26. A Little too Late
TWENTY-SIX
A LITTLE TOO LATE
Syasku
The doors open several days later, and Muffin walks in with Ursula. I did not believe I could ever be happy seeing them, but as Vivian’s health dwindles and her nausea keeps returning, I am eager for the supplies they will have brought with them. We have very little left after Vivian begged me to eat the last of our rations.
Ursula stops outside my reach, soldiers striding in after her to flank her sides. Muffin waits by the door. For a split second, I play out Vivian’s suggestion of escape and realize it is futile, more so now that she has fallen ill.
Her eagerness for sex has faded into a quiet exhaustion. Her mind is now often elsewhere. I try coaxing her to tell me what is wrong, but she always gives me the same answer.
She is worried about what is happening outside our cell, and our chances of escape. Physically she is fine, and her stomach’s sickness is just nerves.
Yet I hear the hesitance in her voice each time she tells me this. And I know she is lying. Something more is on her mind, something she is afraid of sharing with me, and the more I pry, the more she shies away. Her scent has changed, stealing the last traces of her sweet arousal from the air to replace it with something less heady and delicious.
It is an odd scent, but it is just as enticing and addicting as the one before. When she sleeps, I find myself pressing my face between her legs to breathe it in. I want to lap it up and discover the source of this change but hold back, knowing she is not well.
As I take in Ursula’s appearance, I notice she has changed too. The roots of her hair have turned dark, bleeding mildly into the silver-gray of her tightly pulled back hair. She appears healthier, and her normally pale complexion has taken on some color with a smudge of pink across her cheeks.
“What do you want?” I growl at her as I pull Vivian into my arms protectively. She moans, slowly awakening. The blanket wrapped tighter around her shoulders, she tries to straighten and stand, but I do not let her, unnerved by the abrupt shudder of her body.
Ursula drags her gaze from Vivian to me, and it is then that I realize she is showing interest in her.
When our eyes lock, I scowl.
She does not answer me, instead choosing to scold us. “It is natural to try and come up with an escape plan, but to forget that I have also planned for such measures is a lapse in judgment from both of you. As you know, Syasku, having tried multiple times yourself, escape is impossible.”
So she is listening to us.
Vivian has often mentioned cameras, but we have never found any. Until now, I was uncertain if they existed at all.
Vivian’s face reddens. “Is that why you’ve come now? To remind us that we’re at your mercy?” She wipes her face once more on her sleeve as I support her body. If my female is determined to show Ursula strength, then I will lend her what is left of mine.
Ursula waves Muffin forward. “No, that is not why I’m here, Vivian.” Ursula sighs like that’s obvious. “I have come to collect Syasku. I have a gift for him.”
Vivian frowns and looks at me, her confusion adding to my own. “A gift?”
“Yes. A gift.”
“We’ve been here for weeks…” Vivian murmurs, the worry in her voice evident. It’s then I notice how pale she has become. “And now you say you have a gift?” She eyes Ursula warily, her grip tightening on my arm. “What’s really happening?”
“He goes by the name Asera.”
I stiffen as my confusion morphs into something else. Asera? Staring at Ursula, my gaze narrows, searching her face for treachery. It has been a long time since I have thought about the red-bellied naga who shares my territory, and to hear his name now… it makes no sense.
“Who is Asera?” Vivian asks.
I hesitate, my hands fisting, because if what Ursula says is true, and Asera is here… “He is a naga, one I saved long ago when he was no more than a child,” I tell Vivian, keeping my eyes on Ursula. “He is here?”
If he is here… I can only imagine the horrors he has faced. My chest tightens. I care for the tailless naga and thought he was safe in the wetlands. The waters are deep and the grass is tall, and there are plenty of places to hide from ships.
Ursula cocks her head at me. “He would like to see you, Syasku. He’s waiting.”
I straighten, pulling Vivian against me. “I will not leave Vivian.”
“Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice.” Ursula sighs again like she knows she is in for a fight. “Vivian needs a medical checkup, so why not catch up with your friend while she is tended to?”
Vivian shifts against me, her attention on Ursula. “You can check me over right here, right, Muffin?” She faces where he stands by the door. “As you can see, I’m doing fine. I won’t leave Syasku.”
“I know you’ve been sick.”
Ursula and Vivian’s eyes clash and Vivian’s cheeks flush red. Something about the fear in Vivian’s eyes and Ursula’s sharp gaze fills me with concern.
“And here I thought I was being kind, giving you two all the time in the world to fuck.” Ursula keeps Vivian pinned with an ice cold glare. “I could tell your father that you wish him dead. I could also give him the footage of your exploits here. Treason and embarrassment await you if you refuse to cooperate.” Her eyes shift to me. “We have a deal, remember? If you refuse, she goes. If you refuse, I will punish Asera in your stead. Now, you can come willingly, or we can make it painful. I hate wasting my time making threats you should already know exist.”
My grip on Vivian tightens as her small amount of strength wanes. She glances back at me, her expression worried, and I cannot help the growl that tears from my mouth, forced, once again, to go against my instincts.
Looking back at the two females, it is clear they know something I do not. And that infuriates me.
Turning in my arms, Vivian leans up to place her mouth by my ear. “Go. I’ll be alright. I know this place and these people better than you do, and above anything—” her voice lowers further “—we need to get you out of these chains.”
Facing her, I cup her cheeks. “I will not be separated from you. Not for Asera, not for anything. We are in the middle of nesting, and if they touch you, I will kill them. I will kill all of them.”
“Is that a promise?” She lets loose a small laugh but it does not reach her eyes.
She continues before I can respond, her voice barely above a whisper. “I need you to stay alive, more than anything, even more than being here with you. I don’t want to see you hurt again. If we don’t do as she says, she will hurt you, and… I won’t be able to bear it.”
“And I cannot bear you being outside of my protection, even if it means I die. What are you not telling me?” I grit, knowing something was amiss all along. “What changed your mind?”
She averts her eyes and pulls her arm out of my grip to wipe at her face. “Syasku, please. Nothing is wrong… I’m just feeling sick, that’s all. Muffin will check me over, give me some medicine, and I’ll be fine.”
She is very clearly lying to me.
I clasp her shoulders with my hands, my fingers digging into her skin. “No.”
Vivian’s brows furrow. “Yes.”
“Enough of this,” Ursula barks. “Tase him!”
Vivian twists, horror widening her eyes. She throws out her arms to shield me as I try to yank her back. “No!”
The soldiers move forward.
“Stop! Please, you don’t need to hurt him! We’ll do as you say—just don’t hurt him!”
Ursula raises her hand, and the soldiers stop. “Then get on with it. You have thirty seconds or he gets tased.”
A furious hiss leaves my mouth, and Vivian yanks on my arm, forcing me to face her. “Do what she says,” she begs, her voice sharp with fear. “We knew this was going to happen. Please!” She leans up and presses her mouth to mine, mouthing her pleas on my lips. “I need you to be strong, remember? Be strong.”
Slowly I release her and she quickly steps away. “This isn’t about me, remember? It’s about you. I’ll be okay. You’re the one they care about, not me. I’ll be here when you return.”
Why do I not believe her? What am I missing?
Muffin leaves the door and walks toward Vivian, pointedly refusing to look at me. I bare my fangs.
Feeling helpless and furious, I turn my attention to Ursula.
She shakes her head. “She will be fine, I assure you. The only threat against her in all of this was you.” Then she calls out to the males between us. “Tranquilize him and bring in the gurney. Double the normal dosage, we know he’s growing tolerant of them. I don’t trust him to come with us willingly.”
Vivian cries out and tries to rush in front of me, but Muffin catches her arm and drags her back. “Stop! He’ll come willingly!”
The last thing I see is my reflection in the mirror as they drop me to the floor, electricity seizing me from the inside out. My teeth grit and I roar, bringing my hands to my face. Needles are shot into every part of me, flooding me with their poison. Vivian’s scent fades as my sizzling hide consumes it, and all I can think of is her words as painful darkness closes in.
I have become weak.
I never should have listened, never should have let her go.
And now it is too late.