Chapter 3 #2
He leaves me there in the dim light, shivering from fear. At least that’s what I tell myself. It couldn’t possibly be from the things he did. No, it’s just the alarm and the fact that there’s another of his kind here. He’s told me what I can expect from them.
I stare after him for a moment. He was almost kind a minute ago. He did it quickly, pleasurably. He didn’t even take any for himself. He healed me. With his finger.
I mean what was that? Magic?
I’ve heard some pretty weird tales in my time. Like there used to be metal birds that humans rode inside across land and seas and that we used to live in huge cities before the Fall. But I’ve never heard of magic outside of a fairy tale.
I snort. This sure as shit isn’t one of those.
I sit and wait for what I think is probably a few minutes.
I sit on the edge of the pool, staring into its inky depths.
I try not to let my mind play tricks on me, but when I start seeing shadows moving under the water in my periphery, I allow myself to slowly move back.
I pretend I’m not scared just in case they’re real, but I don’t want to be anywhere near the water without Tor.
I stand on legs that are a bit shaky from the way he.
.. I shake my head, banishing the memory.
I don’t hurt anywhere, but I do feel kind of weak in my muscles, like my knees could give way at any moment.
I put on the clothes I‘d left on the chair nearby, grimacing at the way they catch on my wet skin. But I drag the pants over my legs and wring out my hair before I put on the large sweater, making the best of it. I’m definitely not going up there naked if there’s another dragon here.
I slink from the pool room and along the corridor Tor brought me down, my bare feet padding down the oddly warm concrete floor.
The long, straight corridor is dark, and the only light comes through the edges of the slightly open door at the end.
I make for it slowly and a bit shakily, edging along the smooth wall as if I think I’d somehow be able to hide behind it. But no one comes.
I wonder why this other dragon has come as I arrive at the bottom of the stairs.
I start up them and think back to Tor’s reaction, or lack thereof.
He didn’t seem surprised, more annoyed, which I take a weird comfort in.
If there was danger, he’d have told me to hide, or something, right?
He said on the phone that he’d keep me safe.
Finding myself at the top of the stairs, I stop and listen. There’s no sound. I shuffle to the door that’s been left ajar and peer through the crack expecting to see the room beyond. Instead, there’s a pair of gleaming eyes looking through at me!
I jump back with a small cry as the door is thrown open and I turn to run back down the stairs. A large, but decidedly human hand grabs me, whirling me back around to face him.
He’s as tall as Tor. All he’s wearing are a pair of low-slung black pants. His broad, muscled chest is bare. His feet are too. I gaze up into his face. Blue eyes. Short dark hair. Full lips. Stubble along his square jaw.
Are all of them this hot?
I push the traitorous thought away ruthlessly. I have no business thinking things like that. These creatures are dangerous, not beautiful!
‘Well, well, well,’ he practically purrs in a low, deep voice, a small smile playing on his lips. ‘No wonder he didn’t return with the youngster.’
He adjusts his grip on me, taking me by my hair almost carefully and urging me away from him. I think he’s going to let me go and I prepare to run, but instead his eyes travel down my body appreciatively.
‘Look at that hair,’ he murmurs.
Is he going to do what Tor said the dragons would? Already? I thought I’d have until we got to wherever their home is.
I gape at the huge man in front of me, fear turning my body to stone and making my head swim.
Breathing hard, my heart racing, I open my mouth. To what? Beg? Pray? Scream?
But I do none of those things.
Instead, my knees give out and everything goes dark.
I almost let the human girl fall to the floor. But then I realize his scent is all over her and there’s only one way that could happen.
I catch her before she can bash her skull on the concrete, tutting as I easily hoist her limp body over my shoulder.
‘Tor, Tor, Tor,’ I murmur almost gleefully. ‘What a time to start breaking your own rules.’
I take her into the living area and deposit her on the couch, letting my eyes rove over her as I stare down.
She’s pretty. With plump lips and hair that looks like fire.
Her clothes are almost formless, and I take the edge of the old, knitted sweater she’s wearing with my forefinger.
I pull it upward, glancing underneath shamelessly at the fitted undershirt, at the outline of her tits I couldn’t see before.
‘What are you doing?’
I turn slowly, not bothering to hide my smirk.
‘Just looking,’ I say lightly, my eyes narrowing at him enough for him to notice. ‘Nowhere near as much as you’ve done it seems.’
Tor stalks forward, unamused and not bothering with formalities as it’s just the two of us, even though I officially outrank him.
‘What are you sneaking around for?’ he asks. ‘You know the perimeter alarms would have alerted me.’
I shrug. ‘I’m hardly sneaking. I landed, changed, found a pair of pants, and came in here. This one,’ I look down at the unconscious human, ‘with your scent all over her, was lurking so I went to introduce myself and the poor thing fainted, so I put her on the couch. That’s all.’
His nostrils flair and he says nothing. My lips curl upward and I take pity on my friend. ‘He sent me.’
Tor snorts, throwing himself onto the other couch. ‘Of course he did.’
‘Can you blame him for being worried, T?’
He rolls his eyes.
‘It’s not like you to let a little injury curtail your punctuality,’ I continue, my eyes taking in his distinct lack of visible wounds. ‘Is it any wonder he sent me? As soon as the whelp returned without you, before Drey even gave the order, I was getting ready.’
‘How magnanimous of you, Brax,’ he mutters. ‘And I suppose setting your eyes on the Tribute had nothing to do with your speed.’
‘Nothing whatsoever,’ I deadpan. But I make a show of looking down at her, mostly because I think it’ll bother Tor.
When I hear his low snarl, though, I look up in surprise. ‘Been getting in touch with the inner beast?’ I enquire, pretending calm I don’t feel.
Tor’s dragon doesn’t speak to him, doesn’t communicate, and definitely doesn’t make noises like that while he’s in human form.
He says nothing in reply, and I look back down at the girl.
‘Did Drey give you leave to fuck his Tribute?’ I chuckle.
He just watches me, his eyes unblinking. The eyes, I realize with a start. They’re black.
My own gaze on him, I take a step away from the human, and then another. He visibly relaxes, his tense muscles unclenching and his eyes returning to normal.
‘Fuck, Tor,’ I breathe, and he blinks as if coming out of a daze.
He surges to his feet with a more human sound of annoyance, stalking to the cupboard and taking out a bottle of something pre-Fall.
‘How long?’ I demand.
‘Two days.’ His eyes flick to the human on the couch and he takes a long pull from the whiskey bottle.
I frown. ‘A coincidence, surely.’
His mouth sets into a grim line. ‘It’s been a long time since he spoke to me. Longer than that since he decided he was interested in something.’
My eyes flick from him to the girl. ‘He’s interested in her? But you don’t fuck the humans.’
I don’t either, but no one knows that. I’ve made sure of it.
I find my nostrils flaring, taking in another scent besides Tor. It’s her, I realize, swallowing hard.
‘Her scent is…’
‘I know,’ he interrupts, ‘and, believe me, it just gets worse.’
He licks his lips almost absently.
‘So, you’ve had a taste?’
He doesn’t meet my eyes. ‘She hadn’t been with…anyone.’
My eyes find the pretty girl again. ‘No way.’
‘It’s true.’ He brings the bottle to the couch and sits down. ‘Drey will give her to Aziel. You know he will. He doesn’t want to risk open war within the faction. He’ll try to appease him as usual.’ Tor takes another swig. ‘I couldn’t let him be her first.’
‘No,’ I murmur in agreement. ‘The sadistic motherfucker would take far too much enjoyment in making her suffer even more.’
He nods.
‘But all you’ve done is delay the inevitable,’ I say softly.
‘I was going to ask Drey…’
‘To give her to you?’
‘Yeah.’
I let out a breath. ‘Tor,’ I say softly.
‘If you were his second. Maybe. If you had control of your dragon. Maybe. If you were prepared to give him more. Maybe. But he won’t even entertain it right now.
You know that. Being friends won’t sway him.
He’ll do what he thinks is best for us all no matter what.
There’s too much going on with the trade route issues in the Borderlands and rifts within the faction for him to do otherwise.
Aziel won’t let it lie if he gives her to you. ’
‘I know,’ he says quietly.
He looks up at me. ‘But I don’t think I can take her there knowing what will happen to her, Brax.’
‘If you don’t return, she’s dead anyway and so are you.’
‘Maybe I could find sanctuary with one of the other factions. Paris used to be nice this time of year.’
I snort. ‘Til the humans dropped a two ton bomb on it. I think you’ll find it’s still a little too hot even for us.’
‘Do you have another idea?’
‘Not one that you’re going to like.’
‘I don’t like any of the ideas anyway, so you might as well spit it out if you do have one.’