Chris wrapped her arms around her knees to keep them from knocking together. “Are you going to hurt me?”
“No.” Werren nodded at the backs of the two men at the controls. “They will, if you resist.”
“Resist what? Why did you take me?” She thought of Jamys, and shot across the cage. “Did you tranq him? Is that why he couldn’t move?”
“If you mean the boy, no. His affliction was not my doing.” Werren glanced back at the wake behind the boat. “When I came into the house, I felt the presence of another like us. An old one, like Dutch.”
Chris heard the engine throttling down and looked over, squinting as bright lights blinded her momentarily. The men were guiding the speedboat alongside an old-fashioned wooden ship that seemed to be sitting on top of the water. A bump on the side of the speedboat drew her eyes to the side, where a shelf of coral reef appeared just beneath the water’s surface. At the other end of the wooden ship were walkways attached to a bigger, more modern yacht, and ladders that dropped down to the decks of a half-dozen smaller boats.
One of the men caught something thrown down to him from the old ship, and came over to Werren. “He wants to see you on deck, Duchess.” He reached up to the top of the cage and attached the cable before he let out a piercing whistle.
Chris was thrown to the bottom of the cage as it was jerked up into the air. She gripped the bars, looking down at Werren, who touched a finger to her lips before moving to climb off onto one of the ladders.
Chris felt her stomach roll as the cage swayed and jerked, but within minutes she was lowered down onto the deck of the ship, where more men came and removed the crane hook. They stepped aside as a blocky figure strode up and pulled open the door to the cage.
“My Pearl Girl.” Vander bent to grab her by the hair and haul her to her feet. “Now you’ll be servicing me whenever I want it.”
Chris thought of the finger Werren had pressed to her lips, bowed her head, and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from telling him where he could go.
“You see?” Vander told the other men. “This is why you teach them proper while they’re young and still mortal.” He gave her a shake. “You can use that tongue on me later, girl.” He shoved her at one of the men. “Take her below.”
The man hustled her over to an opening above a tiny staircase, and nearly pushed her down it. “Move your ass, slut.”
Chris took the steep steps two at a time until she reached the deck below. The old, splintering planks forming the floor had been patched over with sheets of plywood, vinyl siding, and an assortment of scrap lumber, making the deck look like a quilt patched by a demented carpenter. The guard pushed her again, this time toward an adjoining space that held six empty cages and one occupied by Samantha, who appeared unconscious.
“What did you do to her?” Chris demanded without thinking, and was slammed up against an empty cage.
“I thought you knew how to hold your tongue,” the guard said, jerking her back long enough to open the door to the cage and shove her inside. Once he’d locked her in, he eyed Samantha, and grinned as he dragged Chris’s cage over alongside hers. “There. If she gets hungry and wants a snack, you can stick your arm through the bars.” He laughed as he left the room.
“Chris.” Samantha raised her head to look around them before she slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her right arm hung unmoving, and as she turned, Chris saw the odd bulge under her jacket.
“Who dislocated your shoulder?”
“The asshole that kicked me back down here when I tried to run.” She rested her head against the back of the cage. “You think you can help me pop it back in?”
Chris inspected the space between the bars and their positions before she nodded. “Scoot as close as you can.” She reached for Sam’s limp arm, and gently lifted it. “Brace your feet against the bars. You know in the movies when they say this is gonna hurt like a fucking bitch?”
“Yeah.” Sam screamed as Chris snapped her arm out and to the side.
“They lied.” She reached in to feel the bone, which had slid back into place. “Try moving it now.”
“You’re right. Hurts like ten fucking bitches.” Sam gingerly tested her arm, and glanced up. “Burke didn’t teach you to do that.”
“No, Dan did. Burke had me work with him for a couple months in the infirmary.” She glanced over as Werren entered, carrying a ring of keys. “This one is a shifter.”
“Yeah, I know.” Samantha hauled herself to her feet. “You leave the kid alone.”