CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16
“Scet?”
It was a stupid thing to say, obviously he knew who he was. Shock stole her wit. “How did you get in here...in the aerie?”
Scet shook his head, “Dragon Lords are self-important, they forget that their senses are easily fooled. But we have not time to speak of trivialities. The Shifters have remained nearby, as arranged, but the Onyx Aerie Dragons guard the area closest to the walls, pushing us back.”
“Pushing you back? With force? As in battle?” Her suspicions were right then, they were prisoners.
“Mostly posturing and threats, but yes, there have been a few instances,” Scet frowned. “We are unharmed, but they have cut off any communication.”
Hmm. But wait...
“Then why not find Dynarys? He flies the forest searching for Cillumn.”
“Dynarys is being watched Lady, every move.”
“How...”
Scet shook his head. “There is no time, your presence will be missed shortly. I need you to deliver this message to Dynarys, to him alone. I do not trust the other Dragons, someone amongst the delegation is untrue. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“The aerie is surrounded by Quatori, about a quarter mile out. So many I cannot count them all.”
Gayriel shuddered.
“It gets worse,” his frown deepened, and he met her eyes for the first time. “I have scented Kurath nearby, as well.”
That was worse.
Prisoner in a very dangerous situation, indeed.
“I will tell him the moment he returns,” she promised. Scet nodded, and then made to sink back into his shadow. But another question nagged at her.
“Scet?”
He hesitated, but did not meet her eyes again.
“Why did the Shifters stay? Why help Dynarys at all?”
There was a long moment. “Because he is pack, whether he wants to be or not.”
Huh. And she would wager his protective gesture had not gone unnoticed either. Her opinion of the Shifters slowly grew.
“Lady Gayriel?” A loud new voice echoed down the staircase behind her.
She flinched, and spun toward the intruder. Not the wisest move on a steep set of stairs. There was an elongated instant where her balance slipped away. She fought, but she was over the turning point and began picking up speed. Sharp stone stairs rushed upward and her breath caught in her chest, unable even to scream.
Fortunately, strong arms saved her from what would have been a fatal fall. The scent of some familiar, but unnameable, spice teased her nostrils. She found herself crushed against a hard chest so that she had to crane her neck backward to glimpse her rescuer.
Grim.
So much fear rose in her throat that it threatened to overwhelm her barriers. But now, of all times, she could not lose composure. This was no different than planning escape for three years. The same danger hovered over her. She knew then that she would have to act and pretend her way to freedom. Only now, it was more than simply her own life walking the blade’s edge.
Using the cover of balancing herself, she checked the landing. Scet was gone, no trace remained. Great Six the man was fast. And sneaky.
“What are you doing here?” Grim demanded. His dark eyes flared slightly, all other aspects of his expression remained calm.
“Grim, thank the Six you were here, I nearly fell,” she didn’t mention that he was the reason for her unbalance in the first place. “I was receiving a tour, but my time is limited so we looked at the aerie from the upper dining room,” she smiled sweetly, subtly trying to put a little space between them. It was difficult on the stairs, and with Grim resisting.
“Where is your guide Lady? I do not remember sanctioning a tour.”
She grimaced inwardly. Had she gotten the shy young woman in trouble? Grim’s voice had not changed in inflection, but she sensed something dangerous in it nonetheless.
“I am afraid I was rather pushy with one of your younger servants,” Gayriel smiled shyly, attempting to look bashful. “I might have used your name as leverage to get my way.”
A muscle twitched along his cheek, but one corner of his mouth turned upwards wryly.
“And where is the guide now? I also do not believe the Amber Lords let you out of the guest quarters unsupervised.”
“Uh, no, they didn’t. They are up ahead. Probably a ways now.”
He didn’t speak but studied her closely. It was unnerving, he had yet to give her space. She could see his pupils from there, his eyes were so close, and they were focused, and most definitely suspicious.
Her gut twisted a little. What if he figured out that Scet had been there? She had witnessed his reaction to the Shifters before. For the first time, it occurred to her how her actions could affect the entire delegation. If Grim figured out what she had been doing...what she planned to do…
She kept her barriers firm, but the situation was making her nervous. What could she do to throw his suspicion and his thoughts from the proper path? When she was a slave it was easier. No one expected a sex slave to think for herself, or plot and plan against them. They expected willful and happy obedience.
The idea stopped her for a moment. Was Grim really so different? All of his control, and then his offer the day before. He did not respect her as a separate, thinking being, but a prize that he would force upon his dragon. Just a silly woman, grasping for higher status.
She could play that.
“Alright,” she whispered, “I was looking for you.”
Eyebrows rose upward, but his face relaxed a little. The corner of his lip lifted slightly.
“You were? Have you considered my offer, Lady?”
He brushed closer to her, his chest rubbing purposely against her breasts. She hid the revulsion she felt and pressed in. That is what she had been trained to do. Men liked the feeling of a woman’s breasts crushed against them.
“Perhaps you were considering it through the long lonely night?” he continued. “Did you satisfy your need, Lady? Or do you wait for me to do it for you? I can be very satisfying.”
In a blink, she was against the stairwell wall, with a Dragon Lord pressed firmly against her. Heat emanated from him, adding to the sickening feeling growing within. One hand cupped a breast and the other wound through her hair, gaining a firm grip.
No. Her stomach churned and instinct screamed at her to fight. She did not want such an interlude. Not here. Not with him. She wished to fool him, nothing more. She let a little of her fear through the barrier.
He paused, but did not release his hold.
“You fear me?” he whispered against her ear. His hot breath left a damp moisture on her neck.
“A little,” she admitted.
“Good,” he growled. And the admission that he sought fear, that he was excited by it, sent shivers down her spine. And not shivers of mutual excitement either.
“Lady Gayriel, it is difficult, even for you to get yourself lost on a stairwell,” Pourtus announced.
Thank the Six.
She hid the relief that flowed through her, but relief did flow through her.
Grim paused, but did not yet release her.
“I can see that you’re...involved, but as your keeper, I must ensure you return to your chambers...in the same state you left them,” Pourtus stepped closer, within reach. Not a threat, but an insistence.
For a moment she thought that Grim would not release her, but he hesitated for only a breath before stepping back. The loss of his support unbalanced her once more.
Emotionless, Pourtus was the one to steady her.
“The Lady chooses me,” Grim announced. “I insist she is returned to me before nightfall. I will ensure your city knows her tasks are complete and she is no longer their responsibility.”
“I am considering choosing you, Lord Grim,” Gayriel interrupted. Then she smiled, and let a tad more fear and nervousness through the barrier to soften the blow. “Might I have some time to adjust to the idea?”
Grim did not look pleased, something she would have dark dreams about for certain. But his eyes did not flare, a sure sign his dragon was not interested in detaining her.
“I do not enjoy being toyed with, Lady,” his tone was granite.
She swallowed. Pretending had seemed like such a great idea.
“I would not think of it,” she lied.
“Come, Lady Delegate,” Pourtus tilted his head downward. “We are late returning and Strale will worry.”
They left Grim standing there, descending toward the main floor. Relief grew with each step she put between herself and the Onyx Aerie Lord.
Avoidance. That was the only option from here. She must avoid Grim and hope the Amber Aerie Lords could keep him at bay until they escaped. Something told her he wouldn’t hesitate to consummate now, whether she was eager or not.
“Hedging our luck are we, Lady?” Pourtus asked when they were out of hearing. “We shall see what Dynarys thinks of your loyalty now.”