So I hold out for Bee.
I'm grateful I did. The moment she can touch me without sharing the shocking pain, she does. Her soft hands flutter over my face and shoulders, and then she's barking orders at the guardsmen as if she's the one in charge. They get a damp towel. They get fresh water for me, and warm broth to sip. They get a fluffy blanket and wrap it around me, and then Bee cradles my head in her lap, caressing my cheek with the backs of her fingers.
It's the best thing I've ever felt. I never want to leave this moment. I close my eyes and pretend to be unconscious, unthreatening, all so they'll let Bee stay with me as long as possible.
It's hard to remain “unconscious” when she starts scolding people, though.
"How could you let this happen?" Bee demands when First Rank Novis enters my cell. I can tell it's him by the scent of his uniform and the whiff of tea that remains on his breath. "How did no one bother to check to see if his collar was hurting him? I thought you were interested in his well-being!"
"Now, female." His voice takes on a patient tone. "You—"
"Don't you 'now female' me," Bee says indignantly. Her tiny hand cups my jaw, as if she can protect me from him. I want to remind her that she's forgetting to be pleasant, but I'm too fascinated by her anger. "Lord va'Rin wants this man reformed, yes? I'm not seeing a lot of reforming, First Rank. I'm seeing bullying and torture. If you don't want me to run screaming to the lord about how he's being mistreated, you'll get me some answers. And frankly? You want me on your side. I can make life very difficult for you."
I've never heard such an angry tone come out of such a soft female.
"I can assure you, this wasn't done on purpose—"
"How did his collar malfunction?" Bee asks. "How did no one think to check on it?"
"Female—"
"It wasn't a malfunction, was it? That's what you're pussyfooting around. Someone turned his collar up to maximum because they wanted to hurt him." Her fingers stroke my jaw and I bite back the groan of pleasure that nearly escapes me. Her touch is maddening in just how good it feels. "Someone tortured him on purpose."
There's a long pause as she continues to pet me. "We don't know for certain—"
Her voice is bitter. "You do. You just don't want to admit it." Bee's fingers pause. "Is…was it Riffin? The timing's a little too coincidental."
"We'd have to review security logs to be certain," First Rank Novis says in that bland, condescending voice of his. Underneath that, though, he's starting to smell stale. It's a fear smell, like he knows he's messed up and isn't quite sure how to fix the situation.
It's almost worth the last night of agony just to know he's sweating over my well-being.
Bee's fingers dance along my cheekbone, then move along the ridge of my nose as if she's memorizing my features with her fingertips. It's a delicate touch, one that I find as confusing as I do addicting. My mind is full of swarms of memories, most of which, I'm realizing, are not mine. The old master I thought I had? That was the other Crulden, as are the fragments of screaming females, of war prizes that I treated badly. I try not to think about those moments, because I imagined Bee in them once, and it nearly made me sick.
I've been cloned from a monster. Bee should stay away from me…but I don't want her to. I want her to keep touching me, because I'm selfish and greedy.
"I think it was Riffin," Bee says softly as she runs her fingers over my thick brows. "I think it was Riffin and he's getting back at me by hurting Victor."
"As I said, I'll look into the security logs—"
Bee talks right over him again, her gentle voice full of authority. "I also think Victor will never have a chance to get better in this particular situation. He's not in a cage anymore, but your people are still treating him like an animal. He needs a different environment, and I'm going to tell Lord va'Rin that."
The stale sweat scent coats First Rank Novis, and I suspect he's imagining his job going up in flames. "Then what do you propose, female?"
I wait for Bee to chide him again for calling her that—she hates that “female” word—but she doesn't. Instead, her tone turns sweet. Managing. "I want Victor set up with a house of his own. He can be given over to my care. I'll be his companion until he's learned everything he can."
Her finger strokes the corner of my mouth, and my cock twitches to alertness.
"Absolutely not—"
"You can set sentries," Bee continues on as if Novis has no authority in this. "But they have to stay at least a hundred feet away from Victor's house at all times. He needs room to breathe. He needs to not feel like a prisoner. Because if this continues, you're going to lose him, and he's trying so very hard to be a good man."
My cock hardens even more at the affection in her voice. She thinks I am…good? Why does that please me so very much?
"You think this will work?" Novis asks.
"I think it's worth a try," Bee says. "And when Lord va'Rin asks for a status report on Victor, we'll have positive things to tell him instead of discussing how the guards are torturing him." She traces my lip briefly, then goes back to my jaw. "He needs to go somewhere he won't be bothered. So he can relax and be himself without fear of reprisal."
"And I'm supposed to send a vulnerable human female to stay with him? Everyone will think I've given you to him to ensure his good behavior. They'll think you're…" His voice drops. "…romantic."
I wait for Bee to protest or make a sound of disgust. "Victor and I are friends," she finally says. "I don't care what they think." She stretches, her lap shifting, and I suspect she's turned to look at Novis. "Do we have an agreement?"
"Do I have a choice?" He knows the human has the upper hand, and he hates it.
"One last thing," Bee says in that managing tone of hers. "Make sure you don't tell Riffin. I think Victor needs all new guards. The same ones, over and over again, so he can learn to trust them. He needs a fresh start."
First Rank Novis just sighs heavily, and I know Bee has won.
13
VICTOR
I keep expecting the cuffs and a collar—or even a cage—to come out as we're readied to leave. Plans are made as Bee speaks with Novis, and a trunk full of supplies is ordered into the nearest air-sled. Two volunteer guards are going to be sent with us, and though their scents are tinged with a hint of uncertainty, there's not overwhelming fear.
It's probably due to Bee's presence. Bee, who stands proudly at my side, holding my enormous hand in her small one. She gazes at them all fiercely, my determined protector. She hasn't left my side once. She insists on others coming in to take care of us, bringing food and water, and clutches my hand the entire time as if to reassure me of her presence.
Then Novis is finally ready, and we're escorted out of the building that's been my “home” for the last two months and into the open.