Ann H Read online

  “He’s coming and I suggest you don’t fight.”

  Lights overhead came on, blinding him. They used that to rush into the cage, stick him with something, and put a collar around his neck that had chains going down to his wrists. Once secure, Brent was jerked out of the cage; they had him walking a few feet away, and slammed him down on a bed with his arms up over his head. No one uttered a word.

  He flinched with the slamming of a door. Brent tried like hell to see what might be going on or what was going to happen.

  “Oh, he is something!” another female voice cried out.

  “You like?” a man asked.

  “Very much.”

  “Then I’ll leave you to it.” Another door closed and Brent lay there wondering what the hell just happened.

  Once more, he jumped and this time it was because of cool hands touching his chest. They started at the collarbone and moved down. He sucked air into his lungs, held them, and tried not to growl when those hands went down to his cock, stroking the hard member.

  “Oh, I’m going to enjoy you without a doubt in the world,” she said right before climbing on top of him.

  * * * *

  Missy couldn’t watch anymore. She turned and left the dark room as quietly as she came in. No one saw her. Hell, no one ever saw her. It was both a blessing and a curse. Back up the stairs to her small room she went.

  Her uncle already locked himself in his study. She could hear him on the phone, talking to the one he paid to bring that man here. He’d been searching for the right one for his daughter. The right one who could still her animal hunger, as he liked to call it. He also liked to point out how Missy had none.

  No, she wasn’t one of them, but more of an outcast. Her mother was a shifter who’d disgraced the family by marrying a human. One of the conditions for the human to stay alive was to never breed. Missy remembered her life then, all the moving around they did, never understanding why, until her father was killed and her mother taken before the Council. It was then that Missy learned about her family and what she wasn’t; it also happened to be the day she hated them all. As punishment for having a child with a human, her mother was killed as well, and Missy was to also be killed, but her one and only family member stood up for her, taking her in. It didn’t mean that she was treated like family. Her uncle made sure she knew and understood every day that she was still an outcast and wouldn’t be nor have anything.

  He proved that when she moved here with him and his daughter. Her room was nothing more than a space in the attic. She had a narrow twin bed, one nightstand, dresser, and a tiny closet. Not that she needed a large closet because she didn’t have a large amount of clothes. In fact, come to think about it, she had very few.

  One thing her uncle did do was to make sure she had a bathroom up there. Her cousin pointed out it was because they didn’t want a human to use theirs. Therefore, she could only use her small one and it was very small.

  A tiny corner shower, toilet and small sink and one cabinet for towels that she had to wash herself and that were the ripped, used ones from below. Not even the housekeeping was allowed to come up and tend to her room. If it needed to be cleaned or washed, she had to take care of it herself.

  There were times when Missy would sit in her room and ask the question of how this was better than being killed with her family? She was nothing more than a stain on the family and treated as a nasty secret.

  Sitting down on the bed, facing the window, Missy stared at the redness in the sky. Last night an unusual red full moon shined brightly in the sky. She knew it affected her uncle and cousin terribly. They both went out that night and when they came back, they looked like they had been through hell. She heard her uncle state that they were due to get hit with another and he refused to have his daughter go through it again alone. Therefore, he somehow got a hold of the guy below, one of their kind, to take care of the problem.

  It didn’t affect her, the red moon. Missy wished in a way that it did, just so she could fit in with her strange family. She desperately wanted to belong somewhere.

  How long she sat there, staring at the sky, she couldn’t say. When the sound of her cousin going back to her own room, which happened to be right below Missy's, she stood up and went to her bathroom, got out one of the ripped towels, washcloths and a bucket of warm water with soap. Leaving her room, she headed back down and snuck into the basement where the guy was caged.

  She waited in the shadows until the men who her uncle hired to keep the man under control left. They left the light overhead on, so she was able to see him clearly. He still had the collar around his neck that connected to the chairs around his wrists. Naked, Missy got to see his whole body and she had to admit it was very impressive.

  His wide shoulders, muscled chest, and stomach, even his legs and arms had the brick look to them. A strong guy, one that didn’t deserve to be treated such. He had his knees drawn up, arms dangling over his knees and head down. His dark brown hair wasn’t long, but the locks on top were long enough that they slid down slightly past his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, causing him to jump. His head came up, dark eyes searched around, but she knew he couldn’t see her. She also knew that with the drug they gave him to perform he wouldn’t know she was here like before. “Don’t worry. The drug will wear off soon. I thought you might want to clean up.” She moved to the darkest part of the cage, knelt down, and slid the water with towels towards the cage in order for him to reach it and clean himself.

  “Thanks.” He moved on his knees to the bucket and dipped the washcloth in. Missy stood back and watched him.

  “Do you know why you’re here?” she asked.

  “To be a pet,” he smarted back.

  “To relieve her.”

  His hand stopped at his chest, head came up. “From what? Not enough sex?”

  “You know about the red moon?”

  “Yes, it came last night.”

  “It’s coming again.”

  Once more his hand stopped, this time between his legs. “What?”

  “We’re to have another one. Tomorrow night I think. It’s already half red now.”

  “That’s not possible.” He finished washing his body quickly, dried off, and pushed the bucket and towel back to her. “I need to get out of here before it comes then. You need to help me!”

  “I don’t think I can do that.” She picked the bucket up. “I’m sorry.”

  “Missy wait!” He also stood up, hands around the bars. “Please, I need help.”

  “You don’t understand,” she whispered. “I can’t help anyone, I’m sorry.”

  She walked away, only to be stopped by his voice once more. “I can’t go through my heat with her. She isn’t my mate and she won’t get any relief with me during her cycle.”

  * * * *

  Brent knew when she left. His senses were coming back, letting him not only smell her but also getting his strength back. Now if he could only have his strength back before the next red moon then he could take care of himself and get the fuck out of here, and what about her? That was the big question here, because there was something about Missy that he couldn’t put his finger on.

  Sitting back down, he sighed, rested his head back, and thought what the hell am I going to do? He sure, as shit was in a pickle, that’s for sure.

  “So we are to have another red moon,” he said aloud. “Shit, just what I don’t fucking need.” He sure, as shit didn’t want to mate and mark that bitch who fucked him not too long ago. She had a scent about her that surprised the hell out of him that his dick didn’t go down. Then, they drugged him so he would stay hard and she used him until she dropped. “Great, just fucking great!” he growled. “Now what?”

  Chapter Two

  “I think he’ll be the one, honey.” Uncle Chad said at the table early in the morning. Breakfast was one of the rare times Missy was allowed to sit with them and eat. It was also the one and only time her Uncle gave the orders of wh
at she was to do, like help the servants and all. “I think come tonight he’ll mark you and be your mate.”

  Mary Jane Collin smiled big at her father, and then turned a nasty smile towards Missy. “Oh he was very good last night. I’m sure he’ll take care of everything tonight.”

  “I’m sure he will,” Uncle Chad smiled back.

  “What if he doesn’t?” Missy simply had to ask the question.

  Mary Jane glared at her, and her uncle sighed in aggravation. “He’ll give us what we want, or I’ll replace him,” he snapped.

  “What is it you want this time?” Missy just couldn’t keep her mouth shut as she normally did. “Why isn’t she going and getting herself mated the normal way for you people.” What prompted her to speak like this to him, she didn’t know.

  Her uncle moved and moved fast. The hand came across Missy face hard, knocking her out of her seat onto the floor. “You forget your place here, girl!” His chair skidded away from the table; he came around to her and pulled her up by her hair. “What goes on in my house is none of your concern. You should be thankful that I feed you!”

  “I think she needs to be reminded,” Mary Jane snickered, an evil smile on her cruel face.

  Mary Jane was never a pretty girl, in Missy’s eyes. Her head never matched her body. It always reminded Missy of a boy in a girl’s body. Her long brown hair always seemed dull and lifeless. She also was very chubby, refusing to give up the sweets, and yet, in her father’s eye, she couldn’t do a damn thing wrong.

  Uncle Chad jerked Missy from the dining room by her hair to the cellar. She knew what was to come. This was the room for punishment, and it had been a very long time since she had one. The belt came out with a swooshing sound and she got shoved face forward over the wooden beam he left in there. She didn’t cry out once as the strap came down on her. One single tear did fall, but not a sound left her lips. He made a huffing sound due to how overweight he was and how much of an effort it was to beat her.

  How long it lasted, she couldn’t say. Her backside burned, and she figured it would be a nice shade of black and blue soon. He huffed behind her when it was over, slipped the belt back around his waist.

  “Get your chores done and I don’t want to see you for the rest of the day,” he barked.

  When the door closed behind him, she slumped to the floor. I’m without a doubt broken now. She sat on the floor, not moving. She didn’t jump when the door opened, half-expecting Mary Jane to come in and do her worst as well, but it wasn’t, it was Annie the cook.

  “Oh, honey,” she said, dropping to her knees in front of Missy. “I thought he stopped doing this a long time ago.”

  “I’m fine,” Missy tried to smile, but when she did tears came to her eyes.

  “Baby, its time you left this place,” she whispered, helping Missy to stand. She swayed, leaning on Annie. “Nothing good will ever come to you if you stay.”

  “If I go, they’ll kill me,” she whispered low.

  “I don’t think they’ll care anymore.” Like the others, Annie is a shifter and knew the whole story of Missy. “If you stay, they’ll only kill you.”

  “I’m already dead.”

  Annie put Missy’s head on her shoulder. “Don’t you talk like that.”

  Missy couldn’t help it and cried softly. Her back throbbed painfully, reminding her just as Annie had, that she indeed was still alive.

  “Shh. Everything is going to be alright.”

  Annie took care of her back. It turned out that this time he broke skin. Missy didn’t mind the pain; she welcomed it, and thought of her own plan. Annie wouldn’t let her do anything around the house, not after the beating she took. Since her Uncle didn’t want to see her for the rest of the day, Missy decided that it was only fair for the guy below to have some kind of say on what happened to him tonight. She might not have much of a life, but damn if he didn’t deserve one at least. Being a pet and used by her crazy family wasn’t right.

  She knew the location of the drugs. Being a ghost of sorts in a house, one tended to learn everything. With her uncle out with Mary Jane, Missy went into his office and found his drug box. There in a box on the desk sat the needle with the drug that would be put into the man below to make him perform whether he liked it or not. She picked it up, went to the window, opened it, and squirted it all out. Now that they were empty, she brought out some simple saline solution and filled it back up. Tonight he was to have a chance at defending himself, and as they deal with that, Missy would be leaving.

  * * * *

  Brent knew the second she entered the room. His senses were back and he could smell her. A fresh scent, one that had him smiling. “My name is Brent.”

  “I didn’t ask.”

  “I know.”

  “So why would you tell me?”

  “Why wouldn’t you ask me?”

  “There’s no point in getting to know each other.”

  He moved onto his knees, sniffing. “You’ve got some food.”

  “Yes. I thought you might be hungry and they might forget about you. It happens around here.”

  She got close to the cage with the tray of food. Brent waited until she had pushed it close enough before snatching out, grabbing hold of her wrist, forcing her closer so he could get a look at his angel. The light caught her face and he sucked air into his lungs.

  “You’re beautiful,” he breathed out low.

  And she was! Deep, large brown eyes that widened. A heart shape face, full, very kissable lips and long golden brown hair. The shadows outlined her lush body, a figure he could sink into.

  Her other hand came around and pried his fingers from the arm of the wrist he held. Brent let her go. “Tonight you’re going to have one chance to leave. Take it.”

  Slowly she backed away; the darkness once more swallowed her up. “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll see.” Her voice sounded further away.

  Brent sighed, taking the food and began eating it as he thought about what she said. He could feel his heat rising. What time it was he had no clue. What he did know was that soon he would be in another heat and he sure as hell didn’t want it to be with that bitch who fucked him last night. Without a doubt, he could do without her!

  He ate everything, sat back against the bars, and closed his eyes. Sleep didn’t come easy for him and when it did, it didn’t last very long. Once more, the door banged open and he was taken from the cage. Needles were stuck in to his arm, right before he was chained to the bed, only this time Brent didn’t feel drugged like before. Hell, he didn’t feel anything, he still felt like his normal self with the strength and senses intact.

  “Now I get to play all day and night.”

  Brent wanted to groan and growl at the same time. The same one that used him last night came into the room, her cold hand sliding up his leg to the hip and gripped his limp cock.

  “That isn’t right,” she said.

  “Sure it is,” Brent strained as he broke the chain that held his arms up over his head. He sat up quickly, wrapped a hand around her chubby throat, cutting some of her air off. “Only a drug will give me a hard on to fuck you with.”

  Her hands closed around his wrists and he heard gurgling sounds as if she was really was struggling to breath. “Ho—how?” she stuttered.

  “You tell me?” Another yank and he had the collar on his neck off. Getting off the bed, Brent walked her backward to the cage, with a shove she fell backwards into it and he shut the door, locking her in. “Let’s see how you like being caged.”

  “My father will hunt you down!” she spat.

  Brent smiled. “Hope so. I would love to face him on equal ground. Enjoy yourself. I know I didn’t in your company.”

  “Come back here and let me out!” she yelled.

  He didn’t. Naked, Brent searched for someone else and the way out. After all, he really should thank her for helping him leave. It would only be the polite thing to do.

  Chapter Three

&nbs
p; Missy went to bed early; mostly because her back was hurting and Annie giving her something for the pain that made her very sleepy. She was lying in bed, on her side with her back to the door when her uncle came in. She didn’t move an inch, kept her eyes closed, mouth shut and acted as if she was sleeping as he went around her room looking in doors and under the bed. What he might be looking for, if she had to guess, was Brent.

  He found nothing and left, closing the door loudly. Missy flung the covers off and got out of bed, going over to the window and looking down. She saw her uncle leave the house, grabbing Mary Jane by the arm and got into the waiting car. They were leaving the house, but why she had no idea, unless they were going out to hunt for him.

  “Think they’ll find me?”

  Missy swung around, gaped at the naked man standing in her room, and was just about to scream but he rushed to her and covered her mouth with his hand. His free arm wrapped around her, holding her close and tight, muffling the cry of pain that wouldn’t leave her lips if she could.

  “Shhhh, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Tears came to her eyes while he held her. She could say nothing, nor fight him as he walked her backwards to the window. He looked out below then up at the red full moon.

  “I image they will be looking for me and following the fake trail I left,” he said. “That should keep them busy enough for a few hours.” His eyes moved back down to her—red eyes that soon had a deep frown around them. “What’s wrong?”

  His hand left her mouth slowly and Missy whimpered, “Please let me go.” A tear fell down her cheek. “Please,” she whispered. “You’re hurting me.”

  He did and she fell to the floor at his feet. Brent walked around her, without a word grabbed the back of her shirt, and ripped it open. “What the fuck?” Warm fingers touched her back, slid downward and stopped at the waistline of her pajama pants as he squared down to her. “Who did this?”

  She sniffed and with wobbly legs stood back up, holding what was left of her shirt to her breasts, moving away from him as far as she could in the small bedroom. She couldn’t face him and couldn’t answer the question. To do so would mean that the bubble she had around herself would crumble. Already it began to crack.