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the queasiness in the pit of his gut, he felt as if he d drunk his weight in liquor the night
before -- which might explain why he had no idea where he was or how he d gotten there. A
trickle of recollection sparked at the back of his mind but died before the thought could be
realized.
With his eyes closed, he tested his limbs, stretching his arms and legs out one at a time.
The toes of his shoes ran into something hard; the tips of his fingers encountered cold metal.
Metal?
Girding himself for pain, Kyle opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He swiveled his head,
staring at his surroundings in disbelief. Fear crawled down his spine like an insidious insect.
The dim room appeared to be a large basement or cellar, the walls and floor made of
concrete, the ceiling of wood. What he could see of the expansive room was filled to the
ceiling with large wooden crates and cardboard boxes. A narrow path was carved through
the clutter, leading toward a set of decaying stairs.
However, none of that was what caused his mouth to gape open or his senses to go on
high alert. The rounded silver bars that caged him into one corner of the room did a fine job
of that.
Secrets and Lies 69
The only plus, if one could find a positive while locked inside a cage, was that he
appeared to be alone. The urge to call out for help rode him strong, but he resisted, well
aware that calling attention to himself was a bad idea.
Intent on testing the rigor of his bondage, Kyle weakly staggered to his feet. Vertigo
assaulted him, his head protesting the upward movement. After a moment of intense
concentration to gain his bearings, he slowly made his way to the bars. Once there, standing
inches from the only thing between him and freedom, he felt the hair on his arms stand up.
His stomach clenched, threatening to turn inside out in a sudden rush of nausea.
He wrapped his fingers around the narrow bars, set about three inches apart, and
immediately yanked them back with a howl of pain. Shaking his hands to rid them of the
sharp burn, he glanced down and found his palms bright red, the underside of his fingers
blistered.
What the&
I m glad to see you ve finally come around. You ve been out for a while. It s almost
dawn.
Startled by the deep voice, Kyle whipped his head around and then winced. Although
he couldn t make out much in the low light, there was a vague outline of a man near the foot
of the stairs.
Who are you? Kyle blurted. Why am I here?
The man continued as if Kyle hadn t spoken. I m afraid you had an adverse reaction to
the animal tranquilizer dart we used in order to subdue you from making a scene outside of
the pub. The good news is the bloodletting rid your body of most of the drug. Unfortunately,
without a transfusion, your body s too weak to fight the allergic reaction.
Blood& bloodletting? Kyle stuttered over the word, his fear mounting. The mention
of the bar brought the night s events back to the forefront of his mind -- going there to wait
for a date that never showed -- but nothing more.
Yes. A necessary evil, I m afraid, but a pleasant one.
Pleasant? For who? Was this guy involved in a cult, something creepy that required a
blood sacrifice? There was no part of his body that didn t hurt more than another -- no
especially tender spots where he could have been cut open and bled out. Could they have
used a needle to draw blood? What if it had been dirty or infected with something?
You ll find out soon enough. I d hate to ruin the surprise.
Fuck the surprise, Kyle thought, fighting down panic. He lifted his chin and did his
best to fake courage. I don t know what you re up to or why I m here, but I m not going to
stand being kenneled like a damn dog. You have to let me out of here. Now.
I don t think so. Not after I ve gone to so much effort to get you here. That would just
be wasteful.
70 Amanda Young
What do you want from me? If it s money, you re welcome to everything I have. Just
let me go.
No can do, my friend, so save your sniveling for someone it will have an effect on.
Goddamn it, I said let me out of here. Right now. Without thinking, he grabbed the
bars. The scent of frying meat hit his nostrils in the same instant agonizing pain assaulted his
palms. He swore and forcibly yanked his hands away from the metal. The sudden backward
momentum threw him off balance. His arms pinwheeled to no avail, and his ass hit the hard
floor, jarring his teeth.
The man laughed in a creepy, hollow way. Stings like a bitch, doesn t it? I would
advise staying away from the silver bars if I were you, and saving your energy. You re going
to need it.
Kyle sat still, the taste of copper filling his mouth, and stared down at his palms. Any
remaining fight he d hoped to conjure fled in the face of the renewed pain shooting through
his weakened body. His skin felt tight and hot, as if he was feverish, and yet he shivered
from the chill of the cold floor under his ass. His pulse raced and stuttered in turns, speeding
up only to slow back down seconds later.
There was something seriously wrong with him. He had no idea what it could be. No
obtainable drug could make his skin so sensitive to metal. His reaction wasn t normal, and it
was freaking him out.
He glanced up at the stranger, more terrified of what was happening inside his body
than any threat the man could possibly pose. What s wrong with me? He held up his
hands, palms up, showing the rapidly forming blisters and patches of peeling skin. This isn t
normal. What have you done?
Oh, I wouldn t be too worried about that. What s still yet to be done should concern
you more.
Why the fuck are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?
You re not here for me, silly boy. I would have just had you killed and been done with
it. Your fate rests in the hands of someone much more patient. He stepped into the dim
light, turning too fast for Kyle to see more than his bald head with some kind of weird tattoo
circling it and the dark facial hair on his chin before the shadows once again consumed his
features. The stairs squeaked as the man stepped up onto the bottom one. I grow weary of
this conversation, and I have a plane to catch. I d like to say we ll meet again, but I seriously
doubt it.
Wait, Kyle shouted at the man ascended the stairs. I have money. All you could ever
need. It s yours, if you let me out of here.
The man continued upward, seemingly unfazed.
Stop, damn you. I need a doctor. The door slammed shut, sealing Kyle inside his
caged prison with only his thoughts, fears, and his regrets.
Secrets and Lies 71
Chapter Nine
After leaving the club, or the charred mess of what remained, Teague spent the day
tossing and turning on the hard hotel bed Red had been nice enough to let him crash on.
Getting up hadn t been an option since he wasn t looking forward to rehashing the
conversation they d had on the way to the hotel.
Cadge had seemed to understand his reasons for wanting to protect Kyle from their
world, his brother having firsthand knowledge of how fucked up things could be for a
human introduced into their culture. Red, on the other hand, was pissed and had made no
bones about the fact that he thought Teague was an idiot for trying to shield a human who
meant so little in the grand scheme of things.
He knew Red was irate, and maybe even rightly so, but his belittlement of Kyle
snapped the gossamer threads of Teague s temper. They d argued long into the morning, until
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