by Raven Storm
“Don’t you have any more of those healing vials of yours?” I asked instead, aiming for a more polite tone.
“You drank them all,” he replied, ignoring my tone. “And unless you want to drink anymore of my blood fresh from the source, hold still.”
My face twisted in horror and realization. Was that what he had given me to drink last night to heal my concussion, and my back before that? His blood? The corners of his lips lifted, and I stonily looked away.
“That’s what I thought.” He brought my hand to his face, and without warning licked the entire length of the wound on my finger. I grimaced in pain and shock, but just as quickly a dull numbness spread through my body, and I sighed in relief. His tongue felt hot and rough against my skin, and I stared at the floor to hide my blush. His face changed as my blood met his lips, and it was a look of such bafflement that I jerked my hand away, only half-healed.
“That bad, huh?”
He scowled at me and seized me around the waist, pulling me back.
“I thought you hated me. Why bother healing me at all?” An annoyed expression crossed his face, and he pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand.
“If you’d rather heal the human way, be my guest. We have no medicines or any other such nonsense, so it’s a gamble if you end up dying from infection or not.”
“You’re horrible,” I shot back. His grip around my waist tightened.
“You don’t even know the definition. Now stand there, shut up, and let me lick you.”
He drew my finger into his mouth again, and I shivered at the sensation. It was impossible not to compare it to Ronan when the positions were almost exactly the same. Goosebumps erupted all over my body, and a delightful tingle raced straight to the area between my legs. I shoved it firmly down, refusing to analyze it. After a moment he pulled away with some effort, and I could breathe again.
“There.” I looked down, in awe of the unblemished skin across my finger.
“T-thank you,” I mumbled, even as he rolled his eyes and began unstrapping something from around his thigh. He slammed the small bit of leather onto the table.
“At least put your daggers in these sheaths, so we don’t have a repeat performance.” His sudden anger didn’t make any sense, so I latched onto the only thing that did.
“You can’t be jealous; you’ve been nasty this whole time until you healed me.”
I didn’t even see him move; one moment he was glaring at me, the next he was in my face, nose-to-nose. I took a step back, but his large hands held me tightly.
“I don’t do jealousy.” His eyes were hard chips of purple ice. “Anything I want, I simply take.”
He backed away, and I tried in vain to slow the rapid thudding of my heart against my chest. He gave me a mock bow.
“Until tomorrow, siren.”
He went through the second door on the right, locking it behind him. I spent the rest of the night with my knives, trying to hit a particular crack in the stone wall and imagining it was Benedict’s face.
SEVEN
On the second day of the Games, I woke up wondering what the task would be. Flinging open the wardrobe, I brazenly pulled on one of the shorter dresses. It ended well above the thigh, and I frowned. I added a pair of breeches underneath, and it was tolerable. The green velvet suited me and acted as a tunic when paired with the breeches. I wasn’t sure if I’d strapped the sheaths on correctly, but at least they were there and within reach. I stood, feeling much more prepared to take on the world. I braided the front part of my hair away from my eyes, but kept the rest flowing free down my back. I slid on the flat, leather boots, and I was ready.
Georg was nowhere to be found, but I felt confident in my ability to get back to the arena myself. After a few nerve-wracking twists and turns the pathway took a sudden steep incline and I grinned: I’d done it. I walked to the balcony to a roar of welcome. The drakens rose to their feet upon seeing me, cheering and clapping, stomping their feet and flashing their fangs. Embarrassed, I gave a shy wave, and sat down on my throne. Benedict was already there, looking grumpy at my happiness. Figures.
“Word travels fast in a stone prison. Every draken is dreaming of their own evening with you.”
I was proud of myself for not flinching when Benedict’s voice whispered by my ear. I didn’t bother turning to face him, or even look at him. I had friends here now and didn’t need to beg him for attention or help.
“If it’s such a prison, let them leave.” A growl was his response, and my stomach flipped in giddiness. What was it about annoying him that sent my heart racing and my blood pumping?
“I can’t.”
I flicked an imaginary piece of dirt off my neckline.
“Why not?”
He hissed back his reply. “You are a pathetic little human who understands nothing.”
I lifted an eyebrow, casting my gaze around as more drakens arrived. “Word about what traveled fast?” He grunted in annoyance.
“Kieran admits things could have gotten out of hand yesterday, and D’Arcy even agrees that you should have a... chaperone present for the future.” He nearly spit the words out, and I lifted my chin in satisfaction. He continued, a mean look in his eyes.
“I don’t see the point; if you die, I could just take another—"
My dagger flashed downwards, striking the stone edge of the armrest where his hand had been only a split second earlier. He slowly turned his head to me, and now he was smiling.
“That was naughty.”
I looked away, covering the flush of my chest. Benedict only seemed to like me when I was angry. And why did my heart race when he looked at me like that?
D’Arcy appeared in the middle of the pit and started speaking, but Benedict was far more interested in more.
“Were you always this much trouble?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. I refused to look over at him, but he felt close enough to be practically touching my arm. Benedict slid one finger down my shoulder, covering my forearm. I bit back a curse, hyper aware of every slight movement he made. He was just trying to distract me, to keep me from listening to D’Arcy!
“Just making sure you don’t go anywhere, siren.”
I snorted.
“And it has nothing to do with how you’ve got your hand on my dagger?”
“Bold words for a breeding cow.”
His words stung, and my hands curled into fists on the edge of my chair. I imagined several creative ways I could murder him; if I had as much power as he claimed, maybe the other drakens would even clap as I did it. Then we could all leave the mountain together and live happily ever after. Benedict turned sullen when I flinched and turned away.
D’Arcy’s voice painted a magnificent tale about an island covered in flowers and fruit, protected from outsiders by jagged cliffs and the powerful voice magicks: the island of Lyoness. I tried to focus, but Benedict’s words affected me more than I wanted to admit. They could call me an honored guest all they wanted, but in the end, I was just a piece of flesh being used, no different than the women at the breeding house.
“Today is round two of the Games!” D’Arcy’s blue eyes shot towards our balcony once before turning back to the crowd.
“Anyone who wishes to spend the evening with the female will first brave the Skolex!”
There was a terrible roar, and out of one of the stone tunnels burst a large, writhing white worm. It roared its defiance at the drakens watching, displaying four rows of massive teeth. It was easily the size of a quarter of the arena, and there were cries of dismay from those watching.
“What the fuck…”
Benedict pushed himself up from his throne, fury emanating from every muscle.
“I take it this challenge is a surprise?” I asked, not expecting an answer. He slid into his draken form, and I ducked as his wings flared in annoyance.
“Where do you even get a... what did he call it?”
“Skolex; deep from the rivers east o
f here. Carnivorous, chaotic white energy.”
“White energy?”
An irritated growl rumbled in his chest. I stood, unable to take my eyes off the savage monster, which had begun throwing itself against the stone walls to try and reach the drakens in the bleachers. Unsurprisingly, no one had yet volunteered to fight it.
“You can’t claim I’m a stupid human when you won’t help educate me.” Benedict hissed at me, torn between wanting to fling himself at the beast and proving me right.
“All magicks in the universe are either black or white. drakens are one of the few neutral species that practice both in moderation.”
The Skolex roared again, and the stone walls shook.
“Wouldn’t white energy be good, and black bad? That thing looks pretty bad to me!”
Benedict grabbed the edge of the stone balcony, and I noted how it crumpled slightly under his grip. Five drakens stood and flew down to the pit. Benedict cursed.
“White is chaotic; uncontrollable, it reflects everything back out at the world. White power, or magick as humans say, relies on the pain and suffering of others. Black is the absorption of everything. The power comes from the caster’s own pain and suffering. Get it? drakens are grey, this fucking thing is white. Now, if you promise to stay put, I’m going to kill it.”
Before I could say anything to protest, he leapt from the balcony and landed on all fours in the sandy pit. D’Arcy’s eyes flashed in annoyance at the interruption, but I couldn’t help but notice the look of immense relief on the faces of the five drakens in the pit.
“The goal is to replenish our species, not kill more of us off.”
Benedict’s voice rang clearly throughout the arena. D’Arcy stood his ground.
“She is one female, and we have too many males as it is. This ensures only the strongest will take her.” Well, someone apparently didn’t approve of Kieran and Ronan.
Benedict and I snarled at him in unison, and it might have been humorous if we both weren’t so angry. Breeding cow. I shook my head, unwilling to linger on it. Benedict’s eyes glowed in the dimness, his claws and wings flared in a defensive position. The Skolex turned, smelling fresh meat within reach. Benedict addressed the other drakens one last time.
“You’re determined to try?”
One of the five drakens bowed, backing away and going back to his seat. The other three remained, not blanching. Benedict growled.
“Fine.”
He pumped his wings twice and sat on the wall opposite the Skolex. D’Arcy laughed, clapping his hands once. The Skolex lunged, and the three drakens scattered. Two dove left, but one wasn’t quick enough. The Skolex swallowed him whole, not even leaving him time to scream. The cracking sounds as teeth crunched both echoed through the stone walls. The remaining two drakens looked at each other with regret. The one immediately flew out of the ring, and the other fainted. Benedict growled.
The Skolex twisted, sensing a target with more fight in it. Benedict stood on the wall just as the great beast thrust forward. Benedict raised his hands, freezing the monster in place. It roared against him, and cuts and welts erupted over Benedict’s body as he struggled to hold it in place. With a yell he made a twisting motion with his hand, and a loud crack pierced the air. Blood dripped down Benedict’s nose as the Skolex fell, paralyzed. He wiped his hand across his face and waved to the crowd. Blood from various lacerations ran down his skin in tiny rivulets.
“Finish it.”
Paralyzed as it was, the drakens didn’t hesitate to swarm the Skolex, clawing and slashing at it with swords and blades until it looked like a giant pin cushion. I looked away; my eyes glued on Benedict. He beat his powerful wings, propelling his body into the air and gliding back to the balcony. He slumped heavily against the wall, then glared at me as if it were my fault he’d had to fight a monster.
“You act like that was hard.” I joked lightly, though more to relax the lingering tension than to make him angry. He was usually quick with his retorts, but he only managed to give me a rude hand gesture.
I didn’t look back at the pit; I could hear the other drakens screaming their victory, so I certainly didn’t need to see it. It was so stupid, so infantile. They wouldn’t be anywhere near it without Benedict, would they? This had to be the black magick he spoke of; magick that took from you.
I approached him cautiously, but he had nothing to say as I helped haul him up. His blood was dark, and I caught shimmers of deep indigo as it caught the torchlight.
“Will you escort me back to my chambers? No one won today.”
I made it about me because I knew he would refuse on his account. With merely a grunt he thrust his arm out, though he leaned heavily on me as he limped down the passage. Benedict ducked awkwardly against the small ceiling and narrow walls. I wondered with growing horror if drakens were claustrophobic, and how horrible it would be to be trapped under a mountain when your species was used to the open air.
Benedict’s arm shot out and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me in tight against him. I didn’t even have time to yelp before the world dissolved in shadows and darkness, and I breathed in the smell of blood and ashes on him. He was massive, his muscles hard and unyielding. A moment later the light returned, and I could finally exhale. His grip loosened as my sitting room greeted us, already laid with light sandwiches and tea. Was there ever a time food wasn’t laid out? It seemed wasteful. I pushed his arms away, spinning around.
“There. Safely delivered.” He swayed slightly on his feet, and I shot him a look.
“Was that a draken thing?” I asked, wondering if all drakens could disappear into the shadows, reappearing at will. Benedict and D’Arcy both had the ability.
“King thing, bloodline thing,” he muttered. I rolled my eyes.
“Sit down before you fall down.” I pushed him towards a chair, and he fell into it. I frowned, as the various cuts and lines in his scales had yet to heal over.
“Is this an example of the...black magic? You took from yourself to defeat the Skolex?”
He nodded, not bothering to open his eyes as he rested. As my eyes ran over his wounds, I wondered why he didn’t just shift back to his draken form.
“It hurts less as a human.” I jerked, eyes narrowing.
“That doesn’t explain why you won’t heal.”
“What else do you want to know about?” It wasn’t a very subtle change of subject, but he rarely indulged me like this. I sighed and thought more about the different creatures.
“I assume the demons are white magick, based on what you said earlier. Their biggest allies are the vampyres, which makes sense since their entire existence is dependent on drinking the blood of humans. If that isn’t taking from others, I don’t know what is.”
Benedict gave me the slightest of nods. “And the black species?”
I thought about it. “The lykos transform...it’s a power that only affects them, and it sounds painful to change. They don’t need to attack humans to survive as a species. They just choose to. Or at least, some of them do.”
I moved to sit on the armrest of his chair, ignoring the twitch of his body. He stood shakily and moved to the door, the one that connected to his own quarters.
“Will you heal yourself?” I asked.
“Are you volunteering?” Considering I had no idea how I could help him, it seemed unwise to agree to anything.
“Hardly. I just find it interesting you’re not healing from this wound like you did other wounds.”
He leveled a glare, then stood. “I didn’t realize you cared, siren.”
He disappeared down the hall that connected our rooms. I headed into the warm oasis that was my bathroom, looking forward to taking my time exploring the bath. I had hauled up water for Crullfed more times than I could count, and even some of the birthers were allowed right before the birth. Everyone said it was calming, so I might as well see what the fuss was about.
I dipped my fingers into the water, which continued to bubb
le up gently from the center. It was as warm as it was the previous night. I’d have to ask Kieran how they did it; he was likely to tell me without any insults.
I disrobed and slid into the heated water with a sigh. It felt just as amazing as the first time, and I closed my eyes as the water lapped at the edges of the pool. The water went to my waist if I stood in the middle, but the raised benches on the edges were much shallower. I had fun going through all the different ointments, now that I knew they were for me and not for someone else.
I sniffed delicately, the scents as exotic and new as the drakens that surrounded me. I chose an oil that smelled like fruit and put it on my hair. I scrubbed my body vigorously and then lay still in the water, understanding why the other women loved their baths so much. To just sit in the warm water and do nothing was incredible. My eyes drifted closed, and I fell asleep.
I woke suddenly, and the reason for that was slouched against the doorframe, his face bored but his eyes telling a different story.
“GET OUT!” I screamed, thrashing slightly when I realized there were no more bubbles left to cover my body. My hand found one of the ceramic bottles and hurled it with impressive accuracy at his head. He snatched it out of the air, and with a vicious grin hurled it back. His face flattened when I caught it just as easily as he had. I picked up another, holding one in each hand.
“Care to try your chances with two?”
Benedict gave a long-suffering sigh and turned sideways so he wasn’t staring at me anymore.
“I was trying to come and say, well, never mind now.”
“Say what?” I challenged, grabbing my dress from earlier and wrapping it around my body. I didn’t care if the water ruined it; I hated most of these dresses anyway. He faced me again, his lips pursed.
“I was trying to say thank you for assisting me earlier, but clearly you wouldn’t appreciate the effort.”
I let both bottles soar, and to his credit he managed to catch both. He set them down at his feet, keeping an eye on me in case I threw more.