Page 141 of Upon Buried Embers
And especially not because of some fucker she still won’t tell me about. Because of that, someone is with her at all times, man or dragon.
My Little Whisperer, on the other hand, seems to have moved past the ordeal easily, and it makes me wonder how many times she’s been through something similar.
Which I will pay back in kind to Emerish when I get a hold of him, and whoever the fuck hurt her when she tells me.
I have Kaldar, Adora, Calian and Asseya trying to figure out who is hurting her, my closest friends who I can trust fully.
When I find them…
Elf is still hurt that she thought Beau a friend though, I overheard her talking with Tofa about it while I stayed in the shadows, not letting her out of my sight for long.
Beau and Darcia are facing punishment for tricking her into washing my mother’s hair. I don’t know what the fuck they were thinking, but they won’t ever do that again. They’re lucky to still be alive. After much consideration with my council, I was outvoted and told although it’s against my rules, it isn’t punishable by death, unfortunately.
Which the little Elf agreed with.
She didn’t want them to die, I wanted to end them right there and then.
And I was weak for her and let it happen.
So, they have been on dragon shit duty, cleaning duty, doing whatever the fuck the clan wants, duty, and most of fucking all… they’re tied to the pole on the outskirts of the clan for another two weeks, only allowed off when they’re doing their shitty jobs.
Barely fed, barely acknowledged.
Once a day, Adora takes Darcia one-on-one and they…spar.
I take Beau.
I smirk at the reminder of him curling up into a ball on the floor after I delivered my fifth punch.
I would have left both of them tied to the pole for another week longer if I could.
“Shall we try laying down?” Her voice penetrates my thoughts, and there’s no fucking way—they all lay down.
I pinch the bridge of my nose.
This is embarrassing.
When I first took her, I’d hoped she would be able to communicate with dragons, and she does in her own way, but fucking Gods, not like this.
They’re giant puppies to her now. When she enters the den, they all greet her in some way. Some rumble, some come over and rub against her. Or if it’s Escor, nearly knocks her over and licks her face.
She stands before the Tenebri dragon now and laughs, the sound filling something inside of me as he nudges her arm.
My fascination is a problem, as is the way my heart speeds up when she’s nearby. I didn’t even know it could do that, but with her, I’m learning my body does many things it isn’t used to.
My gaze travels down the tunic she’s wearing, mine of course, and I notice how although it’s still far too big on her, she has filled out more with steady meals.
Her face has more color, her cheeks a little rounder, and you can’t see her rib bones anymore.
I checked when she was bathing last night, undetected. As usual. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, but I see everything when she bathes, and my cock always likes it.
Too many times I’ve had to relieve myself by hand because of her, and since she left the clan in that snowstorm, the urge to claim her and keep her here is getting stronger.
Wrong or right.
Duty and honor.
They war within me as soon as I look at her, and I know we’ll all pay for it, but I can’t help myself.
