Page 135 of Caged

I’ve never been in this much pain. Not even when I had my skin partially flayed and almost bled out in Madrid after going two weeks without blood.

“What does he want with her blood? Why doesn’t it decay like normal blood?”

It’s the only thing my addled mind can recall from Dax’s list of strange shit, so that’s what tumbles out.

Shock blooms in Albertson’s eyes. They snap to Jonathan before returning to me.

Clearly, he never expected anyone to discover the anomalies in Idril’s blood.

He swallows hard and leans down to whisper, “Jonathan is abandoning her because he believes she’s secondary compared to another source. She’s not. He has no idea how important she truly is. No idea how important her blood truly is. How special.”

I nod, straining against my restraints as another wave of agony explodes through my limbs.

“He thinks—” he hesitates, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks. All that matters is that he’s wrong. And if he figures that out, he’ll come for her. He’ll stop at nothing to get to her. The fact that he’s so confident he doesn’t need her is nothing short of a miracle. I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to come up with a way to trick him into leaving her behind since the moment he called me. I should have thought to use his own arrogance against him.”

The doctor smirks, but it disappears almost instantly. I can practically smell the fear pouring off him.

“You’re her Mate, so I won’t ask you to promise me you’ll protect her. I already know you will. Instead, promise me you’ll teach her to protect herself. Teach her to love herself. To be confident in who she is and where she comes from. She’s stronger than any of us know—stronger than even she knows. If she can just figure that out for herself.”

What the hell does this male know about my Mate that I don’t? I open my mouth to ask, but Varenthrall’s voice cracks through the air before I can push for answers.

“Albertson. Let’s go.” He grabs a bag off the floor and swings it over his shoulder. “Get the shit you need and get upstairs. His buddies are only a few minutes out.”

He hurries toward the door, and the Doctor starts throwing shit into one of those old-fashioned medical bags.

My vision’s a blur. It’s getting harder and harder to concentrate on what’s happening around me. Albertson shoulders his bag and rushes out of the cell, but not before leaving me a final piece of advice.

“Stay. Calm. It’s the only thing you can do now. As soon as your pack arrives, find Idril. Find her and keep her far away from Jonathan.”

Then he, too, is gone, leaving me to burn on a pyre of my own blood and bones.

I only last ten seconds before I can no longer swallow down the agony. I don’t keep anything back now that I’m alone. My mouth falls open, and I finally allow the pain-filled screams to tear from my throat.

I squeeze my eyes shut to keep rivers of sweat from stinging my eyes. Helplessly, I pray for this fucking pain to end. Pray that my brothers will reach me before the silver winds through my core and kills me.

Already, I can feel my heart struggling to pump and my lungs heaving for their next breath. Soon, the rest of my body will begin to fail.

I would pray for death if Idril weren’t upstairs. If my damn heart wasn’t two floors above me, living and beating outside my body.

I have no idea how long I writhe in agony. Time becomes nothing but a blur of pain and tormented screams that ravage my vocal cords.

I pass out a few times, but jolt back to consciousness at the reminder that my Omega’s alone and injured with no idea help’s on its way.

I use what scraps of energy I have left to wall off my Bonds as much as I can. Not only the pack Bond, but my Bonds with Idril as well. I focus only on my Bond with Idril, hoping to assess her injuries, but there’s not enough to navigate with us both so injured at the same time.

Finally, my concentration falters. My screams die out, and my organs begin to fail. Every breath is a chore, every heartbeat is a struggle.

The knowledge is undeniable. Unavoidable.

I’m dying.

I can feel it. The silver’s steadily pushing through my organs, poisoning them one after the other.

The Bonds to my pack are barely there. Nothing more than a dim flicker. My Bond with Idril, though⁠—

It pulses. Softly, gently, a soothing rhythm that coaxes my heart to keep beating. I focus on that. My existence narrows to one single point—the shimmering silver thread bridging my soul to hers.

That thread grows stronger, brighter, until suddenly, warmth floods my chest. Not the same furious fire of poison. This warmth is different. It’s clean and soothing. Something pure.