Bastian blinked his eyes furiously. His eyes were so dry, it stings whenever he blinked. He could feel needles pricking his skin. When he tried to lift his arm, he found out that he couldn't.
Soon after, he finally was able to open his eyes. And what greeted him was a blinding light, making him feel a bit dizzy for a few seconds. He then heard a snicker on his right. He weakly turned his head and saw the same guy who had trapped them before, outside the bbq restaurant, crouching beside him.
"Finally awake?" Krys asked, smiling cheekily, his hands cupping his chin as he watched the weak Bastian.
"Wha…" Bastian tried to speak but found that his throat was dry as well.
Krys immediately tut-tutted at him, shaking his pointer finger in front of him, while shaking his head. "Uh, uh, uh," he said, "Your throat seems to be dry. You can't say anything now."
Ignoring the blazing eyes of Bastian, Krys looked around him, while still squatting on the floor. "Huuuuuuuh," he said slowly. "I'm so bored. I wonder what shall I do since the boss isn't here?"
He turned back to Bastian, who was now struggling to break free from the bind that held him to the bed. He talked to the latter, as if he was chatting with a friend at a coffee shop. "Did you know that Lord Rehan had left me all alone here? I'm so bored."
He looked over to where Bastian's blood was flowing out and in the apparatus at the middle of the room. "He said that I have to wait until the drip is done," he replied. He then looked at Bastian, whose lips had turned purple from lack of oxygen and blood.
Krys let out a small chuckle. "It seems like you're going to be dead before the drip is done, though," he joked.
He then got up and walked over to where the huge apparatus was still working, pumping more blood from Bastian. "It's interesting to see a lycan's blood," he murmured as he watched the blood flow in.
Turning around, he looked at Bastian again, who looked at him as well with wide eyes. From the moment Krys mentioned lycan, Bastian felt like his mind was blown out of sorts. Lycan? What lycan? What the heck is going on here?
Noticing the surprised look on Bastian's face, Krys laughed out loud. He was laughing so hard that he fell on the floor, clutching his stomach. If Amber saw him now, she would be shell-shocked! He looked and acted way different from the serious young man whom she first met and interacted in school.
Krys brushed a tear from the corner of his eye, after he got up from the floor. He walked over to the young shifter and said mockingly, "What? Didn't your daddy tell you?"
"Or perhaps, he didn't know himself?" he surmised.
Krys leaned closer to Bastian and said softly, "Your little beast has one of the lycan's powers."
-----
Peeking through the leaves of the trees where the two shifters were hiding, Kaius looked out and squinted his eyes, checking their whole surroundings.
He sniffed and told Dane, who was crouching behind him that it was safe.
Dane suddenly let out a light chuckle.
Kaius frowned as he looked over behind his shoulder. "What's wrong, Dane?"
"I'd never thought that I would stoop this low to hide here, rather than crashing in," he said mockingly, snorting.
Kaius just kept quiet as he looked at the prideful shifter behind him. He then turned back around to continue surveying the place.
An hour nearly passed by and once they were sure that there really wasn't anyone around the vicinity, Kaius suggested departing immediately.
The two shifters stealthy jumped down from the trees and quietly went to the back of the mansion. As they got closer, they were surprised to see a huge open area, just behind the building.
Thinking that there might be traps around, Dane told Kaius to wait while he looked around, since he has stronger senses, compared to the latter.
Dane walked to the front alone. After a few steps, he stopped as he immediately went on guard. He looked around him. He could feel something was off in the surroundings. He took a sniff and could not find anything suspicious.
It was then he looked to the front and felt something really was off. He took a small step forward and stretched out his arm. Just as he extended his arm, he could feel something solid in front of him. He frowned. Seems like there was an invisible barrier in front of him. Similar to the one that they had encountered back then.
He curled his paw into a fist and knocked on the barrier.
*Knock, knock*
He narrowed his eyes as he frowned.
Last time Erick and the others weren't able to disable the invisible barrier. It was the same now. Dane really has no idea how.
He went back to where Kaius was waiting, wanting to discuss with the latter on how to disable the barrier when he saw a strange expression on the latter's face.
"What's wrong?" Dane asked, looking concerned. Kaius was starting to act weird. He was panting heavily as his eyes widened in bloodshot. His claws looked sharp, curling outwards, as if he was ready to pounce on something.
Kaius turned his bloodshot eyes at Dane and growled. "My mate…"
-----
After filling her stomach with the not-so delicious meal that was thrown to her, Makena felt like her energy had returned. Although she hasn't completely healed, she wasn't as weak as compared to before.
She got up from the floor, brushed away the remaining specks and dirt from her dress. She looked around her and felt something amiss. She walked to the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. What happened to that guy? He usually locked the door after he left this room.
Makena slowly opened the door, her heart beating furiously as she cursed silently when the door creaked. Peeking out the door, she looked left and right, checking whether there was anyone wandering or inspecting the place.
She took a discreet sniff and was surprised once more to find nothing suspicious, other than a scent of a human being in a room not far from hers.
She walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind her, silently cursing again because of the creaking sound the door emitted out.
She followed the scent, curious to know how and why a human being was caught.
A few steps further, she finally saw a metallic door, similar to where she was caged in. She looked left and right, ensuring that there wasn't anyone and then she grabbed the doorknob. To her surprise, the door was unlocked as well. She frowned. What was going on?
She slowly opened the door. Unfortunately, the door creaked as well, gaining the attention of the young girl who was caged inside.
Amber was sitting inside the cage, her heart feeling unstable as her mind kept thinking of the possibilities of what would happen to her. It had been more than three hours since Bastian had been dragged away. Since then, there hadn't been any news about him. The man was gone as well. He hasn't stopped by ever since he left with Bastian.
Hearing the door creaked, she felt like her heart was in her throat, thinking that the man had returned.
Her eyes widened when she saw an auburn head peeking in with her huge green eyes. The woman's eyes widened too when she saw Amber staring back at her.
The woman walked in and slowly closed the door behind her. She then quickly rushed over to where Amber was. She got down on her knees, her hands on the metal bars of the cage. "Are you a human?" she asked.
Amber was surprised. She did not expect that this would be her first question. Baffled, she could only nod. It was then she realized that the woman in front of her must be a shifter.
"How did you get here?" the woman asked.
"I was kidnapped."
"But why? Do you have a special power or something?" the woman asked again. She was stupefied as to why a human being was kidnapped. A normal human being, too. She knew that the people here would only want to capture those with unique powers to create or make a being stronger than anyone.
Amber looked down at her feet, not knowing what to answer. She had just grabbed onto Bastian without any second thought. Who would have known that she was dragged into this mess as well.
The woman pursed her lips as she looked around her. She then turned to Amber and introduced herself. "My name is Makena."
"Amber."
"Were you all alone here since then?"
Amber shook her head. "I was with a young… shifter earlier. I was kidnapped along with him. But I think they were targeting him from the beginning. I just got caught up in this," she answered.
Makena looked around her once more. "Where is he now?"
Amber shrugged. "He was dragged out by this guy."
"A fat guy?"
Amber covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes finally showed a happy glint. "Pfft. Yeah," she said, giggling.
Not noticing that she had made the other young woman laugh, Makena got up and walked around the cage. When she stood in front of the door of the cage, she peered in at the lock.
She touched the cage and found that there was probably some magical mechanism being placed inside since she could not detect Rae in her mind.
Makena scowled. She then gripped the doorknob of the cage. Although she could not detect Rae, it did not mean that her strength was gone as well. And having eaten and rested for some time, she already recovered well and a measly door like this does not hinder her from dest-- opening it.
And so she did.
She gripped the doorknob and crushed them in her fist.
Amber's eyes widened in shock as she watched the doorknob crushed easily in her hand. Debris from the material turned to dust. Makena quickly brushed her hands away and pulled the door open.
Walking in the cage, she stood in front of Amber. "Let's go," Makena said, offering her hand to the other woman.