Deliverance

By Kristy Centeno

He’s been locked away his entire life.

He dreams of freedom.

The only way he can accomplish his goals is by breaking free of the chains tying him to a dark past and gloomy existence. But there’s one catch. He’s not human.

And he’s never set foot outside his jail.

Devoted to saving his peers as well as his own life, he sets out to find the one person that can help him achieve his objectives. He knows where she will be and what she will look like, but what he doesn’t anticipate is the fact he finds himself caring for the girl whose life he’s put at risk, more and more each day.

He has no name.

He has only known hatred and violence before her.

However, she will teach him to have faith in humanity, even if she can’t trust him.

Together they will embark on a journey to bring down a corrupt system responsible for the loss of many innocent lives. But when he finds his feelings compromised, can he still move on knowing that doing so will put an end to the life she once knew? How far is he willing to go to be free?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
• Release date: Feb 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781939590787

Kristy Centeno

Kristy Centeno loves to spin tales of creatures that go bump in the night, with a sprinkle of romance to top them off. Her passion for writing stems from a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the pleasure derived from the magical worlds created by authors like her. She prefers her female leads strong, independent, and stubborn who will stop at nothing to save their loved ones and protect those they care for.Kristy currently resides in Pennsylvania with her five kids, a quartet of noisy parakeets, and a spoiled puppy. When she's not working or writing, she juggles her free time between raising a handful of minions and pursuing other career goals.

Book preview

Deliverance

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Kristy Centeno

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, places, or events is coincidental and not intended by the author.

If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case the author has not received any payment for this stripped book.

Deliverance

Copyright © 2016 Kristy Centeno

All rights reserved.

ISBN Ebook: 978-1-939590-78-7

ISBN Print: 978-1-939590-79-4

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Inkspell Publishing

5764 Woodbine

Pinckney, MI 48169

Edited By Rie Langdon

Cover art By Najla Qamber

You can visit us at www.inkspellpublishing.com

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The copying, scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.  Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Other Books by Kristy Centeno

Secrets of the Moon Saga:

Secrets of the Moon

Bound to the Moon

Full Moon

Dark Side of the Moon

Blood Moon

A Taste of Forbidden

*

The Keeper Witches Series:

Keeper of the Lost Souls

Keeper of the Innocents

*

Love Gamble Series:

Payback is Sexy

Payback is Sweet

*

Fierce Awakenings

Blood in the Shadows

Enchanter

New Blood

Love Resurrected

Dedication

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This one is for those brave, strong, hardworking matriarchs on both sides of my family tree.

To Ramona and Edith with love...

Prologue

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Radcliffe Institute, 1989

The shackles on my wrists rattle as I move to sit on the hard, cold floor. I do not mind the noise, however. It fills the otherwise quiet room. I don’t mind the cold either. What I do mind is being locked away in this room day after day. Night after night. The only company I have is that of my own reflection, staring at me from the shiny tiled floor and the shatterproof glass panels that make up the walls.

I see a pair of glowing red eyes and am unable to recognize the man gawking back. I am nothing like the creature I used to be. Long-term imprisonment has deteriorated my inhuman abilities. My body has become a shell. A thing to be studied. A vessel meant to achieve greatness—a greatness that has not come.

I’m surrounded by a madness I cannot escape. However, my purpose is kept alive by my knowledge of the future, which I can see as clearly as the fluorescent bulb illuminating the hallway. In time, I will see the fruits of my sacrifice. Although subjected to unimaginable acts week after week, forced to live out my days in darkness, I will gladly pay whatever price it takes in order to set things straight.

Today, luck shifts in my favor.

It isn’t long before my heightened sense of hearing picks up on the cries of the woman in labor a few floors above. Her strenuous breaths and howls of pain announce the imminent arrival of the key destined to deliver us from evil.

I sit and watch the guards restlessly pacing the hallway outside of my room. Something is about to change. This very amendment is what I have been craving for years and I wait in anticipation of what is to come.

The beginning of a new chapter is but a few hours away.

Part One

Flight

Chapter One

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Tiger

Radcliffe Institute, present day

A loud growl erupts from within the four glass walls of the small room, followed by the sound of breaking furniture. The high decibels ricocheting off the glass hurt my sensitive ears. I put some distance between myself and the vibrating panels. I’m tempted to cover my ears with my hands, but refrain from doing so. Any show of weakness will give them yet another reason to continue tormenting me.

I don’t care for any more of their endless taunting.

I briefly inspect the glass panels, which make up about fifty percent of the walls on the third and fourth floors of the Institute. There is no privacy for us. Everyone working at the Institute can see every single thing we do at any time of day, if they care enough to look. Strategically placed cameras on every other corner, on every floor, monitor the prisoners, as well as the staff, around the clock.

I judge whether the small measure of strength in me will be enough to break through the glass, but starvation has taken a negative effect on my stamina. After weeks of refusing to feed, purposefully rejecting victim after victim, my strength has slowly diminished.

Just get on with it, boy, Rupert, one of the guards assigned to keep watch over me, yells from behind. Why do we always gotta go through this every time we bring you a present?

The two men in the room circle around, keeping themselves at a safe distance as they eye me with a mixture of hate and disgust. I’ve seen that look before. It’s the same look of fear and revulsion I’ve grown to recognize over the years. It never changes.

Although they fear me, think of me as an abomination, they have no qualms over beating me to a pulp if they have to. They have many times before. Causing me pain gives them a sickening sense of satisfaction. Bringing out the worst in me reminds them I’m not their equal. That I will never be fit to live in their world like a normal person.

The constant abuse of power is a mindless attempt at polluting my soul with their concept of superiority. I’m inferior to them. A being created in a lab, birth by an otherworldly mother forced to carry me to term. They never fail to bring to mind how opposite we are. Their views  are not entirely implausible. The main difference between us lies in the simple fact that I am not human.

Tiger, I swear...if you don’t take her I’ll bust your skull open! Dan shouts to my right. Take your damn meal so we can end the night nice and early. For once I’d like to go enjoy my lunch break without being all exhausted after beating you within an inch of your life.

I narrow my eyes as I stare at the six-foot-four, possibly two hundred pound man. His blue eyes observe me with the same intensity I do him. He isn’t accustomed to my perusal. It makes him nervous. The pulsing vein on the side of his neck tells me so.

Something has shifted between us. I’m in predator mode now. My sudden change in demeanor unnerves him. From where I stand, I can hear the rapid beating of his heart. It’s like music to my ears.

There’s a routine we follow weekly. They bring me a victim. I refuse to feed. When they have had enough of me turning down their orders, they pull out their weapons and use them to coax me into my room. It is unlike me to go quietly and this gives them the incentive they need to use whatever means necessary to get me to cooperate.

I hate what they do to me, but I loathe submitting to them even more.

Well? Are you going to answer me, boy? Dan uses his index finger to caress his AK-47. It’s a move meant to intimidate, but one that is wasted on me. He can’t kill me. Not if he wants to live to see another day.

You best answer me, boy. I’m getting mighty tired of this goddamn game every week. Dan takes a step forward, but I don’t budge.

I’m not giving in. Not tonight. Not ever. I would rather starve than take the girl’s life.

You refusing again? Dan sneers at me.

He sounds surprised, but I do not understand why. The exact same fiasco plays out every week.

What’s the matter with you, boy?

I straighten up to my full height and growl threateningly. Dan blinks and shifts his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. His nervousness grows with each move I make. I am going to fight tonight and he knows it.

It is only a matter of time.

The whip cuts through my flesh before I realize Rupert has moved somewhere behind me. I whirl around to face the red-headed, green-eyed man and put my sharp canines on display.

You gonna take her or not? Rupert cocks his head to the left, indicating the young girl trembling in a corner, eyes wild with fear. You gotta eat some time. It might as well be tonight. You’ve been starving yourself for a while and a few scraps of food here and there isn’t enough to satisfy a big boy like yourself. How long are you going to continue to hold out?

I lean forward, anticipating another blow across my skin. I target Rupert and his whip. One more hit and I am gunning for him.

You challenging me, boy? Rupert lifts the arm holding the whip, and grins. I’d like to put a bullet in between your eyes and call it a day. Go ahead and test me.

My chest rumbles due to the growl I hold back. Every muscle in my body begins to bulge with the buildup of anticipation, forcing the skin around them to pull taut. It would be so easy to finish him off—too easy.

Now, Rupert, don’t get ahead of yourself. We can’t just shoot the bastard. The boss will have our heads, Dan warns. Hatred for me is ingrained in his dark heart, but killing me will result with them lying in a ditch somewhere.

I don’t give a damn. This freak deserves to get shot. Rupert shakes the whip for emphasis. Go on. Eat your dinner and we’ll take you to your room without another lash.

I can barely contain my anger. Whipping me means a significant loss of vital fluid, which can force me into a feeding frenzy and put the girl in dangerous peril. My will to stray from taking another innocent life is the only thing keeping me from becoming the monster they want me to be.

I...don’t...want...her. My voice sounds strange, even to me. It’s gruff and raspy because I hardly ever use it to communicate. The majority of my days are spent in lockdown, bound by hands and feet to a wall, completely alone. Activities are kept secret until I’m needed to carry them out. Interactions with other prisoners are restricted. Occasionally, I’m allowed to go to B-Floor, where the other detainees are kept, but my time there is limited as well.

During these visits I hardly say a word anyway, but I do not need to talk to connect with those on B-Floor.

With the guards, however, I communicate with growls, hisses, and aggressiveness. Usually, it is brute force that gets my point across.

Dan sighs heavily in front of me. He’s growing impatient. Damn it, boy. Why do we gotta go through this every week? He points to the girl shying away from us. Just take her and end your hunger. It’s not like she has anyone who’ll miss her anyway.

I cock my head to the side, imitating Rupert’s actions from moments before. The thought of sinking my canines into her neck, bringing some relief to my ever-growing hunger momentarily crosses my mind, but I discard the idea immediately. Doing so will give them exactly what they want.

When it comes to humans, life, and the world outside of my jail cell I may be ignorant of how they work in most cases,  , but I have come to comprehend killing is wrong.

From an early age I began to understand my differences, reading the fear in my previous victims’ eyes enough times to discern they had never seen anyone or anything like me before.

Take...her... away. My body begins to wind up. Wrong or not, I have a basic need to feed, one I wrangle with every week. As strong as my will is, I risk losing control when pushed to the brink.

Rupert takes a step forward. You little—

We might as well get this over with. He ain’t going to budge. Dan strolls over to the girl and grabs her by the arm. She screams and begins to plead for her life. Shut up or I’ll put a bullet in your mouth. Dan drags her out of her hiding place and shoves her forward. She falls to her knees, sobbing.

One last time, Tiger-Head. You gonna eat or not? Rupert lifts his arm over his head, the whip going over his shoulder with the motion of his hand.

This time I’m ready for him. I leap up in one quick motion and jump on Rupert, sending him sprawling on to his back on the vinyl floor. Rupert curses and drops the whip on his way down. He reaches out for the pistol in the holster strapped to the left side of his chest, but a slap to his hand prevents him from accessing his only defense against me.

You ain’t going to get the best of me. Rupert sucker-punches me in the face, but I’m not fazed whatsoever by the impact. If anything, it serves to help the pent-up rage inside to boil over. Dan, watcha waiting for? Shoot this lowlife! he screams, once he realizes the danger he is in.

I wrap my right hand around Rupert’s neck and squeeze. The man’s eyes bulge out in fear. The abject horror on his face easy to read.

A growl erupts from my chest. The glass panels vibrate forcefully as the sound travels from one end of the room to the next. Somewhere behind me the girl screams, but my focus stays on Rupert. I want to tear him to pieces. Do to him what he has done with many others, but I will not bring myself to kill him. Ending his life will only make me exactly like him.

Instead, I decide to get even. I release his neck, and strike the side of his face with measured strength. His head snaps to his left. A tooth flies out of his open mouth. Tears stream down his cheeks as he mumbles something incoherent. His lower jaw is broken and he is quite possibly in a lot of pain as a result. The fight goes out of him and he lies there, whimpering.

You piece of shit! I hear Dan’s feet shuffling behind me, but I pay him no mind. I am blinded by my need for revenge and lose interest in the second guard when I should be paying close attention to him. A moment later, the whip slashes the top of my right shoulder. The smell of my own blood pouring out infuriates me. I leave Rupert on the floor, with his hands clutching his broken face, and stand to face Dan.

As my gaze meets his, I know he is going to bolt. I do not give him the opportunity to do so. I sprint forward. He squeals and tries to run before I can reach him. But I am much faster than he is. Before he can blink a third time, I’m on him, with my fingers wrapped around his neck. I slam him hard against the wall. His eyes roll into the back of his head and he goes limp in my hand. I might have miscalculated my strength and broken his skull.

Sometimes I forget how strong I am.

Dan’s on the verge of unconsciousness. He does not move. I listen to the rapid beating of his heart for any sign that he’s slipping into oblivion, but he comes to quickly. He opens his eyes and stares blankly at me. A look of shock crosses his features. I have never attacked him before.

Dan struggles to break free of my grasp by digging his fingernails into my skin to pry my fingers open, but even in my weakened state, my strength surpasses his. I lift him off his feet and he panics. His legs flail and he  tries to jab his thumbs in my eyes.

I stay out of reach. His face turns red. He can barely breathe and while I want nothing more than to finish him off, I hold back the desire and release him instead. He falls to the floor, coughing and gasping for air.

I step aside and watch Dan struggle to fill his lungs with air. Terror forces his heart to pump faster than usual.

A sob catches my attention. I turn my head to the right to see the girl sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. She is petrified, but it is the horrified look in her eyes as she stares at me that I identify with the most.

In her eyes, I am the monster. Not the two men more than willing to offer her as a sacrifice. I’m the one whose eyes glow in the dark. I am the one whose growls force even the bravest of men to cower in fear. I’m the one she’s afraid of.

I study her for a moment longer, taking note of a few things I didn’t when Dan and Rupert first brought her in. She is young, sick, and has a high dose of medication running through her blood stream.

In time she will succumb to either the diseases she has or to the drugs in her body.

She returns the perusal, her sobbing filling the room. I back off so she understands I will not hurt her. Hope fills her eyes, but she quickly averts her gaze to a location behind me. I whirl around to Rupert pressing the glowing red, round button on a stainless steel panel next to the door. The alarm goes off.

The blaring noise of the alarm blasts with a loudness I find unbearable. I fall to my knees, covering my ears with my hands. Though I try to protect my eardrums, the racket feels as if it is drilling a path straight to my skull. I cannot take it. I roar and drop my head to the ground.

It is only a matter of seconds before the guards come to secure the place. I’m not looking forward to that. I know to expect trouble with their arrival, but the small measure of satisfaction brought after manhandling Dan and Rupert was worth my defiance.

I glance up to see several men dressed in black from head to toe, carrying a variety of weapons, rush inside the room and head straight toward me.

I pop to my feet as they reach me. When the first hit makes contact with the back of my thigh, I let out a roar of frustration. I spin around and meet one of Radcliffe’s Security Specialists head on. Only his dark brown eyes are visible. The rest of his face is covered by a black ski mask. He’s holding on to a metal baton.

I grab him by the shoulders and hurl him across the room. The other nine security guards jump on me all at once and force me to the floor. I slam my elbow into one of the guards. He flies off me and lands somewhere I cannot see.

Another bat connects with my bleeding shoulder. I lash out by kicking one of the men’s legs. The knee cracks, bending the opposite way. He shouts something unintelligible and releases me. The other seven act quickly, slamming me with a barrage of weapons that includes batons, whips, and even a stun gun.

A baton connects with my wrist and it gives way. I fall on my face. My nostrils fill with blood almost immediately. A whip cuts through the heel of my foot. I flinch. I try to crawl away, but my hands can barely sustain my weight. I slip onto my stomach as a result.

The alarm continues to ring mercilessly in the background. I feel dizzy. I cannot decide what is worse: getting beat up or listening to the repeated blaring.

I struggle to get on my feet. I want to escape the room if only to flee from the shrieking banshee, but the constant strikes render me powerless. The boost of energy I had moments before is gone. I stop fighting to allow two of the men to cuff my hands behind me.

Three men turn me around until I am lying on my back and hands. There is blood all over me. I see red everywhere, even on their dark clothing.

Freak of nature! one of the guards yells at me. I do not react, nor do I respond. Doing so will only earn me another few blows. The fight has left me, so I do not push on anymore.

The man, unmoved by momentary show of submissiveness, lifts a baton and glares hard at me as he brings it down with force. It makes contact with my head and I see white, moments before everything turns dark.

Chapter Two

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Tiger

Awareness hits me the second I am conscious again. I open my eyes slowly, giving them time to adjust to the light inside the room. The pounding in my head makes it difficult to focus on anything in particular. I think at least three—I move and pain explodes in my chest—maybe four, of my ribs are broken. The sole of my foot is swollen. My skin burns from all the whipping, but I am healing as I lie here, contemplating what fate awaits me next.

I am not afraid, but not looking forward to another encounter with the guards. From this moment forth I must practice patience and be cautious. Corporal punishment can, and has, debilitated me. I both need and depend on my strength, stamina, and stealth to get me through this night.

The aroma of chemical cleansers and leather help me identify my surroundings. I am in a restraining room, secured to a gurney I am all too familiar with. It is one of many I have been on, countless times before. The straps around my wrists and ankles, which tie me to the bed, are tight and barely allow for my circulation to flow naturally.

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. Gerard’s voice interrupts my thoughts. I grow stiff. Why must we go through this every week?

I glance to my left and find him sitting on a metal chair, glowering. He is disappointed. I am not what he thought I would be. Nor am I what he was hoping for when he created me. What are you trying to prove? He leans against the chair and folds one leg over the other. Dan has a bump the size of a baseball at the back of his head and Rupert’s jaw is broken. What do you have to say?

I’m confused. Gerard is calm. He does not yell or threatens to kill me. After what I pulled, I expected him to be livid, but he is collected.

I...have...nothing to say, I respond wearily.

Gerard bolts out of the chair so quickly it topples over and slams against the floor. The noise forces me to involuntarily flinch.

If you weren’t so valuable to me I’d find a way to kill you myself! he rants, easing away my fears. This aggressiveness directed at me is much more comfortable. It is what I’m accustomed to.

You have become quite obstinate. Your defiance costs me a ton of money. Valuable asset or not, this is a huge problem for me.

His brown eyes gleam with malicious intent. He means to punish me. I swallow hard. My nervousness increases as I wait for the inevitable.

Whenever you rebel, I have to fix it. I’m tired of paying for your mistakes. Dan and Rupert require medical attention and that— Gerard walks over to me and shakes the gurney forcefully, —drug addict’s body has to be disposed of now.

I tense. The girl’s dead? Did he have her killed? I squeeze my eyes shut and try not let the anger boiling up inside of me show.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking. Gerard shoves the gurney forward, forcing it to bounce against the wall to my right. A sharp pain discharges from my torso and spreads up to my neck the second it makes contact with the wall. I hold my breath and hide my discomfort from him.

If you had taken her life as you were supposed to, this would have—

My eyes pop open and I glare at him. Gerard recoils. Blaming me for the girl’s death is going too far. Sooner or later, she would have perished at the hands of one of his men. His biggest disappointment is that I was not the one who ended her life.

Why...kill...her? I ask. Curiosity gets the better of me. Killing the latest victim this early isn’t his norm. Usually, they are kept to act as a blank vessel to try new experiments on, or are sent away to another location for preservation.

Gerard leans in, bringing his face only inches from mine. Because you expected me to forgive her life like I did with the others, but will not give you the satisfaction this time. It dawns on me. He killed her to spite me.

I explode, growling and fighting my bonds with such force the gurney shakes violently from side to side. All physical discomfort goes ignored as I lash out, lifting my head to snap at Gerard with my canines. He jumps out of the way, watching me with a sickening mixture of panic and approval.

I want nothing more than to wring Gerard’s neck. To do to him what his men do to me, but I cannot break loose from the ties keeping me secured. I’m much too weak and tired. The pounding in my head and the soreness in my ribs only worsen my state. By putting up a fight I’m only harming myself so I dig my claws into the gurney’s metal railing. It does little to stop my anger but it focuses my attention elsewhere.

If only you were as determined to follow rules, we wouldn’t be in this same exact position every week, he says.

He wants me to be the perfect predator to serve his purposes in any way or form he desires. But to feed I need to kill so I choose to do neither.

Tiger. Gerard runs one hand over his short hair several times, his frustration visible with each stroke. Just look at you! You’re weak. You’re but a shell of what you can be. If I possessed the power you have—the power I have given you... he pauses. His unusually pale face has grown flustered. He’s reached his breaking point. You are an ingrate, Tiger.

I look away, directing my gaze to the plain white ceiling above me. I’ve heard this speech before, but it seems tonight Gerard is more determined to say his fill.

For more years than you can count, I have dedicated my life to my research, to my experiments, and now that I’m so close to finding the answer I seek you will not ruin things for me, he warns. You are the closest I have come to my goal, and you will help give me the answers I need.

I refrain from answering. Gerard is giving me an ultimatum I do not plan to take. Putting my answer into words will only cause more trouble for me.

Nothing I have done to entice a good response from you has worked. So I believe the best way to make you cooperate is by having you join that white devil friend of yours in a cell downstairs.

My eyes grow wide. I would rather be beaten than endure a night, or two, in a cell.

By your reaction, I assume I’ve caught your full attention. Gerard walks to the glass door at the end of the room, and presses the intercom button on the wall next to it. Samuel, Charlie, I need you in here ASAP. He releases the button and moves aside to look at me.

Dread washes over me. Requesting Samuel’s and Charlie’s presence makes it official. As punishment I am to endure a tumultuous night locked up in a small cubicle, forced to watch as I am drained, around the clock, to keep me on the verge of madness.

Don’t fret too much, Tiger. Your albino friend will keep you company, Gerard mocks me.

My maker enjoys the terror he has purposefully planted in my heart. It takes all I have not to scream at the top of my lungs, or beg to be forgiven in order to avoid castigation. If not for the mission I have committed to, I’d try to find a way around being put in the tiny room. But I need him to believe nothing is amiss. Allowing Gerard to think my compliance is due exclusively to fear is preferable.

I have to be led out of the room in order for the next step to take place. I observe him in silence. He stands near the exit so I have to strain my neck in order to look at him. I wonder if he has other plans for me, but I have no way of knowing beforehand. I cannot read his mind, though I wish it was a possibility right now.

Soon Samuel and Charlie will rush into the room to take me away. I can hear their footsteps down the hall, getting closer and closer. The pulsing vein on the side of my neck betrays the panic threatening to consume me.

Because I’m a generous man, I will give you one last chance. Gerard’s mouth creeps into a forced, unfriendly smile. Will you finally bring us both out of our misery and take a life the way you were meant to? Or continue holding on to the belief you are above killing now?

I inhale quickly, and exhale hastily, regretting it instantly. My broken ribs brush against each other, sending a fresh surge of agony across my torso. I’m much too sore yet, but beginning to heal—if only at a leisurely pace.

What will it be, Tiger? Gerard waits in silent anticipation for my response.

I weigh my options. A night, maybe two, in the cell? I am not looking forward to spending a lonely night in such a confined space. Last time, I was nearly driven into a blinding rage, which almost resulted in the death of yet another innocent brought in as a form of nourishment for me. How I found the power to refuse is a mystery to me, but I am not looking to repeat the events again.

Starving by refusing to feed is one thing. Being drained while half-starved is another form of hell. I close my eyes. Feeding requires a life to be taken. I promised myself—after that incident—I would not kill again. I can’t break that promise.

I hear Castiel’s voice in my head.

Tiger, the time has come. It must be today or you will miss the opportunity to be free.

I am prepared for what I have to do.

I will not feed.

It is silent inside the room save for the thump, thump, thump of Gerard’s beating heart. The explosion I’m expecting does not come. My experience tells me his silence is far worse than his hot temper. I open my eyes and glance to my left. Gerard remains still, a few feet away. His expression is one of contempt.

Have it your way, Tiger. His face reveals the depth of his displeasure.

Gerard marches to the door, whereupon reaching the intercom, he opens the panel underneath and presses the numbered, round buttons one by one until he gets through the security code. Once confirmed, a familiar beeping announces the door’s about to open.

Stepping aside, Gerard waits for the large glass panel to unlatch from the lock and slide into the opposite wall, revealing the hall beyond, and both Samuel and Charlie waiting to access the room.

Unbind him, Gerard orders.

Samuel rushes in first. An electrical gun is strapped to the waistband of his pants to the right, a baton toward the back of his bulletproof vest. He holds a semi-automatic rifle in his hands. Charlie walks in after Samuel. His arsenal is as impressive—a whip curled around his midsection, a pair of handguns tucked in holsters below his armpits, and a twelve-gauge shotgun in his hands, aimed forward.

They place their weapons on the floor near their feet for easy access, and set to work on my bonds, pulling them free of the buckles.

He is to be placed in a cell. Gerard’s cruelty knows no bounds. He has the power to turn my needs against me. And you can keep him in there until his next feeding time.

My heart skips a beat. A week? He intends to keep me there for a week?

Tiger, it must be today. Again Castiel’s voice tears through my mind. The right moment will present itself only once and you must be ready to take it.

No amount of walls, floors, or ceilings can keep him from communicating with me. Gerard and his crew can take away our freedoms, and on many occasions our wills, but he cannot stop of us from sharing telekinetic messages from one location of the Institute to the next. It’s the one thing we have where his influence does not reign.

I’m ready, I reply.

They free my numb limbs and I sigh in relief. Circulation is restored. I can move them easily now. Once both wrists are released, I bring them up to my eyes and rub first one and then the other.

Let’s go, big boy. Samuel nudges my thigh with the barrel of his rifle. A week in the hole awaits you. He sneers at me, but I ignore his remark. Using the gurney’s metal rails, I pull myself into a sitting position. By then Charlie is done unbinding my ankles and I glance down at my swollen foot. It aches and will hurt when I put my weight on it.

Get off the bed, slowly, Charlie orders. No sudden movements. He reaches for the shotgun and levels it with my stomach. The warning is clear. Let’s make this transition as easy as possible.

I nod, swinging my legs over the top of the rail to my left. I grab on to it with my hands and push myself over to the floor. Hot, stabbing pain shoots from the sole of my foot up to my ankle but I do my best to ignore it. I’m unsteady for a moment, but recover in an instant. I force myself to. Physical discomfort must be pushed aside. All focus should go on the mission ahead. The rest can wait.

A few seconds is all it takes for me to bounce back. I’m no longer as lightheaded, but the pain is almost unbearable. After all the years I have been forced to endure such treatment, getting used to the waves of agony once the men tire of roughing me up is not something I have managed. Hostility and torture are part of my everyday life, but given the choice, I would forgo both.

Collected, I step forward to test my foot. It’s throbbing

Reviews for Deliverance

[alysinbookland · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Deliverance is a fast-paced read that will make you flipped more pages as you anticipate what will be the next obstacle that they will encounter as they travel towards their destination.Tiger had been born inside the Radcliffe Institute and spent 25 years there before he got the chance to escape. It was through the help of the other prisoner named Castiel who makes his escape successful though he should not be happy about it. Gerard will do everything just to have him back again as he is the most valuable prisoner he has. In order for Tiger to have the freedom he wanted, Castiel gave him a mission and for him to do it, he will need some aid from a woman. This woman named Kristina will be the one to help him in the mission but he needs to make her believe first that he is not harmful and dangerous to her and Rose. Still gaining some trust from Kristina, along their way, Gerard’s guard found them and they need to flee already and travel to where Tiger really needs to go. As their journey starts, they will bump into some obstacles that meant to stop Tiger’s mission.This was told from three POV’s: Tiger, Kristina, and Castiel.The main character, Tiger, is so innocently hot and dangerous. Since he doesn’t know much about the humanities and all he only knows is that they are just a cruel and selfish creature, he was amazed to see that outside the institute, people like Kristina and Rose still exists. That there are still some people who are kind and not selfish just like what he experienced and see through the people inside the institute. It was so good to see that he slowly changed and learned how to have faith and gain some human traits he should had.Krsitina, on the other hand, is a very strong-willed woman. Even if she is already scared, she tries her best not to show any fear because she knows that that is what the enemy wants.Oh! I also want to read the story about the other characters written inside the book.I liked how I was engaged on reading this book. I can’t stop myself from turning the pages because I am looking forward to what will happen next.I only dislike the part where Kristina and Hayden/Tiger instantly had done something which they’re not supposedly to be doing since they only just met for only a short time.I am recommending this is you are a paranormal lover. If you had read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, this one is almost the same with the concept except that this is not exactly like it.Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author via YA Bound Book Tours.

[bookhuntressworld · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Deliverance is a fast-paced read that will make you flipped more pages as you anticipate what will be the next obstacle that they will encounter as they travel towards their destination.Tiger had been born inside the Radcliffe Institute and spent 25 years there before he got the chance to escape. It was through the help of the other prisoner named Castiel who makes his escape successful though he should not be happy about it. Gerard will do everything just to have him back again as he is the most valuable prisoner he has. In order for Tiger to have the freedom he wanted, Castiel gave him a mission and for him to do it, he will need some aid from a woman. This woman named Kristina will be the one to help him in the mission but he needs to make her believe first that he is not harmful and dangerous to her and Rose. Still gaining some trust from Kristina, along their way, Gerard’s guard found them and they need to flee already and travel to where Tiger really needs to go. As their journey starts, they will bump into some obstacles that meant to stop Tiger’s mission.This was told from three POV’s: Tiger, Kristina, and Castiel.The main character, Tiger, is so innocently hot and dangerous. Since he doesn’t know much about the humanities and all he only knows is that they are just a cruel and selfish creature, he was amazed to see that outside the institute, people like Kristina and Rose still exists. That there are still some people who are kind and not selfish just like what he experienced and see through the people inside the institute. It was so good to see that he slowly changed and learned how to have faith and gain some human traits he should had.Krsitina, on the other hand, is a very strong-willed woman. Even if she is already scared, she tries her best not to show any fear because she knows that that is what the enemy wants.Oh! I also want to read the story about the other characters written inside the book.I liked how I was engaged on reading this book. I can’t stop myself from turning the pages because I am looking forward to what will happen next.I only dislike the part where Kristina and Hayden/Tiger instantly had done something which they’re not supposedly to be doing since they only just met for only a short time.I am recommending this is you are a paranormal lover. If you had read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, this one is almost the same with the concept except that this is not exactly like it.Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author via YA Bound Book Tours.