Page 157 of Flameborne: Chosen
“Bren, it’s been a long day and you need awash!”
Two pairs of hands appeared on my jacket, pulling the buttons loose—
—fingers kneading, nails scraping, the grip on my breast was too tight. I writhed and cried out.
“Yes, yes, that’s my girl—”
I felt the jacket sleeves tugged from my arms and the cool air ruffling my shirt. My body prickled and I almost choked on my own tongue trying to plead with them.
“Are you ready, Bren?”
—Are you ready for me, beautiful? We gotta make sure you’re ready—
I flinched andfought.But I couldn’t break their grip. The world tilted and my stomach swooped as I was swung by my ankles and wrists, screaming over their laughter. And even though I pleaded with them to release me, I was being swept back and forth in the air, all of them counting together until they heaved me up onthree!
“This won’t hurt, I promise!” Ronen called.
I shrieked as the grips on my limbs disappeared, but I was flying through the air—then choking as I hit the lake with an open mouth.
Scrambling, wrestling the water back, struggling to find my feet, but finally doing it, coughing, weeping, praying they couldn’t tell because the water dripped down my face and hair as I swam quickly back to the shallows where I could get my feet under me.
There was a lot of movement and jostling on the lakebed, but I might as well have stayed underwater. The world had gone silent.
I ran, up, out of the water, my leathers and shirt sucking against my skin and I didn’t want to feel it. I didn’t want anything tight, I couldn’t breathe—
—pinned. Chest won’t expand. Wet with sweat and—
A hand reached for me and a body stepped in. I couldn’t think of anything exceptNo!
I threw myself to the side to avoid the touch. The water foamed around me. Chaos. People. Dragons. Splashing.
“Bren! What’s wrong? Guys, just hold off—”
There was a roar that descended from every direction at once. Every one of my brothers shouted and scrambled back as the waterexplodedas a great weight plunged into it—but when I jolted and turned, it wasn’t another man with his thick hands and calluses and calloused smile.
It was Akhane.
Akhane roaring and hissing, her head snaking back and forth, wings half-extended and batting the water up in great splashes as she lashed her tail. My brothers leaped out of the way, shouting to her not to be angry, that they meant no harm.
But with her eyes pinioning them to the lakebed, she sank into the water, sending great waves up in every direction, but rolled to her shoulder.
I stood there, drenched, crying, and confused. Until she spoke in my head.
‘Get on, Bren. I’m taking you away.’
Oh, thank God.
I grabbed for her neck strap because she lay mostly on her side, and pulled myself up, up, up.
“Bren, no! You don’t have to—it was a game. We all did it. Talk to us—”
‘Please, Akhane—’
‘I’m here, Bren. Don’t worry. I have you.’
She heaved upright again until she sat, front legs extended, back still folded underneath her. But then, with a roar and a mighty flap of her wings that had my brothers rushing out of the way again, she hauled herself to her feet. I was almost unseated and struggling to strap in because of my shaking hands, but I didn’t care.
‘Get me out of here.’
