Page 14 of The Lost Child

With a bit of grunting and a lot of swearing, I went left with the crank.

Canavar let out a choked, panicked sound in the darkness.

Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuckity Nuggets Fuck.

I put all my weight on going the other direction until it went three clicks to the right and locked in place. Not expecting that, I overbalanced and flew over the crank and landed on my ass in front of the cage. I scrambled inside to check on Canavar.

“Oh my gods, I’m SO sorry! I didn’t know which way to go and—”

Canavar turned and slowly raised himself into a crouch. I’d given him enough slack that he could comfortably sit up. His wings tucked securely behind his back, his attention darted between me and the uneaten food on the ground.

“T-that’s for you,” I said softly and pointed at the food. I made careful steps toward him, wondering what the problem was. Did he not think it was safe?

I took out my water skin and placed them down on the ground with the food and backed away. He looked so confused I wanted to laugh, but I held it in. I didn’t want to piss him off, after all.

Apparently, he came to a decision, because he wolfed it all down in the next moment, including the chicken bones and the apple core. He fumbled with my water skin, unable to figure out how it worked.

Cautiously, I held my hands out for it, his eyes narrowing as I approached him. Claws wrapped around my waterskin, threatening to rip through the tough leather like cheese.

“I’ll open it for you. Just don’t rip it,” I asserted, pushing a bossy tone that was firmer than how I usually gave orders. Canavar preferred direct orders, I was coming to realize.

He let me seize it back, a pretty strong start for us. I flipped the cap open and took a small sip, then handed it over. Greedily, he drank all of it, then took a bite right out of the waterskin itself.

“HEY!” I protested, trying to take it back. He snarled and bared his fangs at me like a dog I’d once seen trying to keep his food safe from the others that ran constantly through our ships. They were good rat catchers.

Canavar balled my waterskin into his chest and took another bite while daring me to intervene.

Now I was pissed. “Listen here you piece of—”

I didn’t get my last jab in as giant, scaled arms seized me around my middle, and pulled me down until I was unwillingly straddling his waist. His grip was so tight I struggled to breathe, and a certain part of his anatomymade itself quite known underneath me.

Focus, Nerissa.He was much more likely to eat you than fuck you.

I blinked rapidly, wondering why I didn’t immediately find the idea appalling. Regardless, breathing was the first priority. I punched his arm. “Easy up there. I can’t breathe,” I wheezed pointing to where his arms squeezed me tightly around my chest.

He huffed, but his grip relaxed. I took a few grateful breaths, and tried to push his hands away. He refused to budge.

“Canavar, let me go. I have to leave now.”

His eyes narrowed. I didn’t expect it when he grabbed my hair again and yanked on it, pulling my head back and exposing my throat to him. Fuckfuck fuck fuck—

It tickled as his nose ghosted along my neck, my heart pounding as his fangs hovered over my jugular.

Tits Tits Tits Tits Tits Tits—

I stopped panicking as he made an odd sound, and my anxiety dissipated as I realized what he was doing. Canavar was … sniffing me. His nose went under my neck, my shoulders, my jaw, and then eventually the top of my head.

It was invasive and demeaning, and yet … intriguing.

“OK … so the raging draken man likes me,” I whispered to myself, still scared shitless but mostly sure he wasn’t about to rip my throat out and dance on my bloody corpse.

It felt oddly flattering.

Fangs descended on my throat to disabuse me of this notion, but he didn’t bite me; he only lightly scraped down my neck. A gasp escaped me before I could help it, and he paused. Green eyes stared straight at me as if he were trying to see through me. He bit down a bit harder on my neck, and my hips moved on their own as I instinctively pushed against him.

Why had I done that?

Canavar went still again, his grip on me harsh and unforgiving as he picked me up in one motion and slammed me down against what was clearly his raging erection.

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