Nerina [eShort Series]

Vol.9 - Acquired Taste | i

Steele paced in his cell as he listened to the frantic movements of the werewolves out on the streets. Duncan had locked him in the prison inside the city. As an extra precaution, Camorra was sent in to reinforce his cell with magic. There was no way out. If he even touched the bars a shock of electricity would have him paralyzed. He had found that out the hard way. His skin still tingled.

His incarceration gave him plenty of time to think. Nerina had torn down the back gate to hell.

That was what Duncan had said but it couldn't be true. Steele stopped moving, expanding his hearing as high as he could. As far out as he could; beyond the walls that held his cell. Whatever had happened had thrown the wolves into a state of emergency. He could hear the commands being hurled out, and the howls echoing across the city. Some in answer, some in warning. All showing a desperate level of emergency. The Hunts Clan was in a frenzy prepping for a fight.

Steele started to pace again. To have done what they said she had. He shook his head. Impossible. Not even he was strong enough. No one he knew was strong enough. Duncan, with Camorra's help, still wouldn't have been strong enough. His pacing slowed when he heard the screaming. Feet running. It sounded like there was a stampede in the streets. Fear, thick and heavy came at him in battering waves.

"Run, they're coming this way."

The frantic warning was followed by screams of pain. Barking? The world outside his cell, outside his prison, was in a panicked frenzy and there was something coming. The others in the cells with him knew something was happening but they couldn't hear the things he did. He was the only vampire there. The chaos came closer, louder. There was a banging on the outside of the door leading into them. It was a simple holding area. It had not been designed to hold anything powerful in or hold anything powerful out.

Bang, bang, bang. The ramming on the door continued and all the prisoners in the passage of cells stood at the bars waiting with baited breath knowing the worst might be coming. For them. There were no guards there as all werewolves had been called away. Steele had thought that highly suspicious but now he had a fairly good reason why. They had run to save their hides.

Bang, bang, bang - then stop. Some released sighs of relief but Steele could hear the labored breathing on the other side of the door. The final bang had the door caving in and flying down the passageway sliding on the floor by his cell. It slammed into the wall at the end of the passage.

On either side of the two rows of cells, there were twenty-one holding areas. He was in the twentieth cell to the right of the room coming in through the front. He couldn't see all the way up to the top but knew something was there waiting. A growl not that of a werewolf came vibrating down the corridor. The stench of fear burnt his nose. The chaos from outside was now inside stalking the narrow passageway. Steele could hear the screams, the slamming on the cell bars. Whatever it was it was trying to get through the cell doors at the prisoners.

The chaos moved down the passage towards him as did the heavy breathing. Soon the source came in sight. A dog. One as tall as he was with the body of a male ox on steroids. Its mouth was so filled with razor sharp teeth that it couldn't be closed. Its tongue came out to run along them. Spittle, already stained with blood dripped from its mouth to the floor. Steel heard others though he could not see them around the bulk of the one staring him dead in the eyes.

The dogs were getting at the others in the cells, bending the bars with their enormous bodies, knocking them out of place and dragging the prisoners out. The sounds were loud. Steele forgot that he had not turned his ear volume down. He did this as he stood face to face with a hell hound.