Mated

Chapter Thirteen

11 years ago

The piece of cold, greasy, fried chicken sitting on a flimsy paper plate is mocking him. Just the smell is making him gag and he tries holding his nose and breathing through his mouth to calm his rolling stomach, but that is an even worse idea. Now he can taste the residue of grease on his tongue. Jiang Cheng pushes the plate as far away from himself as he can towards Xuanyu. He can tell that the boy is still hungry and he could use the calories.

"A-Cheng, you haven't eaten anything since we got here," Wen Ning says. Time is a funny thing when you are chained to a basement wall without windows. They have been measuring the hours by meals. Wen Zhuliu has delivered six meals to them. Dinner that first night followed by breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast, and now lunch of cold fried chicken. Each meal has been either pre-packaged or heated frozen foods. The fried chicken is a surprise, since it had to come from a store or a fast food joint. It gives Jiang Cheng hope that they are somewhat close to civilization.

Jiang Cheng is hungry but he feels awful and he can't keep anything down. It must not be good enough that he was taken from his home, he has to be sick on top of it all. Probably the flu. Shifters don't get sick very often but when he would come down with a cold his sister fed him her special soup and now that he is mated his husbands pamper him even when he pretends to hate it. How he misses them right now.

"I'm fine." If Jiang Cheng says and thinks it enough, maybe he will start to believe it. Highly doubtful but he doesn't have a lot of options right now.

The sound of the basement door opening has the three young men tensing up as Wen Zhuliu comes into view. He stops before Jiang Cheng.

"You're coming with me." He doesn't give any further explanation as he unlocks the cuffs from around Jiang Cheng's wrists and replaces them with another set. The handcuffs are linked together to a set of ankle shackles. Jiang Cheng sees the etchings on them to prevent shifting and while the length of the chain will allow him to walk, he won't be trying to make a run for it.

"Where are you taking him?" Xuanyu demands.

Zhuliu ignores the demand, taking Jiang Cheng by the arm to roughly walk him up the stairs, not stopping until he reaches the bathroom. A smallish pink box is sitting on the sink. When Jiang Cheng reads the writing on the box he sucks in a sharp breath.

"I'm not pregnant!" His hands go to his stomach, pressing lightly on the flat surface. He can't be pregnant. He takes a shot once a month to prevent pregnancy because they all agreed to wait until he was older.

"You suspected it though," Sandu whispers.

Which is true. Jiang Cheng had bought a test to take once Wuxian and Wangji returned from their visits. He hadn't told them yet about his suspicions but had been a little excited at the idea of being with child. Under these circumstances he hopes like hell he is not.

"Will it make a difference?" he asks quietly. He tenses when he feels arms wrap around his middle, large hands covering his own. Zhuliu rests his chin on Jiang Cheng's shoulder, his breath ghosting over his mating mark and bonding bites. The feel of Zhuliu's mouth so close to his mark makes him stiffen further and Sandu howl in his head.

The smile Wen Zhuliu gives him is calculating. "No. I'm not letting you go. Soon this," he says, biting down on his neck, " and the pup growing in your belly will be mine."

Jiang Cheng can't contain the distressed whine that comes out of his mouth. Sandu is scratching at the surface to tear this bastard's face off. It is a grave insult to touch a mated shifter's bonding area. It feels wrong, wrong, wrong!

"And if I'm with child now?" Jiang Cheng grits out.

"He will be useful," Zhuliu says with a shrug. "Boy or girl will get a large price on the black market."

Jiang Cheng bristles at the implication that his child will be sold and Sandu has had enough. Jiang Cheng uses Zhuliu's hold as leverage to hit the sink with his feet to be able to push Zhuliu against the wall. It's a small space so he doesn't have much impact, but Zhuliu grunts as his back hits the surface. Before Jiang Cheng can do any further damage he is twirled around and crowded up against the sink. He can't turn his face fast enough before his mouth is taken in a rough kiss. He bites down on Zhuliu's tongue not letting go until he can taste the blood in his mouth. The action causes Zhuliu to groan, not in pain but in lust which makes Jiang Cheng shudder. Zhuliu pulls away with one last bloody lick to Jiang Cheng's lips. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you."

"Not as much as I'll enjoy killing you."

Zhuliu chuckles. "I love your spunk. If you want Ning and Xuanyu to continue breathing you will behave. If you are a good boy I may even let them come upstairs to shower after you're done."

It's not in Jiang Cheng's nature to rollover and play dead but he knows Zhuliu won't kill him. He also knows that Ning and Xuanyu aren't going to live past their usefulness, which will probably be sooner than later. Jiang Cheng doesn't see them being taken when Zhuliu deems it's time to leave. Traveling with one man and a snake will be easier than traveling with three men. It didn't escape Jiang Cheng's notice that a travel size aquarium was tucked away with a few bags of supplies on the wall next to the bathroom. It will be smart for Wen Chao to travel in his shifted form.

It takes everything in him to spit out, "I'll be good."

"I hope you have to pee."