Chapter 63
Sixty-Three
Ayla
E very morning, I drank venom. When the single drop no longer had any effect, Kanik added a second. That took my breath away, but only for a few seconds - not minutes like before. My skin still got hot, and all the symptoms were there, but milder. Subtle enough I could deal with them.
And in the evenings, I used my bow. The first time, I missed the target, feeling like I'd undone all the work I'd put in initially, but Zasen said that was okay. It was a different weapon, so I had to learn its nuances. That was why he wanted me to have my own, after all.
After two days, I was hitting the target again. Even better, I was now making holes in the colored rings. Not the center yet, but I got closer every time. I was also getting stronger in the process. My arms ached from the effort, but they were getting thicker, more like the men's. Well, not that bulgy, but I could see the little bump in my own biceps now.
But on the third day after the rain, I woke up to dampness on my thighs. Confused, I lifted the blankets to see the bright red stain. My heart hung. I couldn't do this now! I hadn't even thought about it, and I'd almost hoped it would go away, but my time of flowering had returned!
What was I supposed to do?!
Carefully, I slid off the bed and ran to the bathroom. The door crashed closed loudly behind me due to my haste. But in the bathroom mirror, I could see my nightdress was stained, so the sheets would be too. I'd ruined all the nice things!
Flicking the lock to the bathroom door, I ran the water and started washing myself. I simply hadn't thought about it. I'd been so overwhelmed with everything happening in my life that I'd pushed everything else aside. Now, what was I going to do for the next few days? The house wasn't truly large enough for me to spend time alone.
The water was cold, but I wasn't about to leave the room and ask someone to light the fire for me. No, I'd been warned men did not tolerate the courses of a woman's body defiling their space. The stench was unpleasant, and the fluid was evil. I'd always spent the time of flowering in my room, but I didn't have one here!
A gentle tap came at the bathroom door. "Ayla?" The voice was Zasen's, and it sounded like he was only half awake.
"I'm sorry!" I mumbled.
There was a long pause. I heard his feet move down the hall, pause, and then return. "Ayla?" he asked again through the wood. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," I squeaked.
Zasen chuckled. "I saw the sheet, Ayla."
"I'm sorry. I'll take care of it."
He turned the knob, but the lock prevented it from opening. Outside the door, I heard him groan. "I'm worried about you, not the sheet. You ran out of the bedroom like there was a problem."
"I'm fine!"
"Cramps?"
"I said I'm fine."
I heard his body flop against the door. "Ayla, it's just blood. I have a sister and a mother. I'm well aware of how this works."
"I don't want to disturb you."
"Fuck this," he snarled.
Then I heard the lock click, and Zasen opened the door, his claw still shoved in the release. Without caring about my state of dress - because the nightgown was not proper at all - and stained - he marched straight to me and pulled the washcloth from my hand.
"I'm still not a damned Mole." He looked me right in the eyes. "Blush. Stammer. I don't care, but we're getting this out of the way right now, because it will happen next month, and the one after that." He reached over and rinsed the cloth in the running stream of water, and squeezed out the excess. "Now, how do you feel?"
"Fine."
He nodded and passed the cloth back. "Cramps?"
I licked my lips, but shook my head. "Not yet."
His tail lashed once behind him. "Okay." Then he glanced over to the counter. "So you're going to need a change of clothes, and I can at least get the water warming for you."
"I don't want to be a problem," I whispered.
He simply palmed the back of my neck. "You're not. Now what dress do you want?"
"They're too pretty to ruin." I looked away. "I'll wear the nightgown until it's over."
A deep growl sounded in his throat like he wanted to use profanity and was trying to hold it back. That made my eyes snap up, but he simply gave me a weak smile.
"I hate the Moles, you know that?" He sighed. "Dragons use pads. They sit inside your underwear and prevent anyone but those who share your bed from knowing. You can do anything you want while wearing them."
I swallowed, trying to find my voice. "But the smell…"
He simply looked at me for a little too long. "Is this one of those things you won't believe from me because I'm a man?"
I pressed both of my hands over my face and wished I could just start the day over. Curling over my bent legs, sitting on the edge of the tub, I was completely mortified. Maybe the nightdress covered some of me, but my shame was on full display. Zasen gently caressed my back, moving to stand behind me.
"I told you they changed us. A scientist did that more than five hundred years ago. They documented all of it. The world was changing too fast, people were starving, and the wildlife was taking over. They wanted to make humans who could compete, so they picked traits from the entire animal kingdom." He gently rubbed his hand between my shoulders. "Snakes and scorpions, so we'd be immune to their venom. Spiders too, I think, but I'd have to go back and check. Reptiles, so we could tolerate the heat. Cats for agility and speed, along with hunting instincts." Then he ran his hand slowly over my hair. "Most of the genes were from lizards and cats. Between the two, we got most of our physical traits."
"Why are you telling me this?"
He chuckled softly. "Cats smell; lizards taste. Both have males highly attuned to the reproductive cycle of their females." His fingers ran through my hair again. "Ayla, I'm saying it's not unpleasant. We were designed to be different from the men you know. To me, you simply smell more like you. Now, if you don't let me care for you, Jeera will cut off my tail - or my mother will. Tell me what Moles do?"
"We keep to ourselves." I looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Women wear dark colors during those days, and usually one of our roommates will bring our meals to us so we don't have to mingle."
He sighed. "Okay. And you just sit there, waiting for it to end?"
I nodded. "We have scraps of cloth, for, you know… between our legs. After midnight, we can go to the laundry to wash them for the next day."
His eyes closed, but his face was still. "Right. We'll start with pads. The other options will get handled later." He let out a heavy breath. "And something for cramps. I should've planned ahead, but I didn't even think about it. Will you be okay for ten minutes?"
"I'm fine."
He smiled. "Good. I'll be right back. Don't you dare worry about the sheets."
With another caress of my head, he left, leaving the bathroom door cracked open behind him. I heard him head out the front door while I finished cleaning myself. What I needed to do was remove the stains from my dress, but not with the door open! These men had gone through the effort to get me so many nice things, and I'd already ruined one of them. Working the soap into the material while I was still wearing it, I scrubbed until there was little more than a dark smudge on the front, barely visible when wet. I hoped it would dry better.
Before I knew it, he was back. Heading to the bedroom, he rummaged, the sound of drawers making me curious. When he walked back into the bathroom, he set my clothes on the counter. In his other hand was a small bag.
"Pads," he declared and lifted one out. "I ran across the street and borrowed some from Saveah. They're wide at the back, and the sticky side goes to the inside of your panties." He reached over for a pair of those and demonstrated, then laid the combined undergarment on top of my dress. "Try it, then let me know if I'm qualified to raise daughters."
Zasen smiled and stepped out, closing the door behind him. I stared at the closed door with my mouth hanging open for a moment. Not knowing what else to do, I quickly peeled off the nightdress and finished cleaning it. When that was done, I checked out the Dragon method of dealing with my monthly courses.
Pulling on the underwear, I was surprised to find it was only mildly awkward. Under that was the matching bra and my darkest-colored dress, which was cut to fit loosely. Mentally, I whispered my thanks to him, and pulled it on. Washing my hands one more time, I stepped out of the bathroom.
Zasen leaned against the wall directly across from the bathroom, his arms crossed over his chest. The tip of his tail twitched by his feet, the only sign he was waiting for something. After looking me over quickly, he steered me towards the living room.
There, he eased me into my chair and then sat on the edge of the table, facing me. Subtly, I pressed my hand to my stomach, trying to push away the discomfort. Those orange eyes of his dropped, making it clear he'd noticed.
"Hurts now, huh?"
"I'm okay," I insisted. "This isn't the first time, Zasen."
He leaned forward and grabbed my knees. "I don't care. Ayla, why are you mortified because I understand what your body does?"
"It's unclean."
A laugh slipped from him, and he pressed the edge of his hand to his mouth, making some attempt to hold it in. "I've seen you covered in mud and leaves, bleeding after running through the forest. You've been hot, sweaty, and sunburned when the Moles hung you out to die. I assure you, proof you're a woman does not fall into that category."
"I was raised that it's something to be ashamed of. Well, something to be kept private."
He leaned closer. "I was raised to rub my sister's back and run out to buy the necessary feminine supplies without shame. Which of us is right, do you think?"
"Rub her back?" I asked, not sure what that was supposed to do.
His mouth curled into a lopsided smile. "Mhm. Although, first, you have to learn to admit you have cramps."
"It only hurts a little."
He nodded his head once, then stood, heading into the kitchen. Zasen returned with a glass of water and something clutched in his fist. First, he handed me the water, then revealed a pair of small white pills. Holding out my hand, I let him place them in my palm, then gave him a confused look.
"It's made from a willow tree and processed to reduce the pain. Hopefully, that will take away the worst of the ache."
I took the pills, swallowing a large gulp of water with them. When I was done, he took back the glass, set it on the table, then gestured for me to scoot forward a bit in the chair. I did, not quite sure what he was planning. Then, without asking, Zasen stepped over the arm and slid behind me.
I tensed. He ignored it. Gently, his hands began to knead the muscles of my back. And it felt good! When he reached about halfway down, I moaned and let my eyes slide closed.
"So," he chuckled, "I guess this means you'll keep me for another month, huh?"
"I suppose, or I could see if Kanik knows how to do that," I teased.
He made a playfully disgusted noise. "You are cruel. Trust me, neither Kanik nor Rymar can give a woman a massage as well as I can. And tell me if my nails poke, okay?"
"I don't mind."
His hands paused. "What?"
I shrugged and glanced back to see him. "I wish I had claws like yours. They seem like weapons attached right to your hands."
"That has nothing to do with me poking you."
I shrugged with only one shoulder. "You're careful. I'm pretty sure you could pierce me, but the worst you've ever done was a little prick on my skin."
"Well, still tell me, because I can't always be sure." His hands started massaging again. "And yeah, they can pierce and cut, but it's not comfortable. It feels like they're being bent backwards."
"Which is why you use the krael instead. Makes sense."
"Yeah." He chuckled softly. "So does this mean you're a bit less mortified now?"
"I..." My head dropped. "No. I wish you didn't know. I didn't mean to be so loud, but I didn't want to make a bigger mess."
"Ayla, we're not worried about you making a mess or bothering us. We're not worried about you being a very normal woman. What we worry about is making you feel comfortable and safe here. We just want to help you in any way you need."
"Even if I'm unclean?"
He eased himself out of the chair, and moved to sit on the corner of the couch beside me. "We call it a period. I'm not sure why, but women say they're on their period. It's normal. It's natural. It's just blood, and I cleaned your feet for weeks. I sewed the cut on your side. There's no difference."
"There is!"
I could feel my face. It wanted to heat up and blanch at the same time. In the end, it just felt like all of my skin was stunned. I wasn't supposed to talk about these things with men. I would've been punished for such things back in the compound, but Dragon men were different. So very different, which was the only reason I could even find my voice.
Zasen smiled. "Okay. There's a little difference. When you ran through the forest, it meant you had to walk on your injuries. This? It means I have to change the sheets, and that's about it."
"You…"
"Are a friend, and friends help each other," he finished. "And when I'm sick or wounded, you can repay the favor."
I folded my hands in my lap and smiled down at them. "I'm so glad you were there. All of you."
"Where?"
"Outside the compound, wherever we were."
"Me too," he breathed. "So you know, Rymar's trying to make a deal with the Reapers. If another Mole is chained, we'll pay them to let us know about it."
"Why don't the Reapers take them?"
He canted his head and chuckled. "Because they have no idea what kind of a treasure you really are - and we aren't about to tell them. Moles attack Reapers too. They steal their harvest."
"Oh."
"And," he went on, "most die on the chain. They hang there for days with no food and water before anyone finds them. The predators and scavengers take the easy meal. They die, Ayla, but you? You didn't wait to be saved."
"I just wanted to live," I explained.
"And now we're going to help you," he promised. "Even when it might be embarrassing, we will always help."