Page 9 of Claimed by the Savage Dragons
‘Looks like your human is escaping,’ Orin mutters, continuing with his water warming task.
‘Fuck’s sake,’ I mutter, half tempted to let the female meet with one of the men downstairs who is no doubt waiting to take his chance at claiming her for his own.
But Drey wanted the human, and so the human he will get.
I leave the room, taking the stairs down quickly and I hear a yowl followed by a female scream outside.
I leave the inn just in time to see a pair of pale legs being dragged into the barn and I draw my knife. Have to do this the human way or there won’t be a warm place to sleep for the idiot female tonight.
I’m quick as I move into the barn on silent feet and come up behind the human who’s trying to take what’s mine...Drey’s.
His hands are on her, touching her. He takes her by her hair and he tears away the negligée. She kicks out and catches him between the legs, twisting away when he falls to his knees. She’s a fighter, I’ll give her that.
I step forward and grab him, pulling his head back and slitting his throat from ear to ear.
I let him fall to the ground and loom over the girl who’s huddled naked in the dark corner, looking up at me with wide, frightened eyes.
‘And what do you have to say for yourself?’ I snarl.
‘Let me go,’ she whispers. ‘No one will know. You could just say I escaped.’
I sigh, sinking down to a squat in front of her. I wish I didn’t have to do this, but I have no choice.
‘No,’ I say. ‘I couldn’t.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because not one of my brethren would believe it, girl.’
I pull her up by her arm and she tries to cover herself. I give her what’s left of her clothes, and she puts on the short dress, but it’s ripped to hell. It covers nothing.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. ‘Hold it together,’ I say, not sure if I’m talking to her or myself.
I take her back through the tavern. I know the men who were in here earlier, bar the one I killed outside are watching, but if they’re wondering what’s going on, none of them voice it aloud, though I hear one of them snigger to the other that it seems like I can’t hold onto my woman. I only notice because I’m specifically listening for trouble.
I push her up the stairs in front of me and back to our room. She doesn’t fight me, but as soon as she’s over the threshold, she turns to face me, her eyes flashing in anger. My lip quirks in spite of my frustration with the human.
‘Find her?’ Orin calls from the bathroom.
‘Yes.’ I roll my eyes and turn back to her. ‘Bathe.’
‘No.’
‘Yes!’
My eyes turn black, I feel it and I’m surprised at myself. I don’t usually have a problem keeping my dragon contained. For a second, hers widen and she looks absolutely terrified, but then she seems to pull her pride up like a hood and gives me a look of disdain.
‘I’m not bathing and if you make me, I’ll run again!’
My retaliation is swift. I grab her by her hair and cover her mouth before she can scream. Marching her into the bathroom, I practically throw her into the tub. She squeals behind my hand at the sudden heat on her cold limbs, but I can feel the water as well. It won’t actually burn her.
I dunk her under the water.
‘Wash her hair,’ I order Orin whose eyes widen, but he hastens to do my bidding, working up a lather and scrubbing at her scalp while she struggles.
And she does struggle. She flails and splashes and squeals behind my hand like a banshee.
But I simply hold onto her, knowing that my reserves are much deeper than hers and, sure enough, after a few minutes, her movements begin to flag. Her motions get sluggish, and it isn’t long before she stops fighting entirely.
