Chapter 5
XANDER
That fucking bastard of a warlock had us chained up like dogs in his dungeon. No, worse than dogs. That would be an insult to the animal. We were being treated like hostile prisoners, which we weren’t.
I raged against the chains but couldn’t budge them. The silver prevented my shifter strength from performing as it usually did. I let out a low growl, and Kyle grunted beside me.
“Just fucking calm down,” he said, for the second or third time. He’d managed to shift back to human once we’d been put in this lavish-style dungeon. “Trust me, you’ll be a lot more comfortable if you stop trying to fight against the chains, and let your human side re-emerge.”
I stilled my body, currently trapped on a soft bed. I was chained to the mattress and the more I fought, the tighter the chains bit into my flesh. Kyle was probably right. I did need to calm down.
I took a careful breath and slowed my heartbeat.
Finally, I felt my humanity slip back within reach. I let go of my wolf strength, though my shifter begged me not to, and became a man once more.
I sighed heavily. “You’re right. That’s better.”
The chains were still wrapped around my body. Being magical, they seemed to adjust to our shape and size, whatever form we were in. But the metal was warm rather than hot, and the sheets beneath me were soft. My human eyes took in the colors and light a lot better.
This might be what they called a dungeon, but at least it wasn’t dank and disgusting.
“This looks like some sort of... genie bottle interior, or something,” I said, staring around.
Kyle laughed. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”
The room had no windows but was painted in heavy royal purples and pinks. Pillows were strewn on the floor as well as on our beds. There was even a rug to lie upon. If these damn chains would let us move that far.
“What sort of dungeon is this?”
Kyle shrugged at me from where he sat on his bed, leaning against the wall behind him. “Not a normal one. That’s for sure. This whole place is weird. It’s like something out of a fairy tale or something. Real but... not quite. You know?”
“Yeah.” I did know what he meant, sort of. But I couldn’t put my finger on what was out of kilter. Other than the fact that Kyle and me were trussed up like turkeys, of course.
He lifted one of his arms, showing me his range of movement. “If you move really slowly, and don’t think anything aggressive or angry, the chains kinda loosen.”
I wriggled my fingers then tried to lift my arm. The chains tightened even further. Anger rushed through me as I shook my head. “Not a chance.”
“It took me ages to get it to work. Try it without the anger next time.”
He closed his eyes like he was trying to rest.
I gaped at him. “You’re not seriously gonna sleep, are you?”
He didn’t even open his eyes to answer. “Of course, I am. They’re not coming down anytime soon. They’re going to bed. And if we’ve got any hope of getting out of here alive, we need our strength. So, my suggestion would be to get some rest too, if you can.”
I huffed, but he was probably right. I was already on my belly, on the bed, so all I had to do was roll over.
Not the easiest thing to do with magical chains wrapped around my torso, arms, and legs. After many deep breaths and calming thoughts, I managed to roll onto my back and relax into the pillow.
Kyle’s soft snore filled the air; somehow, he’d managed to fall asleep sitting up.
Good for him.
I closed my eyes and mulled over the day. Was it really only this morning I’d gained a new nephew, and then learnt about the curse on our pack? I huffed out another sigh. My pack was cursed, and I wanted to help them. I needed to fix everything. But how could I do that when I was so obviously helpless against the magical power of these people?
I snorted. I’d never been helpless, not since I was an infant. I couldn’t believe the witches and warlocks in this town were so powerful.
Why had no one ever told us that?