The lights flickered. At the signal, she loosened her hold. Her arms dropped to her sides, and she groaned at the unexpected pain. Her arms felt like they would fall out of their sockets. The first part was done. A surge of relief left her giddy.
One more time should do it. The generator was unhooked. She just needed to bleed the system dry. She straightened, and it took nearly twice as long for her to rise to her knees. Fresh burns and blisters felt raw on her hands as she resolutely crawled toward the door. She swayed and swallowed hard, squinting when her eyes refused to focus. Just one more time, and Taggert would be free.
“Stop.” Taggert’s hissed whisper sounded more animal than human.
“I’m sorry.” Raven braced herself for the charge, allowing it to roll over her. The voltage nearly dropped her on her ass. Only sheer determination locked her fingers on those searing hot wires.
She did her best to suck all the current from the system. Only it was too much. Breathing became a struggle. When her vision dimmed, she flung herself backwards. Spasms contorted her body, her hair stood on end like a cloud around her face. Then everything went black.
* * *
The sound of locks tumbling jerked her back to awareness.
“Up you go.”
Hands grabbed her under the arms and dragged her out, uncaring that the bars abraded the flesh of her lower back and legs.
“You son of a bitch, leave her alone.”
A dark chuckle came from the man above her. “Don’t worry. Your time will come. We’re just going to play with her for a bit.”
Lights blinded her when they moved her, and it took precious seconds for the makeshift room to come into focus. The walls were stone, the floor swept clean and covered by a rug. The space had a kitchenette, a desk and fridge. They’d been here for a while. Then she turned her head and saw the waist-high table. It wasn’t the table by itself that scared the shit out of her, but the metal cuffs dangling from the edges that struck terror in her heart.
She wouldn’t go there meekly.
Brutal images of the labs rose to haunt her. Her heartbeat sped up, her skin tingled. She was seconds away from panic overtaking her. If she lost her reason, she’d ruin Taggert’s chance at escape.
She needed to assess the situation rationally.
She tipped her head, straining to see her captor. Military haircut, strict dress code, sturdy boots. The scent of gun oil was so strong, she could almost taste it. A hunter for the thrill. Big, built, no-nonsense, do-your-duty man from the closed, almost bored expression on his face.
“If you want a better hunt, I can give it to you.” The man cocked an eyebrow at her as if he’d heard it all before.
“Oh, you’ll run.” He hauled her on the table and reached for the cuffs.
“But what fun is the hunt where the prey is wounded. Women give a poor chase.”
He didn’t say anything as he latched one cuffs around her wrist. The cold metal felt like a thousand pounds.
“What if I can guarantee you the hunt of your lifetime?”
Soldier Boy ignored her, but his movements slowed a fraction.
“I met that shifter you keep on a leash the other night. Did she come back a little fried?” She said it mockingly, but she definitely had his interest now. He stopped and drew back, leaving one arm, and her legs free. She considered it a small victory.
“How do I know that was you?”
“She’s five six, brown hair and moves disjointedly until she gets the scent of her prey.” The description rattled something that hovered in the back of her mind, something she should know. She ignored it and forced herself to smile at the interest in his eyes. “You keep the men off me, and I guarantee that I’ll be able to escape your little pet. She makes it too easy for you, doesn’t she?”
The burly man ran a distracted hand down the pommel of the blade at his side, judging her. “You don’t look like much.”
“I survived seventeen years in the labs.” She leaned closer, ignoring the way he licked his lips. “I escaped there. You let me loose outside, and I can promise to give you a run for your money. You like to hunt, not chasing down half dead shifters. I bet your little pet kills a better part of them before you even get into the game. Do you miss the thrill of going after something that can kill you if you make a mistake?”
The heat in his eyes grew uncomfortable and only her self-control and the cuff kept her in place. “If they rape me in here, I’ll fight back. People will die. They’ll put me down before I even get off the table. You don’t want that, do you?”
Raven tossed her head in the direction of the cavern. “I saw the men in there. They won’t give you half the battle I can.”