Caged

Chapter 32.

She finally spoke when I didn't say anything again. "You look more like me than Abery."

Shock had frozen my mind as I stared back at her, but I managed to force words through my mouth at last. "You...think I'm your mom?"

She nodded and smiled over to me as she handed me another plate of dry macaroni noodles and cup full of water. Without noticing, I missed the cup and it dropped to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she dropped to her knees, trying to soak up the liquid into her shirt sleeve.

"Oh no. Daddy's going to be so mad. He hates when I make messes!" She said hurriedly, her voice laced with worry.

"Huntleigh it's ok. It's just water baby. We can clean it up." I said quietly, trying to soothe her fear that I could sense rolling off of her now.

"No! Daddy spanks for spilling. He gets mad at me. I have to clean it before he comes." She said as she began to breath a little too fast.

My hands came down to stop on hers, her little face popping up to look back at me. "I'll tell him I spilled it ok. We will get it cleaned up. Don't worry I'll clean it up."

I took the hem of my shirt and began to soak up what was left of the water, watching it disappear as the floor began to dry as the door clicked open. Huntleigh squealed in fear as her eyes widened and she sat straight down on the spot that had held the spill. Cage walked in and eyed us as he took in the scene.

"What's going on in here?" He asked cautiously. His eyes fell to the large wet spot on my shirt and his brows furrowed. He stalked over and looked down at the toys in the floor, noticing the few remaining drops of water and immediately scowling. "What did I tell you about the water Huntleigh? You know you're not allowed to have it to play with." He said, reaching down and gripping her arm to pull her onto her feet.

"I'm sorry daddy." She cried as large tears began to roll down her round cheeks. "I tried to clean it up. Promise!"

He sneered at her as his hand gripped to twist her around. Without thinking, my hand moved to hold his arm softly. "Cage I was the one that spilled it. It's my fault." I said quietly.

In an instant, the back of his hand flew up to pound across the side of my face, forcing me to fall over on my side at the contact as my vision spotted. Huntleigh screamed as she tried to squirm away from him but Cage growled, freezing her in her place.

"I don't care that you spilled it. She isn't supposed to have it and she knows it. She needs to know she can't sneak around like someone else used to do." He snarled as his yes flashed to me. "I'll deal with you later." He said before proceeding to spank Huntleigh hard as she cried, squirming in pain as the hits became stronger against her backside. I jumped to my feet, running to crouch in front of him, Huntleigh's screams becoming shrieks as she pulled hard against his hold.

"Stop it Cage! You're hurting her. Stop!" I said but he wouldn't release her.

Instinctively, my brain flew into action, and I launched myself at Cage, throwing my entire body at his arm as it rose into the air for yet another hard strike. He growled loudly but I caught him by surprise just enough for his hold to loosen on Huntleigh. She ran from his grasp as he swung out to catch her but I pushed harder against him, knocking him off balance.

He finally turned his full attention on me, his claws popping out as they dug into my skin. I cried out and pulled back to run for the door, hoping to draw him away, but he twisted his hand into my hair and yanked back hard. I screamed as my body flew back into the room, crumpling onto the floor as he stormed straight for me. I instinctively curled around myself, trying to protect my body as his booted foot reared back and kicked into my stomach. All of the air whooshed out of my lungs and I gasped for air as I pressed my face into the cold wood floor beneath me, struggling to move air back into my lungs. His foot came down hard again, this time directly into my rib cage and I heard a series of cracks as it connected, sending white hot fire running through my side with every staggered breath. I cried out in pain and rolled over protectively, trying to shift away so that he couldn't kick the same spot. 

He crouched down to loom over me, his claws gripping my chin hard and forcing my eyes open as he squeezed. "You think you have any right to keep me from punishing her how I see fit? Who do you think you are?" 

My head struggled to pull to the side as my eyes caught her wide blue ones as she tucked further against the wall in the corner. "I'm her mother." I said firmly.

Cage's hand snapped my eyes back to his gaze, but I heard a small gasp from Huntleigh as my focus returned to the two electric blue eyes glaring down at me. He leaned closer, snarling into my ear as he spoke. "You left her. She doesn't belong to you anymore. She's mine."

His hand dropped to my neck and I felt him beginning to squeeze as I coughed and gasped, trying to pull air into my lungs. I reached up to desperately try and claw at his hands, failing as he squeezed harder to prove that he could. My vision was beginning to blur at the edges and I hadn't gotten another free breath through. He pushed harder against my throat and my hands flew up to claw at his face but he pulled his face away. I managed to get one good scratch down his cheek just below his eyes before his eyes glazed over, seeming to be focusing on something else. I wiggled, hoping his grip would loosen in his distracted state, but they only squeezed tighter. 

Suddenly, his hands released me and he jumped to his feet as I rolled my body over, gasping hard and pulling painful breaths into my burning lungs. "Fucking asshole. Why is he here?" He said to himself. My vision was spotty, but I could see that he was walking to the door. He turned his head over his shoulder and growled at me loudly before he spoke. "Do not make a sound in here. Do you understand?"

I tried to respond, but my voice broke only as a hoarse whisper, unintelligible. I woodenly nodded, my sore neck shooting fire through my muscles as tears began to pour from my eyes. I gripped hard into the wood to keep from screaming out in pain as I lifted my head to watch him shut the door behind him. I heard him bolt it shut before walking toward the front door in a hurry. I blinked slowly and Huntleigh's blue eyes were staring down at me, her face wet and splotchy with tears as her little hands wiped my cheeks tenderly. 

"Thank you for helping mommy." She said in a whisper and my heart stopped, my breath catching as I struggled to pull my face up to look at her. 

I finally settled for rolling on my good side and letting my head tilt up as it rested against the floor. I tried to speak again, but nothing came out, so I simply nodded as several more tears streaked down the side of my face. 

I heard a loud booming voice, dripping with Alpha authority and felt my body jump painfully in response as it stopped outside of the door. 

"If you don't open this fucking door Cage, I will do it myself." the voice said loudly. 

After several long moments, the door flew open, blasting off of its hinges as wood splintered into the room. Huntleigh screamed and jumped behind me, my hand reaching around for her to wrap my arm around her protectively. She shrank into my back as close as she could and dug her face into my shoulder as I felt her little body begin to tremble. My eyes snapped up to see a tall man with a figure so large he made the doorway feel smaller as he stomped through it. His dirty blonde hair was cropped at the sides, leaving it long on the top of his head and pulled back tight. His piercing ocean blue eyes searched the room wildly, landing on the huddled mess that was my body lying to the side as Huntleigh pushed tighter into my body, whimpering slightly. 

He clenched his bearded jaw and his eyes widened before hardening and turning to snarl at Cage who was now standing board straight and clenching his fists hard at his side as he glared down at me. "So it's true? Where's the other one?"

"She's back beneath the floor boards in a cubby. She's fine." Cage gritted out as his eyes remained locked on me in the floor.

"Show me. Now." The man barked as he squared his shoulders and turned to walk out of the door behind Cage. He paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulders, his nostrils flaring slightly as he eyed us, finally shaking his head and walking through the door and down the hall. 

Avery. They're going to get Avery.