Reid woke some time in the late afternoon. He blinked at the bright sunlight, sitting up. His body ached and as the sheets slid down his frame, he was suddenly aware of the stickiness that clung to his body. 

Reid didn’t notice the door open or the strange Naerian female dressed in thinly plated silver armor that covered her body like a second skin. Sleek dark red hair fell to her chin in a bob. Her eyes were an intense green, one that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for human. But surprisingly enough, her features were full of soft lines and elegant curves. Nothing like the other Naerian females who were full of long and sharp edges. They were beautiful but harsh. Like a rose full of thorns. 

This one just looked like a rose.

Oh how deceiving looks could be. 

She strode to the edge of the room and gazed at him. Her movements were silent and precise. It was only when she reached the edge of the bed, did Reid notice her. He jumped up, yanking the covers over him and scrambling as far away as he could. His big brown eyes were wide with unease. 

The Naerian tilted her head with a sort of curiosity. Her morá curled around her neck, blooming a light shimmering blue. 

Reid wondered what that meant. He knew enough about Naerians to recognize their morá marks that changed color depending on their thoughts or mood. He just didn’t know what each color meant. 

He also knew that Naerians that were in fated pairs were very territorial. They did not like other Naerians around their pair. It was why the servants that came were always so quick to leave. They did their task and scurried out as if some horrible monster were chasing them away. 

But this female stayed there, studying him, with no plans on leaving.

Why was she here?

Would she hurt him?

Reid trembled slightly, and fought very hard not to show it. But her reptilian eyes tracked the movement.

“You fear me,” she stated in a thick accent that sounded just like his captor’s.

Reid didn’t answer. 

Of course he feared her. She was a Dragon for goodness sakes!

She studied him for a few moments longer before turning on her heel and exiting the room. Reid let out a breath of relief, not sparing a moment to ponder the strangeness of her visit. What could she possibly have wanted?

Reid slipped his legs over the edge of the bed and planted his soles on the cool marble floors. Shivers shot up his spine but he ignored it. He lifted his foot slightly, wincing at the delicate clang of his chain hitting the floor.

The chain was just long enough for him to reach the private bathroom to the right of the bed. When Reid finally braved the pain long enough to stagger into the bathroom, he took one look at himself in the large mirror behind the sink. 

He winced at his reflection, taking note of the self-inflicted scratches, red rimmed eyes with purplish bruises underneath, and the obvious weight loss from all the vomiting and lack of appetite. Feeling more depressed, he turned away from the mirror and headed to the toilet to relieve himself. His chain couldn’t reach the shower so he had to settle for grabbing a cloth and washing himself from the sink. 

The whole time his body was tense and alert, waiting for the door of the bedroom to open, ready to be caught and forced. 

Why didn’t the Naerian try to breed him? Wasn’t that the whole reason for him being brought there? His entire purpose? Though a small voice reminded Reid that the Naerian couldn’t even if he tried. Not with his sheath bound.

Reid grew worried.

Holding back the bile that threatened to come up, Reid dropped the cloth and staggered back to the bedroom where he collapsed in a graceless heap on the bed and promptly passed out. 

When he woke again, there was a cart of food beside the bed. The broth was still steaming, meaning they had come not too long ago. 

Reid yawned and reached over to grab the bowl when a voice startled him.

“You’re eating,” a deep melodious voice said from across the room. 

Reid yelped, dropping the bowl and the broth onto the floor, creating a huge mess. 

The Naerian male who kidnapped him was sitting in a chair across the room with a small frown on his face. 

Reid began to tremble. 

He was so afraid, he hadn’t even noticed when the Naerian signaled for a servant to come in and clean the mess while providing Reid with another meal.

“If you do not eat, you will grow weak,” the Naerian said to his fated. 

Reid just blinked at him, fear clear in his gaze not bothering to take his eyes off of him to get the new bowl of broth that was presented to him. 

He was a fool for letting his guard down. He wasn’t going to make that mistake again. 

When they were alone again, Reid cleared his throat and dared to ask in a shaking voice. “Emkii, why did you not breed me?”

The Naerian stared at him for a moment before saying, “Kincaid.”

Reid frowned in confusion. 

“My name is Kincaid. You may address me as such.”

Reid gave a slow nod before repeating, “Kincaid-emkii, why did you not breed me?”

“It does not serve my interest,” he said simply and dismissively. Reid frowned. 

What was that supposed to mean?

And how long was he planning on playing nice? It was not in the Naerians’ nature to treat any human with respect. Was this some sort of ploy? Make Reid feel comfortable, trust him, before betraying his trust? For what reason?
            Did they know he was a part of the rebellion? Perhaps they were going to use him to find out more about their plans. He had to make sure they never found out about the infiltration of their arsenal. According to the last meeting with Dania, it was supposed to be taking place soon. Now that he was compromised, it might be best if they didn’t tell him. He wasn’t prepared for any tactics they might try to extract the information. But it didn’t mean his role in the rebellion was over. 

Naerians usually loosened the leash of their command a little bit after the initial bonding, but only if the human played nice. Something that he learned from Gabe who fooled his own Naerian pair. But from the looks of things, Reid might end up like Jamila who was rarely ever allowed to leave her pair’s sight. She told us that he liked his property readily available. 

It made Reid sick just thinking about it. 

He wasn’t quite able to read Kincaid yet but he would and then he would manipulate him. He just had to bide his time and play a nice little redrya. 

But in order to make it believable, he had to put up a little resistance since he was so against it before. It would draw suspicion if he suddenly became complacent. 

He would do it. He would do whatever he had to, whatever was necessary. 

“Your Rut should not overcome you for a few more hours. In that time, you must build your strength. I will remain with you for the duration.”

Reid froze. 

If the Naerian stayed, he would surely beg him again. He didn’t want to go through it. Didn’t want to be bred, despite what his body craved. It went against everything. But he did not have a choice. 

“Emkii–I-I am okay. I d-don’t,” Reid’s voice trembled. 

“If you are requesting that I leave you, I will not,” Kincaid said softly, but with finality. As if to further his declaration, he adjusted himself more comfortably in his chair. 

Fear seized Reid’s chest. His thundering heart pumping blood through his heated veins. He hated how he felt. But with the Dragon being there while he…

“Please,” Reid begged, not bothering with pride. He would beg and whimper if it got the Dragon to go away. “Please Emkii, I don’t want–”

“What you want does not matter,” Kincaid said, still even toned and lacking inflection. A small flood of anger raced in Reid’s veins, but it cooled almost as quickly as it came. Anger wouldn’t help him now. Anger would make things worse. 

Reid didn’t say anything else. They sat there in the tense silence, Reid trying his best to ignore the Naerian while Kincaid watched him back, disinterested. Pointedly looking away from each other, each male quietly waited for the other to make a sound or move. 

Neither did.

Not until the next wave overcame Reid with a vengeance unlike any he had ever experienced. The reaction was unbearable. He hated his skin, hated the smell that wafted into his nostrils feeding him that heady scent, keeping him wet and needy. Hated the thick viscous fluid filling within him, fighting to escape the seams of his throbbing sheath. A sheath that tugged and pulled, desperate to blossom and accept Naerian seed. The constant thrumming in his ears, pulsing in his veins, and clenching in his gut only fueled his hatred for The Change more. 

This is what they have done to us. This was created by them for them without any consideration for the creatures they’ve so thoroughly violated. And he and his kind had to suffer. Suffer for those monsters. 

Vexation and concupiscence tore Reid’s soul in two, waging a war in his body that shoved his reason to the edge of sanity.  

Fight it, Reid.

He knew. He knew with every fiber of his being, every laugh of his mother, every cry of his father, every human on this planet, he had to fight it.

Why was he fighting a losing battle?

Pointless, his mind cooed. It’s pointless. 

Reid’s body wanted the Dragon. Needed it.

An agonized scream tore from Reid’s lips, startling the quiet Naerian whose head snapped up at the noise. The scream was low pitched and raw, full of hatred and pain. Reid writhed on the bed, despising everything about his existence in this moment. For a short while, he no longer cared about the Dragon, the war, anything. He just wanted the agony to end. 

*

The Naerian General watched the human from a safe distance in his chair. His fingers folded over the edge of the armrests, clenching and unclenching in sync with Reid’s screams. The last one was particularly sharp, causing the male to wince. He grew agitated with the constant noise and could feel a headache coming along. 

Kincaid couldn’t see how his presence made things any better. From his observations, it appeared as if his fated only grew worse. He screamed, and writhed, and vomited. But that was normal. It was nothing as Pelryn described. Kincaid did not see the traces of mania clouding those dark brown eyes.

The Naerian stood with a sigh. Pelryn was too soft. Kincaid was a fool to listen to him when he was so easily swayed by these creatures. It would do none any good, waiting until the redrya’s Rut was over. He had more pressing things to attend. 

As he was about to take his leave, a guttural noise rose from behind him. He glanced at the bed and met furious brown eyes fueled with enough hatred to make him tense. 

“Monster!” The redrya hissed at him. The simpering frightened creature forgotten, replaced by this resplendently virulent male. One who so foolishly challenged he who holds his leash. But it was this fire that piqued Kincaid’s interest in the beginning, that kept him from saying to relok with it all, leaving the redrya to suffer in his own filth.

But the pure audacity left little kindness in him. Such glaring disrespect was better met with swift punishment, less it became a nasty habit. No, Kincaid would have none of that. 

Smooth and graceful, Kincaid moved faster than the redrya’s eyes could follow. He wrapped one hand around the warm neck, shoving the redrya down until his head sunk forcibly into the pillows. The body beneath Kincaid thrashed and writhed like a beast in a trap but he was so terribly outmatched in both strength and size, it did little to alleviate his discomfort. 

“You will listen to me, human, and you will listen well. I will not tolerate any insolence. You will obey or you will suffer,” Kincaid said evenly, increasing the pressure around the redrya’s throat, watching his face turn a pretty purple. “I am your master, remember that.”

Kincaid released the human who gasped for breath, rubbing his throat. The Naerian gave one last warning look before sweeping out of the room and back to his office where a fresh new pile of reports waited for him. 

On the way, he saw Pelryn’s fated. A small thing with tightly coiled hair and skin the color of Hoa leaves. His shoulders were hunched and there was a pronounced limp in his step. When he noticed Kincaid’s stare, his head dipped further as if he could shrink into himself. 

Kincaid had no interest in other redrya and dismissed his presence without a second glance. It truly amazed him that Pelryn felt so strongly for a species that was so weak. And the mere fact that a race as strong as the Naerians, depended on them for survival was ironic, truly. 

More of a reason for him not to bother with his own pair. And yet, that face…with rage and hatred a beautiful mix, Kincaid wondered if there was fire in them yet.