Jenna's throat burned from all the screaming she'd been doing, for all the good it'd done. She wanted something to drink. Hell, while she was at it, she wanted someone to untie her hands, shackled above her head, and let her go. Her arms had long since gone numb and pretty soon she'd need a bathroom.
She startled at the sound of the door opening and whipped her head in that direction to try and see who was coming in this time, even though she'd been left blindfolded. "Hey...hey you. Can you let me go now, please? This was funny a couple hours ago. Haha. I mean, I'm laughing, see? I won't tell anyone because it's just a joke."
A sick joke. Someone had come into her dorm in the middle of the night, dragged a comforter over her head, and carried her out of her room. At first she'd been too drowsy from sleep to figure out what was happening. The moment she did and started kicking, the man carrying her said in a rough voice, "If you struggle or scream in any way, we'll kill you and your parents before morning. They live at 5051 Pine Lake Boulevard."
Horrified that he actually knew their address, she'd stopped struggling.
"Please mister," she whispered now, "please let me go." Tears started to fill her eyes only to be wicked away by the material covering them.
She'd gotten his gender right. He said, "Welcome to our pack. Please don't be afraid as we have no intention of hurting you. You've been selected to help us with our unique needs. You will be well cared for so long as you do as you're told, when you're told."
"I don't understand. Why me?"
"Your DNA is very...rare."
"How did you get my DNA?" Jenna was confused.
What kind of game was this?
"We have unlimited funds to conduct our search. Because someone like you is very, very important to us, we've spent hundreds of hours searching for you and others like you, throwing as many resources behind the investigations as needed. Any and everything it takes to find just the right person or persons."
"But DNA? How could you possibly get mine?" She hadn't donated blood in the recent weeks. Wasn't her blood required to do the test?
"Fortunately, something as simple as a bad habit can make it easy. When you throw away your garbage, it's fair game for our quest. Old beverage containers. Strands of hair swept up and discarded by a broom. The possibilities are quite endless and our research robust enough to allow us to use even the smallest particle of a sample."
"But why?" Her voice trembled. The man's voice, on the other hand, was sexy. Hoarse in a way that made her body take notice. It was stupid, but maybe it was a part of her fear. A way for her mind to cope with the fact she'd been kidnapped. Focus on something that seemed familiar and enticing, instead of the unknown of what could happen to her.
"We need to be fed."
Oh God. "Fed?"
"Yes," he murmured. His breath whispered across her cheek. He'd moved closer, standing only a foot or so away.
She pulled her head back, trying to avoid his touch, but there wasn't much room to work with. Her heart pounded hard against her ribs. "Are you going to eat me?"
Rich laughter boomed next to her ear and she almost smiled in return. "No. As I'd said, you'll be safe. You will be well cared for."