Excerpts from Sergi

When I reached the last hallway, I paused. There was a guard standing outside the last cell. He leaned against the wall, his beefy arms crossed over his chest, one knee bent with his boot resting on the wall behind him. Was he enjoying the show?

I considered backing up, but before I could put my thoughts into action, the guard waved me forward.
“Get down here, girl. We’ve been waiting for you.”

His gruff voice pricked at my wolf. Had they continued torturing the vampire while they’d waited for me? It shouldn’t have bothered me. It was just a vampire. Yet, that nugget of memory I couldn’t recall made me wince with guilt, and I pushed my cart forward.

I ignored the sneer from the guard when I reached the door and tentatively peered in.

“What are you waiting for?” A large male dropped a bloody dagger on the table and wiped his hands on a rag. “Get in here and clean this up.”

I didn’t want to look at the male pinned to the wall, but it was beyond my power not to. He was a bloody mess with dozens of cuts. A couple of them must have been deep because blood still dripped on the floor. He wasn’t healing quickly. They weren’t giving him blood. The cuts were more than just inflicting pain, they were draining him. They wanted him weak.

I glared at the male, who I now recognized. He was the gorilla they used for their special interrogations. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I glanced down at the bloody floor where it pooled and congealed.

“I can’t clean this.”

When I didn’t move, he growled. “Don’t you clean the labs?”

“Yes, but I don’t have the right supplies for this. The only thing on my cart is water. I don’t have the proper rags, buckets, or disinfectant.”

He stared at me, and I dropped my gaze, waiting to see if he’d hit me, send me back to my cell, or provide the supplies I requested. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been cleaning up blood for the last few weeks, but I wasn’t going to do it without the proper supplies.

“Check with Dallas and get her the supplies she needs.”

He stepped close and yanked my head back by my hair.

I tried not to look, but it was impossible with the way he held me in place. It took every ounce of strength to hold the wolf at bay and give this vampire my most submissive glance. “I’m told I can trust you.”

I didn’t respond. What could I say to that? Sure, you can trust me. Just don’t turn your back while all those shiny instruments are within my reach. I don’t know why he was torturing one of his own, but I could see everything I needed to know about this vampire by his soulless eyes.

He shoved me away, and I stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to miss the edge of the pooling blood. Great. Now the prisoner’s blood was all over my shift.

“Start with the trash and refill the mug.” His laugh sounded a little crazy. Then he threw the rag he’d been wiping his hands with at me. “And you can use this to get started.”

The rag landed a few feet from me, and I crawled over to pick it up.

“I want the floor spotless and the instruments gleaming for my afternoon session.” He strode next to me. I kept my head down, staring at the floor, waiting for him to hit me, so all I saw were his thick-soled boots. “Don’t disappoint me.”

Then he strode out, and I released my breath as his boots faded down the corridor. When I heard him turn the corner, I whispered, “Fuck you.”

It was silly, but it made me feel better.

Clutching the rag, I stared up at the vampire on the wall. Only one of his wounds still dripped blood, but the rest had stopped. Some appeared to have healed but others had formed crusty scars. I’d been right. His body couldn’t heal as fast as it should. They were starving him.

Stop it. His fate doesn’t concern you.

When the guard returned with the supplies, I stood and rubbed my head where my hair still tingled from being pulled. I picked up the trash basket and the mug and returned to the cart. I checked over the items the guard had dropped by the cart and nodded. “These will do.”

“So happy they meet with your approval. I’ll be back in an hour to check your work.” Then he strode away.

My body relaxed now that I was alone to work. I used the allotted time cleaning and disinfecting the floor, then turned my attention to the instruments, where bits of flesh still clung to them.

The vampire never moved during the entire time I’d been there, but after I dumped the last bucket of bloody water and sprayed the instruments with disinfectant, I glanced up at him one last time.

His head was still lowered to his chest, but his eyes flashed open and caught mine. I took a step back, not expecting the look in his gaze. Even in his current state, he must know I was a shifter. And after such a severe torture session, I was expecting to see anger, disgust, or fear.

I saw none of that. Rather than clouded in pain, his eyes were clear. They were a deep brown, warm and gentle. They reached into my soul without judgment or hate.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was raspy. Then his eyes closed, and his head dropped lower.

He’d passed out.

My wolf whined.

“Hush,” I told it. I rushed out and stacked the rest of the cleaning supplies on my cart just as the guard rounded the corner.

I waited the few minutes it took him to review the room and bar the door behind him.

“Gheata will be pleased,” he said. “Make sure you keep it that way. We don’t have the resources to watch you every minute. Now, let’s go. They’re waiting for you in the labs.”

His words echoed in my ears. They didn’t have the resources. What did that mean? Was that why there didn’t seem to be as many guards today? And if they were waiting for me in the labs, then I missed lunch. I didn’t think I could eat anyway after cleaning all the blood.

I should have focused on what his words revealed, but as I followed him, pushing the heavy cart over the rough stone floor, all I could think about were the words the vampire said. “I’m sorry.”

Why would he be sorry for me?

My wolf whined again, and this time, I didn’t bother to hush her.