Page 17 of Trapped to Tame
‘Is that true,’ Fie asked.
Drax nodded. ‘Not usually for the human Brothers, but for faefolk, the bond is more …complex.’
‘I don't feel any different,’ Fie muttered.
Drax cast an eye to Priest.
‘We haven't claimed her ourselves,’ Priest said, ‘Think, Brother.’
She sat up and winced, Drax practically able to feel her pain.
‘You heal quickly?’ he asked.
She looked at him, her face mulish, her anger and resentment plain.
‘It was unavoidable,’ he said, not tempering his tone.
She looked away and nodded her acceptance. Drax’s brow furrowed, knowing that she couldn’t really be acquiescing this easily.
‘Come,’ he said.
She stood on wobbly legs, not bothering to cover herself from the waist down. He picked up her breeches and threw them at her.
‘Get dressed.’
Without a word, she donned her clothes.
He picked up her boots and then thrust them aside when he saw the state of them. They were useless.
‘Sit.’
She sat at the table. Drax felt her need for food as if he himself was hungry as he cut her some bread, cheese, and meat, putting it in front of her, not allowing her to have a knife just in case she tried anything. She shouldn’t be able to hurt them badly because of the bond, but they’d never had a Fourth before. That wasn’t something he wanted to be wrong about while she had a weapon.
She fell upon the food like a ravenous animal, tearing at the bread with her teeth and stuffing it in her mouth, practically choking on it.
He poured her a cup of wine and watched as she took it from him, gulping it down and then grimacing at the taste of it.
‘Gods, she’s practically an animal,’ Priest muttered audibly.
Drax could feel the barest smidgen of embarrassment from her, but she ostensibly ignored Priest, continuing to eat everything Drax had put on the plate and then reaching out to grab more.
Priest looked aghast.
Drax hid a grin. Out of all of them, Priest was the one that enjoyed his luxuries the most. Drax and Fie could do without when necessary, but Priest took it as a personal affront if he was forced to bathe in cold water, don clothes that were dirty or ill-fitting unless they were on a campaign. If they were, the first thing Priest usually did when he got back was have a long, hot bath, dress himself in his finest clothes and eat the finest delicacies he could buy while he imbibed the most expensive wines.
She thrust the almost empty cup of wine away from her with another grimace and Drax replaced it with one filled with water.
He watched her, his expression grim. He shouldn’t but he wanted to know more about her. The bond was wreaking havoc on him, he thought. He knew the humans didn’t feel like this with their Fourths but, as with many things fae, it would be more tangible than it was with other units, he expected, as the Brothers’ blood rite reacted with their natural magicks.
He felt when she was sated, and it was an odd feeling to understand her needs almost better than his own. She was tired as well. He went to her, and she tensed. With a sigh, he turned away, looking at Fie.
‘See if there’s a bathing tent nearby,’ he commanded Fie.
‘Why me?’ his Brother complained.
‘For fuck’s sake,’ Priest exploded, ‘I’ll go!’
He exited the tent, leaving Fie and Drax with the female.
