Chapter 12

12

I’m lying on the bed in the cage where Flanagan left me, the overbearing, girly-haired, freakishly strong bastard. It took little effort and all of a minute for him to hold me down and fasten the manacles to my limbs. Then he threw me over his shoulder—yeah, no joke—and carried me, fireman-style, down the long corridor and back to the lockdown.

I got a few strikes in. I bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood but almost broke my teeth—that man’s skin is as tough as boiled leather. I twisted in his grip, squirmed ferociously. Beat my fists on his back. It was all useless. I’ve trained for years to build fighting skills and the muscles to back them up, but I feel like a lightweight twink against Flanagan’s insane strength.

To make matters worse, the arsehole remained infuriatingly calm throughout the whole procedure too, his eyes soft as he fastened the chain. Once in the cage, he pacified me with that trick he does, his hand on the back of my neck. The Flame rushed to his touch, and with a few whispered words, he sucked the rising panic straight out of my chest.

Now, instead of plotting my escape or freaking out about my sudden promotion to supernatural vampire mutant, I’m staring up at the dust motes sparkling in the sunlight.

There is no escape anyway. Not from him. I’m not getting out of these chains till he believes I’m trustworthy. It kills me to admit this, but I need to stop fighting him. Best behavior is my best plan. Once he knows I’m safe, he’ll relax the constraints, and I can check for potential ways out of Blackriver.

Why did I agree to come here in the first place? What the hell did I think would be here that had anything to do with me? Was it only information about the Flame that drew me to Blackriver? It’s funny because I’m sure there was something, some important reason, but all I have is a discomforting emptiness in my chest and no clue.

I push myself up to sit on the side of the bed, chains clinking as I roll my shoulders and try to shake off the mental haze. Flanagan said he wouldn’t leave me alone, but I’ve been lying here for at least an hour, and there’s no sign of this Mackenzie guy he mentioned.