He chuckled, the sound deep and warm. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was proud of me.
“You almost made it, my dear. Next time swipe a cloaking device from one of the vendors in the vendor courtyard you passed on level three. It would render you invisible from the cameras.”
I tore the dress off and dropped it at my feet. “Yeah, I figured you had a pretty good surveillance system. I had to try. I told you I would.”
Rathal chuckled, his big hand landing on my shoulder. I swear I could feel the heat through my armor.
“That you did. That you did. And a brilliant attempt it was! The trash chutes! I never would have thought you’d go that route. You are clever, darling. The twins are quite cross with you.”
Like I gave a shit. Defeat weighed me down and mixed with frustration to leave me fatigued and cranky.
“Now what?” I braced for news of a cell or a collar, but Rathal pulled me to him and turned me with his hand on my shoulder and then tucked me under his arm and started back the way I’d come.
“Now you go wash, because by the Mother you smell… unpleasant. Deeply unpleasant. Once you’re clean again, you can try on your new clothes. You will meet me in the Center once you’re finished. I have a fun-filled day planned! And we are off to a perfect start. I should warn you, Callie.” He stopped and I looked up to find him staring down at me, his eyes burning. “I enjoy when you run. I am a predator, and chasing makes me hard for you. Keep teasing me, my prize.I love it.”
My jaw dropped right along with my stomach. A hot, fiery blush suffused my cheeks. I swallowed hard and fought with everything I had not to look away from him. “Noted,” I croaked, my mouth dry.
Rathal’s teeth flashed. “As long as we understand each other, darling. I’d hate for there to be any misunderstandings.”
Right.
Fuck.
nine
Callie
Ithadtakenmean hour and a half to feel clean again. I’d even washed my hair again because there was no way I could have waited a week. I know, I know. The trash didn’t actually touch me, just my armor but nah. The logic didn’t work.
I’d stepped into the shower with my armor still up, unwilling to retract it while it was covered in garbage sludge. It helped. The clothes I'd been given were simple linen of an undetermined type in a cream color that bordered on tan. The pants slit up the sides like two narrow leaves sewn together, the shirt was sleeveless and short enough to expose my belly button. Simple but comfortable black slippers in my exact size had been waiting for me in my room, sitting on top of sensible white underwear and a bra. I was surprised to find the underthings. It didn’t seem like something Rathal would have given me. I figured he’d have given me a G-string and some tassels.
God. I was an idiot.
What if I never got away? He said he enjoyed the chase. What if he always caught me at the last second or let me escape just to swoop in and re-capture me. I was in one of those horrifying looping nightmares where you think you’ve finally woken up but nope, surprise! You’re still in the bad dream.
Fuck.
I crouched down beside the bed, my fingers pressed hard against my lips and breathed through my nose to try and avoid the impending panic attack.
I had to get out.
There had to be a fucking way.
The twins didn’t bother warning me with a chime this time, barging into my room with irate growls. I didn’t mind though. Their interruption pulled me out of my spiral. I jerked to my feet, blowing out a breath and gave myself a few light slaps to both cheeks before pulling my shirt down. I nodded at the twins before proceeding them out of the room.
They grumbled a bunch under their breath about naughty, bad mannered humans.
I kinda felt bad, but not enough to stop trying to escape.
The new clothes made me feel a little more gracious, so when I saw Rathal again as we entered the Center, a bustling roundabout filled with shops and street food vendor stalls, I gave him a small smile as we approached him, the twins falling back so that they took up guard behind me. That smile widened when I saw that he’d changed. I couldn’t help but shake my head at his feather boa, this time in orange, that was sewed into the collar of yet another sheer crop top. This one was made of finely woven orange and silver metal, each piece a diamond shape that glittered and sparkled in the artificial sunlight. His pants were still the poured on black leather from earlier, but he’d exchanged the ruby belt for a wide bronze one that hugged his hips and tried valiantly to draw my eye to his still on full display dick. Itwas like one of those social experiments where someone body painted clothes on a model and then sent them out to walk around a mall. Impossible to look away from, but damn did I try.
He’d changed the color of his claws too, something I noticed when he held out his hand for mine. They were bright neon green and glittery.
“What’s with your outfits?” I asked, deciding to play nice and gave him my hand. His palm was warm and dry, and felt like the soft pads of a cat's paw. This close I could smell the nuances of his scent. Warm spices, and a little like fresh turned dirt. There was also a strong current of musk that was all male and had me wanting to take my hand back and rub it nervously against my pants.
It was too late though, Rathal had me firmly in his grip. My fingers curled around his hand, brushing against his fur which was soft like a rabbit's pelt.
His chuckle pulled my gaze to his face, where I found him looking down at his outfit. He ran his free hand down his front and gave me a chiding look. “This body deserves to be on display, my prize. A pretty display that draws all eyes to me. I deserve to be admired, don’t you think?”
