Page 99 of Upon Buried Embers
“To annoy Drogonah.”
I smile at that, and Rohan slowly moves toward me. He drops down and places his legs on either side of me. He’s right in front of me now, surrounding me with his heat and scent, and I can’t look away.
“Just like with Escor, those that I deem mine are here to stay.”
I look down, sighing.
Such nice words always hold a secret poison.
“I’m a slave, it doesn’t matter in the end, it never does.”
He grunts, then his hand is on my chin once more, guiding my eyes back to him. “The moment I set my eyes on you, the termslavewas removed from your being.”
I scoff, angry tears prickling. The metal on my neck feels like it’s pulling me down, and I’m suddenly overwhelmed, not used to anyone saying such things to me.
Not used to wanting to believe them.
“I’m still a slave, just a different type. You can tell me nice words, you can allow me to move around your camp, you can even say you want me in your… in your bed, but I’m notfree, Dragonbond.”
His jaw tics, his hand clenching at his side and I eye it warily.
“I took you for a purpose you need to fulfill, yes, but isn’t your life better here than where you were?”
I get to my feet and move over to the stones near Drogonah. Grabbing one, I place it before him.
“Please heat the stone.”
To my surprise, he does, his gaze flicking up to me and I step back, the heat of his flames warming me further, a buzzing sensation underneath my skin.
“I may be fed here,” I say to Rohan, my back still to him. “I may have shelter, I may be warm, but the physical is just one part of the soul.”
“What does the physical part feel like?”
“Warm, full… not hurting as much, I guess.”
“And the other parts?” he asks, his breath tickling my ear as he comes up behind me, but I don’t turn to him, don’t take my eyes off the flames.
“The others are of the mind, of the heart.”
“What does your heart say?”
“It’s confused.”
“And your mind?”
Dying.
I pick up the stone and put it in the bucket, not answering. He doesn’t push me and I continue to collect more heat stones. Rohan fills his own bucket with them, but I feel his eyes on me.
Curious, concerned.
We walk back to his home in silence after that, and he even helps me place the stones underneath to heat the rooms above.
When we enter his cabin, he tells me to sit at the table. I remove my cloak and sit on the floor. Rohan goes to the bedroom and I hear him rifling around before he joins me, placing a book on the table.
It has a sketch of a dragon’s head on the front, with two words at the bottom. It must be who wrote it.
Though it doesn’t seem to have many pages, it looks well read, the pages crinkled at the sides, and there’s no dust on it whatsoever.
