Chapter 5

LAINEY Ok. I need a plan here.

I’ve been locked up for a while now and I can already feel it happening.

What once were loud noises, are now drifting out of my mind. I’ve been trying my hardest to get through, but I can’t. There must be something blocking me from sending a message out. It might be the fact that I’m so weak all the time. I can hear them, but they can’t hear me.

I’ve been taking some comfort in hearing the hive mind, but it’s fading. Little by little each day. Soon, I won’t hear them at all and my mind will be left quiet.

After, I will slip into a rogue status and I won’t be safe anywhere. When they come, I’ll be a food target and I won’t be protected or be able to protect myself.

I need my hive.

With the hive, if you happened to be the unfortunate one to be declared rogue, there is no rejoining. It’s an automatic death sentence.

How long?

Days. Weeks. Months…it doesn’t matter. The point is, if I don’t get out now, it will happen.

I pace around my cell. I’m getting so damn sick of these walls. So damn sick of the bed, the crappy toilet. All of it.

As I pace across the glass, our eyes meet when he passes the wall.

Still with the serious, almost conflicted face.

I look at him up and down as I walk. He walks to the food drawer. “I can’t keep stealing these.”

I wait on the other side. Once in, I pull the drawer, grab the blood bags and drink them down.

The cold blood tastes gross, but it won’t make me throw up. It’s survival.

I put the bags back and wipe my lips.

“I have to stop feeding you for a bit. If I don’t, I’m going to get caught.” He says as he hides the bags.

“But the hunger will rip me apart.” I mumble.

“You’ll have to live with it.” He looks into my eyes.

“You don’t understand. If I don’t eat often, I’ll die. I’ve tried to explain it to the King, but he doesn’t believe me.” She looks at me with insistence in her eyes.

He rubs his forehead. “Probably because I’ve been feeding you and you aren’t sick.” He sighs.

“Hunter. I won’t survive this without extra blood.” I press my hands and chest to the glass. My face pleading.

He presses his lips together and puts his hands on his hips. He looks up the hallway, pauses, then looks back. He shakes his head. “I can’t…” He rubs his forehead again. “I can’t keep taking the blood, they’re already looking in my general direction. I can’t, Lainey. I’m sorry.”

I back off the glass and hold myself. I lower my head. “Thanks…for trying…at least.”

“I’m sorry. I…I really am.” He says.

I turn my head to him. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m a prisoner. You’ve already done more than you should have.”

I walk to the cot and slump down on it. I guess all I can do is wait for the hunger to begin again.

“You…um.” He walked to the center of the glass. “You could tell Zander what he wants to know.”

I sit up and throw my arms up. “I don’t know anything, Hunter! How many times do I have to say it?!” I say in frustration.

He took a cocky stance. “Lainey…you were with them for months! You never overheard anything?” He leans to the glass.

I got up and crossed my arms. I approached the glass with irritation and full on attitude. “No! I didn’t. You know why? Because I’m Omega and I'm female. I’m literally just a fucking food trough for the males. They don’t tell us anything because we are piece of fucking equipment to carry their food! Even if we don't want to be. Is that clear enough?” I was angry and I actually felt it in my middle. A tiny bit of heat in my stone cold, dead stomach.

He looked down. “I’m…sorry. I didn’t know.”

I look him over. “Yeah, well, your apologizes mean shit, right now, don’t they.” I whip around my hair tossing out around me.

He softens his stance. “Maybe if you just gave him something. Locations of hives or…”

I flop on the bed and lean on my knees. I hold my head. “I don’t know!!” I pull my face up and hold my fingers to my nose in prayer. “Look. You’ve been nice and I appreciate it, ok. Just go.”

“Lainey, I want to help you.” He says.

I cross my arms on my legs and look at him. “Why? Why would a goddamn shifter want to help me?” I say, my hair bouncing at my words.

He looks around then his eyes met mine. “I don’t know.” He flops his hands at his sides. “I don’t know, Lainey. All I know is I don’t like what this is doing to you. Don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t.”

I stand and walk to the glass, pushing put my chin. “So, what? This is charity? Save the vamps or some shit? You want to help me to make you feel better because we both know if we were out there…” I point off to the side then point to him. “You wouldn’t waste one second putting a stake in my heart and ripping off my head.” I say with clenched teeth.

“What? No. That’s not what this is!” He scowls.

“Then what is it, Hunter? Huh? Why?” I insist.

“I don’t know!” He raises his voice. “When I see you…” He rubs his neck and looks around. “Lainey, just…this isn’t charity or a pity party. I really just want to help you get through this.”

“What’s the point? In here or out there, I’m dead anyway.” I turn back around.

“Why are you so hard?” He asks.

I twist my body around. “What?”

“Why are you so hard? I mean, I get you had it rough in the hive, but your free from that now. Why be so angry?” He walks to the glass with his hands in his pockets.

I turn and meet him at the glass. “First of all, Alpha, despite my efforts, I’m still trapped and second of all, I’m a vamp. Courtesy and respect isn’t really high on our character trait list.”

He nods. “Ok. I get that. But shouldn’t you still feel safe right now?”

I arch a brow. “Am I safe, Hunter? Like really?” I cross my arms.

I bites his lip and lowers his head.

“That’s what I thought.” I look at his forehead.

He raises his head and looks into my eyes. There’s a hint of empathy in them, not like I asked for it though. “What can I do?” He mumbles.

I look at him and chuckle a sarcastic laugh. “Unless you want to keep feeding me 25 years to Millennia, you got nothing, Wolfie.” I heave a sigh and turn away from the glass. “Just go.” I sit back down.

He leans his shoulder on the glass. “There has to be something.” He says.

“Talk to King. He’s got the keys, but I can tell you, you’d just be wasting your breath. He wants me dying in here.”

“I can try.” He whispers.

I lay down and stretch out on my cot. I lace my fingers on my chest.

“You can try, doesn’t mean it’s going to work or even worth it.” I mumble.

“Why wouldn’t it be worth it?” He asks me.

I look at him and sit up. Tucking a leg under me. “Because, if by some miracle the King does let me go and my hive even takes me back at this point, I’d just become a slave again.”

“Why can’t you live on your own?” He asks.

“Can you?” I ask.

He scratches his temple. “No.”

I lay back down. “I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t know what’s waiting for me out there. I’m better off just not doing anything anymore.” I stare at the ceiling.

“You’re here because of me. I brought you here thinking you had information. I didn’t think Zander wouldn’t release you or think of anything other consequence.” He leans his back on the glass.

“You were doing your job, I guess.” I grumble.

“I guess that’s why I want to help.” His head was down. “I put you here.”

“Like I said. The only help you can give me is food. Anything else, you’re just wasting your time.” I fix my shirt.

I stare at the ceiling and I hear a noise. I raise myself on my elbows.

Hunter is squatted down in front of the food drawer.

I scrunch my brows together and swing my boots to the floor.

“What are you doing?” I ask as I get up and walk to him.

He’s fiddling with something under the drawer. “Helping the only way I know how.” He mumbles.

Something clicks and the drawer was removed on his side.

He places it on the floor and rolls up the sleeve of his shirt.

He glances at me as he hesitates. I watch him and flick my eyes to the open hole. I hear him suck in a breath. I see him press his lips together and stick his arm in the hole. “Here.”

I look at his forearm and back at him. “What’s this.” I can hear his rapid heart beat.

He balls his fist. “Food.” He says softly. His eyes look at me hard. His face looks dead serious.

I walk cautiously because although he seems genuine, I don’t trust him.

His eyes follow mine as I slowly stand in front of his arm. They follow me as I kneel down. The inside of his arm in front of my face.

My fingers reach out slowly. The tips hit is skin and I back off because I got a shock. His arm flinched too. My mouth goes small as I flick between his arm and his eyes. His face never falters.

I swallow and touch him again. I feel that little thing inside me from before. As my fingers slowly explore his skin, I occasionally catch his face. His eyes close slightly then find mine.

I lick my lips and the hunger grows. My eyes find the veins under his skin. My ears hear his heart which hasn’t slowed down.

I get close to it and slowly open my mouth. I gently place my lips on him and bite my fangs into him.

As I drink, I’m flooded with feelings and a sense of warmth.

I close my eyes and raise my hands to his outer arm. I can hear him stifle his growls. I feel him tense. I can hear his heart beat speed up and skip beats.

His blood flows down my throat and it’s the most satisfying meal I’ve ever had. It’s like his blood is more filling. My mind fills with feelings I couldn’t even begin to understand.

“Enough…Enough…” He begs, quietly, through his panting breaths.

I suck my lips slowly off his arm and fall back. In a tiny bit of shock at the feeling of it.

He rips his arm back and pulls his shirt off with one hand. He throws it on his arm. He was barely leaning on the glass as he collapses.

I hear him breathing heavy and there’s a little bit of whining.

I slowly crawl to the hole. He has a leg kicked out and one bent with his bleeding arm on the floor and his other holding his shirt to it.

I slowly adjust myself and I see him without the glass. I see his temple, his eye and his cheek. I see him struggling to recover. I watch his face fill with concern and pain. His chiselled chest moving rapidly.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you.” I whisper into the hole.

His head whips to me and his pain is replaced with fear.

He sits up and grabs the drawer. He slams it in and hooks it back up. He stands up fast and backs up across the hall, holding his shirt to his arm. He looks at me like he’s just meeting me for the first time.

I stand up and face him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

He looks at me with all kinds of emotion. He turns and leaves.

I lick my lips and turn into my cell. I start to feel tired and lay down. I wrap my arms around me and shut my eyes. Images invade me of Hunter. His strength, his weakness. His fears and his courage. I felt it all.

Vampires don’t normally dream, or even really feel, but I know I did because what just happened, must have been a dream.