Free Black Moon by Rebecca A. Rogers

You’ve already been down here long enough. If they get suspicious—”
    “—they’ll come looking for me,” he finishes.
    “Right. Now, can I at least get some sheets and a pillow, maybe even food?”
    He releases me, running his fingers through his dark hair. “I don’t know, Candra. It would be afterhours before I could reach you.” Seeing my look of despair, he adds, “But I’ll try.” Running one thumb across my cheek, he bends over and kisses me without lingering.
    “I think you can do better than that,” I say, a little put off with his lack at any attempt to make me feel comfortable during my imprisonment.
    A shadow of trouble passes over his face; it’s nothing like I’ve seen before.
    “Do you know what they do to me each and every time I help you?” he asks, voice rising. “Do you know what it’s like to go a week without food or water, to be beaten until your bones snap and think you’re going to die?”
    I shake my head. Of course I don’t know what it’s like.
    “Well, let me fill you in on my family’s love of watching me suffer because of you. It’s exactly like the first time you transition into a werewolf, except with this you remember everything . And then you heal faster than humans, so it’s not long before they come back with more people to beat the shit out of you again and again and again.”
    Oh God. All this time I wondered what he went through because he challenged his own family. Now I know.
    “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” I hug him, kissing his cheek. He’s reluctant to touch me at first, but then he gives in, squeezing me firmly. We remain embraced for a long time, until we eventually have no choice but to separate. If he stays with me any longer, his family will think he’s conspiring against them.
    In parting, he says, “I’ll bring you something if I have the chance. Otherwise—” figure out how you’re going to escape.
      I tug on his arm, preventing him from leaving. “Tell me why I came with you. Here, I mean. Last night. You said you’d explain everything.”
    He grunts. “Yeah, I planned on it, but then you decided to test my wild side. To focus— on getting out of here— you need to keep that part of you in check.” He pauses, then adds, “Maybe you’ll feel better after you eat and sleep. Tomorrow I’ll tell you everything. Until then, get some rest.”

    Chapter Seven

    A concrete floor isn’t the nicest place to relax, but neither is a room where the walls are molded from excess water leakage, and where rats eat away at God-knows-what all night long. Chew, chew, chew. Munch, munch, munch.
    Ben never brought me anything to sleep on, cover up with, or eat, so I’ve sat against this frozen stone wall for hours, freezing my ass off, because apparently the heat doesn’t work down here. Not the best way to detain company; if they want my power, they need to keep my alive first. I’ll be useless to them if I’m dead.
    With sunlight beaming through various cracks in the upper walls and a single window, I assess how tough it’ll be to escape from here. I can transform and bust down these borders, but odds are, they’re reinforced. And since there isn’t enough room for me to fit through the gap, I’ll have to work out another method.
    I don’t have time to consider my getaway as the door upstairs swings open, slamming against the wall with a flat thud.
    “ Wakey , wakey !” shouts Ethan, leisurely taking each step down the landing. “Brought you something special.”
    I’m so excited to have food that I forget who I’m dealing with. Before I have a chance to ask what it is, he chucks a boiling cup of coffee at me, scalding my face, neck and arms. I cry out, quickly trying to remove the hot substance from my body before it causes blisters.
    Ethan laughs with intent, bending over at the waist, unable to restrain himself. “Funniest damn thing I’ve seen in a while. Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?” He turns then, leaving.
    One