Gypsy Moon

Chapter Sixty-four: Gyam

. . . . . . (early June)

Aiden collapsed suddenly, his body shifting back to human as he abruptly lost consciousness. I had that much warning before I felt a dart hit my side. It felt like my mind was in a sudden fog, my heart began racing as my body went numb and I crumpled to the ground. I shifted to my human form quickly and closed my eyes, slowing my breathing as if I had passed out.

This poison was familiar, and feeling it course through my body once more sent more rage through me than I thought possible. Which coincidentally made it pretty easy to fight it, along with the string of obscenities I was mentally calling myself. I'm sure Aiden was under almost as soon as the dart hit him.

Soft footfalls became distinct from the forest noise, the slow, careful steps of Hunters. I lay limp next to Aiden, listening to them move around us. Three so far.

"bind them." Quick, efficient hands looped rope around my numb limbs and drew them tight. Thanks to Sir's constant abuse, I am really good at playing dead, and I'm also really good at escaping knots. I calmly allowed the Hunters to tie me up and toss me aside like a sack of potatoes. I listened as they bound Aiden, his breathing was slow but steady, and his heartbeat was smoothing out after the initial shock from the poison.

The low grumble of a truck approached us, the hunters all stood together past Aiden. I almost grinned from my crumpled heap. The truck door opened and another set of footfalls joined the three pair near Aiden.

"Put them in the back, throw the tarp over them." They collected Aiden first, and I waited patiently for them to do the same for me. They covered us with a heavy tarp and I rolled my eyes as I slowly opened them. I could feel beads of sweat starting to form in the stuffy heat under the tarp.

I rolled my eyes again when I heard the truck doors open and close. They didn't tie the tarp down, so I was sure they couldn't be going far. We slid uncomfortably on the truck bed as the truck jumped into motion. I frowned, Aiden's face scraped against the weathered metal, several small scratches marred his smooth complexion.

The drive was longer than I expected, and rough. I was doubting the definition of 'road' they were driving on. However, I was starting to be able to feel my limbs again. If they hit Aiden with the same dose they hit me with, he should be able to fight back awake pretty soon. I chuckled as I felt the tingles in my body spreading faster. An unexpected, but welcome bonus to being the primary consciousness in our body, I was burning through the tranquilizer faster than Michael would have been able to.

/:Bet he didn't think of that.:/ Michael's laughter was contagious and I bit my lip to stop snickering, focusing instead on twisting slowly in my bindings to find a weak point. The constant jostling from the truck's movement was making it a bit more difficult. I didn't pull my bindings off, just shifted the knots around to look far tighter than they actually were. That done, not much to do but wait for Aiden to regain consciousness. I closed my eyes and focused on my bonds amongst the pack.

Tia was worried. Damn, I thought I had blocked the link well enough. Oh well, she had saved me the trouble of calming Sinah down when Aiden would have disappeared from their link. I shifted my focus, the Campus Police were in full rescue mode. Good, they scrambled the moment they felt Aiden drop.

/:Most people worry when they get kidnapped.:/ I grinned at Michael's amused observation. Most people don't have thirty wolves hardwired into homing devices racing a bee-line after them. I twisted to put my face nearer to Aiden's, he should be able to come around soon.

His body was still slack, I noticed with a frown, he was bouncing bonelessly as the truck slowed. I must have built up a tolerance over my years with Sir, it was taking longer for Aiden to come around than I expected. I could feel the cloud the tranquilizer put in my mind start to dissipate, so I pushed my forehead against Aiden's, trying to boost our link through physical contact.

/:aiden.:/ His heartbeat picked up speed slightly. /:wake up.:/ I smiled slightly as his breathing hitched and his brows furrowed.

/:gyam?:/ His voice was weak through the link, but he was awake. The truck rolled to a sudden stop, and I pushed my head against his urgently.

/:stay calm.:/ I relaxed swiftly as the truck doors opened and closed. The tarp was flung aside and dry desert air washed over us, making my skin prickle. Someone chuckled snidely.

"Now THAT is a beautiful sight!" Rough hands grabbed me and tossed me onto a flat surface, a cart of some sort, I assumed, and Aiden was rather unceremoniously dumped on top of me. "Take them in and get them set up."

Oh, I'll give you a set-up. I stifled a growl, I recognized the new voice. Two sets of footsteps began pushing the cart, which bounced more roughly than the truck bed. Blessedly, this was a short trip. We passed through a door and the scent changed from desert to decay almost instantly. Aiden's weight was lifted from my body moments later and I listened as buckles were fastened and adjusted. I also slid the knots free on my wrists, calmly holding the rope in place.

I let them lift my boneless body off the cart and set me on a table before I opened my eyes and grinned. The pair of Hunters handling me were clearly not expecting me to flip over on the table and swiftly wrap the rope from my wrists around their necks. I yanked it tight viciously, slamming the backs of their heads together with a satisfying c***k. Another swift loop and a good tug later and they were both dead, windpipes crushed under the rope.

I glanced around quickly. Yep, exactly where I expected to be, cliché torture chamber. Aiden was strapped to a metal frame, his body still under the effects of the poison. I grabbed a sheet from a cabinet and tied it around his waist and began quietly rifling through the drawers and cabinets along the wall.

It was like the buffet of torture tools. I picked a couple out and leaned against the wall behind the door, waiting. I didn't have to wait long before I heard footsteps behind the door. A dark grin curled my lips as the door opened and he walked in. He didn't even look around, just strode up to Aiden and grabbed his face in his clawed grip. Trickles of blood started down Aiden's cheeks.

"Who the f**k covered my new toy up?" The soft click of the room's bolt made him jump and turn towards me, his eyes widening in surprise.

"I did, Sir."

. . . . . .