Page 18 of Claimed by the Savage Dragons

He shakes his head. ‘Not all. Orin is exactly the age he seems, which is why he’s an idiot.’

I scowl at him. ‘So, we’re of a similar age.I’mnot an idiot.’

Tor finishes his food and leans back, eyes surveying me. ‘That remains to be seen, little human.’

Taking a sip of his wine, he keeps his eyes on me as I eat, and I try not to feel self-conscious.

‘Don’t try that trick you pulled with Orin on any of the full-grown males where we’re going,’ he says quietly. ‘It won’t go down well.’

I look down at my plate. I’d forgotten this was sort of my last supper. Is that why he’s making it nice? Not treating me as something less than him?

‘I’m just supposed to let them do whatever they want with me?’ I ask quietly.

‘If you want to survive, Mari, yes. Don’t fight and you’ll find their attentions blessedly brief. Make sure they’re bored, and they won’t bother with you. It won’t be like whatever happened to make you so afraid.’ He snorts. ‘You might even find that your body enjoys it. If it does, try not to be ashamed.’

I try to take in what he’s saying. ‘I’ll like it, but I won’t want to like it?’

He nods once. ‘Sometimes they make games of it with the females. They’ll make you enjoy it.’

‘Games?’

His jaw tightens. ‘See who can get the female to scream the loudest, come the most times.’

Fuck.

I’m out of my depth. Bya lot.

My fork falls out of my hand and clatters to the table. His eyes find mine.

‘B-but…’

I stand up, my chair screeching back behind me on the stone floor.

He stands as well, looking wary as if he think I’m going to run outside and throw myself off the cliff.

Maybe I should. Living with the dragons as a servant was bad enough but as a sex slave sounds awful. Maybe death would be preferable.

‘I’ve never…I don’t…’

He looks confused, but then his eyes widen. ‘You’ve never been with a male?’

I shake my head.

‘Not even one of your own species?

Another shake.

‘Times really have changed,’ he mutters and then he gives me a pitying look. ‘There’s still nothing I can do, you know. I’m bound to take you to the Commander. He is the one who decides your fate. Not me.’

I say nothing, but I sit back down at the table with a long breath out.

‘You must be what, twenty? Why have you never…’

‘My mother… She was with many of the men in town. She had other children after me but none of them survived long enough to make it to their first birthday. She died in childbirth last year. I don’t want that.’

‘That’s what scares you?’

I nod.