Page 68 of Chained

And why Maxym was so fond of it.

He pushes through a set of double doors, and we are out in the humid air once again, sheltered under a small portico. The dome looms up dead ahead of us.

“See the doorway?” Maxym points to a large black square about twenty feet from ground level.

“Only a Gryn would consider this a way to sneak in and out of the dome,” Retah growls. “How do you expect us to get up there? Because I’m not clinging to you while you fly us.”

“You don’t. I will, then I’ll open the door down there.” Maxym points to one at street level. “It’ll take all of half a nova-second.” He fixes Retah with a glare. “And how do you think I got in and out while I was injured?”

“Fair enough,” Retah says. “There’s no way you’re carrying me anywhere, Gryn,” he adds.

“Not a chance,” Maxym responds.

I suspect their budding bromance has halted in the face of what we’re about to do. I step between them, sliding my hands into Maxym’s feathers and wishing he could take off his helmet.

I want to feel his thoughts again, the ones which tell me how he is, what he’s feeling, what he thinks about me. The baths, the murals, his mention of being sold for pleasure have all created amaelstrom within me which I find completely inappropriate and yet I’m unable to stop.

“Pregnancy hormones,” I grumble under my breath as his feathers lift and slick under my touch.

“What is it, little scrap?” Maxym asks.

“Nothing,” I say. “Nothing which can’t wait until later anyway.”

Above us, there is a clatter and a metallic screech.

“Bogarok,” Retah says, twisting his horned head to the sky. “We need to move from here or we run the risk of being detected.”

Maxym growls, launches himself into the air, and with several swift wing beats he’s on the side of the dome, deftly landing on a tiny ledge which I couldn’t even see. I’m impressed at the way his huge form becomes like a ballet dancer as he works his way to the doorway and, after a heart stopping moment, it opens and he slips inside.

Whereupon, it slams shut, seemingly as if the dome has taken him again.

“Don’t worry, Cleo,” Retah tries to reassure me. “He can take care of himself.”

“I know, but the Bogarok…” I say as a large shadow flits over us.

“Speaking of Bogarok, we need to get away from here. Our movement has most likely already been spotted.”

He drags me back inside as I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from where I last saw Maxym.

“Is this place only for bathing?” I ask out loud.

“It’s a pleasure house too,” Retah says. “But I’m sure Maxym wasn’t using it as one,” he adds quickly. “From what I’ve been told, the Gryn gladiators were not allowed to use pleasure houses unless they were being paid for their time.” He glances at me. “This isn’t helping, is it?”

“You might want to stop talking now,” I respond.

After all, whether I have a job or not after all of this is immaterial if I don’t have Maxym.

And at this moment, I don’t have him at all.

MAXYM

The moment the door shuts behind me, the loss of my mate echoes in my bones. Helmet or no, her presence centers me in a way I didn’t think was possible.

My only thoughts of violence are to protect her. My only need for the fight is to fight for her. My only reason to lift a sword is to keep her free.

The dome smells like Klynn's armpits.

“Home,” I say wryly under my breath. The dome is anything but a place I want to be.

---