Cain watched, a slowly growing rage starting to simmer within him as the Prince reached out to DG. He jerked his pinned shoulders almost as reflex to shake off the hands that held him in place. As Evertus's fingers grazed DG's face, the air was driven from his lungs and a searing pain tore through his chest.

"Not all Alpha's are so obvious my dear."

Her knees buckled and she fell before being caught roughly by her guard. His simmering rage exploded at the sight and Cain threw off the men at his sides, sending an elbow into one's gut before turning and driving his fist into the others. The room erupted into chaos as the soldiers of Ev struggled to keep their captives in line. Cain lashed out wildly, not registering how many were on him now. His fist connected to a jaw here, his open hand slammed a head into a stone wall there, a spray of blood as he headbutted a now broken nose. His enemies hit their marks too... a blow to the back of his head, the strike of something wooden at his side...his ribs pulled angrily with each breath but he could take the pain. He could take anything if it meant he had a chance to get DG free. He had to stay on his feet, keep...

DG.

A whimper of pain slowed his assault as he kicked a soldier of Ev in the head, the body falling unconscious to the floor. DG was now slumped over, her hands clutched at her side where he knew his ribs were broken. Blood trickled from her split lip, a mirror of his own as she tried to push herself to her feet. Evertus stood behind her, his arms folded over his chest as his eyes flicked between the two.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice," he said before nodding to one of his men. The soldier took the baton in his hand and swung it hard enough into Cain's abdomen to send him to his knees and DG collapsed again, her cry of pain echoing along the stone. Evertus stepped over her prone form and squatted down to be on eye level with Cain.

"Remember this anytime you feel like misbehaving."

The prince stood and withdrew a thin vial from his pocket. He flicked the cap off to reveal a needle and returned the DG's side before jamming it in her arm and pressing the plunger. As his vision smeared in to a blur, DG turned her head to look at him, her face streaked with dirt and tears.

He felt the weight of crushing defeat wash over him and it all went black just as his head pitched forward into the stone.


Azkadellia flexed her oddly angled feet from where they were crammed into this odd vehicle and grimaced as they bounced along the uneven ground. Glitch leaned forward from his position in the drivers seat and peered at the sky above before tapping the compass on the dash.

"It's pouring but we should be there soon."

Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the outline of the keep in the distance. Raw leaned forward from the backseat and placed his hand on Az's shoulder. She reached up to return the gesture, swallowing heavily.


Muffled noises... voices actually... were his first clue he was regaining consciousness.

"Hold pressure on it! No... just here."

"Sorry."

"I think he's waking up."

Cain blinked, his vision passing into double before rejoining into a singular image. Benji knelt on the ground to his left, pressing some cloth to his neck while the other surviving members of his team gathered round him. There was another man he did not know off the the side, slumped against the wall. Cain sat up despite the protests of the others and his eyes took in the cell they all now occupied.

DG.

He moved his hand to take over putting pressure on what he presumed was a wound in his neck, nodding his thanks to Benji.

"How long have I been out?"

"A couple hours."

"And who's this?" he asked jerking his chin toward the unknown man. He looked well into his fifties, his salt and pepper hair standing out against his dark skin. He glanced at the soldiers around him before nervously pushing his glasses back up the nose on his harried face.

"My name is Marcus Guidry. I'm a physician."

Cain's eyes slid past him to the white coat that was balled up in the corner of the cell where it had likely been used as a pillow.

"You're the scientist," he said, eyes jerking back to the man. "The one they brought from the Otherside."

Dr. Guidry's face pinched in before nodding.

"The machine they brought with you, what does it do?"

"It preforms plasmapheresis," replied the doctor. He paused, looking at each of his audience before continuing at their expectant looks. "I'm a hematologist on the Otherside, as you call it. Basically I treat blood diseases. Sometimes that involves filtering the blood and putting only certain components back. This is a machine that does that."

And icy bead of dread pricked at the base of Cain's neck.

He's trying to break the bond.

He lunged forward, his free hand clutching the collar of the doctor.

"Have you seen a woman? Young with dark hair?"

The doctor looked down at his shoes, "Yes. They came to get me just as they shoved you lot in here and took me to her. They had me place a cordis catheter and start the procedure."

"How long does it take to complete it?"

"A typical treatment is about three hours."

Less than an hour...

"Excuse me, sir?" spoke up Benji, raising his hand slightly. "Why would he need to do this? He has her and your bond is pretty much useless now... I just don't understand all the effort."

"Maybe because if she escapes he likely won't be able to get her back?" asked Eli.

"Legitimate marriage?" asked another. "Their's wouldn't be valid if the bond is still in place."

Cain only half listened to their conjectures, certain Evertus's motivation was far more sinister. He glanced up to see the doctor looking at his neck where Cain still pressed the blood stained gauze.

"I put the cordis in her, just there," he muttered to himself before raising his voice to address Cain. "So what your men said is true? If she's injured, you're injured?"

Cain nodded.

"And the reverse is true as well?"

"Yes."

The doctor sighed heavily, "So if you thought death a greater mercy than whatever it is she is about to endure, all you would have to do is kill yourself?"

Cain stared at the doctor before nodding slowly, "You're right. He knows its a card I could always play. Even under constant guard I could still do it. Shit." He started to pace about the cell, "We've got to get out of here."

"But how?"

Cain's eyes shot around the small area but there wasn't much. A few dirty blankets, a bucket to piss in... He growled and pulled away the cloth at his neck forgetting himself for a moment. A small trickle of blood moved down his shoulder. The doctor followed his gaze and they looked up together, plan already formulated.

"They still need me alive for another hour. Let's make the most of it."