He bucked when the man’s hands touched his penis, pushing it aside and feeling his testicles. He knew it was a nonsexual exam, but
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his skin still crawled nonetheless. Bile rose to the back of his throat at the unwanted invasion.
Heaven smashed his eyes closed harder when the man began to prod around his rectum. He could feel a tear slide down the side of his face, and there was nothing he could do about it while being bound.
It was humiliating lying here being handled like this for all to watch. He tried to make his mind escape to another place, anywhere but here, but the cold hands prevented that. They reminded him of where he was and what was being done to him.
“He’ll need nutrition soon. Prepare his food for him.” Heaven couldn’t see who white lab coat man spoke to, but he prayed it wasn’t Hank. Something told Heaven that if the guard prepared it, he would get something extra in it. What he had done to make an enemy of the man was lost on him.
Heaven flinched when a needle was inserted into his arm. He guessed his nutrition would come in the form of a drip bag. First, though, they took tubes of blood from him.
“Leave him here until the bag is empty.” Dr. Rawling warned Hank.
What kind of a sadistic guard was Hank?
Heaven began to shake from the cold metal and the fear of the unknown. His wolf was fighting to get out, but Heaven fought it. His instincts told him that shifting in front of these men would be even more disastrous than his current situation.
“His vitals are escalating,” Dr. Rawling informed the room.
“Could it be a shift coming on?” one of the other humans in the room asked.
“About time,” the white lab coat man said.
Heaven concentrated on his wolf, begging it to remain still. His wolf wanted to come out and protect him, but Heaven knew he wouldn’t win, not with Hank in the room and the drugs they gave him. It was best to remain human although it made him weaker.
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Somehow Heaven knew that if he shifted that it would give Hank the perfect excuse to unleash the cruelty he could see in the human’s eyes. He would heal faster in his wolf form, but at what price?
A portable X-ray machine was centered over Heaven’s midsection, multiple pictures taken, the clicking and snapping hiking his anxiety even higher. What would those pictures show? Had they planted something in him or removed a vital part of him?
Next the white lab coat man rolled over a sonogram machine, ice cold gel was applied to his tender abdomen, and then a wand traced over his lower belly. The doctor clicked a few buttons, his brows pulled together in concentration as Heaven strained to see what the doctor was seeing.
It was no use. The restraints prevented him from moving. The white lab coat man wiped his belly clean and then rolled the cart away.
“Get him back in his cage.” The white lab coat man waved his hand at Hank. Heaven braced himself for the cruel hands. He watched Hank closely as those unforgiving fingers yanked at the leather belts, Heaven’s arm jerking with the force.
The sneer that lifted Hank’s lip made Heaven’s blood run cold.
Would he be left alone with Hank at any point? As if reading his mind, two of the men left, leaving only the white lab coat man, Dr.
Rawling, and Sadistic Hank.
Heaven was powerless to stop the guard as Hank dug his fingers into his skin, lifting him roughly and nearly throwing him back into his cage.
“Damn mutt. I told you that you’d pay for killing him.” Hank spat out as he slammed the door shut. Heaven pushed back until he was as far from the door as possible, finally able to cover himself with some semblance of modesty. Who had he killed?
He swallowed past the thickness forming in his throat. Tears threatened to fall at the predicament he didn’t remember getting
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himself into. Once again, his stomach began to hurt. Heaven was terrified to go to sleep but wished for it if only to escape the pain.
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, praying past the searing pain that felt like his gut was being sliced open. No matter how bad it became, he wasn’t going to ask for any painkillers. No telling what they would give him.
It was surreal watching the centrifuge whirl around with containers of his blood in them. Heaven watched, hoping to occupy his mind and take it off of the agonizing pain in his stomach.
He watched as Dr. Rawling held the dropper and let a blob of something clear fall onto a glass slide then slid it under a microscope.
Where they trying to figure out his wolf DNA? That could be the only logical explanation.
“Hey, come check this out. I think it worked,” Dr. Rawling said excitedly.
Heaven’s eyes followed white lab coat man as he crossed the room and looked through the microscope. Hank just stood there looking bored.
“Very good. He was worth the headache of capturing him.” Heaven was dumbfounded at the white lab coat man’s words.
They had targeted him? Why?
“Yes, he was. Now all we have to do is find a donor.” Dr.
Rawling clapped his hands together with glee.
Donor? If they were checking his blood for wolf components, then what did a donor have to do with it? A donor for what? Heaven cursed at the blank memory of anything other than who he was and his genetic makeup. Why couldn’t he remember?
He closed his eyes. Fatigue wore at him with all the events taking place and the internal struggle to grab hold of anything in his mind to help him figure out what was going on.
Heaven curled up into a ball, his back to the wall of the cage as he listened to the noises around him. He could feel the guard watching him. He could hear the humans chattering away quietly and the hum
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of the machines. The pain was slowly lessening, and his body was weary. Giving in, Heaven fell asleep.
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Chapter Seven
He jerked awake at the scent of shifters. Heaven looked around but saw nothing. His eyes scanned the room. Dr. Rawling remained at the desk he was working at, a night-light on his desk as he looked through files.
Hank was dozing in a chair close to the door. His chin dropped to his chest then lifted abruptly as he raised his head and looked around, only to let his chin fall back down again.
Heaven knew he scented a shifter. Their smell was unique. But it was more than one. From their scent in the air, he would say three. He looked back over to the man behind the desk, the guy oblivious to anything but what he was reading. Another look over to the guard told Heaven he was fast asleep.
Didn’t they use other guards besides Hank? It would be exhausting to be on duty twenty-four-seven.
Heaven’s eyes glanced up when he saw movement in the heating vent. It was large enough to house a body or three. The grated frame moved an inch away from the wall, slowly coming open. He glanced quickly at the doctor to see him still staring down at the papers then he stole another glance at the snoring guard.
Heaven almost gasped as a face emerged, an index finger going to lips to indicate the shifter wanted Heaven to be silent. Like he was going to let his buddies in the lab know visitors had arrived. Not likely.
A full body emerged then stepped down to free himself as another began to come out. Heaven scooted close to his cage door, praying this worked, whatever they were planning, and he would be free.
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The first man, who had a bandana on his head, crept over to Hank, snapping the guard’s neck in a millisecond. Too bad the bastard didn’t suffer. Heaven had a feeling that, if given the chance, Hank would have unleashed unparalleled pain on him. No sympathy was felt for the human with his part in this.
The shifter with the bandana crept over to his cage, staring at the keypad. Heaven caught the whimper before it could sound. He wanted out. The other two shifters finally emerged and came to stand by the cage as well.
“Can you get it open?” whispered the last one to make it out of the vent shaft.
“I think so. Move back, pup.”
Heaven scooted back even though every cell in his body fought against it. The urge to stay close to the door was strong. His eyes widened when the man with the bandana on his head reached down and pulled until the keypad groaned and snapped off.
Just who the hell were these men? He had no choice but to trust them if he wanted his freedom, but that display of strength made him wary.
“Come on, pup.” The bandana head man reached in for Heaven.
He slid back to the door, unable to go any further.
“I can’t. I’m too weak.” Heaven felt like crying. Freedom was so close.
“I have you, pup.” The man with the bandana pulled Heaven into his arms. The need for clothing was only second to the need to get the hell out of there.
Heaven looked over at the desk, the doc snoring softly into his files as his head rested on the papers.
One of the three climbed back into the shaft, extending his arms for Heaven. The man holding him lifted Heaven up, handing him over. Now what was he supposed to do? There was no way he had the strength to crawl through that shaft.
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The man who grabbed hold of him started pulling Heaven along.
He tried to help, trying his best to kick his feet out to help the guy along.
“Don’t waste your energy,” the man whispered. “You’ll need it.”
“‘Kay.” Heaven whispered back.
The second man made it into the shaft, grabbing Heaven’s legs as he helped the first man get Heaven through the duct. He had no clue who these shifters were, but he was eternally grateful for their help.
“Almost there, pup.”
Heaven finally let out a relieved breath at those words. The thought of living years in that cage had haunted his dream. He wanted to get as far away from the place as possible.
“Get a move on it.” The bandana head man warned the other two men helping Heaven get through the duct. “Won’t take them long to realize we took their prized possession.”
“Do you know why they took me?”
“Sorry, pup. No clue,” the man pulling him answered. “But leaving the doctor alive will get you your answers.” Heaven bit his bottom lip as he was lifted from the shaft into what looked to be a basement. The man with the bandana on his head took Heaven from the other man’s arms and carried him out of a service door.
They carried him through the woods and into a clearing, as Heaven spotted three motorcycles sitting there waiting.
“I don’t know if I can ride.”
“Got that covered,” the one who had held his legs in the duct said.
Heaven’s eyes grew wide as the man pulled rope from his saddlebag.
Just what were they planning on doing with him?
“Here, put these on him.” The man with the rope caught the clothes that were tossed to him by the one who had pulled him through the duct. He turned to Heaven.
“What’s your name, pup?”
“Heaven.”
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“Nice name. I’m Law.”
“I see you have a creative name as well.” Heaven smiled.
“Yeah, and those are my brothers, Dagon and Tryck.” So Tryck was the bandana man.
“We are the Santiago brothers.”
“Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me, but how did you know I was in there?”
“We’ve been watching the place. Saw them bring you in. Sorry we didn’t get to you sooner.”
Heaven saw the pained look on Law’s face as he stared at the stitches on Heaven’s belly. He knew it was a gruesome sight, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.
“I’m just grateful you were here.” Heaven tried to reassure him.
“Can we do polite talk later? We need to get out of here,” Tryck said as he pushed his motorcycle out of the clearing, Dagon doing the same. “Any more emotional moments, and I’ll need a tampon,” he mumbled as he walked by.
Heaven stared at him slack-jawed. Did he really just say that?
“Put these sweat pants on. It’s all I have.” Law must be used to his brother because he gave the comment no attention.
“Thank you.” Heaven tried his best to lift his legs, but they didn’t seem to want to cooperate.
“Let me help.” Law bent down and pulled the pants over his legs and then his hips. Finally, he was covered. He could focus on other things now that his cock wasn’t flapping around.
“Can you walk?”
“Yes, just not fast.”
“Then let’s get moving as far away as possible.” Heaven slowly followed Law as he, too, pushed his motorcycle through the clearing. There was a paved road on the other side. Dagon and Tryck waited with their motorcycles already started.
“We’re heading to Brac Pack territory. You can get to where you need to go from there,” Tryck stated.
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“I don’t remember where I am supposed to go.”
“Why not?” Tryck asked.
“I can’t remember anything.”
* * * *
Murdock cleared the woods and crossed onto the paved road, his nails clicking on the black tarred surface as he snapped and snarled.
He stalked with a predator’s instinct toward the man holding
his
mate tenderly.
Three men sat on motorcycles. His eyes darted between all three, sizing them up and calculating how to kill the man holding Heaven without harming his mate.
“Just what I don’t fucking need right now,” the one with a bandana on his head snapped.
Murdock didn’t care what the man needed right now. It had taken him two weeks to track his mate here. Two long and worry-filled weeks, and these men were about to be in the fight of their lives if they thought they were riding away with his Heaven.
“I think he’s rogue,” the one holding his mate commented.
Not rogue, but hungry to have his mate in his arms and willing to kill the angel of darkness to get him back. He leapt with a power beyond restraint at the first man stupid enough to approach him.