Consumed by Fire, page 13
“Did he hit you? I know you said he didn’t, but now I’m not so sure.” His voice is a deep rasp, and his eyes seem darker.
I shake my head. “No, but I wouldn’t put it past him. As I said, he was very different from the boy I grew up with. One day, soon after that, Titan came to my house. He told me that Igor was dead, that he had gone down to Draig Island. That he had died at the hands of a Draiger. I asked what they were doing on this island, but he wouldn’t tell me anything. All he said was that I would know soon enough. He then told me that he and Igor had talked several times and that he, therefore, knew it was his wish, if anything happened to Igor, that Titan would take care of me and of the baby.”
“His dying wish?” Octane repeats, making a face.
“Yep. So Titan invited me to live at his house. The one he and Igor had shared. They inherited the place from their grandmother some years back when she passed away. He offered me a room and promised that I would be safe and taken care of. It was a tempting offer. You see, I’m a server at the palace. I don’t have any family. I’d become a little estranged from my friends.” I make a face.
“I’m sure. More of Igor’s influence.”
I nod. “Yeah, I can see how he alienated me from everyone. Anyway, I knew there was no way I could work to full term as a server, and I was worried about how I was going to take care of the baby after having him. I still turned Titan down.”
“Good,” Octane growls.
“I decided that I would make another plan. That we would be okay…the baby and me. Those males gave me a bad feeling. I knew they were up to no good. I didn’t want to get caught up in whatever they were up to. Besides, I had some savings. It was enough to prepare for the baby and for me to take off from work for a few months after the baby came. I was relieved that Igor was gone. I knew he would cause trouble for me…for us. It was wrong to think that way, but I couldn’t help it.”
“You weren’t wrong. He sounds like a piece of work. His brother isn’t much better.”
“Titan is a little more levelheaded. He doesn’t have a temper on him like Igor, but he is involved in some shady business. That much I have come to realize. Unfortunately, my circumstances changed, and I ended up having to accept Titan’s offer.”
“What happened?”
“The appropriate question would be, what didn’t happen? It was like my luck changed. My rent went up by thirty percent.”
“What? That can’t be.”
“It happened,” I say. “I tried to move, but none of my applications were accepted. I finally found a place, but they wanted three months’ rent as a deposit, which almost wiped out my savings. At least the rent wasn’t much more than at my previous place. Only the new one was terrible. The building was infested with rats and roaches. It was disgusting. The water that came out of the taps was a rusty color. There was no way I could raise a child there. I had nowhere to go.”
“You realize that Titan was more than likely behind all of what you have just told me?”
My eyes widen, and my mouth falls open. I open and close it a few times, words evading me for a few beats. “No! Surely not? No…it can’t be! Shit!” Realization dawns. “Maybe you’re right. That prick!”
“Of course I am. Titan was behind your rent going up. He was behind your applications being declined.”
“Then someone broke into my apartment while I was at work and stole half of my things. They took most of my clothes. Things that I had started to get together for the baby. They even stole my vacuum cleaner.”
“It was Titan. All of it was him.”
“That bastard!” I growl. “I’m going to kill him. I only got half my deposit back when I was forced to move in with him. I had to accept handouts, which humiliated me.”
“You’re staying far away from him. He’s dangerous. He manipulated the situation. He manipulated you, Trinity.”
I make a noise of frustration. “Why didn’t I see it? I should have.”
“How did you wind up on Draig?” Octane asks.
“I was stupid…that’s how. I knew that something was going on. That they were up to something. They still had all the secretive meetings, heading out at all hours of the night. Nothing had changed. One day, I decided I had to know.”
“You didn’t,” Octane says.
“I’m afraid I did. I followed a group of them and watched them use the tunnel. It was a big group of males. I couldn’t believe it. I went as far as the tunnel opening, then chickened out. Two nights later, they went again, and this time, I followed them into the tunnel. It was wide, with lights along the passageway. I kept going and going. I could hear them talking up ahead. I couldn’t catch much of what they were saying, because I kept my distance. It was a long walk. I contemplated turning around more than once, but I didn’t. I wanted to see. The passageway was well-built and reinforced with steel and concrete. After a time, it narrowed out and was just dirt. It became so narrow that only one person would fit. I could walk upright, but a big male would be hunched over. Thankfully, it didn’t take long, and I was out in the fresh air. I couldn’t believe it. The tunnel was complete. I was on Draig Island. Someone had finished the tunnel.”
“You should have gone back.” Octane’s eyes are wide. “You were in danger.”
“I know, but at the same time, I’m glad I didn’t. Kim would have been hurt if I hadn’t been there that day. I saw a couple of Red Dragons in the air. I saw them land a little farther away and decided to investigate further. I knew they wouldn’t harm me if they found me. I’m a female and carrying Igor’s child. I knew that Titan would never allow it.”
“They had Kim and Blaze?”
I nod. “Yes, they had Kim and Blaze, and I didn’t like it. They looked like a nice couple. They were afraid of what the males would do to them. I kept telling myself that I should go back to Mistveil while I had the chance, but that’s when all hell broke loose. Some of the males attacked Blaze, and that asshole Duke dragged Kim away. I’d never liked him. I didn’t like the way he leered at me or some of the things he said. There were always sexual undertones. I knew what he was planning to do when he took Kim, so I followed. I broke his neck while he was trying to rape her. I’m not sorry about it either. I should have just left, but I couldn’t. I was afraid for the human. I had to get her to safety.”
“Then she talked you into taking her back, and the rest is history.”
“Yes.” I nod. “You know the rest. You caught me on my way back to the tunnel entrance. I was nearly there.”
“Where is it exactly?”
“I would need to show you. It’s well hidden under a fake boulder in a dense part of the jungle. You wouldn’t know what you were looking at. I have to say that I am worried I might not find it again. Although there are markers…I should be able to.”
Octane puts his arms around me and pulls me close. “Thank you for telling me…for trusting me. I need you to show me. We’ll head out there tomorrow. We’ll take a vehicle and then hike the rest of the way. I know the general area where I caught you.”
“What are—?” I start to say when the door to the bungalow bursts open.
“You turned your phone off,” Shadow says as she walks inside. “Oh, this is fucking cozy,” she says when she sees us sitting on the bed together. The sheets are a wild tangle. Our hair is mussed. I can still smell the musky scent of sex thick in the air, and we weren’t exactly quiet. “I know I told you to get friendly with the enemy in order to find out all of her secrets, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind, Octane.”
Get friendly.
“I know I told you to do whatever it takes to get the information we needed, but not this. I didn’t mean this.” Her voice is hard, as are her eyes.
Do whatever it takes.
My heart sinks.
“Can’t this wait until morning?” Octane says, letting me go.
“No! It can’t! You have some serious explaining to do. You’d better have some information for me or, so help me, I’ll—” She makes a groaning noise of frustration. “I can’t believe you, Octane. Out of everyone here, on this whole damned island, you’re the last person I expected to find in bed with the goddamned enemy. Get up! Get your ass up.”
Octane just looks at her. “Can I have a few minutes?” he finally says. “I’ll be there shortly.”
“No! Get up and come with me right fucking now or I will throw you in a cell and send your friend over here to HQ.” Her eyes narrow on me as she says “friend.”
Octane holds both hands up as he stands. “Fine. But no one touches the Red. She’s mine!” he growls in a way that has gooseflesh lifting on my arms.
“She isn’t yours,” Shadow throws back.
“No one touches the Red,” he repeats. “She stays right here until I get back.”
“No one will touch her. I want to speak to you in private…that’s all.” Shadow glares at me. Like she hates me. Like I somehow brainwashed Octane or something.
“Okay, then.” Octane leans down and brushes a kiss on my temple. “I’ll be back, Little Red. We’re finishing our conversation when I do.”
I don’t say anything. Not a word. I’m reeling. Octane leaves without a backward glance.
Has all of this been a ploy to get information from me? It can’t be. No! And yet…doubt is creeping in more and more by the second.
17
Octane
I follow Shadow, who is walking fast. I only realize that I am naked when we are nearly at the main building. Quite frankly, I don’t give a shit.
As soon as we are inside her office, she whips around. Her face is bright red, and her eyes are narrowed. I’m pretty sure that there are a few scales on her cheeks, just below the skin.
She’s pissed.
“Fucking the enemy, Octane. Really? You went there. I can’t believe you went there.”
“It’s just sex,” I say, but saying it doesn’t feel right because it wasn’t just sex. It was so much more. Shadow doesn’t need to know that.
“You had better have a whole lot of information for me after this little stunt. I can’t believe you.”
“She had only just started to open up to me. I need more time.” I’m not telling Shadow just yet, but I’m keeping Trinity, just until she has the baby. Then I’ll send her back to Mistveil with enough money to get her through without needing help from anyone else, especially that asshole Titan. I know I can’t keep her, keep her, but I can ensure that she and the baby have a good future.
“You’re not telling me anything, Octane. Start talking! Tell me what you know. Do not leave out a single thing.”
“Fine,” I mutter. I tell her about Trinity and Igor. Then I tell her about Titan and all the meetings. I tell her about the king and his relationship with the humans. I tell her that they are far more civilized than we ever thought. That they have cities and a hierarchy. Everything we have been led to believe is false. Most of them are not feral creatures who live more in their dragon form than not. I tell her about the male-to-female ratio on the island and the challenges that it brings.
“Tributes to Mistveil?” Shadow’s eyes are huge. “Are you sure?” She starts pacing. “That can’t be right. She must be lying.”
“Trinity isn’t lying. There is a shortage of females on Mistveil. The king – Arctic is his name – is in talks with the Mainland. He is hoping to stave off unrest by bringing in thirty human females a year for the men to take as mates. They’re hoping for more females to be born going forward.”
“That’s strange, Octane. We don’t have that problem. We’re genetically the same as the Mistveil Dragons. So why them and not us?”
“They are more controlled in their dragon forms than we are.”
She nods. “It’s a mystery. Then again, you’re far more controlled than any of us in your dragon form. Why is that? Maybe there is a correlation.” She shrugs.
“Perhaps. All I can tell you is that there is something fishy about the whole thing,” I say, my mind working. “The Mistveil Dragons don’t need Sky Wardens to keep their dragons in check, like we do.”
“We have seen this firsthand,” Shadow remarks. “I suspect foul play as well.” She shrugs. “But who is to blame? Is it the Reds? Or the humans? Both?”
“Surely the humans want us docile? Feral dragons are dangerous, hence having all of our rules in place. It makes no sense that the Mainland would want us out of control in our dragon forms.”
“We’ll have to try to get to the bottom of this somehow,” Shadow remarks. “What else did she tell you?”
I tell her about Trinity’s pregnancy and Igor’s death. About how Trinity moved in with Titan and how she started to pay closer attention to all the secrecy, which eventually led to her coming to Draig.
“That’s when I caught her and brought her here.”
“How did she get onto the island?” Shadow asks, her eyes narrowing.
“I was just about to get that information from her when you called this meeting.” It isn’t a complete lie. “If you had given me a few more minutes, that would have been helpful.”
“Please tell me that you’re sleeping with her to get on her good side. That all of this is you being nice to get information from her.”
I hesitate too long because she groans, rubbing a hand over her face. “Octane! What the hell! You have feelings for her?”
“I like her…okay? I would never have sex with someone for information. Quite frankly, I’m offended that you would think so little of me.”
“You like her? You like… This isn’t high school.”
“I know that.” I roll my eyes. “It happened. It can’t unhappen. Trinity is a good person. I like her—”
“So you keep saying.” She sounds frustrated, and I guess I can’t blame her.
“Let me finish.” I sound exasperated. “We know we can’t be together. It isn’t like that. It—”
“I should hope not. Trinity needs to go back to her island. Back to her own kind.”
“You said it, Shadow. The dragons on Mistveil are no different from us.”
“And yet they are. They’re our enemies, Octane. They—”
“Maybe they don’t have to be anymore. It sounds like they want peace in the same way that we want peace. They’ve also lost a lot of people in this war.”
“What are you talking about, Octane? We started out on our mission of finding a Red so that we could find out more about them to better protect our island from them. It was to find a way to contain them better. That was the plan. Not to make peace with them. That’s a pipe dream. One you need to get right out of your head.”
“Why? Surely that would be the best solution for all of us?” I implore her.
“It’s silly. It’s never going to happen. You’re dreaming.”
I disagree, but I can see that Shadow is in no mood to agree with anything I have to say right now.
“Here’s what is going to happen. You need to find out how they are getting onto this island, and then you need to say your goodbyes. Trinity can’t stay. In fact, the sooner she leaves, the better. It’s a huge risk having her here. Those males want her back. You nearly died trying to keep her safe. She cannot possibly stay.”
“How long do I have?”
“Until tomorrow.”
“That isn’t very long.”
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
“It’s all you have. Make it happen, and for the love of God, don’t sleep with her again. Once is enough.” She looks at me through narrowed eyes. “I’m worried about you. Really worried.”
“Well, don’t be. I’m a grown male in my prime. I can take care of myself.”
“I think she’s using you. She’s certainly messing with your head. You’ve always had a clear vision. You’ve always known what you wanted and how you wanted it. One thing is for sure: Trinity is not your future. She’s not your responsibility or your problem. You need to get that right out of your head. The sooner she leaves this place, the better for all of us. The better it will be for her!”
I nod once.
I disagree, though. While Trinity is on Draig soil, she is very much my responsibility. I’m not sure that her leaving right now is the right thing for her. Not with that bastard Titan hanging around.
As to her not being my future…that is very true. It doesn’t mean that my goodbye will be any easier. I won’t think about it right now. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
Trinity
I grab a shirt out of Octane’s closet and get myself a bottle of water, which I half-finish in one go. I’m trying really hard not to think about the exchange between Octane and Shadow. About the things that Shadow said.
Get friendly.
Do whatever it takes.
So, Octane had his orders, and he took them very seriously. Probably too damned seriously. I’m pacing. I can’t stop. Octane didn’t deny it when Shadow said those things. Is it true? Did he sleep with me just to get into my good books? Did he sleep with me for information? If he did, it worked. I’m feeling played and even more betrayed.
No!
It doesn’t feel right.
I stop pacing for a moment. Octane also said that I was his, and that I wasn’t to be touched, but I don’t know how to take that.
His, but in what capacity?
Prisoner?
Lover? Friend?
Enemy?
I don’t know what to believe anymore. I don’t know which way is up or who to trust. There is a knock at the door, and a big male opens it, standing in the doorway. I recognize him. I’ve seen him before.
