From Out Of The Shadows Page 4
“How could I torture you?”
“You’re food, Tora. That’s why you’re here. That’s why they’re only delivering one tray a day. In order for me to heal and survive, I need to eat. If I don’t kill and eat you, I will die. And they know I know that.”
He averted his eyes as a soft growl vibrated in his throat. â��They know that eventually my Lupan side will dominate if I don’t feed. When it does, and at some point soon it will, I’ll lose all trace of my humanity until I eat. You, Tora, are meant to be both my ultimate humiliation and my survival. And there’s no way I can prevent that from happening. Forgive me now, please, while I’m still able to hold onto my human side.”
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Chapter 5
Compassion
Once the initial shock of his announcement and plea faded away, Tora continued to stare into Croat’s eyes. She could see his concern as clearly as if he had painted the walls with it.
“Eat me?â�� she asked, aware of how much her voice quivered.
“Most people consider Lupan to be nothing more than bloodthirsty monsters. They think we’re too much of an animal to have the morals or conscience of a man.â�� He turned his face away from her, but continued to hold her hand. It kept their connection strong.
“Little by little I’ll grow weaker. I’ll starve. But at some point my animal instincts will be driven to the forefront, and I will attack you to survive. I won’t be able to stop myself, gods help me.â�� He looked back at her, and waves of fear washed over her.
“I’m not an animal, Tora. I am a man with the ability to live within an animal body. With an animal’s instincts and strengths way beyond what I would be capable of if I had only a human form. Lupan are just like you, like every other human being. We love and pursue beauty in nature. We nurture family and friends. We are human, but with an exception.”
“Pushed to the extreme, your animal qualities take over,â�� she said.
“Yes. Driven purely by instinct and the need to survive. It’s how we’ve been able to remain as a species for all these millennia.”
He averted his gaze again, and for several long moments they remained in silence. Presently, Tora asked, â��You said you nurture family. Like a mother and father? Children? Or…spouse?”
“We’re human,â�� he repeated. â��Under any other circumstances, if you came into our village, you would never know you were among Lupan.”
Her eyes widened. â��I wouldn’t know? How can you say that? I mean, just look at you! How would I not know you’re not Lupan?”
If he was capable of smiling, Croat seemed to do so. In the final rays of the day’s light he almost appeared to be laughing at her. â��Tora, you said you would tell me some of the stories you’ve heard about us. Do you think we look like this all the time? Is that something you’ve come to believe?”
“Don’t you?”
“No.”
His honest answer stunned her. â��You mean you can change the way you look?”
“Yes.”
“Oh!â�� She mulled over what he said. â��How?”
“I can’t explain how. To us it’s like eating. Or sleeping. Or breathing. We just do.â�� He moved slightly to ease a growing cramp. â��But when we do, it’s because it’s the way we protect our kind. The baron’s men arm themselves with guns. An animal bares his fangs and claws.”
“Then you’re really a man who can change into an animal? You were born looking human?”
“Yes.”
“Then why don’t you change? Why didn’t you change back into looking like a man before the baron’s men captured you?”
“Anger kept me in this form. Besides, if I had changed, it would have been difficult to explain to those men why I was running around in the darkness naked.â�� He gave a grunt.
Frowning, Tora searched inside herself and him for any sense of anger. She could feel his agony, his weariness, the gnawing hunger and nearly debilitating thirst. But not anger. She started to tell him what she knew, but he responded first.
“Injury also delays the revert. Once I am well enough I can be human again.”
“Yes, but as long as you are an animal you will act like one if you’re…uh…”
“Provoked,â�� Croat finished for her.
A sound from outside the cell made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Fearful, Tora rushed over to the far side of the cell, away from Croat, as the thud of boots grew nearer. As she huddled against the wall she could tell Croat was feigning sleep. She could also tell his anger was beginning to build, and she prayed he wouldn’t try to do anything in his weakened state. Deep down she knew he would not survive another beating like the one he had been given.
To their relief the boots passed by their cell and continued down the outer corridor. Once the sound of them had faded away Tora breathed easier. Leaning her head against the rock wall, she shivered.
“Tora.â�� His voice was weak.
Sniffing, she turned around to find he was no more than a darker shadow amid the gloom. â��What’s going to happen, Croat? What will happen when you can no longer control yourself? When you have no choice and you’re forced to kill me?”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,â�� he confessed. â��I would rather die first.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Don’t say what? That I would rather die than to eat you and live? If the tables were turned, would you be able to eat me if it meant survival?”
“I’m not Lupan,â�� she argued. â��It’s not in my nature to kill.”
“Neither is it mine.”
“But you’re an animal.”
A darkness filled with sorrow suddenly settled over her, blanketing her with unshed tears. After a long moment, Croat responded, â��Let’s pray I don’t descend that far.”
Taking a deep breath, Tora said, â��You will. Unless a miracle happens, it will come to that. You can’t deny it. But you know something? If my life, and my flesh, and my blood are enough to make you strong enough to escape this place, I won’t have any regrets.”
Strange how she could come to that conclusion and not feel any remorse. Yet it seemed inevitable. She was chained, and he was not. She had no way to get herself free. He had the opportunity. There could be no other outcome. She was ready to accept her fate.
It was a while before he answered. â��Tora, I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I can kill someone who has the kind of compassion you have inside you.”
“Don’t. Don’t think that,â�� she protested. â��If I had seen what you were before I touched you, I wouldn’t have tried to help you.”
“Yes, you would have. You still would have because you are a gentle person inside. You’re gentle and caring. In spite of what I look like, the fact that I was beaten and left to suffer, you still would have reached out to me.â�� He struggled to reposition himself. Lying on his right side for hours on end on the raw ground and rotten straw was becoming intolerable. â��These past few hours I’ve learned a lot about myself. I know what I’m capable of doing, but now I don’t know if I’m capable of taking your life, Tora. It’s not my strength that’s in question, it’s my heart. You’re not my enemy. In fact, you’ve become the opposite. And if circumstances were different, I could come to care for you as a friend and ally. Or perhaps something deeper.”
His confession shocked her. â��That’s impossible. No. Don’t say that.”
“Toraâ��”
“No! Don’t say that!”
“We value honesty as much as humans do,â�� he told her in a voice so soft she could barely hear him. â��Maybe this sensitivity thing works both ways, Tora. But when you’re next to me, touching me, the pain lessens. I can think clearly.â�� He moved slightly. â��Like right now. I can tell you’re cold. Come back over here.”
“What if the men come back?”
“We’ll think
of something. Please come back over here. Lie next to me. We can keep each other warm.”
She wanted to tell him that she had been needing to go back to him. She couldn’t explain why, but that mad dash to the other side of the room had felt as though she had ripped part of herself away, leaving it behind with Croat.
Silently she crossed the cell and stopped behind him. Involuntarily, her hand went over to stroke his fur, and found a heavily-muscled thigh beneath her palm. The image of his lax genitals flashed in her mind’s eye. Before she could stop herself, she tried to imagine what they would look like when he was aroused. Unfortunately, the best she could do was to compare him with the other animals, and that was a visual image she refused to entertain.
“Croat?”
A sleepy �Mmm?� answered her.
“Do you already have a wife? I mean, what would you call her? Your mate?”
“Wife,â�� he clarified drowsily. â��No. I don’t.”
The darkness deepened, as did the silence. Tora ran a hand over her face then realized how dirty she must be. Her hair still had mud and debris matted in it. Her clothes were almost in shreds. She ran her fingers over the inside of her arm. There wasn’t much meat on her bones. But if anyone had a remote chance of surviving, it would be Croat.
She was tired of running, tired of hiding. Life had been cautious, if not easy, when her mother had been alive. But that was because she didn’t have to shoulder the responsibility of guarding their secrets. Since her mother’s death, having to take care of Basil and be the sole provider had slowly been taking its toll on her health and sanity.
Her thoughts centered on her brother. She wondered how he was doing. Was he sitting at home, waiting for her? Certainly he would be hungry. It was unfortunate he had a tendency to go wandering about the countryside in aimless play if there was no one to watch over him. Would anyone take pity on him and see that he had a safe place to sleep? Or give him something to eat? Their tiny cottage was no bigger than this cell, but at least they had a fire to cook over and a pallet on the floor they could share. Would Basil have the ability to find his way home if he wandered off?
The tears began falling as her face grew warmer. Tora tried to hide her crying, hoping not to awaken Croat, without success. The man-beast had been right when he’d said he could sense her emotions in return. Sometimes a Sensitive found a person who could reciprocate the ability, the way her mother had found it in her father.
A hand reached out, touched hers, and closed over it. The simple gesture, and the thread of shared grief weaving around her was too much, and she burst into fresh tears.
It was too much to bear. The years of running, of hiding, of keeping Basil safe, and scrounging for any way to feed them both, her capture, and now the fact that she would soon be deadâ��Tora buried her face in Croat’s pelt and sobbed.
As the grief finally drained away, she pulled back and wiped her eyes and nose with the hem of her skirt. Exhaustion was quickly dragging her into sleep. Without thinking, Tora bent over and rested her face on his thigh where she had wept, and was asleep almost instantly.
She had no recollection of when she curled up behind him to share his warmth.
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Chapter 6
Damned
Croat was aware of how fiercely Tora was spooned up behind him. She was deep in exhausted sleep, worn down by the stress of these past two days and night, and terrified, as well as apprehensive. One arm was draped over his hip, her Sensitive power instinctively seeking that part of his body where she would cause the least amount of discomfort.
Prior to her capture, she had already been running and hiding, burdened with the additional responsibility of caring for a dependent brother. She had done everything she could to protect them both, while also struggling to keep some semblance of normalcy in their lives. Croat understood full well some of what she had been going through, but at least he had the ability to walk around in any village without suspicion. Unless he willed it otherwise, his Lupan side could remain hidden indefinitely. A Sensitive was unable to shut off her emotional links, or in any way control her power the way he could when he needed to shift from human to animal. Therefore discovery was always imminent, always a possibility for her.
And, unbelievably, people feared Sensitives more than they did Lupan. Croat knew much of that had to do with the fact that most people believed Lupan were fictional creatures. If they had truly existed, they were long gone now. Extinct, if they had existed at all.
Whereas Sensitives were real. They lived among people, undetected until they accidentally revealed themselves. Then the hue and cry would go up, and the poor woman would either be driven out, or tried and sentenced by a prejudiced jury and subsequently murdered for the �good� of mankind.
A pang of guilt raced through him forcing Croat to face the truth that he once had been numbered among those who were prejudiced about Sensitives. Had been, but not for the same reason as ordinary people.
Like the rest of humanity, there were good Lupan and bad Lupan. Yet he had always believed that all Sensitives were purveyors of the black magicks. That’s what he had been told all his life.
Stay away from them, for if they discover your true nature, they will raise the alarm. Or, worse, hunt you down and destroy you, just like humans would.
The sound of his grandmother’s voice whispered in his ear. With it came a twinge of sorrow. At that moment he felt Tora stir in her sleep. She had sensed his emotions and was instinctively reacting to them, even while unconscious.
In the brief time they had known each other, Croat had changed his whole perspective about all Sensitives being evil. He was wrong. Or, in the case of Tora, perhaps she was an exception. Maybe all Sensitives were not to be trusted, except for her. Or, perhaps there were good Sensitives, as well as bad ones.
He closed his eyes and tried to swallow. The minute amount of saliva he managed to produce did little, if nothing, to relieve his constricted throat. He needed water, any amount of water, or else the dehydration would kill him before the baron’s soldiers could.
Very slowly, Croat rolled onto his back to a different position, hoping it would be enough to ease the painful cramping in his right side and back. He ended up lying partially on top of Tora, but she didn’t move or try to push him away. In fact, her hand slid over his abdomen and pulled him tighter against her. She mumbled unintelligibly. Straining to understand her didn’t help. Croat sniffed and her scent filled his nasal cavities with her rich, female aroma.
At almost the same instant he could feel himself slowly becoming aroused. As his erection filled and stiffened, Croat had to shift his legs to relieve the pressure on his testicles. Tora was entering her menses, and while he was in his animalistic form, the call of her blood was irresistible. She was ripe and fertile, budding with youth and promising strength with the hot fluid sluicing through her veins. As his penis arched upward toward his belly, saliva began dripping from his glands.
His animal persona was exerting itself more and more as his hold on his humanity grew tenuous. He could imagine how salty sweet her blood would taste. How it would flow down his burning throat like the finest wine, finally quenching the agony in his gut. The pain from his broken bones and pulverized flesh was excruciating, but the thirst had gone beyond torturous. It was all-consuming now. Beyond any doubt, Croat knew he would die from dehydration if he didn’t get something to drink.
Soon.
The pitiful amount of soup the baron’s men gave Tora would barely sustain her, much less him. Soup. Ha. It was more broth than soup, with a smattering of something unidentifiable floating in it. But he was never meant to have any of the soup. Anything their jailors brought was meant solely for her because she needed to be kept alive. To tempt him with each passing hour. A living meal left to run around inside the predator’s cage.
However, his body’s reaction surprised him. He had never been sexually turned on by his prey. He
had never willingly fed on another human, either. Kill, maim, stalk, and terrify, yes. His food, though, was restricted to the four-legged variety, the same as any man who hunted for his quarry. Creatures of the forest graced his table, not humans. Never humans.
Were his injuries confusing him? Was Tora’s presence conflicting with his need for survival? It was a possibility he had not shared with her, yet he wondered if she was already aware of his dilemma.
He couldn’t deny the immediate fact that the scent of her blood was intoxicating. He could hear her heartbeat, like a slow, steady pounding echoing inside his chest, and the steady rushing of red nectar under her skin. It almost called to him.
Tora moved again. Her breath tickled the hairs on the back of his neck. The feel of her body snuggling along his made his erection jerk and lift even higher. It was beginning to throb, unfulfilled and unsatisfied. Croat sighed loudly. Her high breasts were firm and pillowy. What would it be like to lay his face against them? To caress them with his cheeks and lips, and catch the nipples between his teeth? What color would those delectable tips be? Would they be tiny like pearls, or thick and long, begging to be suckled?
His engorged dick quivered with the thought.
Croat somehow managed to stifle a groan. This predicament was driving him mad. The thirst alone was eroding his fragile hold on his humanity. Add his body’s reaction to Tora and he was doubly doomed.
Her hand dangling over his waist moved. Her fingers spread, found the warmth of his belly, and gave him a gentle pat. Croat sensed her sliding deeper into sleep. She was exhausted to the point of catatonia, slowly taken there by years of fear and stress. Yet she felt safe and protected by his presence. She was finally allowing herself to get the rest she so desperately needed because she trusted him. Trusted him to protect her. Trusted him to watch over her even though he was badly injured, and there was every chance he would be forced to feed on her.
If my life, and my flesh, and my blood are enough to make you strong enough to escape this place, I have no regrets.