Page 31 of Captured By the Scaled Outlaw
My forehead wrinkles with intrigue.
“May! Let’s go!” Lowell shouts so loudly that I jump.
I spin around, marching back to the sandcycle with my arms crossed. “You don’t have to rush me, you know.”
As I walk, I look over my shoulder, noting the absence of a body at the top of the scaffolding. My first shot was most definitely fatal, but I’d prefer the proof of a corpse. I shrug the feeling off and return to the sandcycle.
Lowell helps me into my seat again even though I don’t need it, his hands firmly on my sides. “We wasted more time than I planned for and it’s already getting dark. I don’t have time to entertain your weird interest in sludge.”
The “sludge” in question still plagues my mind, the seemingly corrosive material doing everything butcorrodea more than susceptible leather boot. Then again, even with infinite time, I may never be able to extrapolate every component dumped together in a chemical soup made by idiotic criminals.
“I don’t get why you’re complaining. I’m ready to go, aren’t I?” I huff, leaning back to give him some space.
With unbounded bravado, Lowell mounts the sandcycle by throwinghimself into the seat. His movements are careless, whipping me in the face with his tail.
I recoil. “Ow! What the hell?!” I shout, placing my hand over the sensitive area. “You could have reopened the cut!” I run my fingers over the forming scab, relieved that it has not been disturbed.
Lowell turns his head over his shoulder, a sharp-toothed grin on his mouth. “It’smycut, I can do what I want with it. Besides, you’d look cuter with more scars, so call it a blessing.”
My eyes widen, words stuck in my throat. My heart begins to beat at an erratic pace, filling my head with all kinds of unwanted erotic images.
Not this again,I think, shooting my gaze down to the base of his tail.
It’s an unfortunate fact that my chest flutters whenever Lowell uses a term of endearment, and even more unfortunate that whenever we ride the sandcycle, the motor vibrations mixed with the friction from his tail turn me on.
Lowell’s strength, ruthlessness, and inability to doubt himself make him an unstoppable monster that not even multiple criminals could lay a scratch on. And although he’s a monster, he’s a monster I can’t help but burn for. The inability to suppress these confusing, overwhelming emotions makes me angry. I’ve never had feelings like these run amok before. I’ve always been in control.
Lowell starts the engine, revving it a few times before lifting the kickstand. “You ready? Let’s go find that Giant.”
Chapter 12
It doesn’t take long for us to find the bright-red, gargantuan, six-legged monster roaming the base of Rime Mountain. Its many eyes lock onto us the moment we are within its sight, although, it doesn’t make a move. Grandma wrote in her journals that the Orageist Giants were docile unless provoked, and I’m glad to see that that is still an accurate statement.
I hop off of the sandcycle, the space between my thighs shocked by the sudden cold. I’ve been spoiled by the pleasant vibrations and warmth of the cycle, accompanied by the delight of having my arms wrapped around Lowell’s waist.
I wish I could feel his bare scales again.
“Ay, you still with me?” Lowell snaps his fingers, the skin above his eyes raised.
I blink rapidly and nod, drawing a bolt into my crossbow to break eye-contact. “Yeah, I was just thinking about how I’ll be shooting. I should sit in front of you on the sandcycle with my body turned towards the rear. I can load and shoot freely from there.”
Lowell crosses his burly arms, watching me pull back the string. “How am I supposed to see or drive? You’d have to be standing on the seat to aim over my shoulders.”
The bolt and string click into place. I lift the crossbow up and over my shoulder to rest, the weight tilting my posture. “Yeah, and? Youhave a tail. Make it useful and hold me still.”
Squinting his eyes, he shakes his head in disbelief. “This is not what we talked about. You want tostandin the driver’s seat of the cycle while I drive from the backseat, holding you with my tail?”
I stare back at him, not understanding how my clear statement isn’t clicking. “Yeah. It’s not that complicated, even for you.”
“But you’ll be knocked off the cycle if we hit any bump.”
“Not if you hold me tightly enough.”
“My tail isn’t as strong as you seem to think it is.”
“It’s plenty strong. Unless your constant bragging is all lies?”
A vein throbs on Lowell’s forehead, his jaw clenching. “Okay, listen — If you fall, you’ll snap your neck. I don’t trust the grip strength of my tail alone.”
