Her Prisoner

“No…” He shook his head.

“Sebastian!” She leaned around a tree to give him a scathing look. “You are! Have a care for your safety this once. It’s not safe.”

“And if I’d told you, you couldn’t protect your people because it’s not safe, would you have listened?” He challenged softly.

“Don’t make me do things I don’t want to do.” She was moving again.

His eyes narrowed. And his body was tensing for combat. “What do you mean, Els?”

“I need you to not be part of this. I need you to listen to me, for once.”

“I listen to you more than you think.” He heard a twig crackle behind him and whipped around finding her within reach. He caught her to him. “What are you up to?”

“I gave you the chance to comply.”

What does that mean? What’s she going to do?

She leaned up on her toes and hung by his shoulders to press her mouth to his.

He automatically leaned down to return the kiss but catching himself he caught her by the waist and set her back from him. Taking a step back himself to put distance between them. “This is absolutely a trap.”

“Are you going to fall for it?” She walked closer. Giving him such a prolonged deep stare, it could be nothing other than seductive.

He eyed her askance a moment.

“Absolutely.” And he met her step for step and picked her up. Putting her against a tree as he worked through her skirts and met her mouth heatedly.

She took advantage of her back being braced to wrap her legs around him. Then her brown wings unfolded and began to work against the tree. Stabbing into it with the bony points in the middle to hook in and raise higher.

Before Bast could react they were bursting through the tops of the trees and her body had changed to the dark valkyrie. She let his hips slip from between her thighs to caught in her back claws.

Again.

“Elsabet!” He swore. Trying to pry her grip loose.

She retracted one claw to tap him pointedly in the side.

Threatening to pierce me if I don’t stop struggling. Sighing he desisted.

“Where are you taking me?”

She twisted to look down at him. “Since you won’t listen any other way. We’ll see how you do as a captive!”

He had the hour long flight to come to a decision on how he was going to respond to this. Though they’re preparing for a battle he knew it’d be a long while before they readied an attack.

Radix is still actively recruiting rather than focusing on training. Means he’s not ready to attack yet. Though we all know it’s coming.

She’s taking me prisoner. He looked up at her stoney expression and knew the truth of it. She wants to make a point. She wants me to suffer, she wants vengeance, she wants me to now what she felt.

I’ve earned that. And he relaxed. Letting her take him wherever she intended. We’ll see what game this is.

Sebastian watched them crossing over Grier. Wondering where they were going.

She said nothing further to him.

Wanting to build the suspense.

As they entered the border of Nightway and the dark gray holding in MidGale was visible, Bast began to have some reservations.

This is Radix’s newest holding. He’d heard rumors of it being built.

She’s taking me to Radix? That makes no sense after what she was saying.

What point is she trying to make?

“This is Danbury’s Holding now.” She murmured as if sensing his thoughts. Coasting a wide circle above it she landed within the courtyard. Shouting for the guards.

Danbury's Holding, MidGale City, Nightway

Bast watched them approaching warily. He twisted and began easing his shirt up but Elsabet’s hand on the back of his stayed him.

She gave him a long look conveying a message he understood but still wasn’t sure he liked.

Do you trust me?

I did. Reservations are growing now.

“Take him to my chambers and secure him.” She commanded authoritatively.

Secure me? How the devil-

Two men caught his arms and drug him off.

Not nearly enough if I fight now. Looking back over his shoulder he saw her standing in the courtyard as the demure silver haired woman rather than the brown winged beast.

They led him up a long sloping ramp which sufficed as stairs. And through the long dark halls. Cold, he sensed despite that he couldn’t feel it. Sparse torches lit the hall.

Radix favors the darkness.

Without conscious thought, he’d begun to tug on the men pulling him.

“He’s heavy!”

“He’s strong!” The other objected.

Out of one room came a man in a wheeled chair. His hair was pitch as midnight and his eyes nearly as dark. With a square jaw and a hard face.

Charles Danbury.

Alazar had spoken of the man he hated enough Bast could gather that this was him.

“You’ve brought one here!”

“How can you tell?” Elsabet drawled from behind them.

I hadn’t even known she followed.

“He looks like something carved from marble on the Isle!” Danbury expostulated gesturing in aggravation.

“The Master will be displeased you brought him here!”

“Will he?” She challenged. “Or will he be immensely pleased that I managed to catch him one while you can’t even manage to seduce the mate of one?”

Danbury swore. Turning his chair to rant at her back. “You’re a bitch, you know that!”

“I am duly chastised.” She said boredly.

She clearly could care less of his opinion.

However, I’d like to break his jaw for what he just said to her.