Then he was gone, and I was left gasping and afraid. He chuckled darkly as the passageway behind him opened, revealing my captor dressed more formally than before. He wore a black and royal blue cloak that was pinned at the shoulder, and a pair of unadorned leather boots. His purple eyes framed his high cheekbones, with full lips that were pulled back in a scowl aimed at D’Arcy.
“An interesting specimen you’ve brought, Benedict.”
The man (Benedict?) took one look at my terrified face and transformed into a... creature. He still looked vaguely like himself, but iridescent scales covered his upper body, changing to a deep purple around his waist and back that faded down into black, glinting obsidian with sheens of green against the torchlight. Hard spikes protruded from his back, white ridges that I was hesitant to call bones, but looked wickedly sharp and rigid. Black wings hung from his shoulder like a heavy cape, the tips a dark amethyst color that matched the sheen of his scales. Claws extended from the beds of his nails, and purple scales curled around his neck. Faster than I could blink, he had D’Arcy by the throat, his wings spread wide.
“You don’t touch her without her permission. Or are the rules only for others?”
D’Arcy’s self-assured demeanor vanished, replaced by a slithering, skulking sycophant.
“Understood, my king.”
Benedict dropped him to the floor and D’Arcy hissed, disappearing in a wisp of black smoke. I gasped; did Benedict do that to him? Those purple eyes swung to me, and I lost my battle with my dwindling courage. I fled to the door D’Arcy had indicated as my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I didn’t breathe again until the deadbolt clicked in place.
“Leaving so soon?”
I shrieked as Benedict’s voice came from behind me, sitting casually on the largest bed I’d ever seen. My back pressed against the door, my hands twisting uselessly at a knob that wouldn’t budge, because I had just locked it. At least he looked human, again. Benedict smirked at my flustered face, and in one fluid motion pushed himself off the bed and leaned towards me.
“Do all humans smell so bad?”
He was too close to me and my adrenaline was still racing after D’Arcy had his hands on me. I didn’t think, I just reacted. My hand flew out and smacked him hard on his mouth, an automatic fight or flight response from my body. He jerked back more in surprise than pain, putting a hand to his lip and laughed at the blood that welled there. My eyes went wide as the cut vanished before me, and in moments there was no proof I’d ever hit him to begin with. I cringed as he bared down on me, sliding down the door and putting my hands over my head.
He took one look at me, and immediately stepped back.
“Did it make you feel better?” He asked, his voice light and humorous. I narrowed my eyes and raised my head. There was a flicker of something in his eyes that wasn’t all anger. That flicker combined with his tone gave me the courage to talk back.
“I don’t know. Maybe I should try again just to be sure?”
He laughed; a loud, booming sound that was the first bit of true emotion I’d seen from him yet. He smiled, but it was the look you gave to a child who said something amusing, or a clever little pet.
“What did D’Arcy do? You’re white as a sheet.”
I tried to move, but he blocked my path. He leaned in closer, his nostrils flaring.
“I can smell him all over you.”
The playfulness was gone from his demeanor. I kept my eyes trained to the floor and focused on breathing. In, out. In, out. After a moment he let me go, practically throwing me from him.
“Get a bath and get dressed.”
He left.
I allowed myself only moments to gape wordlessly like a fish, my mouth opening and closing but no real sound coming out. These...drakens were utterly terrifying, but he had yet to do anything to hurt me. He’d done the opposite. He’d taken me away from Crullfed, gave me a room, a bath, food, and defended me from D’Arcy. Sort of.
I picked up my chin and undressed, leaving my clothes in the empty wardrobe up against the wall. The room was full of such opulence that I hardly wanted to look at any of it, lest I blinked, and it all disappeared. The floor was covered in soft, thick rugs from animals I couldn’t name if my life depended on it. Candles in sconces lined the walls and corners, and decorative stones and metalwork weaved into the walls like the floor in the great hall. The bed was an absolute work of art; it was canopied with thick velvet to ward off the chill of the mountain, with heavy curtains able to be pulled back in favor of sheer gossamer curtains underneath. My face heated remembering how Benedict had sat casually on it.
Be sure to bathe.
How? Where were the servants to bring the water? Where was the—I stopped, poking my head in a smaller room adjacent to my bedroom. It looked like a small garden, but indoors. Plants lined the walls, draping around a large marble pool in the center of the room. It was already filled with water that bubbled up gently from the center, and the edges were lined with various bottles and ointments. Curious, I sniffed all of them and dipped my toe into the water, which was warm. What trick provided the amazing treat of warm water without a horde of servants? Maybe they had already been here and gone?
I scrubbed and washed quickly, using only drops of the oils provided lest they belonged to someone else and not intended for me. The silk robe hanging from a hook
