Beasts and Savages (The Beastly Series Book 1) (17 page)

There was a snort and some rustling next to me before a hand patted my cheek. I fluttered my eyelids to a light so bright I had to close them again. It was definitely day. I hoped it was only the next day. I tried glimpsing at the voice, this time squinting. The boy with the green eyes was leaning over me, shading the sun.

“Hey. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you,” he whispered as he rubbed my brow with his thumb.

I'm not worried about you; I'm worried about the other one.
I thought to myself. I tried to move my head, and the pain sharpened.

The boy leaned even closer, his eyes still clear, unafraid. “Look, my friend here's eager to hit ya over the head again. I think you're in enough pain. Go back to sleep or pretend it so we can carry you. It's only for another hour.” He watched me intently, waiting on some kind of response. I nodded, the motion sending ripples of pain across my forehead and down my neck. He smiled and began to examine the side of my head.

“Well is it awake or not? We need to hurry up.” The other boy rustled leaves as he moved closer.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“I think she's dreaming.” The boy with green eyes was trying to be gentle, but every time he touched the side of my head pain shot stars through the darkness.

“Probably about killing us when it comes to. Let's get going.” 

“Okay, but first I'll make sure ya didn't give her brain damage.” The prodding sent waves of pain so intense that I was sure I was going to pass out again.

“Might be a good thing if I did. I'm not waiting any longer, Tanner.”  Rough hands grabbed my ankles and lifted my legs up.

“Okay, Okay.” Tanner pressed his thumb on one last place. Dark pain flooded my body. The last thought I had before succumbing to the darkness was that the green eyed boy was named Tanner.

***

I shivered. Wherever I was, it was cold and damp, but the pain in my head had become a dull ache. I opened my eyes to a dimly lit basement. I tilted my head up and hit it on a wall behind me. The impact sent a new wave of agony; I lowered my head, willing the pain to retreat. My wrists were bound together and tied to something on the wall above. My fingers and hands were numb. My shoulders ached. My legs were stretched out in front of me, and I was thankful that my skirt had been tucked under them.

I opened my eyes again and waited for them to adjust. I took stock of the room: The walls were made of cinder block and the air smelled of mold, probably from whatever was dripping. There was an empty chair in the middle of the room and a small window in the top of the wall directly across from me. To the left of the window was a wooden staircase.

Booted feet rested on a stair halfway up, but I couldn’t see their owner. The boots looked familiar, but I didn’t remember where I’d seen them before. They were tall and tan, with laces to the tops.  They were nothing like our rain boots at home, and the only other boot we had were hunting boots. I thought back to the picture of the girl Ms. Dawning had shown us. Her boots were fur, like mine. Suddenly, I remembered a picture depicting male soldiers from the Women’s War. He was wearing military boots.

I considered my situation. I was injured, tied up, and being guarded. I ran my tongue over my teeth. My changing was over, they had receded.
I was a helpless sixteen year old girl being held captive like a dangerous monster.
I laughed and sharpness stabbed the side of my chest. My laughter turned into cries of pain. The owner of the feet descended the stairs. It was the green eyed boy.

“Tanner.” My voice was barely a whisper. I swallowed. My throat was dry and scratchy. He held a cup; I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

“You were listening in.” His gaze dropped to my side. I looked down and saw purple spreading on my skin from under the halter. Tanner knelt down and grazed the bruise with his fingers. “Sorry about that. Miller dropped ya when we were bringing you downstairs. I think we broke a rib.” His brows furrowed into a frown.

My eyes darted back to the cup. “Water.”

“Thirsty?” He smiled and held the cup up to my mouth. I began gulping as fast as I could. The warm water ran down my chin. Tanner pulled the cup away. “Easy. You'll make yourself sick.”

I cleared my throat. “More.”

Tanner shrugged and put the cup back to my lips, letting me drink the rest in one big gulp. He took the cup and walked away. My stomach wrenched into knots, and I leaned over right before I vomited. The stench of bile filled the room.

“Told you.” He didn't turn around, but his voice sounded irritated. He climbed the stairs without looking back at me and closed the door when he reached the top.

I took small, shallow breaths. Exhaustion was working its way into my muscles, my brain. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on my arm. Sleep came fast.

***

Little voices were pulling me into consciousness. I didn't move and kept my eyes shut. Maybe these little boys would untie my arms.

“It doesn't look like a monster.”

“She. Tanner said call it she.”

“Well, she doesn't look scary. She looks nice. A little fuzzy maybe. Like a cat.”

“She's not a cat. She's too big.”

“I know that! Anyway, her fur doesn't look real.”

“Let's find out.” I felt a little hand brush over my halter. He brushed over the bare skin of my stomach and ran his hand back up, wedging it under the edge. I jumped, releasing a gasp. They screamed and moved away from me.

“It's not real.” The first little boy whispered. He was about five years old and the other a year or two older.

“It's okay,” I spoke as softly as I could; “I'm not going to hurt you.” The two boys jumped and screamed again. They ran to the stairs, bumping into Tanner.

“Boys! Go upstairs and stay there!” He pointed up the stairwell. The boys rocked from one foot to the other while examining the ground. “Go on.” His voice was softer, but firm. They sulked, but began to climb the stairs.

The first little boy stopped. “Tanner?”

“Yeah?” 

“Her fur isn't real.” He hung on the banister, watching me intently.

“Thanks, buddy.” Tanner grinned and raised an eyebrow at me. The little boy beamed before running up the stairs with the other one following close behind.

Tanner knelt beside me. My vomit had been cleaned up and the room smelled of disinfectant. He had another cup of water in his hand, but didn't offer it to me right away. He studied me. I glared at him. I didn't want him to think I was afraid.

“Feeling better?”

“I'm fine.” Though my voice wavered, I lifted my chin and narrowed my eyes.

He lifted the cup and sloshed the water inside. “Want to try this again?”

My thirst overcame my stubbornness, and I broke away to glance at the water. He held the cup to my lips and I took two small sips. He pulled the cup away, murmuring, “Much better.” 

I had so many questions, and he might be sympathetic to my situation. Maybe if I could get him to talk long enough, I could talk him into letting me go. I wasn't sure how far I would get with a broken rib, concussion, and bloody left hand, but anything had to be better than being tied up in a basement.

“How many days have I been here?” 

“In the basement? Almost two. It took a day to carry ya here though. You're heavier than you look.” He went over to the chair and sat down, leaning his elbows on his knees and resting his head on his hands.

“How long do you plan on keeping me here? What do you want?"

“Well, Dawning and Locke get back tomorrow. We'll keep you here until they say. Miller said our orders are to keep you locked up until they return.”

“Ms. Dawning? She knows I’m here? And is Miller the boy that was with you the other night?” My mind was reeling. If Ms. Dawning knew I was here, she would make them let me go.

“Dawning's an elder. He's one of the oldest in the clan. And yes, Miller's the one that was with me. You can thank him for your broken rib.” He glanced at the bruise on my midsection. My cheeks warmed with anger and embarrassment.

“Why am I here? Where is here?”

“You’re in the basement of an Elder’s farmhouse, outside the village. I don’t know what else to tell ya. We were told to fight during this sacrifice and bring back as many of you as we could. They wanted you alive. Well, I don't think Miller does ...” 

"Then why am I the only one here?” Horrifying thoughts ran through my head, all ending with Rally and Beth’s deaths.

Tanner leaned back and shrugged. “This isn’t the only basement we have.” He stood to offer me another drink of water.

I shivered and shook my head. It was getting cold and the thought of water made me colder.

“Suit yourself.”

Tanner stood in the patch of sunlight filtering through a window above me. It was the first time I'd gotten a full look at him in daylight. He wore a loose cotton shirt, too short to be a tunic, over dark blue trousers. Scruffy brown hair hung over his ears and face, which was still round with youth. He looked strong, yet his expressions were soft. I doubted that I could take him while unchanged, even if I was uninjured, but manipulating him was still a possibility.

I looked up at Tanner with wide doe eyes and gave him the most helpless face I could muster. “Please can you take my arms down? My shoulders are throbbing.”

He sighed. “I can’t. Miller says we keep you tied up until Dawning and Locke get here. It’s only for one more day.”

“Please? It’s cold and wet on the floor.” I forced tears to well in my eyes and blinked until they ran down my cheeks. “At least try to make me more comfortable?”

Tanner shuffled toward me and stopped, chewing his lip. Finally, he knelt down close enough that I could see freckles splattered across his face and neck.

“I can't untie you, but maybe I can help.” He leaned back on his heels, examining the leather ties binding my hands. “What if you sat on your knees?”

I considered his offer. If I were stronger, I would have used the situation to escape, but I knew I was too weak. If my legs were folded under me, they would go numb, but my shoulders would get some relief. I nodded.