Viper's Hope (Anguis Defenders Book 1)(14)

"I hope I'm not having a stroke or a heart attack or something." Hope bit her lip as she tried to assess her unusual symptoms.



Canebrake

"Call medical! Viper is tearing up his quarters." Canebrake yelled at Ophidian through his comm as he stood outside the enraged males quarters.

The sound of destruction and fury from within was horrific. Why had the Prognatus lost his mind?

"Don't approach him!" Ophidian yelled, but it was too late the door opened and Viper charged Canebrake growling out his feral rage.

Viper knocked Canebrake back against the wall, baring his elongated fangs. Viper tilted his head, sniffed the air and started to stalk away, huffing loudly. The male was out of his mind. His usually round pupils had shifted into thin slits. Viper's procudit fangs and the clavum spikes on his arms were fully extended. He raked his claws along the wall in agitation.

"Is the human female in his room?" Ophidian demanded through the comm.

Canebrake glanced inside.

"No."

"Dammit." Ophidian replied. "We need to find her before Viper tears the ship apart!"

Canebrake barked orders to security into his comm as he followed his crazed leader. Canebrake pulled his stunner and fired.

The first shot did nothing but anger Viper. Viper turned and charged Canebrake.

Thank Kadru his second shot did the job taking the seething male down before he could tear out Canebrake's throat.

It was unbelievable. Just a single shot should've been strong enough to drop even the mighty Hecca beast, let alone an Anguis male. What the hell!

"What did you do?" Ophidian demanded as he raced around the corner.

"I stunned him. He should be out for a bit." Canebrake replied with more than a bit of aggravation.

"Doubtful. He's going to be up soon and as mad as ever if we don't find that female!"

"I don't understand. Why?"

"She's his subeo!" Ophidian stated with a shake of his head.

"How is that possible?" Canebrake asked in shock. How could an alien female be the Prognatus' subeo?

"I don't know but Viper told me what was going on just before lights out. He almost ripped my head off when I suggested we move her to the hibernation dorm." Ophidian grimaced "This is not good. We need to find her and secure them both. If she tries to fight him while he's like this he'll accidentally kill her. The human won't understand and she's not built like our females. He'll probably tear her throat out as he attempts to make her to submit." Ophidian bristled.

"We could tie her down." Canebrake suggested.

"That's fucking awful!"

"Is it worse than being dead?! You've seen how weak these humans are." Canebrake spat back.

"I don't like it! But I don't know what other options we have." Ophidian admitted in regret. "Find the female and put her in one of the secure cells. I'll lure Viper into the adjoining one. Shit I really don't like this. Viper is going to kill me!"

"We've got movement in cargo bay three." Canebrake relayed the security report.





4 Taming the Beast



Hope

A strange smell filled the room making Hope sputter and cough. Her vision started to blur and close in as her head nodded to the side.

"Oh god they found me. I'm being drugged!" Hope realized with mounting fear.

"NOT AGAIN!" She cried out.

Hope desperately tried to hold her breath, but it was futile. Panicked, she started to hyperventilate instead, which only made it worse. Her head lolled forward feeling too heavy for her shoulders.

"I just need to keep my eyes open."

Everything was getting dim.



Hope came to confused and lethargic. Someone was loudly banging on metal and growling, viciously, as her eyes fluttered open.

"Who's messing with my wrist?" She wondered groggily.

Hope pulled away but found that she could only tug her hand back a few inches.

Hope's eyes flew open to find herself face down on a padded cushion, with her hands restrained by her head, and her ankles chained near her hips, forcing Hope to lay in a crouched position on her elbows and knees. It dawned on her in horror that she'd been stripped nude.

For the first time during this whole ordeal Hope cried out in abject terror.

The thunderous banging increased, and the growls turned to roars so frightening Hope almost fainted. She could see a metal door ahead that was deeply dented in several places. Several more dents being added to the first as some wild creature demanded to be set free.

Someone shuffled nearby and Hope heard a rumbling voice, but it wasn't Drogo. Where was he?

"Let me go! Please." Hope pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

They spoke and Hope listened trying to figure out what was going on, but she could barely hear over the blood thundering in her ears as her heart beat staccato in her chest. Hope was going to pass out if she didn't calm down. She tried to breathe slowly, but it didn't work. Instead she cried desperately as she tugged harder at her bonds, attempting to get free.