13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

B ecca

Fear coils in my gut as Klst’s predatory gaze rakes over me, his forked tongue flicking out to taste the air. “Gather your things, human,” he hisses, his voice dripping with barely concealed malice. “And don’t keep me waiting.”

Nodding, I try to keep my expression neutral as I hurry to my room—the room I shared with Pyne until mere moments ago. The pencil he gave me feels heavy in my pocket, a physical reminder of his promise to keep me safe, even from afar.

As I shove my meager belongings into a pillowcase, I can feel Klst’s presence looming behind me, his hot breath prickling the back of my neck.

“Such a pretty little thing,” he murmurs, his claws grazing my shoulder with menace. “I can see why the gladiator was so reluctant to let you go.”

I stiffen, my hand instinctively reaching for the reassuring warmth of the knife handle. “Back off, Klst,” I snap, mustering every ounce of courage I possess. “I’m here to bake, not to play your twisted games.”

He chuckles, a derisive sound that makes me want to kick his scaly shins. “Oh, we’ll see about that, human. I have a feeling you and I are going to have all sorts of fun together.”

I shudder at the implication but force myself to meet his gaze head-on. “Let’s get one thing straight, Saurian. I’m not afraid of you. And if you try anything, I won’t hesitate to use this.” I brandish the knife, letting the light glint off its sharp edge.

For a moment, Klst’s eyes widen in surprise, but then he throws his head back and laughs, a harsh, grating sound. “You’ve got spirit, human. I’ll give you that. But don’t forget—in this game, I hold all the power. And I always get what I want.”

With lightning speed, he easily twists the knife out of my hand and stalks out of the room, leaving me to gather the rest of my things with shaking hands.

Jerk! He disarmed me as easily as taking something dangerous out of a toddler’s hands. Now I’m defenseless. Taking a deep breath, I try to steady my nerves. I can do this. I must do this. For my freedom, for Pyne, for everything we’ve fought so hard for.

Dinner is a tense affair, with Klst alternating between leering at me and making snide comments about Pyne’s “weakness” for humans. I pick at my food, my appetite nonexistent as I try to ignore the way his eggplant-colored tongue darts out to suggestively lick his lips every time he looks my way.

As the evening wears on, exhaustion weighs heavily on my shoulders. The thought of spending the night in the same room as Klst fills me with a sickening sense of unease, but I refuse to let it show. Instead, I square my shoulders and meet his gaze with a defiant lift of my chin.

“Listen up, Saurian,” I say, my voice steady despite my hammering heart. “I don’t care what kind of sick games you like to play. When it comes to sleeping arrangements, I have one rule—you stay on your side of the room, and I’ll stay on mine. No exceptions.”

Klst’s eyes narrow, his tongue flicking out in a menacing hiss. “And what makes you think you have any say in the matter, human?”

I stand my ground, refusing to be intimidated. “Because if you so much as lay a claw on me, I won’t hesitate to use this.” I grip the steak knife, letting it catch the light. “I won’t be so foolish as to let you disarm me again. And I don’t need to be able to plunge it through your thick scales. All I need is enough strength to slice through a sausage .”

To underline my point, I lean away from the table far enough that he can’t touch me, then slice through the air in a motion that leaves nothing to the imagination. “I may be a slave, but I’m not helpless. And I won’t be your plaything.”

For a long moment, Klst stares at me, his gaze calculating. Then, to my surprise, he throws his head back and laughs, a harsh grunt that rings through the fancy hotel dining room. “You’ve got guts, human. I’ll give you that. Fine, we’ll play by your rules… for now. But don’t think this is over. In the end, I always get what I want.”