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“Jensen,” Fletch warned, and Helen reached out to take his hand with hers.
“How do you know they’re not broken?” Jensen asked again, his tone softer.
She sighed, glancing between the two men, both tense as they waited for her answer.
“I’ve had my ribs broken many times during the years I was held.” She gave a snorted laugh but cut it off quickly. She had no reason to be nervous or feel guilty. She’d done nothing wrong. She’d survived. “I’ve had several broken bones and no connection with my bear to help me heal.”
Fletch growled again at her side, and she squeezed his hand.
“I survived,” she reminded him softly. “Many didn’t.”
Anger surged inside her at the thought of all the shifters she’d watched die at the hands of their captors. Even worse were the ones who’d slowly slipped away, day by day, as they gave up, losing the will to live. So many. Too many.
“How many did you rescue?” she asked, wanting to know.
Jensen looked away before standing and walking across the room.
“It’s too soon to say.” He shook his head, wiping one hand roughly down his face. “Those we found…” He paused again, swallowing as if forcing something down his throat. “Not all of them are going to make it.”
She nodded. She knew what condition many had been in. As injured as she was, there were others worse off.
“Have you been to the caged pits yet?” she asked.
“Where?” Fletch asked, tugging her closer until she leaned against his chest, one strong arm wrapped around her shoulder as he held her close. The man seemed to need their skin touching.
“The pits.”
“The place where you were forced to fight?” Jensen asked then nodded before she could answer. “We cleared it immediately.”
“No,” she countered. “There’s another system of caves. When any of us were defiant or caused any type of trouble, we were either whipped or thrown into one of the pits and left there for days. Weeks, sometimes.”
Both men came to attention, sharing a look.
“Do you know where these pits are?” Fletch asked.
“I was usually given the whip,” she murmured, and her mate growled low in his chest again. “But I was put down there once. They’re literally holes in the cave floors. I don’t know if they were always there or if the group holding us somehow managed to dig them into the caves. Each one is only wide enough to hold one person. Deep. Dark. Cold. No food. One jug of water. No blanket. If you survive your time down there, they pull you right back into their tortures immediately. To remind you how invaluable you are. That your life is given merely at their whim.”
Fletch tugged again until she was in his lap.
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
“Can you give me a direction from the large pit in the center?” Jensen asked.
“Northeast,” she said, recalling when she’d been dragged through the cave corridors and tossed down into the dark. “You actually exit the cave system they kept us in and go along a ledge to reach the opening of a much smaller one. It’s well hidden and easy to miss if you don’t know where to look. The pits are in there along an unlit passage. The hunters made sure we stayed in complete darkness for the duration of our punishment. No light is allowed until they come for you or one of the others. I can show you.”
“No,” Fletch stated as if it were his decision to make.
“I wasn’t asking you,” she snapped, but he wouldn’t let her tug away from him.
“I wouldn’t ask you to go back in there,” Jensen assured her. “Besides, you need to focus on healing.”
“You need to eat,” Fletch told her, rubbing his hand up and down her spine. “And rest.”
“From what you said earlier, I’ve been sleeping for days.”
“You could use more. Your body needs rest and nourishment to heal,” Fletch told her, but Jensen spoke before she could say anything else.
“Your body’s been through hell. It needs time to repair. Your mate’s right. You need rest and nourishment more than anything else right now. I’ll send up some food,” Jensen said as he headed toward the door. “There are fresh towels in the bathroom. Laramie’s mate, Em, is getting clothes together and will send some up once I let them know you’re awake.”
