10. Faces and Facts
TEN
FACES AND FACTS
Syasku
The door opens and Ursula walks in, followed by Pierce. My gaze shifts over them as they stop at the center of the room.
Ursula’s eyes crinkle, no doubt believing she has won. That she has gained everything she wanted and our game ends with her as the victor.
I smile back at her.
Her brow furrows, but it is gone soon after. “Vivian is who you truly want, isn’t she?” She points behind her at the glass mirror.
“Yessss,” I hiss, done with the games. There are more important things to do.
“So now you’re willing to speak. Why am I not surprised?” She preens with blatant smugness if not a little irritation. “If you had spoken up and said this a month ago, much could have been avoided. I suspected you would only have Vivian, but those suspicions aren’t enough to blindly offer up an asset.”
When I do not respond, she braves a few steps closer, shifts her mask aside, and inhales. Her eyes narrow with intensity and she shifts the mask back in place. “I will say, it has been hard not to explore your effects further. I think I was getting somewhere. Many have come to like your pheromones. They are…” She hums. “Let’s just say, powerful. Not one woman could deny that power. It seems we can all be weakened by our baser needs, even me.”
Repulsion curls my stomach. I would sooner maim my stem than take her as a mate.
“No matter, you have made your preference known. Vivian is who you want. Your celibacy has been entertaining despite being in a…” she waves her hand at me, “…rut. You would have cracked eventually with or without her, I’m sure of it, though it’s nice that the wait is over and I finally have collateral on you.”
I have never had an adversary like her. Time and again I underestimated her tenacity, assuming my chance at ending her life was soon to be within my reach and I would only have to bear her for a little longer. Yet she is still here, and I am still bound, waiting for her to bargain with me.
My gaze cuts to Vivian on the other side of the glass. I stiffen, discovering she is no longer there. Listening for her footsteps, I do not hear them. She left, and I was not aware. How is that possible?
“Bring her to me,” I growl, snapping at Ursula.
“She is coming, and just so you know, you would have been better off having chosen one of the others. Vivian makes things more complicated than they really should be.”
She studies me for a moment longer before turning to Pierce and saying something to him. Without either of them sparing me another glance, they walk out of the room. The soldier standing guard on the other side shuts the door behind them.
Alone again, I yank at my restraints. The clang of my chains is the only result. It echoes throughout the room like mockery.
When they become silent, I lean against the wall and go back to waiting.
I smell her first, my nose sharper than my ears, and her scent reminds me of home.
When she said the word mate, my stem expanded and my knot exploded with seed. If I had not been restrained, I would have lunged at her, yanked her under me, and claimed her on the spot. I would have done a lot more afterward depending on her reaction.
Breathing her in, her scent is like lily pads in bloom, like the midday heat on my scales as I bask, swimming leisurely in the water around my nest. She is there beside me, naked, wet, and holding onto me. Her soft brown skin drips deliciously with sweat, a feast for me to anticipate after the day’s hunt is done.
Salivating, I hear her voice next, and it snaps me out of my fantasy.
“Please, please don’t do this. Please. ”
The door opens, and Pierce reappears, dragging Vivian in behind him.
Straightening from the wall, I hiss, my lips twisting into a scowl. But other than a glance, Pierce ignores me.
My eyes go straight to her face. For the first time, there is no mask hiding half of it from me. Her expression is wild with disbelief, wrought with fear, and she’s pulling at the hand gripped around her wrist.
“Please don’t do this!” she begs when Pierce comes to an abrupt stop.
Without saying a word, he thrusts her away. I rise to go to her, but she is outside my reach. Losing her balance, she falls to her knees. Immediately she is back on her feet and spinning for the door, but Pierce catches her.
I growl, pulling against my restraints.
“You came here, you made your choice.” He pulls her back into the room. “Now serve your purpose.”
Vivian’s eyes streak to me but she quickly looks away. “Pierce, he’ll kill me.”
He grabs her shoulders when she tries turning, brutally jerking her around so she remains facing the wall.
I pull harder at my chains, a threatening hiss tearing out my throat.
“You should have thought about that before. If you can’t do what you’re told, things could go worse for you. I shouldn’t have to tell you this. Volp wanted you off Ursula’s team for a reason.”
“Give her to me,” I bite out, low with warning.
They both look at me and Pierce’s jaw ticks. Releasing Vivian, he pushes her toward me.
She cries out and digs her heels into the floor, spins around, and rushes for the door again. Pierce shuts it in her face without looking back. Her begging escalates as she pounds it with her fists, causing hollow thuds to echo in the room. Tasting her fear in the air, my excitement at her arrival cools as a need to possess and protect her takes its place.
She is here.
She is mine.
Nothing else matters. Even thoughts of vengeance drift away.
Pushing her body against the door, her pleas morph into a tense silence when she realizes he’s not coming back. With her back facing me, she lowers her head and rests her brow, crying softly. Her shoulders heave as she wipes her face.
I watch everything she does.
My gaze runs over her hunched frame as her scent thickens in the air.
“Please,” she whispers. “Please come back.”
“They do not resssspond to begging.” It sounds more threatening than intended.
She freezes at my words. Going entirely silent, she stiffens and leans closer to the door. For a time, she doesn’t move.
Likesome of the other females, Vivian is not here willingly. She is here because I want her. For whatever reason she was behind the mirror, it wasn’t because she wanted to be on the other side of it.
Something uncomfortable rushes through me, making my jaw clench, and my scales pull tightly. It is not a sensation I have felt before. It is worse than disappointment, it is…
Guilt. Guilt mixed with excitement.
Wanting to soothe her with a hiss, I tighten my throat before I accidentally frighten her further.
She bends her knees to her chest.
Quietly I slip back and settle against the wall.
Her breath steadies, and after a few more minutes the small trembles rocking her body stop. I say and do nothing, afraid she will fear me more for it.
My throat tightens as she looks over her shoulder at me, her soft brown eyes skittering over my entire form.
Her petite nose is pointed, giving her features a delicate look. Her lips are full, pouty, pink, and appear softer than her hair. Her face is smooth and rounded. Thick wet lashes frame her teary soft brown eyes. Her dark brown hair is tied back.
There is a small white scar on her chin.
She opens her mouth, and my breath stifles.
I could have pretended she was not on the other side of the glass. I could have settled on one of the other females and saved her from this fate. I did neither. I never considered another option.
Her lips close. No words leave her mouth.
Settling in, I wait.