Page 37 of Breed

I thought he would tell me such things would take time. Truthfully, I was attempting to stall. I have a very bad feeling about where Wrath wants to take me and Lettie. There is always a part of me that is convinced he has already seen through the charade of my loyalty to him and intends to kill me. Then again, he does not need to lead me outside Grave City to do that. He could do that right here, as I stand. I must not give into paranoia. My cover is solid.

Ireturn to Lettie, who is napping in my bed. She seems blissfully unconcerned by all that is happening around her. She is trusting in me to keep her safe, and for reasons I cannot entirely put my finger upon, I am starting to worry. There is something in the air. Change, perhaps. I have never liked change. Or more than that, simply the sensation that things are coming to a head. Wrath is right. He has begun to enact a kind of criminality that cannot be tolerated. The alpha will need his reserves back. I am keenly aware every time I venture to the surface just how uneasy the truce is becoming between the governors and those they attempt to govern. Wrath has always filled the city with spies, and now Thorn is doing the same. He is recruiting directly out of Wrath’s organization in some cases, finding malcontents and those who are motivated purely by greed.

A net is tightening around Wrath, slowly but surely. But I know full well the underworld’s alpha will not go down without a fight, and he is not entirely unaware of the way Thorn is attempting to play him at his own game. My concern is that this will eventually become bloody, and when it does, it may claim the lives of hundreds.

A brief rapping at the door indicates the presence of a runner. Wrath does not waste time dispatching his minions to do his bidding.

The saurian at the door hands an outfit to me.

“Wrath says this should fit your mate. He wants to see you both as soon as she’s dressed and ready to go out. Don’t keep him waiting.”

I know the last part is coming from Wrath, and not the runner, because the runner’s voice quavers when he has to say that to me. He is gone before I can reply in any way, which is probably just as well for him.

I find myself holding a fresh human-sized skin-tight suit. It is not like the one I found her in. It does not have endless pockets and tricks and such hidden in a multitude of pockets. It is bright pink with a purple chevron over the breast, made from a robust, thick, rubbery-type material, and it comes with a new pair of boots to match. It is quite striking. I find myself curious as to what it will look like when she puts it on.

I return to the bed and nudge Lettie gently, feeling warmth of an emotional kind pass through me as she opens her eyes in that slow, mammalian way she has, stretching her limbs and curling up again in an expression of pure coziness and contentment. Being a human looks to be a very comfortable experience at times. They are very warm and snuggly little things, and they enjoy blankets the same way saurians enjoy basking.

“Hmmm?” She does not bother to form a word, simply making a curious, sleepy little sound, looking at me with half-lidded eyes from the comfort of the bed.

“It is time to get up and time to get dressed,” I tell her, producing the outfit that was just delivered.

She sits up, wiping her eyes, frowning slightly at the sight of the garment.

“Where did you get that?”

“It was given to me for you to wear.”

Her eyes dart around the room, but I do not think she is looking at the room. I think she is searching the recesses of her own mind. Something about this suit disturbs her.

“You shouldn’t have that,” she says softly.

“But I do. So put it on. Our presence is required, and I do not think either of us want to present you to the most dangerous creatures in the saurian underworld without clothing. Get dressed. Now.”

She does as she is told, sliding her curvy frame into a suit which stretches where it needs to stretch, and clings where it needs to cling. The effect is very pleasing, though I suspect it makes her uncomfortable to be so brightly and tightly displayed. A human female form is made up of so many delicious curves and sensitive locations. Now that the suit is on, I note that it is cut in such a way as to plunge down between her breasts just enough to put the uppermost curve of them on display. It is a very alluring sight. Though I come from a species of hard, scaly creatures, I appreciate her softness, and I am drawn to touch her most tender places.

“It zips in the back,” she says. “Do you mind?”

Oh there are so many things I would not mind doing in this moment as I reluctantly fasten the garment from the rear, running the zipper from her lower back all the way up to the nape of her neck. I want to pull it back down again. I want to peel the suit off…

I restrain myself, knowing that Wrath has already shown more patience than usual. He is not taking me out to the new base as some kind of sightseeing trip. He wants something from me, just as he wants something from Lettie, who has now pulled her boots on and is standing in front of me, a curvy vision in pink and purple.

“You are very pretty,” I tell her, though the word pretty doesn’t feel right in this moment. What I want to say is you are the most alluring creature I have ever laid eyes on, and I want to ravage you absolutely relentlessly and remorselessly until you are utterly brimming with my seed.

I refrain from that level of disclosure, as fun as it would be to watch her blush and squirm and no doubt become aroused. We have somewhere to be. We have a game to play.

“Come with me,” I say, extending my hand. “And, Lettie, no matter what you see today, I need you to obey me to the letter of the word. Do you understand? We are about to be in the presence of creatures who will attempt to destroy you if you present yourself as an inconvenience or an obstacle. If you wish to continue to survive, you must obey.”

She gives me a small, frightened nod.

It will not hurt her to be reminded that the stakes of this situation are life and death. If something were to happen to me, or if some other saurian were to have had her in his grip first, the things that would be happening to her are unthinkable. I feel pulses of rage running through me at the mere idea of what I know my kind are capable of doing to such a devourable little morsel.

We leave whatever relative safety my room offers and proceed hand in hand through the halls. I notice that they feel less busy than they did even a few hours ago. There is a hollowness to my steps, and a…

“Can I ask a question?” Lettie pipes up, her voice small and soft.

“Certainly. I might answer it.”

She hesitates a brief moment, and I find myself wondering what she is going to ask. It seems to be something she is half-afraid to know the answer to. Or is that embarrassment I am reading on her face? After a moment, she looks up at me and poses the question.

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