Page 39 of The General’s Captive (The Rift #1)

I was shocked that I had actually fallen asleep. I didn’t know if it was from utter exhaustion or just the gentle rocking motion his large steps made. It could have also been the warmth he radiated. Whichever it was, I woke to the sound of my name being rumbled softly.

“Alex, wake up, I found a veterinary clinic.”

I mumbled something about another ten minutes, making him chuckle at my reluctance to wake.

“I am not an alarm clock, Little Human.”

My next grumble was aimed at that single word.

“Always with the little. The General does the same.”

He laughed. “Does he know it annoys you?”

His question surprised me but after a yawn, I told him, “I haven’t kept it secret, so yes, he knows.”

“Then that is most likely why he does it.”

I frowned, making him laugh again.

“And for that reaction… you have an expressive face, Alex.”

My frown deepened.

“So, is that why you call me little, to annoy me?” I tested, and I could see his teeth when he grinned.

“I call you little because your head barely reaches my waist.”

“Fair enough, behemoth,” I countered.

“Behemoth?”

“If the big ass shoe fits, you call me little, I call you behemoth, that’s the deal.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I still come out on top, so knock yourself out, Little Human,” he retorted, making a point of rumbling this nickname like a demonic purr.

I rolled my eyes as he kicked in the door to the veterinary clinic, the smell making me gag from where the stench of death most definitely lingered. Although, whatever had died in here would have been a long time ago.

“Can you put me down?”

He did as I asked, lowering me down outside the door and making sure I was steady on my feet before letting go. I scanned the area for Myths, only to find it was pointless because it was too dark to see much other than buildings on the street we were now standing in.

“Thanks,” I offered before stepping away.

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a nod.

I then eyed the entrance before turning to Aster, my eyebrows rising.

“Yeah, I don’t think you’re going to fit. Why don’t you stay out here and guard the door?”

He too eyed the doorframe, grimacing.

“I think that’s wise,” he replied, making me try to hold back any hint at how relieved I was.

Then I reached into my backpack and took out my flashlight, holding it up to mock, “For the human with weak, puny eyes.”

He scoffed a laugh, and it made me smile to know that I could amuse him.

I didn’t know why or when it happened, but I had come to like the big guy.

Even though I knew who he worked for and that his sole job right now was to bring me to The General.

He just had that way about him, even when he was in this far scarier form.

He was still the same Aster I had quickly become fond of, just extra…

a lot extra. But he hadn’t hurt me. He had made me feel safe and when I showed discomfort like limping or being cold, he had wanted to do something about it.

He had teased me but not outright insulted me.

And most of all, he had kept me safe and made me feel protected.

So really, what wasn’t to like? He even had a great sense of humor, and his wit was second to none.

To the point that our banter felt natural.

It all made what I was about to do even harder, because I didn’t want to hurt the guy’s feelings.

But I also knew that despite what he said, I couldn’t trust The General, even if he could.

No, I had to cover myself and, above all, I needed to get Riley out of there.

Because all of this was my fault. If I had just left when I had the chance, then none of this would have happened.

It was time to start doing the right thing and if that meant giving myself up after I had saved him, then so be it.

If it meant making it on my own in the world, then I would do that too.

Either way, I knew that if Riley stayed by my side, I would only be putting him in more danger, and I couldn’t do that to him.

No matter how much I knew he would fight me on it.

No matter how much I loved him. I would need to let him go.

It was a painful thought I forced myself not to think about right now.

So, I pushed open the door with caution, making Aster comment, “There is nothing in there but dead animals and one dead human. Trust me, my eyesight isn’t the only thing that’s superior.”

I rolled my eyes, turned off my flashlight for a second, and gave him the finger, asking, “Can you see this?”

He burst out laughing and said, “I can also see your nipples straining against your bra, so if the dead guy is wearing a jacket, I suggest stealing that as well.”

My mouth dropped and I turned the flashlight back on just in time to see him wink at me.

“Okay, so that was gross,” I muttered and again, his laughter filled me with enough ease that I wasn’t scared.

Even though I didn’t relish the idea of walking into a pet graveyard.

And I especially wasn’t intending of getting close enough to some dead guy to steal the jacket he had most likely decomposed in … Eww.

As for the dead guy, he was in one of the back rooms where they did procedures, and it was pretty obvious that his death was self-inflicted.

What with the needle and syringe still held in his skeletal hand and the discarded bottle of pentobarbital on the floor.

It also meant that the safe where they kept the really powerful stuff was open, which would make this so much easier.

So, I grabbed a couple of bottles of Xylazine, knowing for someone his size I would need a lot.

It was a horse tranquilizer used for sedation for things like dental work and wounds that needed treating or minor surgeries.

Now, I had no idea whether this would work or not, but I grabbed some large syringes and a couple of needles, hoping that they would even penetrate that hard skin of his.

I also had no idea how long the effects of the drugs would last on someone like Aster, but it usually worked rapidly.

I had a somewhat vague memory of learning of the drug from the reading material given to us before collage started.

From what I had read, it could last between thirty minutes to an hour.

Of course this had been for a horse, not a ten-foot Minotaur, so I just hoped it didn’t end up being the one thing that could kill him, because that would suck.

I felt bad enough that I even grabbed a note pad and pen from the reception desk and wrote him a note.

One telling him how sorry I was. Although some would say the sad emoji face I drew with a tear falling down its eye, was a bit much.

I stuffed it in my pocket after tearing it from the pad and then I filled the syringes, replacing the caps on the needles so they were ready and didn’t accidently prick me instead.

My plan was to try one to get him to go down and add another if it didn’t work.

I quickly placed them in my bag with the extra bottle and syringe just in case I needed it.

“You nearly finished in there?” he shouted, making me jump.

Then I grabbed some aspirin and walked outside, making a show of swallowing them down so he didn’t get suspicious.

“Sorry, couldn’t find them.”

“It’s not far now,” he said, and I had no doubt considering we were in the middle of the city, although with no light pollution it just looked eerie.

The tall buildings all loomed around us, with not a single light in sight, it would have been hard to know where I was going had it not been for Aster.

Which made me worry for this escape plan of mine.

Because trying to flee in the dark when their eyesight was far better than ours was not ideal. Unless…

“I don’t suppose there is anywhere I could rest for a bit is there? My leg is killing me, and I could really do with lying down?” I said, laying it on thick.

“It isn’t far, another thirty minutes, perhaps,” he encouraged.

“I know, it’s just my hip, it’s really bothering me, and I am dead on my feet here,” I said with my hand on my hip, giving him what I hoped were sad eyes. The second I heard him groan and roll his eyes, I knew I had won.

“Come on, I know a place,” he replied, making me grin. Then he picked me back up in his arms and started walking.

Before long he found an inn where all the rooms were separate little buildings. These chalet style rooms were all situated around a very green, sludgy swimming pool. One that now looked more like a pond and not something I would even dare dip a toe in, let alone go for a swim.

This time, Aster didn’t just kick the door in but instead just broke the lock by twisting the handle right off, making the other side thud as metal hit the floor.

Then he put me down so he could duck and try and squeeze his way inside.

But when this didn’t work, he ripped the door off its frame in frustration and tossed it back so far that it landed in the algae filled pool with a splat.

He finally wedged himself inside, by first breaking the doorframe.

I was left to watch in amusement, as he maneuvered his big body into the room.

It was hilarious because he had to remain hunched over before he attempted to sit on the bed.

Attempted and failed, because as soon as his heavy ass touched the bed, it groaned in protest. Its legs snapping and dropping him to the floor suddenly.

“Comfy?” I teased, making him shoot me a look that had me giggling.

“How long until sunrise?” I asked him as I fumbled with my bag, removing it from my shoulders then collapsing into the bed furthest from the door.

“In about six hours, why?” he replied.

“So, I know how long I have to sleep, that’s why.”

He made a strange sound, as if I had just tried to strangle him.

“I thought you just needed to rest!”

“Yes, and this is me doing it, weak human, remember? I need sleep.”

“I never said you were weak,” he argued.

Which was when I rolled to my back and counted on my fingers.

“Small legs, can’t see in the dark, inferior smell, lame, wasn’t it? Do you want me to go on?”

“Alright, fine, but you better wake up the second that sun starts to rise, and no more with your big puppy eyes.”

I gave him a sickly-sweet grin. “Aww, does the big bad Minotaur have a soft spot for little ole’ me?” I teased.

“Emphasis on the little,” he grumbled, teasing me back and making me giggle.

“I hope you don’t snore,” I commented, trying to push his buttons because it was weirdly fun. Like poking a bear you knew secretly loved it and wouldn’t attack.

“No, but you do, so try not keeping me awake,” he replied, leaning against the wall and tipping his head back as he closed his eyes.

Despite the way his big feet were crossed at the ankle, hanging off the end of the bed, he still managed to look comfortable.

As for his comment about me snoring, I grabbed one of my pillows and tossed it at him.

The huff sound made me smile in the moonlit room.

But then after a minute or two of tossing and turning, I whispered back…

“Hey, Aster?”

“Yes, Alex?” Came his dry tone.

“Can I have my pillow back?”

His chuckle was my only reply… well, that, and the pillow that quickly hit my head.

*****************************

As soon as morning came, I heard him gently rousing me from sleep by speaking my name.

“Alex… Alex…”

“Just ten more minutes.”

But when I heard his groan of frustration I opened my eyes and told him in a cheery tone, “Just kidding.”

And well, his face was a picture because he tried to look stern.

Although, I was starting to notice his little quirks, even in this form.

Like the way the sides of his deep-set eyes crinkled slightly, and his big lips twitched as he fought a grin.

And it was soon my turn to fight one, as I watched him try and squeeze his way out of the space, after nodding to the bathroom, telling me,

“I will leave you to do your girly shit.”

I would have commented on this, but he was already gone and no longer making the place feel like a dollhouse.

I even chuckled to myself when I heard his back crack from outside while I was inside the bathroom.

One I was happy to see, other than being slightly dusty, it was relatively clean.

The water left in the toilet had yellowed after all this time, but I had unfortunately used far worse in the last three years.

I looked at myself in the mirror, giving my head a shake at the mess of my hair, making quick work of gathering it all back up again into its usual ponytail.

I then grabbed what was left of my bottle of water out of my bag, half of which had been consumed on my way here last night.

I then used my finger to clean my teeth and popped a mint in my mouth before walking out of there, after completing my ‘girly shit’.

“Tell me, how is me taking a pee something you class as girly shit?” I asked.

He grinned down at me before saying, “Nice hair. Now let’s go.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t comment as he swept me back up into his arms, not even asking if I was okay to walk. As for my hip, the night’s sleep had certainly helped. However, I also knew it would unlikely last because I foresaw some running in my future if Riley refused to leave me behind.

My mind was still conflicted as to what I was going to do, because I knew the temptation to go with him would likely win in the end. Although the part of my mind that told me I was being selfish continued to battle against it.

“You’re very quiet this morning? Are you worried about The General?” Aster asked, jarring me from my warring thoughts.

“No… yes… I don’t know. I guess I’m more worried for Riley,” I confessed, and instead of mocking me for it like The General would have, he nodded.

“I can take you to him first, if you like?” he offered, making my eyes widen in shock.

“You would do that?” I asked, astounded.

“Yes, just to give you piece of mind. Then I will take you to The General and once he gives the order to release your friend, then I will see to it personally.”

I was blown away by his kindness, which just made my guilt double.

“That’s… well, it’s really good of you, Aster,” I praised, and he shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing.

“No, I mean it. You don’t know what that would mean to me. Thank you,” I said again, and this time he gifted me soft eyes before saying a gentle,

“You’re welcome, Alex.”

A sentiment I knew he would not be feeling for long.

Not when now, it no longer felt like I was deceiving a bodyguard…

But more like betraying a friend.