Demon's Web by Laura Hawks Read Free Book Online Page A

place. The new male prisoner looked at her warily as he moved to the furthest opposite corner to sit down cross-legged on the floor, his head resting back against the bars of the cage. There was a small drape used to curtain-off a portion of the room in order to give each of them a bit of privacy when it became necessary, but otherwise the two cages occupied the small Spartan space.
    Trinity gave him a skeptical look as she kept her eye on him. She wondered what they could possibly want with him. She hadn’t recognized either of his handlers. She still didn’t know where she was, why she was taken or who took her.
    She watched as he wiggled, moving his secured wrists under his ass, down his thighs and over his feet to now be in front of him. He gnawed at the plastic tie keeping his wrists bound together. After a while, he finally was able to pull it apart using his strength to break the weakened restraints. Once having freed his appendages, he rubbed his wrists and flexed his fingers to regain circulation.
    Trinity was intrigued at his fortitude. She had to admit he was the sweetest bit of man-candy she had ever seen, though her experience at seeing others who weren’t hundreds or thousands of years older than herself were far and few between and could be counted on one hand. One finger even. She wasn’t sure if she should talk to him or not. He seemed as wary of her as she was of him.
    Once his hands were free, he stood and began pacing, testing the parameters of his cage, trying to find a weakness. He kept one eye on her as he did so, as if skeptical she was actually a prisoner and not in on his capture.
    “Who are you?” he growled at her after pacing and examining the enclosure he was now confined in.
    “Trinity,” she answered simply. “You?”
    “Nathan,” he gruffly responded.
    “Do you know who is doing this? Who has captured us? Or why?”
    Nathan peered over at her as if she suddenly grew three heads. “You don’t know?”
    She shook her head. “No. I only know I was captured by some odd-looking creature with the head of a wolf and the scaly body of a biped reptile. I had never seen one before. I was rendered unconscious and when I came to, I was in this cage. I’ve seen or spoken to no one. The creature has brought me food, but other than that I have been alone.”
    “How long?”
    She thought about it for a couple of minutes. “I’m not sure how long I was out, but I think I have been here for about a week. Maybe?”
    Nathan gave one quick nod of acknowledgement then sat on the bed, crossing his arms across his broad chest.
    Again, she asked him, her desperate need to know evident in her tone, “Do you know who took us? Or why? Is it for ransom? Please, tell me if you know.”
    Nathan frowned at her. “I don’t know. Only one I saw was the Rougarou.”
    “Rougarou? Is that what the creature is?”
    “Yes. Half wolf, half gator-man, lives in the swamplands. I know what he wants with me, but what he wants with you, I don’t have a clue.”
    “What does he want with you?”
    “He wants to know some information I have. But I won’t tell him and I won’t tell you. I will die first.”
    “I don’t want to know whatever the information is. I don’t know anything. I just want to go home,” Trinity cried and turned away to put her back to him as she sat on her own bed.
    Nathan was quiet for a few moments, watching her. “Hey. Trinity. Look. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m sure you’re scared. I am, too. We will get out of this. I swear. You have to just cooperate and, I bet, he will let you go back home soon. Maybe he is just waiting to get paid by your parents. Then you can be free. I don’t know, but it will be okay.”
    “How can you promise that? You are stuck here too.”
    “Because you are not alone anymore. I am here. Besides, if they wanted to do you any harm, they already would have. You said you’ve been here for maybe a week. More than enough time to do