Nature of the beast (book 1 of the Beasties)

This Cinderella has Claws

It's freezing in this tent. Slowly an aching returns to my body. My wrists feel raw. I try to bring them down from over my head, but they're caught in something. My eyes fly open. Looking around wildly, there are three horrifying things I realize. One is I'm naked, two, I'm tied down to the floor of a strange, dark room, and lastly, I have no idea where I am or how I got here.

Chuckling interrupts my revelations. Wes materializes in front of me. "I told you Emily, no matter how far you run, I'll always find you." My body starts to shake. I want to cry, but I refuse to give this monster the satisfaction. "Now, lets begin our lesson because I have to re-train you, and it's going to take a long time. You've picked up quite a few nasty habits my little cannery." He can do what ever he wants, I refuse to break again. When I figure out a way to escape, I have Liam to return to. He excepts me for who I truly am. This thought will keep me going.

Wes cracks his leather belt to regain my attention. I numb my mind and body. Mentally I travel to that cozy warm barn with that handsome, loving man, who is going to be worried sick because I won't be in camp, when he wakes up. The first strike hits my body, but all I feel is the warmth of the memory of Liam's smile, instead of the awful sting.

*********

After three days, I pretend to crack. I slipped back into the roll of Emily, so I could bide my time. Wes finally untied me yesterday because Cathrin threatened him to. She was getting tired of tripping over me. In between Wes's torture sessions and his advances, I memorized the layout of this room.

Now that I'm free to move about, I've been secretly learning the layout of the cabin. Through the windows, The wilderness presses into the building, giving zero open space. Fine with me, it'll make it easier to get away from Wes. He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag if he had to. The ones I worry about is Cathrin and the other two goons.

I'm back in the uniform. The black t-shirt makes my skin crawl, but it's better than being naked. I'm cleaning the kitchen floor trying to figure out how to hide a knife under it, with out cutting myself. Everyone else is taking a nap. Ever so slowly, while I hand wipe the floor, I peek into the drawrs. In the last one, I notice a matalic shimmer with the letters C.B. engraved on it. So that's where they put the pocket knife I found. How stupid can they be? Quietly I slip it into my messy bun.

A car horn honking, startles me. Everybody gets up immediately, rushing around, trying to make the place apear presentable. I just sit there, faded in to the background. The door bursts open revealing Canis. My blood runs cold. This guy makes Wes seem like a fluffy hamster. I can feel it, how dangerous and uncaring he is. I knew since the first time I saw him in Liam's garden.

Canis's eyes lock onto me. A sick smirk twists his pretty boy face. I want to rip it off. So he's the one who's planned all of this. "Ahhh... So Cinderella has finally graced us with a visit." He teases. I feel icky from his choice of word 'visit.' He struts over to me, than rests his palm to my cheek, rubbing his thumb across my lips.

"Emily is mine! That is our agreement!" Wes yells. One of the goons holds him back. Canis seems amused.

"She's still your dolly, I just want to play with her for a while." His eyes hold untold promises. I shutter in disgust. "Is my room prepared Cathrin? I'm feeling exhausted." Wes is fighting against the goon until a great thump was landed on top of his head by the goons fist. Wes crumpled to the floor.

"Yes alpha, all specifications have been made." She informs.

"Very good Cathrin. There might be hope for you yet." Canis grabs me by the arm and drags me to his room up the stairs, the one place I hadn't been able to get into. He pulls out a key, unlocks the door and leads me in. He shuts the door, locking it behind us. There is no need for a light because giant french picture windows take up a quarter of the wall. The room appeared normal and harmless, but I'm not nieve enough to believe it.

Canis pushes me into the king sized bed, than stratles me. "I can't believe you are the key to controling the lunar government. You are going to turn everything around into my favor, but first, I want to see if you are worth throwing my mate away, in exchange for your power." He lasciviously states. I'd rather be tard and feathered before joining this sick, crazy, playboy.

He goes in for the kill, macking on my neck, colar bone, and lips. I play along, pretending to moan as my left hand deftly finds the pocket knife in my hair. I hear chains rattling. Crap! He's distracting me while he gets his gear out. Quickly I flick the blade out and slash at what ever is closest to my left hand, which so happened to be his leg. When he reared up about to scream in pain, my knife slashed his mouth, cutting a good chunk off his tounge. With all my might I pushed him off of me and ran to the windows. 'Tuck and roll' kept playing in my mind.

I smash through the windows, cannonballing to the ground into leafless bushes. I egnore the pain as I untangle myself, then bolt into the woods. I can hear a stream near by. Getting closer to the stream the sound turns into a roaring, by the time I make it to the stream, I realize its a river. Crashing inturupts my awe. Behind me, from where I had come, Cathrin and her thugs are standing there. With out hesitating, I take my chances with the river. I'd rather die a watery death, than go back.

When I hit the water it was like jumping into a meet locker full of thousands of needles. What ever breath I had is gone. I force myself to move my limbs, so they won't lock up from the cold. I some how make it to the surface and take a deep breath, despite the painful constrictions. The rivers current starts to pick up speed. I do my best, swimming along with it, trying to go diagonally towards the shore. The water begins to turn rapid, sucking me back in. It's no longer about swimming, now it's a struggle to live. My vision is turned so topsy turvey that I can't get my barring. Suddenly I feel myself free falling. I open my eyes wide, realizing that I'm riding a waterfall. Smack!!! I cannonball into a natural pool from the fifty foot drop. I can't tell if I'm swimming to the bottom of the pool or the surface, eventually I give up. I can feel my body float, remembering the body floats up when suspended, I hold still, feeling the slight rise. I start to swim in that direction, by now my lungs are burning to their bursting point. The surface finally breaks. I gasp and sputter for air. Exhausted I head to shore. With all the strength I have left, I pull my body out of the peaceful river at the bottom of the waterfall. My world turns black.