Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

59. Locked up

RAFE

My head was pounding to the point that I was convinced it was about to explode. My whole body was aching. Dully first, then in hot stabs. I opened my eyes, gritting my teeth while I tried to sit up. When I looked around, I didn't recognise the room that I was in. Once my vision adapted to the darkness, I realised I was actually in a cell.

It was a tiny space with a single bed attached to the wall and the floor. There were no windows, but the steel jail bars with the sliding door in front of me allowed me to see that my cell was at the end of the corridor. The whole place smelled like metal, cement and sweat, and was eerily quiet.

I walked over to the steel door, grabbing hold of the cold metal bars, but the burning sensation in my hands the moment I touched them made me pull back immediately. Shit, warlock magic. Wherever I was, the cell was set up for keeping shifters locked up.

What the hell is going on, Kai?

Silence.

Kai, this is not a good time to be napping.

No answer again, not even a snarky remark. That damn wolf would never miss an opportunity to have a go at me and now he picked the time to go MIA.

Kai?

Shit, what the hell happened to him? And what the fuck was going on?

I tried to rack my brain to remember how I ended up here.

The last thing I remembered was getting the text from Cyrus that Aiden was in trouble. I rushed over to his place and found the dragon Alpha sitting in his living room. I recalled him turning around and then....he shot me! The motherfucker blasted me with one of those energy blasters that Markolf's people had.

What the actual fuck was going on?

I retook a step towards the bars, wincing from the pain I was experiencing- the energy blast's effect most likely. I should have been recovering by now, but it was not happening which was not good and there was no sign from Kai either, so I couldn't shift to heal.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

A pained groan echoed across the place, one that was not coming from me. I moved as close as possible to the door of my cell. The nearer I got, the more I sensed a familiar scent.

"Aiden?"

All I got was another groan.

"Aiden?"

"Stop shouting, Rafe," he grunted, "my head already feels like someone smashed it in a wall."

"Yeah, well, join the club."

"Where the hell are we?" I couldn't see him as he spoke, but I could hear him moving around his cell, which seemed to be on the side of the wall, right next to mine.

"In a cell."

"Why do you have to be a prick when I am in pain?" he grumbled.

I sighed in a temporary relief- if we were back to bantering, it meant that we were still okay. "What can I say- it's my natural talent. Oh, and don't touch the bars. Warlock magic."

The sound of the bars shaking before a hiss was heard was all I got in return. "What the fuck did I just tell you?" I said, smacking my forehead with my palm in disbelief.

"I had to make sure that you were not just being an idiot who was allergic to steel." Silence settled in as he paused. "So, what now?"

"Not sure. I can't get hold of Kai and I am not healing quite as I should. I don't know if it's because of the energy blast or something else."