grabbed the steel chains that were holding her wrists so close together. There were metal loops in the concrete wall, and he began shackling her in place.
"Don't speak to me again," he said softly.
"Jack, if this is about your father or Aidan and Liam, then I'm so sorry. You have to—" Cindy's body slammed back into the concrete wall when Jack's palm came down hard on the side of her face.
She was absolutely still. She didn't move, and she made sure to keep her eyes down so as to not look at him and provoke another hard slap.
"I said don't speak to me! You don't get to talk to me about that! And you for damn sure don't get to talk about my family or say their names! Do you understand?"
She dipped her head in a tiny nod, but that wasn't enough as Jack grabbed her shoulders. She squeaked as he forced her to look at him
Cindy's heart raced. Blood rushed into her ears, and her cheek, and the sound of her breathing seemed so loud all of a sudden as she stared into Jack's hateful gaze.
"Do you understand?" Jack asked, his voice calm again. His hands trembled on her shoulders.
Cindy nodded quickly this time. Her body was shaking now, too, just like Jack's hands, but that couldn't be helped. Her eyes burned like she was about to cry. She hoped just hoped to hold it in until he was gone.
Jack pressed his lips together in a firm line. Those were the same lips that had kissed her tenderly all over her body. The back of her hand, her mouth, her cheek, her back, and even between her legs, everywhere . The same mouth that had comforted her when she cried in his arms and told him what she was.
Jack got to his feet and stared down at her. He looked so tall and imposing, and his fists were clenched. "Don't bother trying to burn your way out of here. I made sure those chains were designed specifically for your kind. You won't be able to produce a flame while you're in them."
He didn't say anything else. She really thought he would have more to tell her. To her shock, he just turned around and moved to the only door that was in the room she was in.
"Wait! What are you going to do to me?" she asked.
The hunter's box was still in the room, and she was terrified to go back into it. Into that cramped and black nothingness where she was blind and deaf and suffocating.
And what if Jack came back with all sorts of weird and sharp torture devices? Hunters were pretty much allowed to do whatever they wanted to their captives so long as they were alive in time for delivery, but even the hunters who killed their captives were barely held accountable since the hunters always claimed their catch had been fighting back.
Self defense only applied to real humans. Not paranormals who defended against them.
Cindy had never been taken by a hunter before. She'd been lucky, and never had to experience a fight for her life, or a narrow escape before the collectors could come.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. It especially wasn't supposed to happen with Jack. She was supposed to be braver against her attackers, and smart enough to be able to talk her way to freedom. She could barely speak at all. She couldn't think, and her lungs were having a difficult time drawing in oxygen.
There was nothing brave about the way she huddled on the floor.
Jack looked over his shoulder at her, one hand on the door handle. "I'm calling you in. Some people will be here to pick you up in a couple of hours."
Cindy's heart split in two pieces and her stomach dropped into her feet. It burned all the way down, and a harsh chill spidered up her spine that had nothing to do with the cold concrete on which she sat.
"You...you can't do that! They'll put me in a cage! They'll poke holes in me. They'll kill me! Jack! " Cindy yelled.
Jack's stare was cold again. If he really did love her as much as he once claimed to, then there was none of that love left inside of him. Not for her.
"It could be worse," he said. "I could pour gasoline on you and set you on fire, like you
"Don't speak to me again," he said softly.
"Jack, if this is about your father or Aidan and Liam, then I'm so sorry. You have to—" Cindy's body slammed back into the concrete wall when Jack's palm came down hard on the side of her face.
She was absolutely still. She didn't move, and she made sure to keep her eyes down so as to not look at him and provoke another hard slap.
"I said don't speak to me! You don't get to talk to me about that! And you for damn sure don't get to talk about my family or say their names! Do you understand?"
She dipped her head in a tiny nod, but that wasn't enough as Jack grabbed her shoulders. She squeaked as he forced her to look at him
Cindy's heart raced. Blood rushed into her ears, and her cheek, and the sound of her breathing seemed so loud all of a sudden as she stared into Jack's hateful gaze.
"Do you understand?" Jack asked, his voice calm again. His hands trembled on her shoulders.
Cindy nodded quickly this time. Her body was shaking now, too, just like Jack's hands, but that couldn't be helped. Her eyes burned like she was about to cry. She hoped just hoped to hold it in until he was gone.
Jack pressed his lips together in a firm line. Those were the same lips that had kissed her tenderly all over her body. The back of her hand, her mouth, her cheek, her back, and even between her legs, everywhere . The same mouth that had comforted her when she cried in his arms and told him what she was.
Jack got to his feet and stared down at her. He looked so tall and imposing, and his fists were clenched. "Don't bother trying to burn your way out of here. I made sure those chains were designed specifically for your kind. You won't be able to produce a flame while you're in them."
He didn't say anything else. She really thought he would have more to tell her. To her shock, he just turned around and moved to the only door that was in the room she was in.
"Wait! What are you going to do to me?" she asked.
The hunter's box was still in the room, and she was terrified to go back into it. Into that cramped and black nothingness where she was blind and deaf and suffocating.
And what if Jack came back with all sorts of weird and sharp torture devices? Hunters were pretty much allowed to do whatever they wanted to their captives so long as they were alive in time for delivery, but even the hunters who killed their captives were barely held accountable since the hunters always claimed their catch had been fighting back.
Self defense only applied to real humans. Not paranormals who defended against them.
Cindy had never been taken by a hunter before. She'd been lucky, and never had to experience a fight for her life, or a narrow escape before the collectors could come.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. It especially wasn't supposed to happen with Jack. She was supposed to be braver against her attackers, and smart enough to be able to talk her way to freedom. She could barely speak at all. She couldn't think, and her lungs were having a difficult time drawing in oxygen.
There was nothing brave about the way she huddled on the floor.
Jack looked over his shoulder at her, one hand on the door handle. "I'm calling you in. Some people will be here to pick you up in a couple of hours."
Cindy's heart split in two pieces and her stomach dropped into her feet. It burned all the way down, and a harsh chill spidered up her spine that had nothing to do with the cold concrete on which she sat.
"You...you can't do that! They'll put me in a cage! They'll poke holes in me. They'll kill me! Jack! " Cindy yelled.
Jack's stare was cold again. If he really did love her as much as he once claimed to, then there was none of that love left inside of him. Not for her.
"It could be worse," he said. "I could pour gasoline on you and set you on fire, like you
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