So. This chapter was fun to write in a morbit sort of way...but I hope you enjoy it. My editor is awesome, so I'm glad for that. And I'm warning you now that this gets a lot uglier before it gets better (if it gets better). Don't despair. Just keep reading and leaving comments. I would love it very very very much to see what you guys think of Fated Hearts and Thessa and Eric. Even if it looks similar to the last comment....comment anyway!!! Enjoy!
~Gia
Thessa heard Eric cry out in pain. She frantically searched for the faint telepathic connection between them and panicked as she drew blanks. It was as if...
He's alive, human. Our mate is hurt, but alive
. Her wolf reassured frantically. At the same time, Thessa's fear amplified as she felt another presence in her head. It hurt, almost as if the connection between them was being forced open. She pushed herself to the surface with a scream as the high pitched frequencies assaulted her sensitive ears. A trickle of blood dripped from her nose as she clawed at the slick bank of the pond, gills vanishing as she shifted back to her human form. She gasped for air as the waves seemed to overpower her, screaming in terror as she felt the jab of the needle in the side of her neck.
"Mistress will be very proud." Anton smiled to himself, ceasing the paralyzing incantation.
He jogged over to the tarp he laid nearby to help him drag his heavy captives away. Once he got Thessa onto it, he dragged her to the unmarked van he had hidden near the path near the lake. He heaved her into the back, pushing her in to make enough room for the even bigger wolf. Eric was much too heavy for him to carry on just the tarp, so he looked around before shifting into his wiry gray wolf, using his strong jaws to pull the wolf to the back of the van. With a grunt, he deposited the Alpha next to his mate and slammed the door shut. A sense of pride washed over him as he climbed into the driver's seat, adjusted the rearview mirror and pushed in a CD. He hummed along as he took one of the back roads out of the pack land toward the other side of town.
~*~
When Thessa woke up, the first thing she smelled was the damp musty scent of an underground room. She opened her eyes and her vision was filled with blackness. At first she feared that she was blind, but then realized, after her initial panic, that the strip of black cloth over her eyes was the source. She heard her own shallow breathing and felt the cold, dead weight of the shackle circling her bare ankle. Realizing that her hands were indeed free, she reached up to snatch the blindfold off, then sucked in a sharp breath and wished she'd left it on.
Sweet Jesus, we're in a torture chamber.
She looked at the various whips and devices littering the dim room, choking back the rise of bile in her throat. For once, she wished her vision wasn't so superb.
She looked around, relieved when she saw that Eric was on the other side of the room. She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut; searching again for the telepathic connection she shared with Eric. She almost cried out in relief when she felt it there. It was weak, but still there. Thessa tried reaching out to him, but was met with silence. When that didn't work, she took a deep breath and tried to shift. She almost buckled when her head started pounding, as if someone was beating on it like a drum. With a sigh, she lay her head back on the wall, forcing herself to calm down. There would be no way she could get herself and Eric out of this mess if at the most conscious one between them was in hysterics. When she opened her eyes again and caught sight of the open Iron Maiden. With a faint cry, she hugged her legs into her chest and sobbed quietly to herself.
It's not supposed to go like this. Where's my happily ever after?
She sniffed. Her wolf stayed quiet. The animal had reacted badly to the tranquilizer. Thessa decided that there must have been something else in the shot to suppress her shifting abilities. The grim realization almost dimmed her hope for survival.
Thessa?
Eric?
Wake up, please!
She begged, crawling forward on her hands and knees. The rough cement floor scratched her knees and palms. She felt him stir in her mind and kept moving until she ran out of chain. She was almost at his hand. She lay on her belly, stretching over his lap as far as she could reach. She jumped when the chain on his wrist jingled faintly as he lightly brushed her hand with his fingers.
I'm awake, but I don't know who is watching. I need you to pretend like you didn't get a response.
He ordered.
The tranquilizer wasn't enough to keep me out the whole ride over. I was awake by the time he took us out of the van. But something is wrong. I'm extremely disoriented. I just need to find a way to contact Stephen or one of the other advisors. Something like this was deliberate. It was planned.
Thessa could sense his anger almost as if it was a visible shroud around him.
What about the pain in my head?
Thessa asked, dropping her head onto Eric's leg. Tears seeped from the corner of her eyes as she remembered the searing intensity of the noise, loud enough to drive her insane.
I don't know...I'm thinking some kind of spell. Do you know any witches?
Eric kept his eyes closed, the effort of communicating telepathically was taking a toll on him. He felt himself drift off and flexed his fingers in an attempt to keep himself awake.
As Thessa was getting ready to respond, the only door in the room squeaked open, the heavy wood protesting against its hinges.
"Oh well hello, lovely. Look who's awake." A tall statuesque woman walked through the door, followed by an equally tall, thin man.
Thessa narrowed her eyes at them, only partly feigning the anger she wanted them to feel. She took the time to take in every detail of the woman's face, storing it away for future reference. The woman was beautiful, but her beauty was flawed by the cold, expressionless glint in her eyes. She wore a ridiculously ornate gold and red Venetian mask, the light hit it and the designs made her face look horribly scarred and burned. Thessa forced her heart to slow down. She focused on the woman's voice, allowed her heart to slow down to match each ominous click of stiletto on concrete.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to my humble home." The maniacal laugh that erupted from her ruby red lips was filled with hatred and scorn.
Thessa shivered. This whole setup was bizarre, their...hostess was obviously mad. She clutched Eric's wrist for protection.
"Oh, don't worry about him. We made sure he wouldn't wake up anytime too soon. Eh, give it a couple hours." She shrugged off the robe she was wearing. Her body was as beautiful and flawless as a Greek statue.
"Isn't it beautiful?" She sighed, running her fingers over her perfect olive skin.
"This is what he likes, you know? He told me I wasn't good enough, but now I am. It only cost...well, my mind. He drives me crazy...so fucking crazy." She shook her raven hair wildly over her shoulders.
"We'll have to thank...well, don't worry about who we have to thank for this, let's have a look at our man there hmm?" She leaned down between Eric and Thessa.
"This just won't do...Anton."
"Yes Mistress?" Thessa's eyes widened as she noticed the omega that was sneaking around when she was eavesdropping on Nyoko and Eric's conversation previously.
"It's you!" She growled, getting ready to stand.
"Yes it is." He smiled sickly, holding up another syringe. He was beautiful too. They both looked so unnaturally wonderful.
He and the woman had an equally cold voice.
