The Mating Rules

Hadley’s POV

I stare into the faint light that lights up my peripheral area from the torch that someone is holding up behind my head. My stomach is pressed against the cold concrete floor of my cell as my arms are pinned behind my back. Above me three men in masks are holding me down as one more faceless bastard sticks a needle in my neck and pain lances through my body.

I’m now chained to a ring that’s fixed into the middle of the floor of my cell, a silver cuff wrapped around my ankle, attached to a four foot chain which is just long enough for me to reach the bucket they gave me to use as a toilet. They decided to chain me up after they came in the second time to dose me. The first time, the blinding light of their torches gave them the upper hand and they got me down before I could blink through the pain. The second time I was waiting for them. As they opened the door of my cell, I grabbed one of the guards as he entered, keeping my eyes shut against the stark beam of his torch and slammed his skull into the metal bars. His head cracked open like an egg and his mate had to drag his unconscious body out by the arm as the others used tasers and their flash lights to beat me before slamming the door shut.

When they came back an hour later, there was twice as many who wrestled me to the floor as I bit and fought, injuring any that I could. They dosed me up, knocked me out with sedative and when I came too, I had a shiny new anklet around my left ankle.

Across from me, Zenith had called out, checking I was still alive, the vampire heaving a huge sigh of relief when I finally come too and answered, seemed I’d been out for at least a day and the bloke was worried that they’d killed me.

‘Done?’ one of the men grunted gruffly from his position above me, his knee pressed hard into my spine.

‘Yeah’ the voice I was pretty sure belonged to that doctor from the Council room replied. I feel the men ease up slightly and I move swiftly, kicking my leg out and connecting with something hard and solid and I smirk at the grunt of pain.

‘Motherfucker’ the first voice growls angrily before an elbow slams in between my shoulder blades with all the force of the man behind it, other hands forcing my chest and legs to the floor. ‘Denley, you OK?’ he adds as I cough into the floor, my lungs trying to get air back into them again from the force.

‘Yeah, I’m fine’ a voice grunts back before the distinct sound of someone spitting on the floor and I silently hope it was b***d he was covering my home with. ‘Bastard caught me in the face, I think he broke my f*cking nose.’

A sound of shuffling and a torch has me clamping my eyes shut just before a heavy boot makes contact with my face and then my side making me hiss as warmth runs down my face.

The light swings away from my face and boots stomp out before the door slams shut and blackness envelops my surroundings again as they leave the cells, a metal door clanging behind them.

‘What did you do this time?’ Zenith calls out in amusement from across from me.

‘Kicked one in the face’ I reply with a smirk as I drag myself up on my hands and knees and crawl over to the bars, turning around and falling heavily against them.

‘What did they give you in return?’ the Vampire asked with a chuckle.

I let out a rough bark of laughter, ‘broken nose and a possible fractured rib’ I reply airily.

‘You know they will give back ten times what you dish out’ the man says, sighing loudly, ‘why keep torturing yourself?’

I grin to myself in the blackness, ‘something to pass the time, it gets a bit boring sat down here with nothing to do.’

A snort of laughter cuts through the air and I hear the shuffling as Zenith moves closer to his bars. ‘How’s the breathing?’ he asks softly and shift myself to the side slightly, wincing as pain lances my side.

‘Still going in and out of my lungs’ I reply, trying to keep the amusement in my voice. In truth they hurt like a b*tch but I’m not going to say that just in case those sadistic bastards are listening in, I refuse to give them the satisfaction of knowing they hurt me.

We fall into silence, and I close my eyes, breathing through the pain wishing for the millionth time that Hunter was with me. Some time later the door creaks open, a beam of light telling us that it’s one of the guards. He reaches my cell and shines the light directly into my eyes as I slam my arm over my face with a growl.

‘Move back prisoner’ the guard orders roughly, and I reluctantly move toward the middle of the room, the chain around my ankle grinding across the floor beside me. The screech of a small door built into the bars opening makes me grit my teeth before a tray is thrust through, skidding over the floor and hitting my leg. I grab it to me, feeling the tray as the light swings away toward Zenith who is silent on the other side of the room.

I feel what I think it bread and pick it up, pushing it in my mouth and ripping a chunk out with my teeth almost choking as my dry throat tries to swallow down the food. I dig around and find a juice box, I don’t even bother with the straw, just dig my teeth into the top and gulp down the contents desperately. I continue to alternate between the bread and the juice, trying to force it down as quickly as possible in case they come back and try to take it away form me. I know I look like a wild animal right now but I’m too hungry and thirsty to care anymore.

A whimper from across the room draws my attention and I still, my hands halfway to my mouth as I c**k my head to the side, straining to listen.

‘No’ comes a pained whisper across from me, ‘please, don’t.’

‘What’s the matter inmate’ the guard laughs harshly, ‘not hungry? Don’t you want it?’

I move silently over to the bars, holding up the chain so I don’t draw the attention of the man between our cells, crouching down by the door an staring toward the small beam of light that is shining down on a wriggling ball of fur hanging from the guard’s hand.

‘Just take it away’ Zenith whimpers, and I can just make out his frail, dirt covered body at the edge of the light beam, his face is covered by his hands which are black with dirt and shaking.

‘But it’s dinner time Vamp’ the guard replies maliciously, ‘don’t you want your dinner?’ The light falls to the ground for a second before the squeaks of pain fill the air, the torch returning to the animal that is writhing desperately, b***d dripping from a wound in its side.

Zenith’s hand slashes out from between the bars, reaching for what I now realise is a rabbit as the guard holds it just out of reach laughing loudly.

‘Come on inmate’ he taunts, ‘reach for your dinner, dance little monkey.’

The Vampire growls loudly, his fingernails clawing at the air as he tries desperately to grab hold of the screaming rabbit. I listen as he slams his own head and body against the bars in an attempt to break through, the stench of rotten b***d permeating the air as he snarls furiously.

I reach back for my tray, hand curling around the empty juice carton and I crush it in my palm before sticking my hand out between the bars and throwing it just behind where I can see the torch. The light spins toward me as I make contact with the a*****e and I squint against the blinding light as I shout, ‘leave him alone you f*cking bastard!’

The guard moves back toward me and I quickly pull my arm back through before he can use my position as a way to break my arm. ‘What was that inmate?’ he snarls, keeping the beam in my face so I can’t make him out.

‘I said leave him alone’ I reply angrily, ‘what are you deaf and an i***t? Get the f*ck away from him.’

The guard growls loudly but he doesn’t have the balls to open my cell door and enter, coward! He knows I’ll kill him even without my wolf, maybe not as stupid as he seems after all. ‘No food for you for the next three days’ he snaps down at me, ‘teach you to keep your nose out of other people’s business.’

I smile up at him bitterly, ‘that’s not much of a punishment’ I retort, ‘the food is sh*t here.’

‘Five days’ the guard spits back, I don’t think he likes my tone.

‘Why not make it seven?’ I reply, holding up my filthy hand and pretending to check my nails, ‘it’s not like you need to keep me healthy for anything is it?’

The torch flickers for a moment, silence stretching between us before the man in front of me snorts, ‘five days, no food’ he grunts before turning on his heel and storming out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Across from me, I can hear the Vampire whimpering and I’m glad that the a*****e took that damn rabbit with him. I was a bit worried he’d throw it on the floor and let it run up and down tormenting the man.

‘Zenith?’ I call out, ‘are you OK man?’

A deadly hiss and the shaking of cell bars is all the reply I get and the noise makes me slump down beside my cell door again in defeat. Lifting my hand to my mouth, I shove the last of my bread that I still have a hold on, into my mouth, chewing slowly. Better make the most of it as it seems I now won’t be seeing another meal for the next five days.