by Kyanna Skye
“Ah,” he said, caressing her cheek. “I would never let anyone hurt you. But this shame you feel. There’s no reason for it,” he said, leaning closer. “When I feel all the same things about you.”
Kirin wrapped his arms around her, and they kissed.
It was just a gentle touch, a brush of his lips against hers. And then he parted her lips with his tongue. She opened her mouth to him, let her tongue stroke his. He took her breath into him. She moved, pulling him more firmly into her arms, and bringing his body on top of hers.
Rayna heard a bang and screaming. Security guards rushed through the doorway. They pulled Kirin off of her and dragged him to the middle of the room. Two guards threw him to the floor and beat him with clubs while the others pointed their guns at him.
“No! Stop!” Rayna pleaded. She got to her feet, but two of the men held her down while they others circled Kirin, guns were drawn. “Poe attacked me! He saved me! Stop! You don’t know what you’re doing! Please!”
Kirin was surrounded. He lifted his hands in surrender, getting to his knees. The guards trained their guns on him. The air began to fill with heat. Sweat gathered on his face, and he shivered, trying hard to control himself. Rayna knew his change could be prompted involuntarily by anger or fear. Being threatened at gunpoint was enough of a stress to bring on his change. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to beg for Kirin’s life. No one was listening to her.
“Stop!”
A booming male voice stopped the men. Rayna’s father, Ashton, came through the doorway, red-faced, apoplectic with anger.
“Stand down now you fools before he burns the entire building down! How did this happen? Does anybody know?”
“Poe got out of his cage. He tried to kill me. Kirin stopped him.”
“And how did he get out of his cage?” Ashton asked. “You can let go of my daughter now!”
The men that were holding Rayna dropped her arms abruptly. She was surprised that she was able to stand on her own, despite the ringing in her ears and the pounding in her head. Kirin slowly got to his feet, but the men didn’t move away from him. Rayna realized they were poised for her father’s next orders.
“What she’s saying is the truth,” Kirin affirmed.
“No one was speaking to you, Dragon,” Ashton huffed. “Answer my question, Rayna!”
“I must not have locked the door to his cage properly,” she replied.
“Take him away,” he made a dismissive wave towards Kirin.
The men grabbed Kirin’s arms. He gazed over his shoulder at Rayna with a look of concern as the men pushed him through the doorway.
Once he was gone, another guard shut the door behind them.
“I made a mistake, I will admit that,” Rayna said. “But Kirin could have sat by and did nothing. He knew that Poe was hurting me, and he came to help. He doesn’t deserve to be held here like an animal. He’s not less of a danger here than he is anyplace else. Holding him captive is just making the entire situation worse. He told me about his people and how they were only looking for a new home after their planet was destroyed. They never meant to wage war, but if pushed they’ll have no choice but to fight back!”
“I told you before I’m not the only person here to make the decision about whether he stays here or is let go free.”
“Dad that’s bullshit! You’re the CEO. These people wake up and go to bed on your orders. You don’t want to do anything about it so it’s easier to blame the board. Otherwise, you have to admit to me and yourself you’re a coward.”
Ashton slapped his daughter’s face. Even the guards winced. “I don’t know what’s happened to you lately. You never used to be so…mouthy,” he snarled.
Despite the pain, Rayna refused to cry out. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. He was used to his kind, submissive little daughter who fell into line with whatever he wanted. Not this time. It was too important. Kirin and the future of his people were too entwined with their own fate. For once, she intended to stand up for something that mattered.
“You can hit me all you want, the truth is the truth,” Rayna said. “Kirin and his people are peaceful. What happened just now is proof of that. He didn’t have to protect me to begin with, much less allow your men to point their guns at him. He could have killed us all.”
“We will discuss this further, in private,” Ashton hissed under his breath. “I knew you weren’t cut out for this job.”
Chapter 7
Over the next two weeks, Rayna started spending more time with Kirin. Since Poe was no longer part of her rounds, she was able to spare a few extra minutes with him in the mornings. She also came to visit him after hours each day. Though her excuse was that she was there to tend to his wounds and keep him calm, she was really there just to get closer to him. After he put himself in danger to protect her an unspoken bond was forged between the two.
Kirin’s situation was both better and worse. Because of Rayna’s complaints, someone at the facility saw to it that Kirin was provided with clothes. They were plain- white shirts and beige pants, not much better than clothes of a jailed prisoner, but they were something. Also, he was no longer chained. He’d broke the chains and decimated the barriers that held him in before. His new enclosure was built of stone, like a small house within an outer Plexiglass shell. It would be harder for him to destroy. The positive thing was it provided some privacy for him. There was a private bath and toilet. A bed and a small table with two chairs were also provided. Before, he’d only had a toilet and sink with a small screen in front of it, and no bunk or bed to sleep in. Rayna was satisfied to know she had convinced her father to make Kirin’s accommodations a bit more humane.
Kirin told her stories about his home world every day. He described to her the night skies which were the color of magenta, the deep green-blue skies of daylight, and the sun and moon which were both visible during all hours of the day. He told her how the climate was very much like California- mild through most of the year, with lands in the north that had rain or snow in the winter. He explained that his particular tribe of dragons lived in a mountainous area. Their homes were built into the rock face of the mountains. In the morning the fledgling dragons would leave their homes to fly together, returning at sundown. It sounded like a beautiful life, a dream rather than reality. Rayna tried to imagine what it would be like to fly. She imagined it was the most awesome feeling of freedom.
Kirin had cuts and bruises on his body from being beaten by the guards, mostly on his limbs, but there was a very nasty cut on his left side, below his second rib. Rayna made sure his bandages were changed twice a day. “I feel bad because I’m using this ointment on you and I don’t know if it even works,” she told him.
Kirin smiled. “Don’t worry about it. We tend to heal well. Back home, kids try to see how many cuts and bruises they can get and still pretend it doesn’t hurt. You’re keeping it clean and covered at least which is the important thing.”
“So dragons don’t like to admit to their vulnerabilities?” Rayna teased.
“We sure don’t,” he agreed.
“I can’t blame you. We all have them. Sometimes it feels like if you can pretend you don’t, you become impervious.”
On this particular evening, they were sitting together at his table. They had gotten into the habit of eating dinner together. She’d sneaked in Thai food on this occasion. One of the things she noticed was that Kirin liked anything spicy. He rolled noodles over chopsticks with ease. There was really nothing he seemed unable to master without the slightest of effort.
“What’s your vulnerability?” he asked, fixing her with those amber eyes of his.
“My father,” she said quickly. “He’s my weak spot.”
“How so?”
“You probably don’t want to hear about it.”
“Yes, I do,” Kirin urged gently. “I want to know all I can about you.”
Rayna sighed. “Well, my father’s very domineering. I suppose it’s
worked for him in business, but not so much in our personal lives. My mother died when I was very little, so it was just the two of us….”
“I’m sorry,” Kirin said.
“Thank you. It was a long time ago. Anyway, I guess I always wanted to impress my father. He spent so much time working, and he always told me Dynamic Tech would do things to change the world for the better. He encouraged me to go into science from the time I was old enough to go to school. I excelled in all my courses. But good was never good enough. Even when I was making straight A’s, he always managed to put me down. If it wasn’t something about my school work, it was always about my body. I was never thin enough. I wasn’t going to have a husband or a man in my life who cared for me because of the way I looked. He used to tell me I was big as a side of a barn, and it was a good thing I was smart. I needed to take care of myself because obviously, who else would want to? It didn’t help that when I hit puberty, I gained a few extra pounds, and I had to wear glasses. It was like I was proving everything he’d ever said about me. I was the nerdy, chubby kid no one wanted to go to the dance with.”
Kirin reached for her hand. “How could anyone think that? You’re a beautiful woman. We all grow through phases as we grow. When I was a boy, I was scrawny. What humans would call a ninety-nine-pound weakling?”
Rayna laughed. “I can’t imagine.”
He shrugged. “It’s true. Does your father think differently now?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Rayna said. “To be honest, I’m surprised he allows me to still work here. After the incident with Poe, we had a really bad argument about why he’s keeping you here and how it’s not helping anything. I finally stood up to him. He was shocked. He’s come to expect me to agree with him or at least to be silent about my opinions. We haven’t spoken to each other since. But apparently, Dr. Sidell is off my back for the time being. I haven’t heard anything from him either.”
“I’m sorry my presence here has caused you trouble,” he said. “I don’t understand how your father feels the way he does. You’re a beautiful woman in every way. He should be so proud to have raised you, especially since he did it alone.”
Rayna blushed. “It’s sweet of you to say so.”
“No, it’s not,” Kirin said. He stood up. “It’s the truth and obviously something you don’t hear very often. I know how you think and how very hard you are on yourself,” he touched her cheek. I find it disturbing. You’re such a kind woman to me and everyone else but the things you think about yourself are absolutely cruel.”
Rayna stood. She didn’t know what to say to him. What he was telling her was true. There was no way she would ever call anyone else the things she routinely said to herself: fat, ugly, stupid, un-loveable. Her father had said those words to her first, and she had clung to them as if they were true. Those words were her defense. If she failed at anything at all in life, how could she be surprised when she knew and “acknowledged” all of her faults?
The spot on her cheek where Kirin touched her was wonderfully warm. The heat radiated all over her body in much the same way it felt to step into a pool of warm water. She had touched his skin often (when taking samples and bandaging his wounds) and felt nothing akin to this before.
And then he kissed her.
Kirin placed both hands on the side of her face, drawing her to him. From the moment his tongue touched hers his warmth spilled into her, and exchange of energy. He moved his hands to caress her shoulders and then to put his arms around her.
Neither of them had spoken of the kiss they shared the day Poe died. That had been so quick and had ended quickly when he was pulled away from her. Other than the firmness of his lips and tongue, she couldn’t remember very much about the sense of it. This was something completely different. This kiss was not meant to comfort as their first kiss was. It was a touch of his desire, his need. She moaned, her own need echoed back into him.
Kirin moved her backward to the little bed. Rayna was very aware of what was about to happen between them. She knew she didn’t want him to stop. He watched her with those amber eyes and she felt a quiver of excitement. His hands went to her blouse. Pulling at it, he managed to get it off of her body. The top of her breasts swelled over her bra, and he kissed her there, taking his time. He took a nipple into his mouth and sucked, never looking away from her eyes as he did it.
He only stopped long enough to take off his clothes, and Rayna did the same. Seeing him naked again, she realized that she had missed the sight of him this way over the last few weeks. She smiled. Kirin’s body was beautiful as always, perfect in every way she could think of.
He leaned over, running his hands along the curves of her body: breasts, hips, and legs.
“What part of you do you think should not be loved?” he whispered, kissing her neck. “Is it here?” He asked, and dipped to kiss the sensitive skin between her breasts. “Or maybe here,” he said, tracing a line down to her belly button. He kissed it, causing Rayna to moan with anticipation. “It better not be here,” he said, rubbing the skin of her thigh. He kissed her there too, sucking her skin between his lips. This time, she giggled.
His hands continued to travel her skin, dipping between her thighs. Stroking her delicate skin with his finger, his voice took a deeper tone. “I know you deserve love, and I want you to believe it too.”
“Ah, Kirin,” she whispered. She rested her hands on his shoulders.
Lying on top of her, he moved, putting one hand on either side of the pillow. He stared into her eyes. “Let me show you.”
Chapter 8
A week passed, and Rayna found herself in a sort of romantic bliss. She had her own worries about Kirin; what would happen in the near future, if he would ever gain his freedom and under what circumstances. Every day she went to see him, he reminded her to focus on the present. The rest was completely out of their control. They subsisted on stolen kisses and secret lovemaking. Sometimes they just held each other’s hands and talked. Rayna’s visits to see him in the evening grew progressively longer until she was leaving long after nightfall each night. She wanted every crumb of time she could get with him.
She found him in a fairly good mood on Thursday evening. By the time she came back to see him shortly after five the next morning, he was visibly upset.
“What’s happened?” she whispered, closing the door of the enclosure behind her. When he wouldn’t look up at her, she tilted his chin up with her forefinger. His eyes had turned red. Shocked by the change, she took a step back. Tears streaked down his face, and he wiped them away.
“My people are coming. They’re very close by. And they are angry! They will tear this place apart and everyone in it looking for me. Promise me,” he stepped forward, taking her hands in his own. “Please promise you’ll get away from here! I can’t let them hurt you. But if I stay locked in this place they will come for me.”
“I can’t just leave you! And allow everyone else to be hurt? Is there anything that we can do to appease them?”
“If I phased into my dragon form, I could escape. But it would mean taking out everything and anyone in my way.”
“What if I helped you escape?”
“Rayna. That could put you in danger.”
“If what you’re telling me is true,” she replied, “I am already in danger. We all are. Let me do what I can to help. My father may not approve of me but he won’t allow his guards to harm me. Meanwhile… we can’t be sure of anything that the others would do, right?”
“They will stand down if I am unharmed. I don’t know what happened to my unit. If they have been hurt or killed, it may not matter.”
Rayna moved closer, whispering in Kirin’s ear. “I don’t know for sure. They might be held elsewhere. There are many Dynamic Tech locations scattered across the world. And there are six of them in California. What are the chances that they’re not at different facilities within the state? All of these test samples from your body are being compared to something. I don’t think they’
d have needed more than one to compare to human biology. What if they are testing you to compare the results to the others?”
The idea calmed him. She watched Kirin’s eyes change back to their regular gold-brown color. “It’s a possibility. It makes sense.”
“It takes a lot to hold you, and I can’t imagine they would want more than one dragon at any facility. It’s always a possibility that some of them could be out of state or in one of our international hubs, but I can’t imagine anyone would want to transport them so far, even in their weakened, human condition. If they were a few hundred miles apart from you, would you be able to sense them?”
“No,” he said. “If we were outside, I might be able to, but with all the miles and walls between us, it would be too far.”
“I have an idea,” she told him. “I will come back later. Just have faith. Don’t give up yet.”
He kissed her goodbye, and she hurried away. Rayna’s heart raced. If they were lucky, there might be a way to avert war. It wouldn’t end well for her personally. If Kirin escaped successfully, she would never see him again.
She already knew that she loved him.
***
The day dragged by horribly.
Rayna went through her usual morning routine. Before he attacked her, she’d enjoyed her little exchanges with Poe. He had not been replaced, and as she passed the door to his empty enclosure, she always felt a pang of sadness. He’d seen a route for escape, and his animal nature took over. The whole episode was terrifying. Kirin had acted correctly in taking him out. But she didn’t blame the primate for his actions. The blame for that rested squarely with her father and all the rest who had allowed the captivity and experimentation of the primate for all these years.
Rayna realized with some sadness that she too had allowed herself to become a cog in the wheel of Dynamic Tech’s machinations. Not anymore.
Mimi, the gelatinous creature, greeted her as usual by replicating Rayna’s face on its surface. There was even the expression of a scowl, executed perfectly.