it will kill him.” She folds her arms.

“Can you fix it?” I ask.

“I can try. I’ve never come across this before.” She scratches her temple.

Zander puts his hand on her shoulder. “Try everything. Don’t leave out anything. I’ll talk to Hunter and his Beta should be out of the pool now. I’ll talk to him too once he’s ready.”

She nods.

He looks at the guard. “Get Lainey set up as agreed.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I leave with the guard and think about this situation.

If it wasn’t me and all Hunter, does that mean he really does love me? Is it possible? I don’t know how even to begin to process this because I know for a fact, even if he did, we’d be shunned by both our people as unclean. Labeled as traitors to our bloodlines. Mating with humans are only now becoming acceptable. Vamps, I know the people have drawn the line there.

I’m not sure I can give Hunter what he wants. He doesn’t deserve it what will come of it.