The Soldier's Hostage

Chapter Three

Arthur sent me to bed when noon rolled around. It was late for me too honestly. As the food source and plaything of Vampires, I usually kept to their hours. He regarded me for a long moment from the doorway as I kicked off my shoes and sat on the edge of the bed.

He finally frowned and moved into the room. He grabbed the hanging cuff that was still half attached to the bedpost and held out a hand. I glanced up into his eyes, a little startled at the mild apology I found there.

I gave him my wrist and he clicked the cuff around it, making sure it was tight without being uncomfortable. I watched him leave then, just as confused as yesterday. The apology was foreign. I had expected him to keep me constrained somehow, especially after they had caught us talking about escape. He shouldn't have felt the need to apologize for that. He shouldn't have felt the need to apologize to a human at all.

I was also quite confused as to why he still had yet to touch me in any way other than a cursory professionalism. My body and my blood should have been his to use and abuse. Yet, he was refusing to even look at me that way.

I sighed and slid under the covers, getting comfortable around the cuff binding my wrist. Maybe he was just keeping me in good condition before Sophia came to get us. That had to be it. If we were dead or damaged, we were useless as a bargaining chip. I closed my eyes to get some sleep as I decided that had to be it.

For the next week we settled into that strange routine. Arthur didn't cook so we would go out for coffee and something to eat for one meal and he would order in for the other meal. He watched me carefully for any signs that I was going through withdrawal and would give me a fix before it got to bad. He cuffed me to the bed at night. And he never touched me.

At the end of the week, it all changed. I cocked my head curiously when Arthur came out of his room in a police officers uniform. He noticed me staring at him and then explained as he turned back to getting ready to go get breakfast.

"I have to go back to work today. You'll be fine on your own?"

I slowly nodded. We went to the usual place, where Ashley, the usual order taker, greeted us both by name and handed over our coffee and muffins. Then Arthur took me back to his apartment and stopped in the doorway. I glanced back when he didn't follow me in.

He fixed me with a serious look. "I'm not going to handcuff you. If there's an emergency you need to be able to move. But I expect you to stay in the apartment and not make trouble."

I nodded. "Right." I frowned when he looked at me suspiciously. "I won't go anywhere." Arthur finally nodded and juggled his breakfast into one hand so he could grab the doorknob. He gave me some last minute instructions to go down the hall to Zach and Sable, or upstairs to Katty if I needed anything. Then he headed off to work.

I sighed as I looked around the apartment. I was pretty sure I could get the TV working. Though I didn't know if I could sit still for that long. He hadn't left me with any chores to do. I sighed and sat down to eat my breakfast. That didn't kill much time at all.

I settled in to watch TV. I wasn't like Max. I couldn't just sit still and zone for any length of time. I needed something to do or the boredom would drive me insane. Time slowly ticked by. When would Arthur be back?

I leapt to my feet as the door opened, spinning to see who it was. A girl walked in. Katty's sister, Tony. She grinned at me. "Hello there. Tucker, right? Relax. Arthur sent me to check up on you." She looked me over. "You look bored."

I nodded. "I'm used to doing chores of one kind or another."

Tony chuckled. "Well, don't try to clean in here. Everything is exactly where Arthur wants it. Unless we're talking about the kitchen. That could probably use a good scrubbing and restock of actual food." She turned for the refrigerator. "I keep telling him he needs to cook instead of doing take out all the time but..."