Page 36 of Phoenix Rise

12

Matt

In the dungeon, the only indication of time was Xumi and her caretakers.

As Haki had said she held court at night and didn’t “play” at that time, I assumed her first visit had been late evening. The caretakers had been by to hose us down and feed us many hours later—morning?

When Xumi reappeared, I assumed it to be evening once more.

The Dragona swayed toward me. She didn’t seem to have any other way of greeting other than to grab my man bits and squeeze. When there was no response, her eyes rose to mine.

“Normally, that would be enough to demote you to a guard toy,” she commented. “But perhaps you will have to incubate that virus a little longer.”

A little longer? I’d only been bitten roughly twenty-four hours ago.

Then again, I hadn’t been bitten by a Dire. Dragons might be a whole other ballgame.

My relief when she turned away was short-lived. Because her focus was on Talakai.

“Well, my pretty one. How are you today?” She trailed talons down his chest, leaving lines of blood.

His eyes were different today. The rage in them was tainted with despair. My gut twisted.

Xumi seemed to sense it too. She placed talons beneath his chin and raised it until his eyes met and held hers.

“Have you finally realized that I own you?” she asked.

“No one owns me.” I could barely understand him.

“You are wrong. I bought you. You are mine.”

His indigo eyes sparked. “You leased me,” he corrected.

Xumi laughed. “I saved your life, Talakai. You were on the blacklist. Did you think you could betray the Guild and get away with it?”

His eyes flared with something desperate, and I tried to get her attention back to me. “What the bloody hell is the Guild’s blacklist?” I demanded.

She spun toward me. “When operatives fail in their assignments, the Guild puts them on the blacklist. From that point onward, they are watched and tested. If they fail again, they are given an impossible assignment that will finish them.”

Her eyes were alight with a joy I certainly did not share. And by the look Talakai shot her, it was news to him.

She turned back to him. “They’d decided that you were a liability. So when I wished to purchase myself an assassin, they offered you up.”

“Haki and Kala bought my freedom,” Talakai snarled, but there was a note to it I didn’t like.

She shrugged. “Think what you want.”

What had the Dragon done to piss off the Guild? More than once, it seemed.

Xumi reached out and sank her talons into Talakai’s thigh.

He fought her. Not by thrashing pointlessly in the chains, but by refusing for as long as he could. I admired his fortitude. By the time she climbed onto him, he was pouring blood.

After she’d panted and ground her way to a climax, she returned to me and ran her talons over my chest and down to my groin. I resisted, but couldn’t stop myself from trying to twitch away as her lethal fingers curled around me.

“How are you feeling, my furry pet? Looking forward to trying my premium pheromones on you. Time you lost your Dragon virginity.”

So much for incubating the virus. Xumi didn’t strike me as a patient person. If the pheromones didn’t work, and fast, I might not live long enough for Anna to rescue me.

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