I kept the staggering surprise I felt from reaching my face.
I’d explored pleasure and sex with women before. Rebels often performed for our targets. The leaders had us learn the art of seduction as early as possible, and it was sometimes easier touching women than men. I didn’t fear them hurting me, and generally women were gentle lovers. I hadn’t met one yet who wasn’t. But it was rare to have one as a target unless said target asked for it.
I hadn’t considered that I might be commanded to be a female demon’s partner. It was silly to respond so strongly to the thought. Iris, as she’d asked me to call her while she washed the filth from my body, had been tender in every way imaginable. Even when she had no reason to be. I could endear myself to her and capture secrets in her bed. It would be far easier than some of the male demons here.
“I will do my best to please you,” I whispered softly, aiming for compliance. I hoped being more open to her touch would mean she’d want me again and Onyx would let her. “It’s been a while since I’ve pleasured a woman, but I’m a quick learner,” I added, casting hopeful eyes up at her.
Her lips twitched, then she started to laugh. And loudly. “Oh no, my sweets. I hadn’t meant—I can see why you’d think as much. But I promise you, you’re safe with me. You’ll never be forced to do anything when we’re together. Not ever.” Her laughter died. “I hope to be a safe place for you here, as I am with many of the human females.”
Confused again, I tilted my head. “A safe place? From what?”
She didn’t answer me, just offered me her hand again. I took it and she helped me to my feet. Without another word, she led me out of Onyx’s room and headed to another part of the castle.
The demons we encountered cast their eyes down or away as we passed. It was a little odd to watch. They didn’t look at her like I expected them to, and no one taunted or glanced my way either. I was given the freedom to look wherever I wished, and I did as I did before—I marked rooms guarded and internally mapped the space, storing it away for another day.
The number of sentries was surprising. I expected more, and yet very few guarded the doors around the castle. Maybe because they had technology that aided them more than guards would. Something to check before I got myself in trouble.
Iris took a small corridor into a short line of doors, and then she pushed one open before gesturing me in ahead of her. I only hesitated for a second before going inside. I couldn’t be sure what safety she thought she could offer, but it made it easier to become her friend this way. If I could work myself into her heart, I’d discover how to destroy the males around her.
Maybe she was a slave like me. Maybe female dragons were treated the same way as humans. But so far she had morefreedom than any of the humans did, so I wasn’t entirely sure. Onyx appeared to have a soft spot for her. Perhaps she was his lover and I was taken as a pet for her.
A gift.
The room was far more decorated than Onyx’s was. It was cozy, albeit smaller. It didn’t appear to be the quarters of someone enslaved. It was one kept by someone valued, loved, and shown respect. It cemented my theory that she was his lover. Maybe one of many. Maybe the only one. Though, she was the first female demon I’d seen since coming here. I only knew she was one because she said as much to me.
A table full of food was set up in a corner of the room. Iris motioned to it with another one of her warm smiles. “Have a seat…uh, what would you prefer I call you, little one?”
I hadn’t expected to use my name again. I didn’t even use it as a Rebel. I always assumed an alias. I thought I’d buried my name along with my future when I was taken in the middle of the night. So, I took longer than a few minutes to conjure the name I’d been given by my mother who’d died when I was young and used affectionately by my sister before she was taken from me.
“Mazikeen,” I finally answered after an awkward few-minute stare. “But…you can call me Maze.”
Another tactic of familiarity.
Iris beamed at me, her dress fluttering as she moved around the room like a creature of the forest. “That’s a beautiful name, Maze.” She giggled to herself and walked to the table before noticing I’d stayed near the door. “Come, come. I promise tonight you’re safe. You’ll eat, sleep, and tell me everything about where you’ve come from. I want to know your story, Maze.”
Now it all made sense. She was gentle and kind to break me down, to find out what secrets I kept. I calmed a little atthe thought. It was much easier to battle an opponent than to consider the novelty of a kind demon.
I made my way over to the chair she pointed at and sat down, the dagger safely resting on top of my lap. “Thank you,” I muttered, peering down at a plate full of oranges and seasoned meat.
My mouth watered.
I never considered I’d get to eat more than gruel or broth. Twice I’d been given oranges. Twice I’d eaten like I never had in my entire life. Twice I’d been allowed to fill my belly.
Yet, every bite was ash on my tongue when I thought about every time my sister and I went hungry. Every time my sister was beaten for stealing scraps headed for the trash. Every time she was forced to offer her body in exchange for a slice of bread or handful of leftovers—food she’d always give me and refuse to split between us.
My sister’s beauty and kind smile were hazy in my mind. I’d promised to remember every detail about her until the day I died. But over the last seventeen years, her lines grew blurry. Her powerful green eyes faded. Her strawberry-blonde hair became less vibrant. I lost the color of her, the feeling of her hugs, the gentle rasp of her voice. Luna’s vibrant memory faded away into the night, no longer the moon in my sky.
Like the night she was taken, her light disappeared.
These demons stole everything from us. They ate like kings while my sister and I starved. While the two of us used our bodies and shut off our minds to survive another day.
I took a few bites before I couldn’t eat anymore. Iris noticed, and her smile faded as if she knew, as if she could read the pain and suffering I kept cleverly hidden from my expression.
I joined Jona’s group of Rebels days after my older sister was taken for the Choosing. She was only sixteen and I barely eight. I’d woken and spent nearly a week starving, thirsty, and lookingfor the ghost of my sister because I would’ve never survived without her.
If not for Jona, I would’ve died or worse. But he took me in. He explained why my sister was gone, that she’d been taken by demons. The Rebels were the only ones who cared. The only ones who offered me a home when no one else would. And then they trained me to take my vengeance against the demons one day. Becoming a Rebel gave me the skills and tools to be more than a victim.
Iris watched me before she stopped eating and leaned back, sighing. “I don’t agree with the way things are between humans and dragons,” she murmured out of nowhere. “It’s not right, and it needs to change. Onyx knows it, and that stubborn, misplaced hatred he has for humans is the only reason he still allows it. You might not believe me, Maze, but he has a good heart. Better than most dragons I’ve been around in a long time. He’s done more than any leader has, but it’s not enough.”
