Page 8

8

P aisley

This whole demonstration is such a farce. Why didn’t that asshole king listen to me? Surely I made a valid point? I thought I did. I guess not.

Speak of the devil. There he is right now and in all his glory. I want to go over there and give him a piece of my mind. What are they doing? These women need a chance to settle in. To calm down. This whole thing needs to be tackled in stages. Not like this. Way to scare the living shit out of most of them.

This is already going horribly wrong. You only have to take one look at the majority of the Tributes to know that they are not ready for this.

My eyes are on Arctic, and his on mine.

I keep expecting him to look away, but he keeps his vivid blue stare firmly on me. Like he’s daring me to say something, to do something. What can little old me do? Nothing is what, and it pisses me off.

While we’re on a stand-off stare-down, I may as well take in his face. Holy shit, what a face it is. His jaw is so masculine it could be made from cut glass. If not for the situation, I might actually find him attractive,

Crap, I do find him attractive.

The king.

A candidate.

An asshole.

Good! That makes him strictly off-limits to me. He’s dangerous and in more ways than one. Dangerous in the worst of ways.

His shoulders are broad, going to a tapered waist and massive thighs. His arms are massive, too. These shifters are all tall and built. Yet Arctic stands above most of them by at least half a head.

We’re not permitted to divulge to the Tributes that he’s the king, but you can see it from a mile away. At least, you can see that he is a man of importance. He oozes power and authority. Carries himself in a way that screams dominance but with restraint. I like it. I like that he isn’t going to use his position to win over Tributes. That he’s keeping it an even playing field. But this…them shifting on the same day the Tributes arrived is just plain stupid. It’s—

Maggie elbows me. “I can’t wait to see them shift,” she whispers. “I’m so excited.”

“They shouldn’t be doing this. Not now,” I whisper back, finally breaking my stare-off with the king.

“It’ll be fine. The Tributes will be fine. It’ll all be fine. You’ll see.” Maggie grins.

“I hope you’re right.”

“Do you think they’re going to strip down?” Maggie nudges me again; her eyes are wide.

“I don’t know. I hope not.” My cheeks start to heat at the thought. Surely not. That would be…plain wrong.

“Please understand…” Thorn goes on, and I realize I’ve just missed some of what he is saying. I refocus my attention to where it belongs. “You are in control. You can decide who you speak with, who you interact with, and who you end up dating.”

“I don’t want to date a monster,” someone screams.

It’s a little offensive. I get it. I do, but that’s pretty harsh. I glance over at Arctic. He is watching Thorn. His expression is unreadable.

“You will be expected to attend the various events. To meet and talk with the candidates, but that’s where it ends. Should you decide that you want to spend more time with someone, alone time with them, it is up to you. Any intimacy would need to be initiated by you. Sex is not a prerequisite. It is encouraged. You may sleep with as many of the candidates as you choose.”

“That’s disgusting,” Jacki shouts.

“What? Are you kidding?” one of the others yells.

I scrub a hand over my face. A human really needs to vet these little speeches. I don’t think he means to be insulting, but he is. I think they’re just quite straight. They shoot from the hip. No beating around any bushes. In short, they don’t sugarcoat things like we humans do. I like it, but most of the Tributes won’t. Not in their current state of mind.

“I don’t mean to be offensive.” Thorn puts up his hands.

Too late, buddy.

“Well, you are!” Jacki shouts.

“Apologies. I really don’t mean to be. What I’m trying to say is that you’re in charge. Nothing is expected of you.”

“We have to stay for three months,” someone yells.

“That is the only expectation. That you stay and that you take part in the general interactions with the candidates.” He gestures to where the large group of intimidating men is standing. “I think we should start the demonstration,” Thorn quickly adds before anyone can say anything more. He scratches his jaw. There are beads of sweat on his brow.

The candidates move back and start to spread out.

“What is this?” one of the women yells.

“What are you going to do?” I think it’s Jacki.

“They’re shifting,” someone shouts, sounding excited.

“They’re going to show us their dragons.”

“Yes! Shift! Do it!”

“I don’t like it!” I’m pretty sure that was Lauren. The blonde from earlier who couldn’t stop crying. She sounds panicked.

“The candidates are going to shift into their dragon forms,” Thorn shouts over the Tributes. “They will show their beast side. They will prove to you that you are safe. That—”

Thorn keeps talking, but I don’t hear him anymore. I only hear the thundering of my own heart.

Crap!

The men have started to take their clothes off. They’re all wearing leather. I think it might be a uniform of some kind because they’re all in it, but not for long.

They’ve toed off their boots. My eyes are on Arctic as he removes his leather vest, peeling it over his head. My mouth falls open because…holy crap, he’s sculpted to perfection. That chest…those abs…they’re insane. He’s freaking insane.

I wipe my mouth because I think I might be drooling.

Thorn keeps droning on, but I don’t hear a word. Maggie keeps elbowing me. I think she’s talking as well, but I don’t hear her either.

I can only see. It’s the only sense that is still functioning. My eyeballs. And my heart is definitely still beating. That’s it. Everything else is gone. My lungs won’t work at all because I’m struggling to take in air.

Arctic turns around to face the other way. His back is gorgeous, too. I never thought I would say that about a back. He has muscles everywhere and just the right amount.

The shifters surrounding Arctic start turning around as well. One after the other. I only have eyes for him as he peels off his leather pants. Is he moving slowly on purpose? Or is it my mind playing tricks on me? I can barely breathe. I’m numb.

His ass is…it’s beautiful. Can an ass be beautiful? Yes! It can! His is. It’s meaty and…

Some of the women start screaming. It pulls me out of my head.

There are these weird cracking noises. They’re shifting. They’re all shifting from man to beast. From skin to scales.

Before us, the shifters transform into their dragon forms, their bodies contorting and twisting. Their limbs elongating. Their snouts, too. Scales push forward, as do wings and tails. It happens all at once and yet, once again, in slow motion.

I gasp.

There are more screams.

I’m mesmerized by him…by Arctic. I wish I wasn’t, but here we are. I am!

His scales are the purest white, like newly fallen snow. When he moves, his scales get that pearly look. Like you sometimes get on the inside of a shell. It’s iridescent. It’s magnificent. His eyes are the only part of him that reminds me of Arctic, only they’re slitted, like a reptile.

Beautiful.

Arctic goes up on his hind legs; his tail swishes from side to side. He lifts his snout to the sky and roars. Several of the others do the same. I note that no other dragon has his coloring. They’re shades of green, blue, brown, and even the odd black one. He’s the only white dragon among them. I think that it might be special.

I was mocked as a kid about being ginger. I was different. So is he. I somehow doubt that Arctic was ever mocked.

He roars a second time, bright orange flames flying high into the sky.

I gasp and flinch away, feeling the heat from all the way over here.

The women scream. Some in excitement. Actually, I think most of them scream in excitement but there are also screams of horror, of fear.

One of the women – it’s Lauren, the timid lady from before, the one who couldn’t stop crying – she’s running and running…and then…she’s falling. Her arms go out as she stumbles. She tries to right herself. She can’t! She lands hard in a heap. I hear the thud from all the way over here. I feel it.

She screams again, this time in pain.

Lauren pulls herself up onto her elbows.

Then I’m running, too, because there’s blood. Lots of it. She’s hurt.

Arctic

I watch in horror. The female is bleeding. One side of her face is covered in blood. More drips down. I catch its coppery scent.

Both Paisley and Thorn run to the downed female. Paisley gets there first, dropping to her knees.

The humans go back to huddling together, except for two, who make their way to the bleeding woman at a jog.

I start toward them, realizing that I am still in my dragon form and I shift. It doesn’t take long for me to be in my skin. I start toward them again and realize that I am naked.

Fuck!

I sigh and grab my clothes, dressing as quickly as I can. By the time I am done, Thorn is already placing the injured human in the back of an idling SUV and jumping in himself. Paisley is next to him, with the doctor in the front seat.

I start toward them, but someone grabs my arm, letting me go in the same breath.

“Don’t get involved,” Steel growls.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” I snarl back.

The SUV with the injured female takes off in a spray of gravel. I’m sure they’ll be headed to the clinic. The rest of the humans start to climb into waiting SUVs.

Steel smiles; it doesn’t reach his eyes and lasts all of a second. “Sire, I don’t think that rushing over there would be a wise thing to do. It is my job to—”

“Keep me safe. I know that! I need to go,” I tell him.

“We’re in troubled times and—”

“What the hell are you on about, Steel? I know all of that. I know, okay? But a human female is injured. I need to go and—”

“No, you don’t! Thorn is there as we speak. He can handle it and report back to you.”

I shake my head, feeling responsible.

“It’s not your fault. Most of the human females enjoyed the demonstration. The injury was unfortunate, but these things are bound to happen. Humans are weak and quite breakable.”

“Don’t let your human hear you say that.” I smile.

Steel laughs. “Lucky for me, Jen isn’t here right now, but I know she would agree.” His eyes cloud for a moment. It’s obvious that he misses her. “You need to keep your time outside the castle to a minimum. The human accommodation isn’t nearly as protected as the castle. I can’t—”

“I’m living my life, Steel. I’m doing the right thing, and that means checking in on the human. There is nothing you can say that will stop me, so you can save it.”

“You don’t want the others to know that you are the king. That you’re someone important. Rushing in there will be directly in opposition to that. Standing on your hind legs roaring and breathing fire is, too, just by the way.” He gives me a look. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” He smirks at me. “Your need to show dominance at every turn might get you into trouble one day. You already stand out among the candidates. If you go now, you’re going to make it even more obvious.”

He has a point.

I don’t care.

I have to do what’s right. It’s in my DNA.

“I’ll go in via the back entrance. I’ll take minimal security. I’ll be in and out in no time.”

Steel sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “You like to make my job difficult, don’t you?”

I make a noise like I’m thinking about it. “I see it as keeping you on your toes.” I start toward an SUV.

I hear Steel barking orders behind me. Within seconds, I am surrounded by my guard, with Steel leading the way. We jump into the waiting vehicles, dust kicking up in our wake as we head to the clinic.

It doesn’t take long before we get there. The SUV screeches to a halt, and I’m out, eating the ground with long strides. I catch a glimpse of Thorn standing by the entrance; his expression is tense with worry.

He meets my gaze as I approach, his eyes holding a silent conversation with mine.

“It isn’t good,” he says. “She’s bleeding like a stuck pig. It looks like she hit her head on a rock as she fell. The doctor is working on her now. The wound wouldn’t stop bleeding. Humans have zero healing capabilities.”

I nod once and then enter the building. One or two winding passages later, I reach the clinic.

“How is she?” I ask as I arrive at the door to the clinic.

The injured female is lying on the bed. Paisley has a compression to her wound. The doctor is leaning over the female from the other side of the bed, peering at the wound, which is still bleeding heavily.

“Please leave,” Paisley all but snarls at me. “We’re busy with a patient.”

I have to hold back a smile. She’s something. The last time a female…make that, anyone dared to talk to me that way—

My heart sinks. It was Anya, my mate. Steel will push the boundaries. Nothing like this.

I step into the clinic. “How bad is it? Do we need to organize transport to the Mainland?”

“Lauren is injured, thanks to you and your stupid demonstration. I warned you. I asked you not to go through with it.” Paisley keeps her gaze on what she is doing. Her whole stance is rigid. “I told you there would be terrified women in the group, but you didn’t listen.”

“That’s enough, Nurse Paisley,” the doctor says. “Think about who it is you’re…” He clears his throat. “That tone is unnecessary. The Tribute has—”

“Her name is Lauren,” Paisley says in a clipped tone, standing up to her superior, which I like.

The injured female whimpers.

Paisley snorts. “And actually, I think my tone is very necessary, Dr. du Pont. Lauren has a head wound and probably a mild concussion.”

“Lauren will need a couple of stitches but will be fine,” Dr. du Pont says. “Nothing too concerning,” he tells me.

“It could have been so much worse.” Paisley glances up at me with blazing eyes as she says the last.

“Perhaps we should have this conversation in the hallway,” I say.

“I’m busy.” She continues what she’s doing, ignoring me.

It pisses me off, but I love it all the same. No one stands up to me like this. Certainly not a staff member. It’s refreshing, infuriating, and so fucking sexy.

I swallow thickly, pulling in a deep breath.

“My apologies, I need Nurse Paisley, um…Arctic.” The doctor winces as he says my name. Like it physically hurts me not to address me without my title. Steel is right; I won’t be able to keep my identity a secret for very long. “Perhaps you could give us ten minutes?”

“Let me get out of your way.”

Paisley gives me a look that tells me she thinks it’s a good idea that I go.

“I can see you have everything under control. Please inform me if anything changes. If you’re concerned about anything,” I tell the human healer. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Lauren. We didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Okay,” she whispers. “I’ll be fine.” Her voice sounds strained. “I’m so silly. I just…I…I panicked. It’s my fault.” Her voice is muffled because she’s facing the other way and isn’t speaking up.

“It’s not your fault,” Paisley says, throwing me another dirty look. “You should never have been put in that position in the first place.”

“I hope you feel better soon,” I tell Lauren. “Please keep me updated,” I tell Paisley.

“Will do,” the doctor says. I find that I don’t want to hear from him. I want to hear from her. It’s because I know she’ll give it to me straight, and he…won’t.

“Nurse, fetch a suture kit,” the doctor tells Paisley.

The injured human whimpers again. It sounds like she’s crying.

“It’s okay, Lauren.” Paisley puts a hand on her upper arm and squeezes gently. “It won’t be nearly as bad as you think. The painkillers must be kicking in by now. You’ll get a little injection to numb the site. You won’t feel a thing, I swear.”

“I know. I’m overreacting…I’m sorry.” She sniffs. “I’m such a baby.”

“Stop apologizing. You have nothing to be sorry about. You are—”

I slip out of the room, gently closing the door. There are two guards waiting for me. Steel is standing a little way down the passage.

“Do you feel better now?” he asks me, eyebrows raised and an amused expression on his face.

“No,” I reply. “We have no idea what we are doing. You could have mentioned how timid some human females are.”

Steel and I start walking. He chokes out a laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

“I did tell you, but you didn’t listen.”

Is that true? It might be. Since when did I become so bullheaded?

“You should have told me not to go through with the demonstration,” I tell him.

“Actually, I thought it was a good idea.” Steel shrugs.

“Even though some humans can be timid?”

He nods. “We were not to know that this was going to happen. It was unfortunate that the human happened to fall on a rock. Most of the females enjoyed the demonstration. It’s safe to say that you were winning them over when the incident occurred. It was unlucky.”

Paisley knew it could happen. At least, she was worried that it might happen. She warned me and I didn’t listen. Maybe I should have.

“We might need to make a few changes,” I say, my mind working a mile a minute.