by Celeste Raye
“You know, as much power as dragon shifters are supposed to have, you really are limited if you can’t fly around in the rain.”
Another smart comment, but this time Trent did not react. Sienna pouted a little bit, not even realizing that she liked it so much. She was of the idea that life was short, and her world was going to change soon. She wanted to make something of it, of what little time she had left.
Trent wasn’t the funniest guy, but he was hot and built and had kindness to him for letting Carl go. If someone else would have found them, Sienna knew that it would have gone a whole lot differently.
He would do, for her one last taste of freedom. Or maybe she could convince him to help her. She needed to get away, and Sienna was still convinced that she could make it happen. She was going to make it so that Trent wanted to help her. With his easy appearance and attitude, Sienna was hopeful that she would be able to figure something out.
She had to.
Chapter Six
Trent wasn't sure where Sienna was taking him, but he had lowered his suspicion of her. She seemed to be pretty honest, and while he was still going to do his duty, it didn't mean that he didn't have any empathy for her. He could imagine how it must feel to be pressured into doing such a thing.
“You know, my brother really isn't that bad. When you get to know him, this will all seem kind of silly.”
“Do you really think that I'm being silly because I don't want to marry a complete stranger?”
“No, not at all. But you can't pretend like this isn't going to happen. You and Darius are going to get married. All you can do now is make the best of it.”
That just seemed to upset Sienna even more, and Trent kept his mouth shut for a while. She did not seem like the type that was going to take anything he said well. She was only going to see it as him being discourteous to her. He had never met someone like her before, and Trent wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
The most obvious thing that he noted from Sienna was the attraction that he felt. His father had not spoken of her beauty at all, and Trent wondered if he even knew. Darius certainly wouldn't be so glum like he was if he’d seen her. While Amber was pretty, she was nothing compared to the redhead in front of him. He knew that as soon as his brother saw his soon-to-be wife, he would forget all about Amber and the McClellans would not take over their territory. Trent could see the big picture and how it all had to play out.
“So where are we going?”
“Not too far from here. It was another half a mile, but Carl couldn't take it. And I don't think he would be able to take the climb anyway. He is a lot softer than I realized.”
“Then why would you choose such a man as your lover?”
“I don't know why everybody thinks that about us. We are friends and I guess we were kind of dating a little bit, but it certainly hadn't gotten to that level. It’s not like I love him or something.”
“So, you two are not lovers?”
“No. I like humans. but Carl is definitely not my type. I like a man. You know?”
Trent smiled before he realized what he was doing and caught his expression in time. Whatever was going through his head, needed to stop. This was not the woman for him. This was to be his sister-in-law. His brother's wife. Whatever he felt for her didn't matter. It was only going to make it more complicated for him to leave later like he needed to.
“So where is this place that is supposed to be so great?”
“Down there.”
They were at the edge of a cliff that looked straight down into jagged rocks and the ocean battering against them below. He could see a darkened spot in front of him that wasn’t too far down, and he asked her what it was.
“It's just a cave. It’s not too big, but it will do for us. Then we can warm up and in a little bit, start a fire.”
“You really did have a plan to leave, didn’t you?”
“I wouldn't really say it was a plan, but I've always known that I would have to leave eventually. If you live in this pack long enough, you realize that you are expendable. My father has always felt that way, and in the pack, he wants to build an alliance with your family. Apparently, you guys have money, and we have extra bodies for war.”
Trent was immediately thrown off by how well she understood the situation for a woman. He knew that he shouldn't say that out loud. She would not take that as a compliment at all, so he didn't say a word. But he was starting to understand that she knew what was going on a little bit better than he had thought. Trent had wondered what they were going to get from the alliance. He knew what was going on with the McClellans, but he didn't understand that it was a set-up. They were basically paying for fresh bodies for the war.
He shifted quickly in front of her and waited for Sienna to climb onto his back. The easiest way for the two of them to go down was for him just to stick his claws in the side of the rock and climb down together. It would have been a lot easier if he could fly, but the rain was persistent, and there was no way he was going to be able to take off.
When they got to the opening of the cave, he jumped in and waited for her to get off of him before he shifted back into his human form. He looked around the space and decided that it was a good idea of hers.
“Now if we just had something to eat, we would be in good shape.”
“I brought a few things in my pack. Let's get a fire started and we can fix something.”
Trent could never have imagined the day would turn out this way. It was strange to think about how it had begun. He was starting to realize that going against Sienna's wishes was going to be harder than he had thought. She was already making him care, something that he really didn’t need to do.
Chapter Seven
“You really were prepared, weren't you?”
“I don't want to get married. I want to leave. Just let me go, and you will never hear from me again.”
“Do you honestly think that you can get away from all of the people that are looking for you? There is no way that they're going to let you go. It is better just to get it over with.”
Sienna laughed, but it sounded bitter even to her own ears. He was talking about the rest of her life. How was she supposed to get over it?
“I’m not going to be able to just get over it. I don't want to get over it. I want to get out of here. You seem like a sensible person; why would you make me stay?”
“It's complicated, and it's above both of our pay grades. The alliance needs to happen, and this is the way that it's done.”
“It just seems so barbaric and old-fashioned. I thought that we had gotten above this.”
“Not where I come from. And not where your father comes from. They're from the old world, and this was commonplace back then. Most alpha's daughters were married off for alliances. That is just the way that it works.”
Sienna just shook her head back and forth and couldn't believe that her life had come to this. She was making a stew with dry beef and vegetables that she had put into a bag. She was going to have to share it with a man that she considered her enemy.
“Try not to think about it too much.”
She pulled out a couple of bowls and a couple of spoons and handed them to him.
“You even have something for me to eat with?”
“This was for Carl. We were supposed to be together, remember?”
Trent agreed.
“I can't believe that you actually know how to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Cook dry meat and vegetables. Where did you learn?”
“From my mother, of course. Don’t your women cook?”
“Not the ones that are married to an Alpha or in the same family. They would have servants. I don't think my mother has ever cooked a meal before. Not that I can remember anyway.”
Sienna found it odd but didn’t make a comment one way or another. It seemed like their packs were very different, and some of it was more important to her than the rest.
“See
, so if you marry my brother, you will have a servant.”
“I would much rather just cook my own food and skip the whole wedding thing.”
Sienna started to ladle out the stew into the bowls, and she made sure to keep her eyes off of Trent. Everything that he was saying seemed to make sense, but the big issue with it all was that this was her life that he was talking about so casually. He was saying everything so flippantly, but he didn't really seem to understand what it would be like for her.
“You really aren't going to let this go, are you?”
“No, I'm really not. All you have to do is let me leave in the morning and I can be out of your hair in a couple of hours. I will find a boat and just leave. You will never have to see me again.”
“You would leave everything behind?”
“What is everything? A family that wants to marry me off for their own benefit? I would miss a few of my friends, but I would be just fine to leave here and never look back.”
“If that is how you really feel, then why don't you just marry Darius and start your life on the other side of the world? You can travel and see new things. It sounds like just the thing that you need.”
Sienna didn’t want to hear it. There was no way that any of it was going to turn out well. She knew better than to think that it would.
“Why can't I just marry you? Then I wouldn't have to worry about marrying a stranger. I already know you, and you’re nice.”
“I am the second born. A marriage between you and me would mean nothing.”
She just shook her head in frustration. “I don't want to marry Darius. Are they really going to force me to do it?”
“I don't think it really has much to do with forcing you. Your family is more likely like my own and they will find a way to make you do it of your own accord. Guilt goes a long way, doesn't it? Or responsibility.”
Sienna had heard it all before, and she certainly didn't want to hear again.
“Yes. All I ever hear about is responsibility.”
“This is really good.”
Sienna knew that he was trying to change the subject and she just let him. She wasn't in love with it anyway and talking about it was just making her more upset. For the moment, she didn't have to worry about it. For the moment, she was with Trent. The man with the kind brown eyes and the dark skin and hair that made him look exotic.
“I'm glad you like it. We used to go out for hunts that would take days, and we would always make this stew on our first night. We had a big pack back then even, and you can imagine how often we were out hunting.”
“I can only imagine. I think that you have triple the size that we do. It would seem that triple to feed would be quite difficult. You have a good-sized territory here.”
“I guess. I don't really worry about that kind of stuff. That is for the men to worry about, right?”
“Yes. Finally, we are agreeing on something.”
“I was kind of being sarcastic, Trent.”
“Oh.”
She shook her head in amusement. “Well, at least I won’t be bored tonight.”
Trent agreed. “No, I don’t think that it would be possible.”
Chapter Eight
“It’s really cold, Trent; why don't you come over here and help me warm up?”
Trent looked over at Sienna and told her that he didn't think it was a good idea. She had this look on her face that he didn't like. And it had him thinking about things that he certainly wasn't supposed to be thinking about.
“I think I'm good, right here where I am.”
“So, you're just going to let me freeze?”
“I hardly think you're going to freeze.”
“I don't know, Trent. My clothes are soaking wet. I need to take them off and dry them by the fire. You're just going to leave me like this?”
“Don’t you have something in your pack for this situation? It seems like you have everything else with you.”
She made a face at him and told him that she did not have anything for it. “I guess I didn't think about it. I thought that Carl would keep me warm.”
“I thought you said that the two of you weren’t lovers?”
“We aren't, Trent. Just because I planned on lying next to him to keep warm doesn't mean that we were going to do anything. Just because I want you to help keep me warm doesn't mean that I was planning on doing anything with you, either.”
That was, of course, exactly where Trent’s mind had gone. He knew that Sienna was trying to get away from his brother, and he didn't know what she was capable of doing to get that end. She may very well try to come on to him, and then it would make it harder for him to do what was necessary. Trent was a little embarrassed that his mind went directly there.
“I didn't say that. I just don't think it's a good idea.”
“Well, at least give me your shirt for a little while. This needs to dry out or I’m going to freeze. I don't want to be sick when I get back. Marrying some complete stranger is going to be bad enough without the flu. I don't want to do it while I’m sniffling as well.”
There was no way that he could tell her no. It all made sense when she said it like that, and he agreed to give her his shirt.
What he did not see coming was when she started to pull her clothes off in front of him. His eyes got a little wider, and Trent wasn't sure where to look. While Sienna was tiny, she certainly had the curves of a more robust woman. The clothing that she had been wearing was dark and wet, and it was nighttime, so we hadn't been able to see much. Now he was seeing far more than he should.
As soon as he realized what she was doing, and once he got enough of a look that it was going to be permanently burned into his brain, he turned around. But it was too late. That image was never going to leave him.
His body was immediate in reaction and he wished that it wasn't that way. He tried to think of anything else, but it was impossible. Trent heard her tell him that it was okay to turn around, but he was afraid to. There was no telling what he was going to see when he did. Trent had to wonder if she knew what she was doing or if this was all accidental. Did Sienna know that she was driving him crazy?
“It's fine, Trent. You can turn around now. I have never met a guy that is so bashful before in all of my life.”
“I just didn't expect you to start taking your clothes off.”
“Well, where else am I supposed to go to get undressed?”
Trent knew that she was right in that respect, but he also believed that she could have done something. She could have at least told him what she was doing, so he could turn around and not watch her. Anything would have been better than what he witnessed at the moment.
“Nowhere. Sorry. I just didn't see that coming and it threw me off a bit, that’s all.”
Trent could hear the wobble in his voice, and he knew that it was because he was trying to pull himself together. Sienna was nothing like he expected. He had expected to find a timid human girl, but instead, he had found someone who was strong, sexy, not bashful at all, and she was most certainly a woman.
“So, are we just going to stay up all night on each side of the cave? Are we really not going to sleep together? You know, there is supposed to be something to do with body heat. It’s going to get cold.”
He knew that she was making a good point and Trent knew how it would all turn out, but he wasn't ready to agree to it just yet. He certainly was all ready to pull her up against him. It wouldn't do well at the moment. Right now, she would most likely be highly offended by the parts of his body that were reacting to the little show that she had given him.
“We can lay down if you really want to, but just give me a minute.”
Sienna agreed, and she rearranged her clothes around the fire so that they would dry. The shirt that she was wearing was overwhelmingly large on her, and the fabric went almost to her knees. But the fact was that he knew that she had nothing underneath it… Her bra and panties were in the pile of clothing that was drying so that jus
t made things worse.
Trent had to go to the opening of the cave and looked down at the crashing waves and rocks underneath him. He had to focus on that completely, just so that he was able to go back down. When Trent felt like he was back to normal again, he turned around and asked her if she was ready to go to bed. She was already laying down, and there was a spot behind her where he was supposed to sleep.
He looked at the spot and the woman like she was the devil itself. He knew what was going to happen if he did as she suggested and laid down beside her. There was going to be more than body heat that was exchanged between the two. Trent knew that he could not let it happen. She was to be his brother's wife, after all. He had to keep reminding himself of that because he so badly wanted to forget that tidbit of information.
“I will be there in a minute. I want to throw a few more sticks on the fire to keep it going for a while. We don't want it to go out in the middle of the night and wake up freezing.”
She made a non-committal sound and watched him move around the small cave. Trent was trying to keep himself busy, and he tried to ignore the attention that he was getting from her.
When there was nothing left to do, he moved towards her. There was nothing but apprehension in his body and in his mind. If she were any other woman and this were any other situation, Trent knew exactly what he would do. What she wanted him to do. But instead, he had to go against instinct. It didn't feel right.
He laid down and tried his best not to touch her. It defeated the purpose of course, but he could already feel need below his waist. It hadn't taken long for him to get a whiff of her perfume and he was already getting hard again. He was going to have to back his hips away from her, just so that something didn't happen.
All Trent could think about was the fact that she had nothing on underneath his shirt. Nothing. One little slip and he could be inside of her.
“Are you going to pull me towards you, or do you want me to freeze, Trent?”