Chapter 6
Alina
Voss smiled as if I just did him a wonderful favor. I quickly looked away from his face, cursing my carelessness. I could never let myself look into his eyes. Especially not when I defied him.
And I couldn’t fall for his tricks, either, I reminded myself, trudging slowly a few paces behind as he ascended the cracked stairs leading to the main door. Liam was sweet at first, too. He was charming and kind, speaking pleasantly and bringing me gifts… Until he wasn’t.
I still felt the pain of that blow, and I vowed to never make myself vulnerable like that again. It was far better to brace for the worst, so when it happened, at least I’d be ready.
The door screeched laboriously as Voss swung it open, his tail jerking up at the sound. His shoulders rose in tension and then dropped as he exhaled forcibly.
“I planned to hire staff. Human staff from the village beyond the swamps. They’d have to live here, of course. But I waited because…”
He broke off, shaking his head, and walked into the house.
“Because what?” I asked sharply, following him.
He turned sideways so I saw his profile, almost human in the gloom where his scales weren”t so discernible. The spikes on his head ruffled, and I realized they were mobile. I wondered what they expressed. Was he nervous? Angry?
“Because I doubted a human female could awaken my mating instinct. I fully expected to come back from the temple alone, and I don’t need staff for myself. This is the foyer.”
I closed the door, wincing when the hinges screeched, and hugged myself. He didn’t lie, it was cool in the house. So cool, I suddenly shivered, sweat cooling rapidly on my skin. In the dusk of the foyer, where the only light came from a dirty skylight high over my head, I barely saw Voss’s expression as he studied me.
“You are cold.”
I shrugged, rubbing my arms. “I’ll go out if it bothers me. Plenty of heat outside.”
“Let’s go upstairs,” he said, already heading for the wide stairs in the middle of the foyer. They were made of black wood and creaked under his feet as he ascended.
“Why?” I asked, wary again. Upstairs usually meant a bedroom, didn’t it?
Voss kept walking as he explained, “Because the house is built to offer various levels of heat. The first floor is the coolest, apart from the basement, of course. The second floor is warmer, with the third being the hottest. There is also a small attic that’s positively boiling. I rarely go there.”
I followed, watching the steady swing of his tail. When I grabbed the banister, it shook, threatening to collapse, so I let go and climbed the stairs without support.
“My species thrives in a variety of temperatures. I sleep on the second floor, where it’s the most comfortable. Downstairs, there is the kitchen and dining room, as well as the exercise hall. Low temperature stimulates appetite and fighting instincts.”
He stopped at the landing, waiting for me to catch up. I looked around the second floor, noticing faded green and yellow wallpaper that peeled in places. A corridor stretched out on one side of the staircase, while on the other, a makeshift wall stood.
“That’s the… greenhouse,” I said, pointing at the blocked part of the corridor that most likely led to the collapsed, overgrown part of the house.
Voss grimaced, his spikes ruffling like a field of wheat pressed low to the ground and back up by a strong wind. I turned my eyes away, frustrated, because I found the sight endearing.
“The jungle likes to encroach,” he said, looking away, his tail twitching. “And for a long time, I didn’t care enough to… I didn’t care.”
Sympathy rose in my chest at the desolate note in his voice, but I did my best to stomp down on it. This was just another way he tried to manipulate me. Another version of the “I’ll die without you” threat.
“There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms.” Voss resumed the tour, stepping into the corridor. “There’s running water and hot water, too, but no electricity, so if you’re used to it… I’m sorry, we can figure something out. I, uh… I didn’t expect to bring a mate back. And I certainly didn’t expect you’d… keep your distance. Short-sighted of me, seeing as you’re human, so of course, you wouldn’t react like a basilisk female. Once you pick a bedroom, I’ll clear it out as best I can.”
“How would a basilisk female react?” I asked, the question tumbling out before I stopped it.
Voss shot me a piercing look, our eyes meeting for a second before I looked away with a frown. I let my guard down. Again. Really, had I no self-preservation?
Only, there was something so… so harmless and soft about him. But I couldn’t trust my judgment, I reminded myself. It failed me in the past.
“She wouldn’t be able to resist the bond once she felt it.” His voice was sad.
It felt intrusive to keep asking about it, so I didn’t, following instead as he showed me the three unoccupied bedrooms. Each was dusty, with circular, grimy windows and heavy, low furniture made of black wood. The beds were circular and large, the mattresses sagging in the middle.
“We can order a human bed for you if you want,” Voss said wearily.
I noticed he had grown sadder and more dejected the longer I took picking a bedroom, so I finally settled on the one farthest up the corridor. Voss didn’t react to my choice apart from his spikes trembling for a second.
“Good,” he finally said. “You can lock the door at night, of course. Whatever you wish. I’ll come and wash the floor, so you can…”
“No. I want to be alone,” I said, slipping inside the bedroom and locking the door behind me with a faint click. I pressed my back to the dark wood, listening. After a long, long time, Voss walked away, his claws scraping against the bare wood of the corridor floor.
Even the sound of his footsteps was sad and forlorn. I clenched my fists and strengthened my resolve, reminding myself of all the ways Liam manipulated me when he tried to make me break off my engagement to David.
He even cried once. But those were crocodile tears, meant to lure me in so he could trap me forever. When he finally demanded I ditch my fiancé and I told him no, making it clear I wouldn’t be with Liam, he threatened to kill me for the first time.
The next day, David was dead. And I couldn’t even mourn him properly, because Liam hounded my every step, all traces of his fake kindness gone.
I paid dearly for that lesson.
So now, no matter how much I wanted to believe Voss, I couldn’t. He had the same violence in him Liam did, killing the man who dared to touch me without remorse. I had to remember it. Behind the sad, genteel exterior hid a killer.
Exhausted by the long, horrible day, I decided to leave exploring for later. I still didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t stay here, but I wasn’t an idiot. I wouldn’t head out alone into the jungle full of predators.
Right now, my only way out was to convince Voss to escort me. Surely, no beast was stupid enough to attack him.
I threw an intricately embroidered bedspread aside, making a cloud of dust rise into the air, and settled into the middle of the bed, curling into a ball, my long dress tangled between my legs. The bedsheets were clean and smelled faintly of something warm and spicy.
Too tired to keep spinning my wheels, I decided I could do nothing if Voss broke down my door. I was defenseless either way, so I would just sleep. The bed was comfortable, the room just cool enough to be pleasant. Before I drifted off, I covered myself with a soft blanket.
I woke up in the middle of the night. The room was dark and quiet, everything still, and my bladder was full, my throat parched. I fought with myself for a moment, trying to go back to the heavy, dreamless sleep, but it didn’t work. I got up with a faint groan and padded to the door.
I pulled it open, praying it wouldn’t creak. It didn’t. I looked out into the corridor, nervous Voss or another danger lurked out there, waiting to pounce on me.
The only light came from a circular window at the end of the corridor, and it was a strange, yellowish moonlight. I blinked, waiting for my eyes to get used to it.
A sudden rustle at my feet made me jump. I covered my mouth with my hand in time to muffle my gasp and stepped back, eyeing a large, shifting lump with alarm. It lay right across my doorstep, on the cold wooden floor of the corridor.
A few more blinks, and I finally realized what I saw. Voss, his eyes closed, sleeping in front of my door.
“Oh, dear gods,” I whispered shakily, wondering how on Terra was I supposed to step over without him noticing.
Voss shifted, his nostrils flaring, and his face scrunched up into a tight expression, maybe pain. The spikes on his head flared out, and he released a long, shaky sigh. My heart spasmed. He wouldn’t pretend now, would he? He was asleep.
I stood, watching him warily, but he was still, breathing deeply. My bladder pressed me on, so I clenched my jaw and slowly shuffled as close as I dared. I practically needed to stand on top of him to step over without disturbing him. Voss was huge, even when curled up on the floor.
“Easy does it,” I whispered to myself, gathering my dress into my hands. “Easy. You’re asleep. You won’t even feel it.”
I braced myself and stepped over him, holding my breath the entire time. Voss didn’t even stir, and, yet I only released that breath when I was in the safety of the bathroom.
The door locked, I peed then gulped water straight from the ornate, brass tap. I washed my face while I was at it, removing the marks left over from our wedding ceremony, and then gurgled some more water, trying to freshen my breath in the absence of a toothbrush.
Finally ready to face the way back, I stepped out of the bathroom, doing my best to close the door gently. Despite my efforts, it creaked so loudly, I jumped, checking on Voss at once. He still didn’t move, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths.
“That’s right,” I mouthed, creeping closer. “Stay asleep.”
I didn’t even want to ponder why he decided to make my bedroom’s doorstep his bed. All I wanted was to be back in my circular nest, a locked door between us.
“Almost there,” I whispered, getting ready to step over.
It happened in a flash. I was about to raise my dress when I realized the corridor was dead quiet, the sound of Voss’s steady breathing gone. Next thing I knew, the hem of my dress was in his hand. He pulled it roughly, making me stumble, and I gasped from fear.
He pressed my dress to his nose with an audible sniff. I stood there, paralyzed, my heart hammering, when Voss finally let go. His eyes were still closed. I braced myself, determined to jump over him and slam the door shut, when his claws curled around my ankle.
“My mate,” he muttered, slurring like he was still asleep.
And then he pulled me closer until I fell on top of him with a mild shout. His arms closed around me, warm and strong, and he buried his scaly face in my neck.
“Stay with me.”