by Blue Saffire
Before he can react, the doors in front of us open. I find myself holding my breath as we enter the room.
Chapter 4
Mr. Dragon Lord
Radu
I hear the short inhalation of the woman by my side. It once more brings to my attention to how brave she’s been, even when she stood alone with my men and I. I find myself growing more and more wary of bringing her to my brother.
I especially don’t like the idea of any harm coming to her. While I know Anaes wouldn’t harm her, in truth, he’s known to be a bit ruthless at times. Holding back my sigh, I watch as she walks boldly into the office. Signaling for Civic and Branem to stay outside the doors, I enter behind her.
“You’re twins?” Is the first exclamation she makes.
Her eyes widen as she looks from me to my brother. Her eyes always feel like the rough scrape of claws against my skin. It’s both pleasant and unnerving.
Intrigued by her outburst, Anaes looks at me in silent inquiry from behind his desk as he sets aside a folder he’d been looking through. “Yes, we are,” he says with a soft smile. Rising to his feet, he puts out his hand for her to take. “I didn’t know it was such a shocking thing.”
She laughs, not taking his hand. Instead the little female walks across the room to the window. I chide myself for being pleased by this.
“Wow, this view.” She turns around and faces us, crossing her arms. “So, what’s the gig?”
Confused by her words, I seek Anaes’s gaze to see if he knows what she means. He gives a quick lift of his chin, before moving from behind his desk. “No gig we only want information. From what my brother tells me, you assisted Xzith in his escape.”
Hearing this, she rolls her eyes. “I didn’t do it on purpose, it was instinct.”
“It was instinct? How was it instinct to stop me from serving justice?”
“If you see someone who you grew up with being attacked… don’t tell me you’d just stand there,” she snaps, her eyes alight. “And let’s not forget to add, you said yourself you were going to kill him.”
“Yes, a murderer is brought to justice swiftly among my people.”
“Yeah, but you don’t get to decide that killing him is the best option, that’s what the cops are for.”
“You—”
“Brother, I don’t believe we need to going into all of this with Decima La Morta.” Anaes’s rests a hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Releasing the tension running through me, I clamp my lips together.
“How do you know my name?” Her question draws Anaes’s attention. She narrows her eyes on him. “I never introduced myself.”
“It’s prudent for my kind to look into any human who learns of our people.” Leave it to Anaes to easily explain the purpose of digging up someone’s information. “It wouldn’t be smart for us to allow just anyone in on our little secret.” He offers her a consolatory smile.
She shoots me a look. “You have to have some connections to do something like that.”
Anaes shrugs. “Maybe.”
She scoffs. “Okay, I’ll bite, maybe even help you.”
“And what could a little human do for us?” I demand.
“Since your brother just announced it, my name is Decima. Deci for short,” she snaps at me, suddenly reminding me once more of a cat. “Use it.”
I snort, lifting my chin. “If you wish to be called something other than female, then do the same with me.”
“Hard to do when you haven’t told me your name?” She taunts, lifting the brow over her left eye in sarcasm.
“You will call me Radu, and nothing else.”
At my command, I immediately see the flash of defiance in her gaze. This female is nothing like our own females, who not only know their place, but would never challenge an alpha’s words. Especially not a Ratnik warrior’s words. Instead of being irritated I find myself intrigued.
My brother interrupts before I can provoke Decima anymore. Decima, even her name sounds defiant.
“As my brother mentioned, Xzith has committed a serious crime. In order for us to learn not only who backed him, but why, we need to follow any and every possible clue. As of that night, you’re the only obvious lead.” Anaes takes a step forward, placing his hands within his pocket. “I have looked into what you said, and found it to be the truth.”
“So… I can go?”
“Yes.” He observes her. “But we cannot let you leave here so easily.”
Tensing, I wonder what Anaes means by his words. I look from his apathetic expression to Deci’s worried one.
“What?” Deci demands. “Why not?”
Anaes doesn’t answer her. Instead, his next words are for me. “Radu, go and get Branem.”
Knowing where this is about to go, I give a reluctant bow of acceptance. I refuse to acknowledge the black feeling choking me at the thought of Deci’s memories being wiped.
“Wait? What are you going to do to me?” her voice slightly trembles.
Opening the door, I motion for Branem to enter. Knowing why we summoned him, he enters while I walk to stand by my brother’s side. Branem continues forward as Deci’ retreats.
“What? Stop,” she cries. She glances at me, and the fear that shows in her eyes is like a punch to the gut. “Radu.”
I grit my teeth, knowing this is for the good of our people. When Branem moves faster and captures her arm, I tighten my fist. As he jerks her to his side, my jaw tightens till it feels like my teeth will shatter.
As she shouts and fights his hold, my sight turns red. Her voice grows weak as he covers her face with his large hand and bright yellowish light flashes. Abruptly her cries are cut off.
“It is done.”
Branem’s words release me from my self-imposed prison. Without thought, I swiftly cross the room and take her from his arms. She’s light, her body’s curves very much feminine. No matter how fiercely she acts, Decima is a soft female.
I can’t understand why there’s a wealth of blackness in my gut at the sight of her closed eyes and the knowledge that when those eyes open, she won’t remember me. I release a sigh right as the subject of my thoughts moves in my arms. Her eyes open. Drowsily, she shifts and mutters, “Radu, what did that jackass do to me? Why do I feel so slee…” Her words are cut off as she falls asleep.
Stunned, my shocked gaze goes from her to my brother, then to Branem. We collectively stare in confusion and astonishment at the snoring woman in my arms. No human has ever remembered anything after Branem has taken their memories.
“What do we do brother?”
Anaes finally speaks after a moment of thought, his face blank of emotion. “Take her to the estate. I will need to consult with the elders about this.”
With that I leave, keeping Deci safe in my arms.
Deci
They attempted to take my memories and failed. I come to this conclusion when the first thing that meets my eyes is an unfamiliar ceiling. The sleep that had been weighing me down disperses. I push myself up, searching the room for a sign as to where I’ve been taken.
The room itself is empty of anything distinctive. The bed is wide and the room is far larger than my apartment above the gym. A large window takes up much of the wall right across from the bed. The view is blocked with what looks like roses, curling and vining up a white painted lattice. Something about the entire setup feels all too familiar to my curse, vines of roses running up and down, their thorns exposed for someone to accidently prick themselves.
I turn away from it and move my legs to the side of the bed. Rising, I immediately curl my bare toes into the fur of the carpet. Surprised by the texture beneath my feet, I glance down and let out a squeak when I see the head of a lion. Its glazed eyes meet mine and its wide open mouth bares its fangs in greeting.
Staggering to the side, I can’t help whispering a small sorry for stepping on it. Shit, how’d I get caught up in such a mess. Groaning, I turn to the window one more time.
“Who w
ould believe me?” I ask aloud.
“No one.” Jerking my head to the door, I meet Radu’s curious gaze. “Not many would believe that you’ve met people from another plain.”
“And none would believe me if I said they had wings.” I look him over. “And by the way, where do they go?”
He smirks at me, then fully enters the room carrying a tray that’s covered by what looks to be a paper towel. “Guess?”
“Ha ha. Are you baiting me?” I lightly demand, as he walks over to a desk I hadn’t noticed.
“Maybe,” he says, as he sets the tray down. “It is what you deserve fema…,” I shoot him a look. Seemingly amused, he finishes, “Decima.”
“Call me Deci,” I offer easily, walking to his side. My stomach growls. “Decima is so old sounding.” I grimace, reaching to move the paper towel. His much larger hand lands atop mine.
“I prefer the name Decima.”
The way my name rolls off his tongue causes my stomach to flutter. Suddenly, I’m hyper aware of him. His scent fills my lungs with his masculinity. My heart pounds a bit too hard. I jerk my hand from underneath his, avoiding his eyes.
Rubbing my other hand against the back of the now free one, I awkwardly search for something to say. “W… well, I guess that’s that then.” Biting my tongue on my stupid response, I motion with my chin to the tray. “Is that for me?”
I want to curse. Of course, the food is for me. Radu doesn’t point out how stupid I sound. Instead, he seems more interested in watching me have a mental breakdown over simply having my hand touched.
Shaking myself mentally, I ask. “Are you going to let me eat it, or…”
He blinks, seeming almost startled by my question. He gives a short nod, taking a step back so that I can finally see what these winged beings think of as food. Luckily for me, it turns out we consider food the same thing.
Just in case they’ve taken it into their heads to put something extra into the stew. I reach for the apple instead. Grabbing it up and taking a large bite, I turn and lean against the side of the desk.
“Want to explain to me what happened in your brother’s office?”
His expression changes, turning darker as he looks away from me. “It’s difficult to explain.” He hedges.
I bare my teeth a bit, as I take another bite chewing loudly. “Hmm, well, let me take a whack at it.” I take a step forward and he stiffens. “You, and your brother were planning on getting as much information as possible from me then ditching me and my memory.”
“No,” he says firmly, his voice rising. I jump slightly, surprised by his sudden yell. He reaches out and places his hand on my shoulder. His deep purples turn darker as he stares into my eyes. “Yes, we intended to gain information, but it’s the rules for our survival that dictate us to erase the memories of humans.”
Once again, my pulse races and my throat grows dry. It isn’t the best time as I’m currently trying to swallow a bite of apple. Forcing myself to swallow, I cough.
“O… okay, I understand,” I say quietly, reaching up with my other hand, I lay it on top of his. “I get it.”
For some reason I can’t fully look at him. I have never reacted to another guy like I am to Radu. It’s putting me in a place I’ve never been and I’m unsure of how to deal with it. It isn’t welcomed.
I take a deep breath and go to respond, but a familiar vibration in my bra, causes me to flinch. I retreat a step, his hand slips from my shoulder. I give Radu my back so that I can dig inside. I grab my phone and pull it out. Seeing the text message, a jolt of happiness hits.
Fareed: Deci, you told me to contact you if I spotted Craig’s big head. Well, your thief was spotted by my cousin. Come by to get the deets.
Feeling a bit smug, I turn to face Radu and his confused expression. “Well, well, it looks to me that you’re going to be needing my help, amnesia or no amnesia.”
“And why would you say that?” he demands, looking confused.
I smirk, lifting my phone tauntingly. “Because I know where our boy Craig is.”
Chapter 5
Kitten’s Triumph
Radu
Everything this little human female does fascinates me. She’s bold and has little fear. Now, she dares to hide the whereabouts of the traitor.
“Where is he?”
“Nope,” she says smartly, pulling her hand with the phone behind her back. “That particular information isn’t for free. The world isn’t that easy, big guy. You’re going to have to do something for me first.”
I quirk my brow. She wants to haggle with me? It’s interesting that she believes she even has that option. Nothing can stop me from taking the phone away from her and getting the information I need. Out of curiosity, I decide to go along with her little attempt at negotiating.
Crossing my arms, I feel my ego boast as her eyes trail my body, stopping on my biceps. I flex them just to see her pupils dilate. I smirk, that’s right little human, take in the powerful specimen that is a Ratnik Vadija.
“I will tell you his whereabouts, but,” She drags out the word. “You have to let me go with you.”
“No.”
“I would… wait.” Indignation fills her voice. “What do you mean, no?”
I uncross my arms and place my hands on my hips. “Do you not understand your own kind’s language? I said no. I will not bring a weak female with us into a place where I cannot be sure I will be able to protect you.”
She narrows her eyes and her lips tighten with what looks to be anger. “I don’t need your protection.” Her voice holds bite as her eyes flash with a rebellious light.
“You are female and weak,” I say, lifting my chin as I stare her down. “No male with honor would drag a female into— Ouch.” My eyes widen, as I slowly turn my gaze to the right, where Decima’s foot rests against my face. Startled, I return my glare to her.
“I. Am. Not. Weak,” she states slowly, her anger hotter than the fire I was born into. As I take in her fierce expression, I see something flicker in her eyes. Something akin to fear but before I can explore it, it’s gone.
With astonishing control, she removes her foot and lowers it. Speechless, I stare down at the little warrior. Her eyes are ablaze with satisfaction and my more animalistic nature comes to the surface.
I reach out for her. She doesn’t flinch away from me nor does she retreat. Instead, she watches me as I close the space between us. The only outward sign of her discomfort is the sound of her breathing increasing speed.
I lean forward. Her bravado quickly disappears, as she lowers her lashes. I find myself smiling. It would seem I am not alone in feeling this burning and irritating attraction.
Placing my hands on her shoulder, I say, “You aren’t weak, but you aren’t as strong as you pretend to be.”
My hands tingle from where they touch her. The urge to kiss her has been riding me since our eyes met. I won’t take it any further, but the need to take her lips is brighter than a thousand suns. Desperate for more contact, I brush my knuckles gently against her cheek.
The sensation of her soft, warm skin melds with her sweet honey scent, stirring my desire higher. A soft gasp escapes her lips. So soft, so vulnerable, and so desirable.
Her scent beckons me to hunt. As if she demands I take her with no mercy. My eyes drink her in. Those innocent lips part, eyes soft, and heart racing. Decima makes a beautiful picture of surrender even though I know beneath her soft caramel skin is a fiery spirit.
If one touch of her skin can make my hunger so intense, I wonder what kissing her would be like. Her lips tremble as if calling me to take them.
“Radu?” she whispers as she lowers her lashes once more. “Are you—”
Her question is abruptly cut off by the door opening. We both turn our heads toward the intrusion. Civic’s blank expression greets us.
“Our Lord says bring the human. The elders are here.” He turns and leaves us in an awkward silence.
The warmth beneath my han
d disappears as Decima retreats. Her expression no longer malleable from my skillful seduction. Her eyes are hard. She has returned to the little warrior who kicked me.
“Let’s go. I’m sure your brother won’t think that I’m a weak female who can’t handle herself,” she says, before stomping out of the room. I follow her with my eyes, more so out of amusement than anything else. It would seem my little human can hold a grudge.
The walk to my brother’s office isn’t far. It cuts through the main garden that is in the center of the estate. The air is warm and the sound of the animals that are kept in the surrounding wooded area can be heard. Overhead figures fly back and forth, the air vibrating as some of the younger ones take playful dives.
When a particular excitable nestling makes a sudden drop, I reach out to grab Decima as she releases a surprise a cry. Her body slams into mine. I lift an arm, managing to catch the ruffian by the leg before he hits the ground.
“Essen, your mother has already spoken to you about this,” I shout.
He sheepishly looks up at me his eyes moving from me to Civic, his green, smaller wings flapping slowly. “Yes, Radu but Isra said he’d give me three cakes if I could do it.”
I turn my glare from the hanging nestling to the three nervously watching from a distance. “Isra, I will be letting your father know about your dares.”
The nestling Isra releases a groan before he uses his gray wings to quickly leave. I look back down at Essen. “And you, go to your mother and tell her I’ll be sending Civic to speak with her soon as well.”
Essen’s chubby face screws up before he releases a sigh. “Yes, Radu.”
“Good.” I let his leg go. Essen easily swoops away before stopping in his flight to look down at Decima who still remains in my arms.
“Sorry.”
She pushes away from me. “No problem. Just be careful next time.”