Claws and Kisses

“Well, you sure took your sweet time waking up,” a deep voice rumbled above me.

The pain was gone. In its place was a bearable soreness, running all throughout my body. I wiggled slightly, feeling around my surroundings. From what I could tell, I was lying down on a bed. Alive as of the moment.

My eyes slowly drifted open, taking in the room. It was small, and filled with clothing. The bed I was on had been shoved into the small space, taking more than half of it up. I was in nothing other than a closet. Beside the bed, sitting in a plush chair, was a beautiful, tall man.

“Missed me?”

Romeo. It was the boy who had strangled me all those years prior. His silver hair had been memorable, and it shimmered prettily in the early morning light. A cocky grin curved his lips, showing off rows of pearly white teeth. Those blue orbs of his were alight with mischief. I could have sworn I saw something else flicker there for a moment—worry?—but it was gone as quick as it had come.

“Where am I?” My voice was groggy, plagued with the day’s sleep. I struggled to sit up, straining all of my muscles in the process. Collapsing against the pillows, panting a little, I asked, “Where is Rhett?”

Romeo’s mouth downturned in a mocking pout. “Not even a hello? Why, I think I am offended, Wendy.”

My vision was hazy, but I did my best to aim a scathing glare at him. “I’m not in the mood for jokes, Romeo. Where am I? Where is my brother? What happened to—”

“Slow down there, kid.” He put up his hands, his smile once again returning. There was something hard about his gaze however as he spoke. “I’ll be the one asking the questions around here. Let’s start with what the fuck you were thinking, sneaking into the mountain and causing trouble with one of the Elite Ladies of the court?”

My brows furrowed. “Where is she? The last thing I remember is . . .”

Claws ready to tear my heart out. Her nails scraping against my chest. The blood lust burning bright in her eyes.

“Lady Valentina is dead.” Romeo’s expression did not betray his thoughts on the woman. He simply leaned back and crossed his arms. “We found you in her chambers, bleeding out and on the verge of dying. Luckily, a dashing young hero swooped in and saved the day—”

A scoff from the doorway cut him off. “Do not listen to him, Wendy. He is too arrogant for his own good sometimes.”

The woman in the doorway stood poised with her arms clasped in front of her. She wore a tight-fitting shirt, with loose, billowing pants that brought attention to the open slit at her waist. Her hair was wavy and smooth, falling down her back in black, shiny curls. Her skin was the shade of warm caramel. The difference in age was all too clear; not because of her looks, but because of the way she looked at me. There was wisdom in her eyes. A maturity that did not belong in the twenty-something body she possessed.

“Hello, Wendy.” The woman gilded closer, extending her hand. I took it gingerly, confused by the gesture. Dragons did not shake hands with humans. Dragons barely had the decency to speak to humans without a sneer on their face.

“Do we . . .” I swallowed, trying to think of where I had heard her melodic voice before. “Do we know each other?”

She smiled. Hers was not malevolent like Valentina’s had been, but sincere. Genuine. “Yes, we do. We met a long time ago, when you were still just a child.” Her eyes ran up and down my figure, which was still draped in blankets and tangled in sheets from the bed. “I see that you have grown up wonderfully.”

My cheeks reddened, and I looked away, silently pleased with her approval. Romeo saw and rolled his eyes. “Get a room, you two. Or better yet, let’s focus on our game plan.” He turned to point an accusing finger at me. “You caused a lot of trouble, kid. Time to clean it up.”

Elora and I looked to him. Scowling in kind, I boldly said, “I only came for Rhett. And the others who were taken from the village.”

Romeo and Elora exchanged a look. Then the she-dragon guessed, “Your twin?”

I nodded sharply, subtly trying to sit up straighter despite the uncomfortable soreness in my back. “I want to know what happened. Why Valentina was ordered to take those people from their homes and—and burn the rest to ashes.”

A frown blossomed on Romeo’s full lips. “It’s complicated, kid. You wouldn’t—”

“Understand?” I said, cutting him off. Leaning forward on the bed, I stared directly into his eyes and flatly stated, “Try me.”

The dragon looked ready to argue, but Elora rested a firm hand on his shoulder, halting the acidic words waiting to tumble off his tongue. “Peace, Romeo. She has a right to know.” She turned to me with a sympathetic tilt of the head. “Your village was not supposed to be targeted. Valentina and a host of other special unit dragons were sent into the human lands to capture slaves for the empire. She went against orders and razed your village to the ground. Believe me when I say that our lord promptly dealt with her.”

I closed my eyes at the words our lord. “He knew where I was then? This entire time, he knew where I had gone?”

Elora nodded slowly. “He wished for you to spend time with the mortals,” she replied calmly. “When your first ran off, he was angry and intent on keeping you here, within the horde. After some convincing however, he saw reason in letting you go off. It would be better for you to have had gotten a human’s experience in the long run.”

I blinked stupidly at her. “Who convinced him?”

She gestured between herself and Romeo. “Us.”

Romeo smiled in a self satisfied way. I shot him an accusatory glare, not quite believing the mischievous, occasionally violent man had defended me. “You helped convince him to let me go?”

His grin widened with a wink. “Guilty as charged.”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. I twisted back to face Elora, questions going off a mile a minute in my head. “So I didn’t really run away? He’s been keeping tabs on me this entire time? Just waiting for the right moment to scoop me back up?”

“You make it sound so pervy,” Rome whined, kicking his chair back. “Lighten up, Wendy. So what? He was keeping an eye on you to make sure you didn’t die somewhere in the human lands. What’s so bad about that?”

I glowered. “What is so bad about it is that I am my own person, and he should not be able to decide where I go and what I do with myself. When I left, it was for a reason. And when I leave here again, I have no intention of coming back to this mountain. Ever. Despite what he might wish.”

A knowing shimmer sparked in his eyes, mutating his features into something awfully taunting. “Oh, you think that you are leaving?” He barked a laugh, the sound biting in its ferocity. “That’s adorable.”

Elora glared at the male. “Romeo. Enough.”

“No, Elora! You said she had a right to know. Well, we might as well give her the whole thing.” He stood from his chair, shoving it backwards as he spoke. His eyes were no longer roguish, but steely. “Listen up, kiddo. You aren’t leaving this mountain. Not today, not tomorrow—not anytime soon. And certainly not with that idiot of a boy who you call brother. You put yourself in here. Remember that when Avel has you flat on your back, screaming his name as you—”

In an instant, Elora had teleported from her spot by the door to crash into Romeo, catching him by the throat as she shoved him into the wall opposite to my bed. The room shook with the force of their weight. A sickening crunch followed the movement, a sure sign that bones had been broken in the process.

Elora, with her hands still wrapped around his neck, leaned into his face to threateningly whisper, “I said enough.”

Romeo glared down at her, but said nothing more.

Satisfied, Elora gave him one last shove before releasing him, twisting around to glance at me. I bristled upon her gaze, not needing her to speak to know that her next few words were not going to sit well with me.

“Wendy,” she sat herself at the corner of my bed, grasping my hand lightly. It was cool to the touch, and her hazel skin contrasted starkly with my pale tone. “What Romeo was trying to say is that it would do no good for you to leave. His lordship would simply find you and bring you back here, probably under unfavorable conditions. It would be best if you stayed here, hidden for awhile until we can find a way to introduce you to him without any complications.”

There words were confusing. The Avel I remembered was yes, sometimes temperamental, but mostly sweet and thoughtful. Always wanted to make me smile. But now Elora and Romeo were convinced he would explode when he saw me.

“Why are you two so convinced that Avel even cares about me anymore?” I asked, twisting the sheets around my palms. “It has been years since we have seen each other. I think you might be overestimating his interest in me. We were only friends at a young age. Nothing more.”

Their gazes flickered briefly to the jewellry adorning my skin, before focusing back on my face.

“Let’s call it a hunch,” Romeo drawled, his tone dry.

I shook my head. “It’s not enough. I can’t stay holed up in this little closet until you all decide that Avel is ready to have an audience with me. I’m taking Rhett and we’re getting out of here. End of story.”

Romeo smiled wickedly as Elora rubbed her face, sighing tiredly. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Wendy,” she said carefully, letting her hands drop as she looked directly at me. “But you can’t leave. You are staying here. Rhett, too.”

My features hardened. “You cannot keep me here like some caged animal.”

Elora opened her mouth to reply but Romeo beat her to it. “Actually, we can.” He thrusted off the wall and went to stand by the door with the she-dragon. “But, since we have actual places to be and things to do, we had to get someone else to come and babysit you.”

He leaned out the doorway and shouted something incomprehensible down the hall. Loud, banging footsteps followed after, and a third, gigantic man appeared in the doorway.

Romeo grinned and said, “Meet Bruce.”