Boundaries

Tish

{Tish}

My eyes felt sticky when I opened them, the room spinning so much when I did so, that I closed them almost immediately. The burning feeling in my bones had mostly subsided, but my muscles were tense and sore from clenching them in pain before. Maybe yesterday? It felt like some time had passed.

I had something metallic around my neck that I attempted to touch without opening my eyes again, but I couldn't move my arms. My legs were free; I could shift my knees and ankles. My head felt heavy, like a terrible hangover. Slowly, I opened my eyes again, the room still spun, but I tried to focus on my immediate surroundings. I was strapped down to a bed in a bright lab. An IV had been placed on my left into my hand, and another catheter was placed in my elbow. How long had I had been unconscious?

"Hello?" I called and felt a sharp zap of electricity down my neck. When I cried out, it happened again so I managed to take a deep, ragged breath and clenched my hands tightly in hopes that the cuff around my neck wouldn't react again. After a moment, I was able to breathe more normally but knew now I was unable to speak. Conor had mentioned these collar once; I knew of them vaguely; I would be unable to shift while wearing it.

The door opened, and I craned my head to see who it was. I couldn't see, but I could make out something that sounded like Sasha. The words were garbled as if she was too far away to hear. I should have been able to hear perfectly.

I didn't recognize the assistant that walked over to peer at me.

"Mrs. Mackey, she's awake," he called.

"Damn it, really?"

The clicking of her heels was percussive and unbearable to my pounding head. I groaned but arched my back when the cursed collar reacted again.

"You have that trigger too hot," the assistant noted.

"Probably," Sasha agreed, looking at her tablet. "There. That should be less reactive now."

"Sash-," I tried but was cut off by another jolt. The electricity didn't help my headache any.  I could feel that I cut my palms with my fingernails.

"Not that lax, dear," Sasha told me. "I don't need you screaming for help or bothering my assistants or shooting off that smart mouth of yours. I need your blood, and I need you to be quiet about it, or I'll just drain your body and dump you in the morgue. Got it?"

I nodded. Even frowning hurt my head. I forced my eyes to stay open, wanting to soak in every bit of information I could before they left.

Sasha turned to the young man. "But she shouldn't be awake. Up the dosage if you have to, she's a werewolf, and her immunity will make her difficult to drug."

Drug? Why were they drugging me?

"What if we swapped between a couple cocktails?" the assistant suggested. "So her body can't develop an immunity?"

"We'll look into it," Sasha agreed. "We don't even know if this works yet. But I have to go meet Grant; we'll find out in a bit. I'll be back. Oh, while Tish's awake, might as well feed her."

I was left alone. But unable to even call out, I didn't know how I'd ever escape. My hands were bound in cuffs at my sides. If I could somehow get a hand free, then I might be able to get loose. I struggled against the padded cuff, reaching as far as I could, hoping I could reach the buckle at my wrist. But that was no good. I would have to break my hand somehow, I realized. Good thing I was on some sort of analgesic, even if it was wearing off. I shoved my right hand against the bars, using my weight as well as I could to press my hand against the metal.

I heard and felt a crack just as the door opened, so I pulled my hand out as much as I could while still appearing to be restrained. The assistant was back. I didn't know his name, couldn't talk to him anyway. He raised the bed so that I was sitting up.

"Don't be difficult," he requested. "Or I'll just add a feeding tube while you're unconscious. Okay?"

I nodded, not wishing anything more invasive done to me. He brought a protein shake with a straw up to my lips, and I drank the whole things down, not worrying about how bland and unappetizing it was. I needed to focus on getting out and getting someone's attention. I was sure that Sasha had not cleared my kidnapping with anyone. Conor would notice I was gone if he wasn't locked up somewhere already.

I licked my lips and accepted the water I was given before the young man walked over to the IV bag, adding an injection to the bag. Mere seconds passed before my eyes were heavy and sticky again, but I fought against the drugs coursing through my system, trying to keep my eyes open.

"See you later," I heard in a muffled echoey way, and I lost consciousness again