“Of course not, my dear. I have plans and they revolve around you.”
With her arms and chest trapped, Meg moved to kick, and squirming to slip out of the chair, but Arkdone anticipated this. Still standing behind her, he cupped his right hand and slapped her ear hard. A deafening echo burst through her head and instantly her equilibrium was shattered. She clenched her eyes shut against the reverb in her skull and the rocking of the room.
She didn’t really feel the thick Velcro straps being positioned around her ankles and wrists. By the time Arkdone had completely secured Meg to the wheelchair, she was wondering if she would have to rethink the whole I’m not going to cry in front of this monster thing.
“There now,” Arkdone was saying. “All set for a quick ride to the lab. I’m sure your family will be glad to see you.”
Meg knew she needed to pay attention to where he was taking her, but her head was still reeling horribly from the powerful ear slap.
“Don’t think I can’t imagine your thoughts, Meg Winter. You’ll see exactly what you’re up against in just a moment.” Arkdone smiled to himself at his cruelty.
He pushed open thick, American Oak doors and rolled Meg into a room. The ringing in her ear was still pronounced, but she was ignoring the pain now that she could see her family. Straight ahead was Creed. The look on his face was relief at seeing Meg but fury at being bound by iron shackles on his ankles and wrists. The iron was incredibly thick, heavy and cemented directly into the cinder block wall behind him. He moved to stand, but the chains kept him caged low to the ground, nearly looking hog-tied to the Texan in Meg.
Ten feet to his right was Cole. After he glanced up to see who they’d brought in this time, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back to the concrete floor murmuring something about this being the worst nightmare ever. Cole was strapped into a wheelchair very much like Meg’s. He also looked drugged by the hazy look in his eyes.
Ten feet to his right was her sweet littlest brother, Evan. The look on his face was one of anger mixed with terror. The terror in his eyes stilled Meg more than anything that had been done to her so far. Her sweet, logical brother was terrified. We must be in some seriously deep shit if Evan left his stoicism and ventured into emotions.
Looking back to Creed’s left, Meg saw the newest member of their group, Dr. Sloan Mor. She looked crazed, her gunmetal gray eyes darting around the room franticly, her lips taking on a bluish hue. She looked every bit the thirteen-year-old girl she was.
Arkdone began wheeling Meg to a spot to the left of Sloan where there stood a large machine. Connected to it was a helmet-looking device with colorful wires spilling from the back of it.
A shuffling sound came beside Evan and for the first time, Meg laid eyes on the immoral Dr. Bjorn.
Meg felt the urgent need to send her family soothing emotions. This was terrifying for all of them. Without thinking of the consequences, Meg opened her heart and let her eyes scan the room as she began the out poor of love and strength. Her eyes locked with Creed’s. His strikingly beautiful blue eyes captured her and fed her a surge of strength. He was sending her one thought continually, I love you. I love you. I love you. In return she was sending…
“Enough!” Arkdone bellowed across the room. He sent a blast of pain as he did back in the cell that seared Meg’s empath connection and yanked her emotions hard enough to make her nose start gushing blood again.
“Why do you force me to hurt you, Meg?” Arkdone actually looked to Meg with pain in his eyes. He reached toward the table and grabbed a gauze pack. He shook his head sadly as he used his teeth to rip open the packaging. He stepped closer to Meg and knelt beside her body, still strapped hopelessly to the chair. With a delicate touch, he used the gauze to catch the blood oozing dark down her lips and chin, soaking into the white T-shirt he’d just found for her.
“Don’t touch her,” screamed Creed and Evan at the same time.
“Oh, I’ve already touched her,” Arkdone smiled wickedly. “I just finished helping her bathe. Isn’t that right, Meg?”
Though her head was still pounding, she caught the horrified look on both Evan’s and Creed’s faces. Cole looked up to see what all the yelling was about, then let his head fall back into place.
Meg felt like a cheap whore at what Arkdone insinuated to her brother and her boyfriend. Her face burned red with humiliation. Having suffered through his attentions was appalling enough, but it was another dimension of horror to have the men in her life, who respected and loved her, know just how violated she had been.
“Well, now that we’re nearly all present and accounted for, I’ll dispense with the monologue and just get right to the rules of the game.”
He spun in the center of the room to be sure he had everyone’s attention. His hands clasped behind his back as he paced.
Chapter 59 Little Sparrow