Read Captive for Free Online Page B

Small, furry polar-bear ears sat atop its overly long cranium.
    She was in the arms of Bigfoot’s cousin.
    The beast exposed its teeth, and her heart skipped more beats than was healthy. Its undersized mouth housed broad, flat, closely grouped teeth typical of herbivores. Thank God. It didn’t have the ability to eat her. Her heart started again.
    Addy wriggled and pushed and tried to break loose. The creature’s mighty arms held her firm against its thickly padded chest, though not enough to hurt her.
    Was it murmuring or purring? She couldn’t tell with the sound of terror drumming in her ears. She wanted to throw up and felt her stomach contract.
    It stroked her hair as if trying to soothe her. Stranger still, she felt a shroud of calmness lay over her. She could sense it, but couldn’t feel it inside her body. The calm came from someplace else. The monster?
    As it turned and carried her across the room, she saw three rows of boxes, like the one she had been in, stacked two high. Not boxes. Cages.
    Transparent cages.
    Three other couples were trapped inside. Though they didn’t appear to mind.
    The creature—walking surprisingly graceful for its height—carried her down a long corridor and through a monstrous doorway into what looked like an examining room complete with a cold table upon which she was placed. Another large, furry humanoid creature—the color of wet sand—moved around the room as if preparing for something.
    Oh God. They may not have canine teeth but there was nothing to stop them from dicing her up and boiling her in soup.
    She inhaled deeply, but couldn’t detect the scent of food cooking. Rather, she smelled that same pungent cleanser odor from the pitcher in her cage. It reminded her of a sterile hospital.
    Was this a lab? Was she a specimen for dissection?
    As soon as the gray creature released her, she jumped from the table, ignoring the shooting pain in her ankles, and sprinted for the open doorway. The air crackled before the fog began to swirl, signaling its change into a solid wall. She had to reach it before—.
    Powerful hands grabbed her leg. If she hadn’t braced herself for the fall, the floor would have broken her nose. The creature brought her back to the table.
    Addy kicked. Screamed. Thrashed her body. If this were the end, she’d leave this world like she came in—fighting.
    A pinprick in her thigh sent cool fluid rushing into her bloodstream.
    Her body grew light, as if gravity loosened its grasp and released her into space. She stopped yelling. Not because she wanted to but because she couldn’t.
    Get up and run, dammit.
    Her muscles wouldn’t obey.
    She blinked heavy lids. The blurry room remained unfocused.
    The creature released her. Still, she couldn’t move. They had drugged her and she could do nothing more than close her eyes.
    And await death.

Chapter Five
    D a, she’s waking up.”
    “Aye. Ye best fetch her a drink.” The voice was deep and male. Soft footsteps retreated, yet there was still a presence at her side. “Lass, can ye hear me?”
    Celtic aliens? She squeezed her eyes tight, not wanting to confront another unknown. In the distance, liquid splashed into a glass. The footsteps returned.
    “Dinna be afraid,” the brogue voice said.
    Mentally cursing her curious nature, she peeked with one eye. Two faces—both human, thank God—hovered over her. She opened the other eye. A girl about her age holding a cup, and an older man with graying temples smiled.
    Addy tried sitting up, but the movement made her head pound and vision blur.
    Not again. She collapsed back into the soft cushions of a couch. “What happened?” she croaked.
    “I’ll explain everything to ye in due time. But first, drink.” He helped her sit up.
    Thankfully, she was wearing clothes; jean shorts and a white T-shirt that probably belonged to the girl. The girl placed a cup in Addy’s hands.
    Neither one of them seemed to take offense when, instead of drinking, she glanced