MONTH TWO
IT WAS LATE when he came to my room with another man, through a private section I didn’t even know was a door.
“Hi,” I said. It was stupid greeting this man, whoever he was, but what else could I do?
“Elle, this is James. He is my lover.”
I squinted. “Haven’t I seen you around?” I remembered his face.
James smiled. “I’m one of the servants. Clive likes to keep me close to his side.”
Lord Creptone beamed.
“So how do we do this? You need me to leave?”
“No. If you leave, well,” he sighed. “This is the complicated part, and the one you have to play for your role.”
“Okay.” I didn’t quite understand what he wanted me to do.
“You need to stay.”
I glanced up. “Stay!”
“At the fireplace, read a book or something but you need to make it sound like the noises coming from this room are yours and not his.”
I gulped hard. Was he serious? Neither was laughing. This was so fucked up.
What choice did I have? Pretend to be his mistress or become someone else’s for real. “Okay, whatever you need.”
Lord Creptone grinned. He was so opposite of his son.
I went over to the fireplace and moved the chair to face the fire that was crackling in my room.
I wished that I could wield a shield around myself so I could not hear the sounds of them making love. I felt like such a peeping tom, but there was no other way.
This was going to be hard as I had no experience with this. The times I’d shared myself with Lucian were not enough to know how a woman should sound.
I blew out a gush of air as the two of them talked softly to one another. I tried to tune it out, but it was so close. I couldn’t.
Then they started kissing.
Another deep breath and when things heated up, noises came from my mouth. I had no idea whether they were loud enough or even the right kind of noises.
I knew this was hopeless, but nevertheless I tried to play my part, conjuring up memories of the movies my father used to watch when he thought I was in bed, using the sounds of the sex scenes that came on to play my part.
It didn’t last long, and when they were done, I could breathe again.
I was flaming hot from embarrassment, but if this was what I had to do to be safe from other men, then this was what I would do.
I prayed Lord Creptone didn’t have a huge sex drive.
James left after they had some wine and something to eat.
“Thanks.” He smiled at me. “You are a natural.”
I chortled, as being a natural in this department was so far from the truth. James kissed Lord Creptone one more time then he left.
He wore only a robe and he came to sit with me on the rug.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said and I froze. This wasn’t part of the deal.
He threw his head back and gave a heart-warming laugh. “I’m just joking, but that look on your face, it is something to remember.”
I laughed with him, a relieved kind of laugh. He had a sense of humor, even if it was sort of sick.
“So, tell me your story.”
“My story?”
“I’m not your enemy here. We have a lot of time to kill before I need to go back to my room.”
“Well, there isn’t much to say. I didn’t have a good life, not that it’s surprising around here.”
“But you came from up north. Things not great there?”
“No.” I squinted. Shit. What have I done? “I wasn’t always living up north. In fact, I’d only lived with them for a month.”
“They are taking people in.”
I remembered what August said about the treaty.
“The treaty is already broken. You know where you get the girls from and they don’t leave willingly.”
“I’m sorry. Their secret is safe with me, I promise.”
He was so different from the rest.
“Then where are you from? You don’t have the barcode.”
“I know, my dragon and I…” I froze. Another slip-up.
“You had a dragon?” Lord Creptone squinted.
“He’s dead. He died saving my life.” The biggest lie there was.
Lord Creptone closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I had a dragon too, a long time ago.”
A sad smile emerged as a huff escaped his lips. “I didn’t want to become like this, so they killed my dragon to show me if I didn’t follow the king of the wyverns, they would do the same to me.”
“You loved life?”
He laughed. “No, I had a son and a daughter to take care of.”
“So you weren’t always into men?”
“No, I guess I was, but tried to fight against it. I was a noble – nobles have a wife and children.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean‒
“You don’t. You just sat there and did exactly what I needed from you earlier on. You are not like anyone I’ve ever met before.”
“I’m not a saint, if that is what you’re referring to.”
“None of us are saints. Just it’s rare that someone actually gives us what we need. That type of compassion is hard to find around here.”
He was easy to talk to.
“So, I need to speak to you about something else.”
“Sure, what?”
“The feast.”
“What about it?”
“Have you ever been to one?”
I couldn’t lie this time. I couldn’t even remember if I’d ever been to a feast before in my life so I did not know what to expect.
I shook my head.
He squinted again. “Okay, it’s one thing to hear about what is going on there, but another to actually be there. If you show that any of it is bothering you, they will chuck you in the pits.”
I gulped. What sort of a feast is this, and what are the pits?
“Do you understand what it is I’m saying?”
“No, not really.”
“We nobles get front seats to the harvesting. It’s not kind to watch. Some of them are only children, but rather cheer for the ones that are older, and try not to do anything if a child gets picked. A lot of people have fallen in despair so they fall into this sick game. Laugh, be merry, try not to see what is going on. There is no way around it, and I just found someone that is willing to do whatever it takes for me to see James on a regular basis, so I beg of you, don’t show any emotion. I’ll give you whatever you need afterward. But be strong during the harvesting. And cheer when the wyverns shred them to pieces.”
Shred whom to pieces? I couldn’t ask, as I was supposed to know this. My mind was raging with thoughts of some sort of a sacrifice, but it wasn’t a sacrifice at all.
“The only emotion you can show at the feast is to pretend you are having the time of your life.”
I nodded. Still I was silently raging with confusion about wyverns slaughtering kids. This was sick and something I was going to have to watch.
“I’m not a fan of these feasts either and have tried many things to get some of the little ones out of the pit, but it’s no use. They refuse each and every time.”
“How do the kids end up there?”
“Stupid reasons: Parents die and they start to steal to stay fed. There are not a lot of options for survival around here. If you want to have a full belly, then you become someone’s mistress, or work in one of the noble’s houses, or you become one of the Council members: do evil on a daily basis, take what’s not yours, enforce the law – which is quite messed up – or you become a thief – steal, kill, and end up in the pits.”
He explained it to me as if he knew I wasn’t from here at all. I was grateful for that.
“I know it’s not fair, but it’s how it is here. Anyone who has tried to stand up to them has died. I’ve seen it a million times. It’s no use trying to change it. The dragons that are left refuse to be dragons, and some can’t even transform into their true self anymore. Like your friend.”
“You knew about her?”
He nodded. “She was forced to change a couple of times through the years. Her father was a brave dragon, tried to change things around, but he was no match against the wyvern king.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s how things are. How they have been for a long time. There is no escape, believe me, we’ve tried.”
I nodded. I felt so, so sorry for them. Lord Creptone, or Clive, as James called him, was a good man pretending to be bad.
He stared at me. “You have really beautiful eyes, you know. It reminds me of the greatest king that ever lived.”
It was the first time since I’d gotten here that anyone had picked up on that.
“Yes, I’ve heard that a lot of times.”
“I’m sure they almost got you killed a couple of times too.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to speak about my father or let Lord Creptone know I was the princess, but something told me that nobody knew that around here. They didn’t get the newspapers. This city was not part of Paegeia; it was part of the wyverns.
“I’d better get going. I’m not as young as I used to be.” He joked. “Thanks for tonight.”
“You are welcome, Lord Creptone.”
“Clive, please. We are lovers now.” He raised his eyes playfully once, and I smiled.
He left.
I didn’t want to sleep in my bed now that two men had been frolicking in it, so I grabbed one of the pillows that had fallen on the ground and a blanket that was on the bed and lay on the Victorian sofa that was in front of my window.
It was so dark outside. The sky, once again, was starless. It was only the moon that shone bright. What messed-up place was this where they killed children in a feast and fed them to wyverns? Why couldn’t these people leave? Did they have some border control under heavy guard? It was the only thing I could think of.
THE NEXT DAY I was dead tired. I hadn’t slept much since I arrived.
Too many things swirled into my mind – bad things – and I had two weeks left to prepare me for my first nightmare feast. How am I going to not fail at this? I didn’t know. I couldn’t see the silver lining around this cloud either.
There was no silver lining.
“Elle, is it?” a man asked, and Seymour entered the library where I was trying to read.
“Seymour.”
His entire being made my skin crawl as he walked closer and came to sit in the chair nearest to me. “So how was your first night with big old daddy?” He wrinkled his nose.
“None of your business.”
He huffed. “I can show you a better time.”
I pretended to read my book and hoped he would see I wasn’t interested in him.
“I remember a promise you made, if I let the other one stay, you would do anything for me.”
“Didn’t your father tell you to stay away from me?” I said, still pretending to read.
I could see his smirk grow wider. “He did, but I love a challenge.”
“Well, I don’t. Plain and simple is my game.”
“C’mon, Elle. My father is old. He can’t give you the same love I can.” He licked his lips. It was disgusting.
“I said no.” I tried to sound as stern as I could, and he grinned again.
“Suit yourself, but just remember, I always get what I want, one way or another. Getting everything handed to you on a silver plate, well what is the fun in that?”
I didn’t like the way he said it. It was as if he was threatening me, to take what he wanted with or without his father’s consent and that, I really didn’t like at all.
“Good for you,” I said. “Now, I really want to finish this book, if you don’t mind.”
His bit his lower lip. “You really have a big mouth on you.” He slapped the book out of my hands, and I flinched. “Or maybe it’s just a tool you use, hoping it will make you seem fiercer than you really are.” He came so close I could feel the breath from his lips next to my cheek. He tugged at my dress.
“Stop that,” I said through gritted teeth, “or I will call your father.”
He huffed and his gaze scrolled all over my body. Then he took a huge, satisfying breath and blew it out. “Soon.” He winked and opened his mouth to say something else, but another voice interrupted us. It wasn’t Clive’s.
“Seymour, we need you to help out with a little bird.”
Seymour grinned, and I turned around to see who had come to my rescue. My heart ached, as it was the guy who could’ve been Blake’s twin.
“Billy, come here.” Seymour gestured toward us without breaking his gaze from me.
My heart thumped as Billy approached us.
“This is Elle, my father’s,” he said and had a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Bird.”
“She’s the girl from the farm? They sure do clean up so nicely.”
My skin crawled again.
“But it’s like you said, Seymour, she’s your father’s bird. You remember what happened to Mark.”
“Screw Mark, he’s dead. This one, I really, really want.”
“Soon, now let’s go,” Billy said sternly, and Seymour gave him the eye.
“Please.” Billy’s tone was softer, more pleading.
“Soon,” Seymour sent a kiss my way, “my little bird.”
He got up and they both left. I let out a huge breath and wanted to cry. This was not good. Who was this little bird they spoke of? Annie?
I put down the book and rushed out of the library. Annie had to be fine.
I ran around the entire house searching for her, and after an hour I found her cleaning a room.
I closed the door and flung my arms around her and started to cry.
“Oh, Elle. What happened? What did Lord Creptone do?”
“It’s not him. It’s Seymour. Who is Billy?”
“I saw him earlier on with a girl. Almost your age. It’s not good.”
I closed my eyes.
“Who is he?”
“He is the guy I told you about. The one I know on the Council. But he is just as sadistic as the rest of them.”
“He actually came to my rescue.”
“Don’t, please. I know he is gorgeous, but he is far from boyfriend material or keeping you safe. He would do anything they tell him to.”
I nodded. Blake was dead. He’s not Blake.
“What did Seymour want?”
“He doesn’t care about me being his father’s.”
She flinched.
“I know that is not good, but his father‒
“Seymour doesn’t give a shit about his father’s rule. The word around here is that Lord Creptone killed his son-in-law for raping his previous mistress. She was so badly assaulted that she passed a couple of days later.”
“She died?”
“Men are bastards. Tell Lord Creptone, before it’s too late.”
I nodded. “I will, tonight.”
“Okay.” She looked at me. “Has he told you about the feast yet?”
I nodded. “I have no choice but to go.”
“Those feasts are bad. Whatever you do, just pretend you are having the time of your life, please.”
“I know.” I sighed and hugged her. “I was so worried that you were the little bird.”
Annie started to giggle. “Believe me; they don’t want me for that purpose.”
“Why not? You are beautiful!”
She just scrunched up her nose. “I’ve got two more rooms to clean then I’ll come around later, okay?”
I nodded.
“Be careful. If you see any of Seymour’s men, go to a place where there is staff, please. I know a small part of him fears his father because of what happened to Mark. And tell him, please.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Okay, got to go.”
“Bye.”
Annie left the room and I took another deep breath and left after her.
BLAKE
“TELL ME PLEASE, I need to understand this. As I remember, you didn’t want anything to do with her?” Emanuel asked as we rested for a while on top of a mountain peak. Both of us were in our human form, butt-naked looking down on Paegeia’s beautiful landscape. The sun was busy rising over the entire scene. It was gorgeous.
“I can’t. It’s not what anyone thinks it is. It’s not an instantaneous kind of thing.”
Emanuel squinted as he glanced at me. “That does not make any sense.”
I chuckled. “It’s not supposed to make sense.” I sighed. “It’s actually kind of beautiful.”
“Okay,” Emanuel said in such a way that it made me laugh. “The darkness?”
I played with a twig in my hand. “Gone.”
“So you don’t feel anything dark?”
“Nope, just worry upon worry, and being useless.”
“Blake you are not useless.”
“I used to hear her thoughts. Now, not a peep. She used to drive me insane.”
“Her thoughts?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah, and the bond wasn’t even that strong yet. Now it’s the only thing I pray for, a sign, but nothing. I don’t even know if she’s okay.”
We were silent for a while.
“You know there is another way, but it usually only works with bonds that spend centuries together.”
I stared at him. “I could hear her thoughts.”
Emanuel chuckled. “Why do you think I brought it up?”
“What is this other way?”
“If you want a sign, it’s going to take a lot of practice.”
“What is it?” I was frustrated and annoyed at the same time. I would do anything for a sign of life.
“Close your eyes.”
I looked at him for a few seconds.
“You want a sign, yes or no.”
I closed my eyes.
“Now listen for your heartbeat, and I mean really listen.”
I did what he said and tuned in my hearing. It was difficult as my heart was beating so softly the only thing that could pick it up was an EKG. “Do you hear it?”
“Not yet. What does my heartbeat have to do with this?”
“Just wait. Tell me when you hear it.”
I took a deep breath: nothing. “Just tell me.”
“It has to be done in steps. Now try again.”
“Emanuel, I don’t have all day. Just tell me and I’ll practice.”
He smiled. “Okay, but remember there are no short cuts.”
“Just tell me.”
“If you hear your heartbeat, and I mean really hear it as if it’s lodged in your ears, then you need to tune in more. You will pick up another heartbeat – hers.”
I stared at him. “You serious?”
He nodded. “I have tried it for years, think I succeeded once but it left me with a mother of a headache for days. To be honest, if you can’t even hear your own heartbeat.”
“Shut up. I’ll get it right.” I closed my eyes again and gave it everything I had. I didn’t know how long we sat there, but nothing came. Not even a soft beat.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. It will come when you are ready.”
“I’m ready now.” I needed to know if she was okay.
“It’s going to take time. Be patient.”
I nodded and sighed again. “Thanks.”
“It’s a bit far-fetched thinking that you would be able to do this at all at your age, but it’s worth a try.”
I chuckled. “Not for that. For the past two weeks. It was stupid to think I could do this alone.”
“If you haven’t noticed that by now, then you are seriously blind. I care for her too, and if you weren’t the dragon…” He shook his head with a huge grin.
“Better get rid of those feelings extremely fast.”
He pushed me away and roared with laughter. “I’m joking, but for what it’s worth, I’m glad that you will finally be there for her when she appears.”
“If she appears.”
“Just do me one favor please, no more Creepers?”
I chuckled.
The vibe turned from playful to serious.
“Why did you do that?” Emanuel asked. “Go so near them.”
I shook my head.
“Was it a death wish?”
“I don’t know.”
“Blake.”
“I know, but it is different now. I don’t know if I can live in a world where she doesn’t.”
“Then wait for real proof, like a body whose heart isn’t beating.”
Concern filled my eyes, and everything I was.
“I’ve seen how hard it is to carry on with life without our riders. I don’t even want to imagine how hard it is for a dent. It’s as if we can’t function normally without them. They have it so easy.”
I chuckled again. “And they don’t even know it.”
He slapped his hands and got up. Finally, break time was over and I dived off the cliff first and transformed in the air, with Emanuel close behind me.
