Chapter 3

3

Akai

B ecause of his bushy, white beard, I couldn't see any emotions on the alpha's face. All that showed were his high forehead and his deep-set eyes, black and emotionless. He still hadn't even told me his name.

When I asked if he was going to rape me, he froze at my question.

When I got no response, I decided to keep staring at him.

Finally, he opened his mouth. The thick whiskers shook as he spoke. "I am not in the habit of raping others, no."

What did that mean? That he sometimes did it?

"Anything else?" he asked.

"How old are you?"

"Guess."

He looked old. Really old. Guessing a person's age was a trick. If you went too high, you offended them. Too low and you were just fibbing to flatter them. I shook my head.

"Forty-two." He practically spit the words.

He had to be lying. He looked eighty at least. His dragon was probably all craggly. And huge. I imagined it to be at least two stories tall with arthritic claw fingers. Did he have a special place to shift like the adult wolves in my pack who met every full moon in the forested hills to hunt and mate?

I realized I was judging quite quickly. I couldn't help it. I did that when I was angry and scared. He might look old in the face, but his body was compact from what I could see. He didn't stoop. He had a trim form beneath his black pants and white shirt, the waist dipping in a little. Maybe he worked out. Also, I knew dragons didn't age as quickly as other shifter species.

As we drove, I folded my hands in my lap to keep the trembling from showing. I wasn't interested in looking at my fate quite yet, and kept my head low, but curiosity got me and every once in a while I looked up to see the roads and the houses and fields we passed. There were trees and clearings, sometimes a little lake or stream. The land was not so different from where I had lived.

We came to a small town with stores and houses closer together, then turned onto a lane that went uphill, curving through shady spots of trees, their leaves dappling the pavement.

We turned into a driveway. Up ahead was a single-story home. A wooden fence line ran along the driveway and around back. The front yard was filled with pine and maple trees, and little raised garden beds producing pink and yellow flowers.

It was beautiful, but humble. The house couldn't have had more than three or four bedrooms.

We pulled up to the garage, which opened when he clicked something on the sun visor. It was a two-car garage, quite ordinary, with shelves along one side holding boxes. There was an old bicycle at the front, and some folding chairs and tables along that wall.

I had imagined any dragon who might buy me to be more ostentatious.

"I thought all dragons who could afford slaves were rich and lived in castles."

"I am considered such but see no point in rattling around in a mansion all alone."

"So, you are rich?"

"It matters to you?" he asked with a hiss.

I shrugged.

"Do you want my binding present to you to be a nice big house?"

Feeling bolder than I had in days, I replied. "With a pool."

He got out and slammed the door. He did not come around and open mine, so I got out by myself. The air smelled of dust and engine oil. Almost like home.

Tears sprang to my eyes. I missed Papa so much. I really badly wanted to go home.

I couldn't hold back a sniffle as the alpha opened the inner door that led inside his house. He turned.

"Follow me."

I moved forward, wiping frantically at my eyes with my robe sleeve as I followed him across the threshold.

We entered into a foyer area that held a coatrack and little table supporting a ceramic bowl. It was deep black with swirls of glitter that looked like stars. The alpha threw his key ring and wallet in it, then kept moving.

Don't mess with my stuff , he'd said. I wasn't about to, but he was so casual about having all of it out in the open like that, it made me pause. If I could somehow get the ankle bracelet off and steal that car?—

But then what would I do? I had nowhere to go. If I went home to Papa, my pack would quickly send me back.

My eyes filled again, and I rubbed away the tears. The alpha saw me this time and said, "You must be tired. The tour will be quick. The kitchen is through here. You can fix and eat whatever you want."

He headed toward a dark hallway.

"There are three bedrooms. Mine, my office and the guest room. You will have the guest room."

He opened the door. It smelled dank inside. Unused. There was an old dresser by the window which had limp, beige curtains. The bed, a double, wasn't made up, but there were blankets and sheets stacked and folded at the foot. There was a wall closet. And not much more.

"There's a bathroom right across the hall. That's yours. You are never to bother me while I am in my bedroom, is that understood?"

I blinked away more tears. They dropped hot on my cheeks. Did he see?

"What about clothes?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but the sobs were coming up and starting to choke me.

"I couldn't order any since I didn't know your size."

Great, I was stuck wearing this robe until I got some.

"And a brush? And toothbrush?" I asked.

He frowned. "My flight master purchased all of you just yesterday for his chosen alphas. I haven't had any time to prepare."

I pressed my lips tight to keep the sobs inside. But now my entire body shook.

The alpha stopped, staring at me. "It's not a catastrophe. I have extras you can have in my bathroom. I'll bring them."

The alpha continued to stare. I couldn't make out any emotion from him. His eyes were dark and nothing more.

I wrapped my arms tightly around my chest.

"You'll settle in." He looked at me like he didn't know what to do. "There's a TV on the wall. You can use it as you wish. And whatever else you may need we can have delivered."

I kept my head bowed.

"I can see you're tired. What else do you need?"

I gasped, looked up. "You haven't even told me your name."

He blinked. I felt nothing from him. Then he spoke, softer than before. "Danon," he said. "It's Danon."

I nodded my understanding.

"Anything else?" he asked.

I gulped. "Yes. Can I go home now?"

His body flinched hard. Finally! A reaction. His mouth opened. His arms moved up. He looked like he wanted to reach out, maybe even touch me. But he didn't step forward. Instead, he shook his head.

"If only it were that easy."

"Please?"

"The rules aren't mine."

I sniffed loudly.

"Akai." He spoke my name as if it was a sacred word. Soft and airy. Like he finally believed I was real. "The rules aren't mine," he repeated softly.

I knew that. He'd just admitted he was following his flight master's orders.

"H—how much did you pay for me?" I asked.

"Pay? I didn't pay for you. My flight paid."

"But do you know how much?" Suddenly, it was important. How much was I worth? Was I as much as a bouquet of flowers, or maybe a car? Or a house?

"I don't know," he said. "But I can find out."

I wiped my nose on my slave robe sleeve. "Please do. I want to know."

He nodded and turned. When he got to the door, he spoke with his back to me. "You're safe here. I will never touch you without permission." Pause. "I hope that makes you feel better."

The door closed. I turned toward the unmade bed, then collapsed on it, burying my tears in the mattress pad.