41. Lina
Lina
“ T he fuck are you doing?” His chest rumbles with rage.
Panic sets in, and I can’t get any air into my lungs. I whimper against his hand at my mouth, unable to scream and helpless to get free from his grip. Shadows twist around our bodies.
“I told you what would happen if you disobeyed.”
I scream but it dies against his hand, shuttered by his control.
My body is jerked away from the wall toward the edge of the pit below. Cold rushes over my skin, blowing my hair back, and for one instant, I think I’m falling to my death.
His grip jerks me back into his chest, but the void below looms. The threat more than clear.
“Do you know what’s down there?” he says through gritted teeth.
I nod, tears streaming down my cheeks.
Come find me , the voice calls again. Is that what they’re doing, calling to me so they can eat me alive?
“They’ll eat you alive,” he tells me, mirroring my thoughts. “And if you are caught out here?” He twists so I’m facing the open tunnel. “You’ll wish your demise was finished that quickly.”
He whips me around once again and pushes me up against the wall.
Wasn’t I just caught? Won’t that be my fate now?
“Quiet,” he says. “I don’t know if they heard you.”
As if I could suddenly turn off my panic. I’m quietly sobbing against his hand, all my weight sinking down to the ground, but he holds me up.
“Shhhh,” he says gently now. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I don’t know if I should believe him, but my body does not for a second believe that I am safe. Not at all.
I can barely think past the panic.
I am this monster’s property. Just a plaything for powerful men. And now, I’ve been found faulty, not worth the trouble. I’ll soon be with her, the girl in the prison.
We stay like this, pressed up against each other, for what feels like hours, and until every place our body touches comes into sharp focus. His right palm on my lips, his left clasping my wrists. His hips against mine.
“Breathe,” he whispers.
Easier said than done, I want to yell at him.
“We’re going to go back to our nest now. I need to know you can be quiet or we are both doomed. Do you understand?”
I nod quickly. Slowly, he pulls his hand away and decreases the weight against my body.
I work to calm my burning lungs and soothe my terrorized soul.
“Come,” he tells me then pulls me by the wrist down the hall. His steps are surprisingly quiet given his size. I do my best to keep up with his pace while also ensuring my steps light.
He stops only when we reach a fork.
Straight is the way back to the den. Right leads?—
He tugs me to continue on, to the right.
“Where—”
Before I can even blink, he again has me against the wall, breathing down my neck. This time, though, he places one finger against his mask, where his lips would be. My breath catches, but I obey his silent command.
No questions. Got it.
I don’t know exactly what his plan is, but considering he seems intent on helping me evade the guards, I’m willing to play along.
It might make no sense whatsoever, but it’s the best chance I have.
The sound of rushing water slowly grows in the distance. The cascades?
My stomach lifts then falls. He’s taking me to the cascades? Why?
It’s nighttime, which means it’s when couples are allowed to… perform recreational activities.
This time, I restrain my panic in silence, but I tug back on his wrist. He whips around, rage in his eyes. He first looks over my shoulder but then focuses those harsh eyes down at me.
I shake my head, trying to communicate that I do not want to go to the cascades with him. Maybe it’s irrational; after all, he can do the same things to me there as he could alone in his dwelling.
His brows rise. He lowers his mask and mouths, Trust me.
His eyes soften at the astonishment on my face then slides his mask back into place. He expects me to trust him?
Ignoring my concerns, he continues down the hall.
He doesn’t turn where I expect, though, where Helena always takes me into the cascades.
Instead, he finds another spiral staircase down a hall that is so narrow and short he needs to hunch over.
Even still, the sound of water grows louder and louder.
Soon, mist fills the tunnel and the ground beneath my grubby feet warms.
Then, all at once, we are out in the open, just feet from the edge of the water. “Hurry,” he says. “Get in.”
It’s all happening so fast I can barely think straight
He pulls off his mask and begins unwrapping the leather weapon holsters around his body, throwing them in the corner.
I stand there, shocked still, eyes wide.
He continues disrobing, tossing his clothes to the ground one item at a time, until he is completely naked.
My mouth drops open, yet I cannot look away.
My Dread is not the largest of the warriors, but he is still large, and his back and arms are chiseled like stone. There are scars scattered over his entire body and a few ink drawings. He keeps his back to me as he steps into the pool.
When the water is over his waist, he turns and holds out his hand. “Keep the dress on.”
I blink, and somehow, my body moves of its own accord and I am in the warm water of the cascade with a naked Drak warrior. The moment I begin wading in, he turns and lounges against the stone at the far side of the small pool.
Wearing my beautiful blue silk gown, I sink into the water. It bubbles and floats up around my thighs. This is so bizarre.
My heart is still pounding too fast. My mind still reeling. I barely know what’s even happening.
“Now, put your dress here.” He points to the stone barrier a few feet down from him.
I swallow.
“Hurry. They will be here soon.”
I frown and look over my shoulder. Who? Who will be here?
Rhythmic thudding catches my attention. “Now,” he barks. I can feel the magic in his command. A heavy weight over my soul.
I could fight it, but to what end?
With trembling fingers, I pull the straps of my dress off my shoulders and sink deeper into the water just as the soldiers come into view. Boots stomping. Weapons out. Eyes scanning the waters.
I suck in a breath and quickly push the dress the rest of the way down to my feet and kick it off. My Dread grips the fluttering fabric under the water and pulls it behind him.
“Haze!”
He tugs me onto his lap.
“Aye,” he says. “What’s the trouble?” His arm curls over my waist, fingers splayed over my stomach. My breath hitches.
We are fully naked, pressed up against each other. The bare skin of his chest touching my back.
Certainly, I’m terrified, but I should also be disgusted. My heart rattles in my chest. My mind twists through all the possibilities, trying to understand my current reality.
A dozen Drak warriors stand at attention near the edge of the pool, looking at us. Behind them, a half-naked, dripping-wet man clings to a woman but watches with interest.
“You’re here,” one of the soldiers says. His voice is low, annoyed. “How convenient.” The other warriors eye us suspiciously.
I notice the water rushing around me before I understand what’s happening. I’m shifted to the side as my Dread slowly stands.
Water pours off of his body, like the cascade itself. His curved muscles like stone.
I push farther away from his naked form, but my eyes stick to one particular body part. My eyes widen.
He is… large. And erect.
One side of my Dread’s lip curls up. “That a problem?” There is a hint of threat in his rumbling voice.
I cannot see the other warrior’s face, only his eyes, but even those hold just enough of a glint to make his displeasure clear. He shifts his weight from foot to foot. “There’s been a disturbance.”
“Oh? And you thought I had something to do with it, did you?” My Dread crosses his arms.
My cheeks are hot, but I cannot seem to make myself look away from the two men facing off. There are many soldiers, but it’s clear only one is in charge.
The man’s eyes flash to me, but my Dread steps sideways, blocking me from view. Now, I press my eyes closed, rather than stare at his behind. A few more words are exchanged, but I tune them out.
A soft melody plays in my mind to the sound of the rushing cascade.
Water rises and falls over my breasts, and I peak to find my Dread approaching the bank, leaving me alone. My dress swishes in the disturbed water so I grab it, and I set it against the stone barrier behind me.
My disrobed Dread talks animatedly with the intimidating man at the bank, but they are too far to hear.
Minutes later, the band of warriors leave, and my Dread returns, his expression blank. “They won’t bother us for now,” he says, sinking down to sit beside me. “But you need to be more careful than that. What were you trying to do?”
Escape , I don’t tell him.
“Never mind, don’t answer that.” He runs a hand over his face.
I stare at his lips. His nose. The shape of his cheeks.
I rarely get to see his bare face. “I know this is not the reality you wanted, but it’s the one you have.
The world is cruel, and this place is no different.
I cannot protect you from your own rebellion. ”
But you did. You did protect me from the consequences of my rebellion.
I don’t dare say the words.
I look up at him through my lashes, examining him anew. Is he different than I thought?
He is still a warrior who gathers desperate refugees and herds them to their death. He is a monster with shadows at his fingertips and fangs in his mouth. He must drink blood—they all do.
But what does all of this mean?
Why did he fight for me then avoid me? Why did he protect me tonight and then tell me to just accept my fate?
Tears stream down my cheeks. I don’t even remember starting to cry. I don’t even know if I feel sad right now.
I’m just so confused.
Without a word, my Dread lifts me into his arms and carries me out of the water.
I’m shocked still. My body is laid bare. His skin is warm and his arms tight around my legs and underarms. I curl into him because I don’t know what else to do.
We pass a few other disrobed men and women, but I do my best to shut it all out.
Until I am placed on my feet beside the fur-covered bed.
I flinch as the door clicks shut, a very naked man standing behind me.