“Ender! Stop conversing with the subject. The boss is growing impatient.” The guard’s back stiffened in response to Miss Whiplash’s rebuke from the doorway.
Ugh.She wasn’t much better than the asshole guard. The bitch deserved an emotionally dysregulated skunk shifter mate. I’d manifest that for her the minute these unpleasant individuals left me alone with my not-boring thoughts.
Ender grabbed my wrist and stuck the needle into my left bicep so hard I shrieked in pain. He pressed the plunger down, sending a rush of heat flooding through my arm.
When Miss Whiplash turned away to talk to someone in the corridor, he leaned in and whispered, “I can’t wait to watch the show later.”
I nearly gagged as a wave of fetid breath washed over me. Goddess, it smelled like something had crawled into his mouth and died. Given his lack of personal hygiene, I guessed he hadn’t flossed for at least a decade.
“Show?” I squeaked when he yanked the needle from my arm, not caring about the blood that trickled out from the sizable hole left behind.
All I received in return was a lecherous smile, which did nothing to quell the nausea in my gut.
Why was it so hot in here? Rivulets of sweat trickled down my back, soaking through the thin cotton top I wore. If this unpleasant fever got any worse, I’d be the stinky one.
My cell door opened again. Stars, I was popular today. Each time I drifted off to sleep on my hard cot, someone disturbed me. The continuous checks were driving me nuts.
What did a witch need to do to enjoy some peace around here?
Not that I felt like sleeping right this minute.
A painful cramp had me gripping the side of the cot so hard it broke. Or was that my sanity? At this point in my forced imprisonment, I could no longer tell the difference.
“Get your ass up, witch. It’s time to shower.”
Lovely.The stinky skunk shifter mage was back, and his mood had not improved in the interim.
“Shouldn’t your shift have finished by now?” I huffed irritably. Instead of waiting for me to drag my carcass off the cot, he strode over and hauled me to my feet, ignoring my pained whimper. My left arm ached from the bruise caused by the needle he’d stuck me with earlier.
“Nope. I volunteered for unpaid overtime.”
Trying not to pant as heat burned me from the inside out, I scoffed loudly. “Wow, that’s seriously dumb.”
The mage ignored my jibe and dragged me down the corridor.
“I’m not getting naked in front of you,” I said when he shoved me into a bathroom. The shower cubicle was small but clean, and someone had left a towel and a robe on a chair. Perhaps they’d changed their minds about the spa day. I could use a relaxing soak in a hot tub right now. Oh, and a deep-tissue massage.
Tears pricked my eyes when a memory of Maverick massaging my feet popped into my head. He loved to take care of me. I missed my bear. Did he miss me too?
The asshole mage reached into the shower cubicle and twisted a lever. Before I could protest, he’d pushed me under the ice-cold water, laughing at my shocked screams.
It took a few seconds, but I quickly decided the cold water wasn’t so bad after all as it helped cool my overheated skin. That soon wiped the smile off the mage’s face. The minute I sighed in relief, he scowled.
“You have five minutes,” he snapped before pushing the towel aside and sinking down onto the chair.
I glowered. “There’s no shampoo or soap.”
“Not my problem,” he said with a give-no-shits shrug.
Turning my back on him so he couldn’t ogle my tits in my wet top, I closed my eyes as the cold water blasted down. Stars, it felt good.
Nothing stopped the cramps, though. Another one hit me hard, and for an awful moment, I wondered whether this was my time of the month. I’d lost track of my cycle, not having needed to pay attention to such things with Maverick monitoring my health in great detail.
Swallowing a cry as my uterus threatened to tear apart, I thought quickly. The last time I’d bled was when my vampire….
Bad Raven.Naughty thoughts made the throbbing in my core worse. I doubled over in pain. If giving birth was this painful, I had no intention of ever reproducing. Maverick could adopt. I was certain there were plenty of poor orphaned bear cubs out there in need of a home. Perhaps we could visit the shelter once I graduated from Starfall?
Fig would appreciate a cute friend.
