The darkness was calling out to him and I could do little to stop it, but I could at least hope to delay its effects. He moved toward me once again.
“Saleos, please wait!”
“What do you want, you stupid human? Say your piece and spread those legs. I can smell your tempting cunt from here,” he answered.
“I know what they did to you,” I began.
He paused but said nothing. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“I know they took everything from you. Forced you to live in a prison cell, every day of your life. Cuffed you to a metal gurney, stole your blood, your seed, and other pieces of your body for experiments, tested horrific weapons on you, hurt you solely for the advancement of science. They didn’t care about you, but I do. I care, and I want to help you,” I said, trying to keep any semblance of hope from my tone.
He didn’t respond.
“I have a link to the outside world. I offer you the opportunity for revenge, far bigger then you could ever dream of, if you just allow me to live. I’ll help you find those who hurt you, the ones you could never find if you didn’t have my help,” I offered.
His eyes glittered with the possibility but then his nose sniffed the air. His eyes darkened further. I pressed my thighs together, trying to hide my scent as best as possible and his eyes lightened, just a hair. He stared at me with keen interest, so I decided to go on.
“Imagine all the humans
you could kill. All those involved with using you for their gain, all those who want to exploit your kind for everything you’re worth. Those who want to clone a million versions of your brother instead of you,” I continued, and he looked like he was going to take the bait for a good long second.
Then he met my eyes, and they darkened considerably once more. I feared my efforts hadn’t taken any effect until he let go of my foot and sat down, nearby in a wooden chair.
“What do you know of these things? A simple human woman as yourself?” he asked, holding back for the time being and for that, I was grateful. It was obvious Saleos was extremely intelligent and was a man who would pause once a more interesting proposition came about, no matter the temptation before him.
“I was a scientist once,” I began. The moment I uttered those words, he stilled, anger surfacing over his features.
“Did you torture beings such as myself? Keep them locked in a cage and experiment on them with horrendous ideas?” he asked, his voice trembling with palpable fury.
“No, I’ve never done such things,” I answered.
His hold on the chair visibly relaxed and so did my heart.
“There’s billions of people out there. Thousands who knew of your confinement. Should you seek them out among the billions of humans out there, you will have your revenge. And I have the skills to help you find them,” I offered.
“I imagine your skills do not come without a price,” he observed.
“I ask that you leave me untouched. That you allow me to live and I will give you want you want. You let me survive and I will give you all that you desire,” I breathed, my heart hammering in my chest. My scalp burned hotly from his touch, the pain still simmering deep within my skin and I tried to contain my fear. I prayed that he’d think it through and take my offer, that he’d allow me to survive this night despite his beastly instincts to mount me.
“You can help me find the men who ordered my captivity? Who demanded I be contained behind bars and kept subject to constant experimentation?” he asked, his voice firm, focused. His eyes met mine, unwavering and entirely too intelligent for my liking.
“I will help you, Saleos. It pains me that you led such a cruel life. I want to help you get your revenge too,” I breathed.
His eyes searched the floor for a long time, before they met mine once again.
At first, they were black, and then smolders of flame burned their way back in. I watched as he gained control of his body, pushing back beastly instincts to become more human once again.
“I will ensure you keep your promise, human. Should you not, I’ll rut you until you bleed, and you scream for me to spare you. Then, I’ll tear your head from your neck and you’ll die alone, where no one will ever find you,” he warned, and I was left without words, a silent scream begging to expel from my throat.
He stood, glared at me one last final time and left the room, leaving me alone. I waited a long time, listening to his footsteps echo as he left. When it was finally completely silent, I laid back for a while, trying to still the hammering of my heart.
After what felt like an hour, I finally pushed myself up off the floor and sat still for a while. When I was ready, I got up to my feet, standing a bit unsteadily as my blood simmered with adrenaline and resounding fear. Eventually, I ventured out of the room he’d dragged me into and made my way out into the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief when I finally made my way back to the creepy room of corpses. The room was quiet, and I practically jumped into the portal as soon as I came to it.
The portal felt just as jarring as it did before. My body free fell until it landed back on the floor in the scientist’s mountain house and it jolted the breath from my throat when I landed, but I was thankful I was alive.
I’d think about the ramifications of the deal I’d made with Saleos later.
I retraced my footsteps as quickly as I could, leaving the strange compound behind and making my way back to the caves. The walk back to the caves I had been staying the last few days was short.