wrong with me? First I attack Alric, and now I want to jump some guy I just met?
I adjusted myself so he wasn’t pressing on me. “What do you think it is?”
“I am not sure, but it was not far behind us.” Was it my imagination or was he trying to cover me again?
I moved over a bit more. I’m not a prude, but I’m not getting hot and heavy with someone I just met, especially a gypsy. Along with being very powerful, they weren’t usually the most trustworthy people—at least not to outsiders.
“Look, I—”
He cut my whisper off with a hand across my mouth. His dark eyes deepened as he peered out of the bush we were hiding in.
An instant later the sound of footsteps could be heard. Sounds like thick claws digging through dirt came with them.
I swallowed and tried to look through the bushes without moving. Only a few bipedal things had claws in this world, most of them not good.
The shape was vague, but definitely draconian. Which meant a syclarion in half-dragon form, stocky with a draconian head and long tail, but upright like a man. Syclarions could appear in three forms; human, half-dragon, and full dragon. While full dragon size was big enough to scare any normal person, they were less than a quarter of the size real dragons had been rumored to be. I’d seen the shadow of the first one when he flew overhead, this one was smaller, even in full change he wouldn’t be as big as the one that flew overhead before. Dark silver scales glinted as it froze near our position. With a very human shake of its head, the creature walked on.
I looked closer at my protector. He was shaking like a leaf. Great protection.
I peeled his hand off my mouth. “Um, Marcos? I think we can leave now.”
“What…oh yes, come, my lovely one. I will protect you as we leave this jungle.”
I was already on my feet and dusting myself off when he finally scrambled to his feet. He might be easy on the eyes, but fierce this guy was not.
“Look, just get me past the guards, and I can find my own way home.”
“But I have been commissioned to escort you.”
This time I cut him off with my hand. “Save it. I don’t need an escort, or whatever other services you might be offering. Just get me past the fence.”
A confused light filled his golden brown eyes. “But we’re past the fence. You were already past it when I was brought to you.”
What? Alric had managed to get us past the fence? Or most likely he had an underground route. Which would explain why he found me so fast when I’d sent Leaf out for help.
Leaf.
“Just who sent you to come rescue me?” I’d assumed it was Alric grabbing one of his cronies for a job, but maybe I’d been wrong.
“Your most wonderful friend Harlan paid for my services.”
I stopped in my tracks. So Leaf had made it to Harlan, and he’d sent a gigolo? “Just what were the services?”
The brothel smile returned. “Why to escort you home and make sure you were relaxed. He explained that you’d had a rough day.”
“So you’re not a digger at all?” I was going to kill Harlan.
“Oh no, I am that. And I am very good in the jungle,” he said as he stepped over a log, then held out his hand to help me over. I ignored the hand. “I just have had various occupations in the past.” Marcos resumed walking, nodding his head for me to follow.
“I don’t want to know. Look, whatever Harlan asked you to do, just forget it. Get me out of here, then take off.” It was bad enough when my friends set me up on dates, but to send someone like Marcos after me was just too much. Even for Harlan.
I stalked past Marcos so I didn’t see his face, but his sigh was clear. Then it changed. An instant later he was running past me.
“Dead body!” Was all I heard before he vanished down the trail.
I dove into a clump of bushes right off the trail and prayed that no one else had heard him. While it was all well and good that we weren’t behind the fence anymore, I had no doubt that this
I adjusted myself so he wasn’t pressing on me. “What do you think it is?”
“I am not sure, but it was not far behind us.” Was it my imagination or was he trying to cover me again?
I moved over a bit more. I’m not a prude, but I’m not getting hot and heavy with someone I just met, especially a gypsy. Along with being very powerful, they weren’t usually the most trustworthy people—at least not to outsiders.
“Look, I—”
He cut my whisper off with a hand across my mouth. His dark eyes deepened as he peered out of the bush we were hiding in.
An instant later the sound of footsteps could be heard. Sounds like thick claws digging through dirt came with them.
I swallowed and tried to look through the bushes without moving. Only a few bipedal things had claws in this world, most of them not good.
The shape was vague, but definitely draconian. Which meant a syclarion in half-dragon form, stocky with a draconian head and long tail, but upright like a man. Syclarions could appear in three forms; human, half-dragon, and full dragon. While full dragon size was big enough to scare any normal person, they were less than a quarter of the size real dragons had been rumored to be. I’d seen the shadow of the first one when he flew overhead, this one was smaller, even in full change he wouldn’t be as big as the one that flew overhead before. Dark silver scales glinted as it froze near our position. With a very human shake of its head, the creature walked on.
I looked closer at my protector. He was shaking like a leaf. Great protection.
I peeled his hand off my mouth. “Um, Marcos? I think we can leave now.”
“What…oh yes, come, my lovely one. I will protect you as we leave this jungle.”
I was already on my feet and dusting myself off when he finally scrambled to his feet. He might be easy on the eyes, but fierce this guy was not.
“Look, just get me past the guards, and I can find my own way home.”
“But I have been commissioned to escort you.”
This time I cut him off with my hand. “Save it. I don’t need an escort, or whatever other services you might be offering. Just get me past the fence.”
A confused light filled his golden brown eyes. “But we’re past the fence. You were already past it when I was brought to you.”
What? Alric had managed to get us past the fence? Or most likely he had an underground route. Which would explain why he found me so fast when I’d sent Leaf out for help.
Leaf.
“Just who sent you to come rescue me?” I’d assumed it was Alric grabbing one of his cronies for a job, but maybe I’d been wrong.
“Your most wonderful friend Harlan paid for my services.”
I stopped in my tracks. So Leaf had made it to Harlan, and he’d sent a gigolo? “Just what were the services?”
The brothel smile returned. “Why to escort you home and make sure you were relaxed. He explained that you’d had a rough day.”
“So you’re not a digger at all?” I was going to kill Harlan.
“Oh no, I am that. And I am very good in the jungle,” he said as he stepped over a log, then held out his hand to help me over. I ignored the hand. “I just have had various occupations in the past.” Marcos resumed walking, nodding his head for me to follow.
“I don’t want to know. Look, whatever Harlan asked you to do, just forget it. Get me out of here, then take off.” It was bad enough when my friends set me up on dates, but to send someone like Marcos after me was just too much. Even for Harlan.
I stalked past Marcos so I didn’t see his face, but his sigh was clear. Then it changed. An instant later he was running past me.
“Dead body!” Was all I heard before he vanished down the trail.
I dove into a clump of bushes right off the trail and prayed that no one else had heard him. While it was all well and good that we weren’t behind the fence anymore, I had no doubt that this
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