Claws and Kisses

The rock weighed heavily in my hand as I stood over the prone form of the maid. Her dress was smudged with dirt, and splayed around her waist in wrinkled waves. Blood dripped from her forehead, pudding onto the stone ground where she laid. Guilt threatened to overwhelm the indomitable strength that had carried me through the past hour.

It had taken some time to find a maid who was walking the halls alone and around the same size as me. I had trailed her for a couple of minutes, gathering the nerve to knock her out. While she had stooped to grab a fallen duster on the floor, I had snuck behind her and struck her over the head. She dropped faster than a sack of potatoes. After dragging her limp body into a spare closet, I made sure to drag in her supplies and lock the door behind me.

Gods, I thought. How in the bloody stars had I ended up here? Stealing maids’ clothes and hitting people from behind?

It was not hard to skim over the events that had led to this moment as I undressed the woman. Dead parents, lost friend, kidnapped twin brother, dead parents again. Sighing internally, I chose not to dwell over everything that had happened in the last few months. I had plenty of time to dwell while staying with Charlie and Barb at their tavern.

Now was the time for action.

The maid’s dress was too tight, and squeezed my stomach and breast so that breath became difficult to obtain. It was a pale blue color, practically white. An apon was draped across the waist, matching the ivory shaded buttons and belt. I sighed in relief upon seeing that the sleeves came down far enough to cover the bracelets molded to my wrists, and while I tugged in vain at the high collar of the uniform, I knew it would be too risky to unbutton the top of the dress to reveal the collar-like necklace.

Grabbing the cleaning supplies from the floor, I checked over the sleeping woman once more to make sure she was alright. Her breaths were even and slow, lifting and rising with her chest. Content in the knowledge that she would wake soon—most likely naked and confused—I finished slipping into her shoes before striding out the door.

The stairs were directly in front of me, and I had not trouble climbing up the steps to the upper sections of the mountain. The farther I climbed, the bigger the rooms got, the more luxurious the decorations grew, the more people I passed. Most of the humans were easy to make out in their workers uniform. However, some of them were dressed . . . differently. A few of the more attractive humans, both men and women, would shuffle behind their elite dragon companion, dressed in fine, elegant clothes. More than a few had something or another that connected them to their master, whether it be a tattoo, leash, crown . . .

Cuffs.

Identical to the bracelets I bore, the human companions all wore some type of jewelry fastened around their wrists, marking them as a dragon-owned. Whether made of gold or silver, they all had it. They all knew what it meant.

And now I did too.

I could not help rubbing my wrists as I darted up the stairs, trying to avoid as many people as I could. With the stolen outfit and the bucket of supplies in my hand, no one questioned me as I continued searching the mountain. My head was on a constant swivel, searching out either Rhett or Valentina. I had a feeling that wherever one of them was, the other wouldn’t be farther behind.

The mountain was beautiful. Libraries and gardens dotted the space, filling the space with life and noise. Study rooms and lounge areas were everywhere, populated by dragons and servants alike. Light poured in from dozens upon dozens of windows, flooding the cave walls with golden sunshine. The twinkle of laughter and the hushed whisper of conversation bubbled out from open doorways, creating a mixed feeling in my chest. How could a place so beautiful harbor so much blood?

Even though it had been years since I had seen my childhood friend, I knew that Avel did not use to be cruel. He had been kind always to me. He was warmth and joy and safety. So how could he do this to the humans? How could he cause so much pain and suffering without batting an eye?

“I have got to get out of here,” I muttered, pushing past a pair of slaves talking whilst washing windows.

Exiting the central part of the complex, I ended up in a series of interconnected hallways, much like the ones at the base of the mountain. Unlike the base however, these rooms were a thousand times nicer, and spaced farther apart. The halls were shimmering gold, painted in the gilded colors of a sunrise. It was an effort to keep my eyes forward and off all the expensive paintings and furniture lining the walkway.

An hour or so passed as I wandered the halls, looking for any signs of Rhett or the horrid she-dragon who took him. A miracle came in the form of three gossiping maids exiting one of the rooms.

They were chattering about something or another, and I hefted a set of freshly washed sheets in my arms higher, thanking the gods that I had had the mind to grab them when I saw them folded in one of the closets for this reason. Placing myself in their way, I offered them a small smile. “Hello.”

All of them honed their gazes on me. They were neither friendly nore malevolent, simply waiting to hear what I had to say. The one in the middle said, “Yes?”

“Sorry,” I pretended to glance down apologetically. “I’m new here, and I’m afraid I’ve gotten terribly lost. Would you happen to know where Lady Valentina’s rooms are?”

Frowning, the same girl pointed down the hall they had just left, muttering, “Room 203. On the right.”

My smile widened in sincerity, a spark of hope flaring inside me for the first time in months. “Thanks.”

I hurried past them, not missing their furrowed brows. As they slowly began ambling the other way, I heard one whisper, “When did they start assigning newbies to Valentina? She’s going to get eaten alive . . .”

Swinging around a corner, their voices faded entirely. My dress ruffled as I quickly speed walked to Room 203, looking at each of the numbers along the wall as I went. I did not stop until I was there, standing in front of her door, breathing harshly.

What now? I could go in and she could be just standing there, waiting to burn any unwanted intruders with her own special brand of hellfire. Or they could both be gone, and I would be left waiting around, hoping for Rhett to show up at some point. Either way, it would not be smart to barge in there, guns blazing with a give-em-hell attitude.

Too late.

Twisting the door open, I stumbled into the room, tensed and ready for a fight. Lush velvet carpets and fancy paintings greeted me. The scent of lilacs and honey permeated the chamber, a heavy fog over the chairs and tables scattered over the first room. Several doors led to other rooms that I couldn’t see. A fireplace burned in the center of it all, drawing my eye to the leaping flames.

Rhett and Valentina were nowhere to be seen. My eyes zeroed on the double doors opposite to the fire, and I was fairly sure that the bedroom lied beyond there. Marching forward, I dodged the splattering of furniture and made for the bedroom, not sure what I would find, but terrified for Rhett’s safety anyhow.

I opened the bedroom door and yelped.

Never in all the nine realms had I expected to find the sight that now greeted me. Rhett was alone in the room, his eyes shut as he laid, naked and half draped by a blanket on the massive bed. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, highlighting the muscled planes of his chest. Thick chains looped around his wrists and ankles, anchoring him to the bed. A sturdy leather strap was tied around his mouth, a red ball keeping his lips from closing. Bruises and scratch marks marred his tanned skin, at odds with the peaceful contentment gracing his features that only a deep slumber could bring.

Upon my scream however, his eyes flew open. He jerked on top of the bed, straining against his chains. His eyes found mine. We both stared for a moment, captured in each other’s gazes. Then—“Mmenmy!”

Wincing, I strided to him, my hands working to get the stupid muffler off his face. “Oh, Rhett.” Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks as I undid the many loops and strings holding the leather contraption together. “What did she do to you?”

Once it was off, he was stuttering and fumbling over his words in a rush to get them out. “Wen-Wendy, you can’t . . . how are you—I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry that I le-left you. I didn’t—I couldn’t stop them. And Baba and Mama . . . I’m so sorry—”

Despite his state, I caught him in a bone-crushing hug. He did his best to return the gesture, his chains restraining him from doing much more than lying flat on the bed. We were both crying now, holding desperately onto the other.

A few minutes passed like that. We simply took in the other’s company, reveling in the moment of being together after months of seperation. I did not realize how much I had missed him until that very moment. I sighed, wiping my face before leaning away with a watery smile. “Hello, brother.”

He was still shaking and slowly waking from sleep. “Wendy, gods. You like like shit.”

Startled, I laughed and smacked his arm. “You’re one to talk.” I poked his side, running a careful eye over all the new scars marking him as hers. “Did . . . did she do this?”

Nodding slowly, he clasped my shoulder and did not blink as he started to talk. “As glad as I am to see you, you can’t be here. The only thing that got me through these last few months was knowing that you escaped. You need to get out of here before Valentina comes back. She’ll kill you, Wendy.”

Ignoring him, I went to his hands and immediately began fiddling with the chains. There was no way to unlock the cuffs around his wrists without a key, but we could untie the chains wrapped around the bedposts and make a run for it. As long as we hid the chains under some baggy clothes, we could do it. I could get him out of here and come back another day with a better plan and get the rest of the people from our village out.

“She can go to hell,” I muttered, yanking at the chains and grinning victoriously when they started to loosen.

“You don’t get it, Wendy.” Rhett grabbed my elbow—the only part of me he could reach—and squeezed tightly, trying to get my attention. “All those months ago, at home? She was sent there, Dee. The Dragon Lord of this Horde was looking for someone. Valentina lied to the tribe that day when she said she was looking for slaves. The Dragon Lord’s tracking a specific person. He sent out the best of the best, and I don’t know the full story, but Valentina got a heavy lashing because she took the wrong one.” His eyes were wide with fear and wonder. “What could they have meant by the wrong one, Dee?”

For a second, I shut my eyes, regretting keeping my childhood secret from my twin. He did not know a thing about what happened with Avel. When I was a child, I had been worried that he would tell our nanny that I was sneaking out every night to visit a dragon, and she would forbid me from seeing him. My fear then was risking my salvation now. If Rhett knew all the details, he would not be so hesitant to run.

The first chain came undone. I moved onto the second pair, my movements frantic and rushed. “Listen to me,” I breathed, fingers fumbling. “Don’t worry about what they said. Just focus on getting out of here alive, okay?”

A deep laugh echoed through the room. I whipped around and froze. The hope that had slowly begun to blossom now withered and died with the person before me.

“You’re not going anywhere.”