Page 56 of Conquered Betrayal
Ignoring that messed up fact, I sank into as much of a shift as I could in my weakened state, each molecule transforming, renewing. Usually, it meant a feeling of relief because I’d pushed being in my human form too long. But agony ripped through me. I didn’t know if any part of me remained unbroken. I reached for my belt, needing to loosen it to give my bear room. Every movement created more pain.
The engine noise got louder. I jerked forward as wheels connected with pavement. A groan left my lips as my skin and muscles stretched and contracted, a lava-hot sensation running along my bones. Sparks shot off behind my eyelids, my head pounding a torturous rhythm. I finally tugged my belt free and it clattered to the bottom of the box. The more I shifted, the smaller my container became as my bulk expanded to fit the bear who lived inside me. Tearing noises sounded loud within the confined space as my shirt burst at the seams to accommodate him.
My legs hurt the most, the sensation excruciating, like I’d broken several bones in a small space. Then came the heat in my throat and head. A bullet left the meat of my shoulder where it curved into my neck, then another squeezed from the muscles at my hip. Eventually, the burning of my wounds faded as my flesh knit back together.
The plane stopped and the voices receded. Now that I’d given my bear leeway to heal, he wanted to break free, to smash this box and find Jolyn. But someone could be close by with a finger on a proverbial, or literal, trigger. I had to stay in charge.
Breaths left me in harsh gasps. With my healing completed as best as I could manage, I used the torn remains of my shirt to wipe the crust away from my eyes, and tried to get my bearings.
A few slivers of light broke through the slats of the box around me. I leaned closer, trying to see what lay beyond. Movement caught my eye, someone pacing not far away. No,something. The scent of wolf—a real one, not a shifter—came at me again, mixed with other smells and manure. I made out silver bars, that of cages, and tilted my head trying to see more. Animals in cages? Where the hell was I?
I sat back on my haunches, remembering what Brooke had told me of her and her sister’s capture. There’d been animals on that plane too. A monkey she’d said? I couldn’t remember any other specifics. Was I on the same plane?
From the snippets of conversation I’d heard earlier, we were on our way to see Emerson Mahn.Fine with me.I was going to tear out his throat the second I saw him. I didn’t feel bad about planning someone’s murder, not this person.
Where was Jolyn? I scooted as far down the box as I could, searching for a wider gap in the slats. I still couldn’t see her. Did they take her somewhere else? Did they leave her behind? Was she dead? My stomach squeezed with possibilities, each worse than the last. I wouldn’t accept any of it. She must be close by.
Placing my hands flat against the wood, I tested its strength. Yeah, my bear would have no trouble demolishing this crate if we’d been at full strength, but if I attempted it, would I have enough energy to shift back?
I needed to be smart about this, use my human intelligence instead of my bear’s brute strength. Voices moved toward me again. I held still, listening, trying to catch something that would tell me what was going on around me, maybe even hear the melodic sound of Jolyn’s voice.
Athunkresounded in the small space around me as something hit the box, followed by a creak of wood. I tensed, grabbing my fallen belt, and readied myself to fight.
Bright light flooded my confines, disorienting me. Before I could spring and attack, a stab of pain hit my nape. Fire cascaded through my limbs; my muscles froze. The rapidtick, tick, tickof a Taser filled my ears as I fell into the crate, helpless.
“Get a collar,” a voice said, force behind the words.
I must have blacked out, because the next thing I knew was the sensation of something encircling my neck. I lashed out, swatting at a metal bar.Click.I couldn’t swallow from the tightness around my throat. I reached up to yank it off, encountering cool metal and buttons. An image of the collar Brooke had dropped on my desk a few days ago flashed in my mind. I’d had a hand in its construction.And now I wore it.
A deep voice laughed a distance away. Squinting from the glare of the overhead lights I surveyed my surroundings. Five men crowded around the crate, one of them holding a pole extending to my neck, like something a dog catcher would use. A new wave of rage swept over me, my muscles bunching. I dove at them, using my legs to push out of the box, only to be kept at arm’s length. A second man grabbed the pole to help. Both of them strained as I reached to rip into their throats.
I started to shift out of instinct, needing to kill these men who already knew to put a collar on me. Blinding pain flashed through my body, stabbing me in the stomach.
Walker had told me about the collar, but nothing could have prepared me for the anguished reality. Crippling agony dropped me to my knees. With a shove, the men holding the rod pushed me away, the collar separating from the pole.
I gripped the metal at my throat, trying to pull it away from where it strangled the most. Another laugh, and I turned, searching for the person who I would kill first—a twenty-something with anemic skin, his ball cap on backwards.
They were all human, not a trace of shifter on any of them. Two wore tactical gear, another two were in jeans and T-shirts. My focus zeroed in on the person in the middle of the group, the one wearing a designer suit similar to the ones I favored: Emerson Mahn. His strawberry-blond hair glinted in the light from the fluorescents, his face smooth-shaven. Remnants of the boy he’d once been etched his face, but his eyes were hard, emotionless. He looked at me as if I were nothing to him, an insect under his boot instead of the CEO of a multimillion dollar company.
I clenched my jaw, my hands tight on the collar. “Take this off of me.”
His mouth upturned at the corners. “I don’t think so.”
The plane lurched forward, everyone bracing their legs in reaction. I used the distraction to lunge at him, to attack. The pain spiked again, dropping me over the edge of the crate. The wood cutting into my stomach was nothing compared to the electrical shock of the collar. Hat-backwards guy laughed again.
I gasped, taking in deep breaths. Minutes passed before I was able to collect myself, to face Mahn again.
“Where’s Jolyn?”
Features tightening, his eyes darted to the side, an involuntary reaction.
I adjusted my kneeling position to get a better look, the wood pinching into my kneecaps. More cages came into view, some with animals, one with the monkey Brooke had mentioned. And in one of them lay Jolyn, unconscious, her hands and clothes covered in blood.
I shot to my feet. “Get her out of there!” My bear raged inside me, frantic to break free and destroy the people who did this. The collar spiked anguish through my body every time he tried to take control. I doubled over, unable to breathe.
That laughter again. I curled my hands into fists. If my bear gained control, I could rip them all apart, tear them to pieces, spill their blood like they spilled Jolyn’s. My bear agreed wholeheartedly.
The pain ramped up, dropping me to my knees. I tried to inhale, to clear the haze from my vision. I needed to remain calm, to not give them an excuse to use the collar against me. Lifting my eyes, I met Mahn’s gaze. His expression had hardly changed, eyes cold. He felt nothing at seeing someone in agony.
