Dragonlands(70)
Tressa stood alone in the center. Leo at her feet. She wanted nothing more than to fall to him. Cradle him in her arms.
But she could not. The other men left standing surrounded her, leading her away. Taking her to the next step of her journey. One she truly now walked alone.
Chapter Forty-Four
Naked.
Cold.
Hot.
Fever.
Endless shivering.
Connor’s eyes opened. Not much. Only a slit. Enough to take in the dank murkiness of his cell. Like before, he heard water drip. Plink. Plink. Plink. An endless maddening sound.
No one visited him.
Not since the night, or day, he wasn’t sure, when he awakened.
When she’d looked into his eyes and convinced him she loved him.
After she’d taken him, the grate fell and he was trapped in this prison. At first he’d railed against the metal rods. Screamed until his throat grew raw and his voice left him. Hunger pierced his belly, like a knife twisting inside him.
Every morning he woke refreshed. As if he’d been healed in his sleep. His muscles were more defined. His appetite sated. His throat moist.
The cycle repeated itself. Though he never knew for sure what was morning and what was night. He slept when tired. He fought when rested. There was nothing else to be done until she came back.
“How are you, my pet?” She sauntered into view outside his prison.
“Let me out.” If he demanded it, surely she would let him go.
Her laughter, echoing in the vast cave, told him he wouldn’t get what he wished.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I needed a new mate. The others were less than worthy. I killed them.” She reached in between the bars, a black fingernail tracing the contour of his cheek. “You were happy to oblige before, remember?”
He remembered too well. It haunted him in his dreams. Lust and anger locked in a battle. She had won and he hated himself for enjoying it.
“I have something for you, my love.” She set a bag on the ground. “It’s something we made together.”
Curious, he waited while she pulled something hard and round from the bag.
“What is it?” he asked, overcome with wonder. It shimmered in the faint light of the cave. A hard and knotty gray shell covered with blue specks. Connor reached through the bars to touch it.
Heat traveled from his fingers up his arm.
“I brought it here to you because I love you. Because I knew it would keep you warm.” She glanced at his naked body and his obvious arousal. “Do you miss me?”
“Every day. Let me out. Please.” He did miss her. He hated her. He wanted her. More than anything, he was desperate to recall a memory from before he’d woken up in the cave. Down there, trapped and alone, his memory was nothing more than an empty void.
She chuckled. “I can’t do that. But if you want me, I think that can be arranged.”
The bars dissipated, metal vanishing into mist. The woman stepped into his waiting arms, covering his lips with hers and teasing her tongue into his mouth. Something deep within told him to push her away, but her hands convinced him otherwise.
They made love again and again until he fell asleep.
When he awoke, the bars were reinstated.
The strange object sat not far away. He lay next to it, feeling the heat emanating from inside. She was right. It would provide him warmth and comfort.
Chapter Forty-Five
Tressa grew used to poor hygiene. The men of the Black Guard bathed together only once a week. She avoided it, claiming her religion prevented her from baring her body in front of the other men. Leo coached her ahead of time on this, knowing it would be an issue.
Leo.
Another innocent lost. So much death. So much grief. Thinking of him always threatened to bring tears to her eyes. But she couldn’t allow herself to cry in front of the other men. Not even for a moment. She was one of the elite now.
The only other one who remained behind from the weekly soak was the boy. The one they protected during the battle. He won a spot without drawing blood. Not his, nor another’s.
The boy slept all the time. At first Tressa thought he was only avoiding her. That was until his unbearable snoring began. She tossed a pillow over her head, but it didn’t muffle the grinding noise. Instead of listening to him, she ventured outside.
Tressa followed the shouts of the men bathing in the pond. Leo had told her to learn as much as she could about each of them. Where they came from. Where their loyalties lie. Even within the ten, there would be factions. If Tressa ever needed help or escape, it wouldn’t hurt for her to find out which was most sympathetic.
If any.
Leo cautioned her not to trust any of their words and very little of what she saw. Men didn’t fight to protect Stacia because they loved her. They did it to protect their families, gain favor, or advance their own secret motives. Her mother had commanded respect and loyalty. Stacia’s reign inspired treachery.