Page 25 of King of Serpents

Therxian gave her a curious look that melted into a slow smile. “I know exactly what to do. Allow me to assist you.” He leaned forward, and the chain rattled loudly, reminding them both of his particular situation. He grimaced and tugged at the collar. “This is awkward. A servant will not be here until morning with the key.”

Alex whistled slowly. “That’s a damned shame.” She smiled brightly then and turned toward the table. “Don’t worry, I won’t let the food go to waste!”

“Female,” he growled, and she broke into laughter.

“I am just yanking your chain,” she chuckled. “I am magnanimous enough to feed the both of us.”

“Delighted to hear that,” he replied dryly, causing her to laugh yet again.

The overbearing male was surprisingly entertaining.

Chapter 17

The new revelations about his mother did not mend the gaping holes in Therxian’s heart. In fact, it left him feeling rawer than he had previously. Instead, it was the human female squatted at his side, patiently feeding him food that sent a feeling of warmth creeping through him like a balm soothing old wounds. He eyed her as he slowly and carefully took every morsel. Aside from the chain holding him securely to the wall, his arms were also pinned by additional chains that were gathered and anchored above his head so that he was completely at Alex’s mercy.

He hated being so vulnerable, and he waited for her to take advantage of it. Despite his good intentions, he was certain that she saw him as a kind of tyrannical jailer. None of the humans who had arrived among the Vehal had been particularly warm toward him. And because he was responsible for the welfare of the nara, he knew that his attention to their safety had caused some resentment to boil up, especially among those who had joined them more recently. They chafed under his direction. He suspected that Alex did as well and would not hesitate to abandon him. That she had picked up a bowl and steadily fed him the delicacies in it had surprised him. He had briefly considered refusing, suspicious of her sudden helpfulness, but in the end, he simply lacked the strength of will.

Opening his mouth, he allowed himself to be fed in turns between each bite that she took for herself. Outside of the rhythmic exchange that the soft sound of the utensils scraping over the stone bowls, they sat together in silence, her knees faintly brushing his tail with her tiniest of movements as she leaned forward to offer him another bite of food. Therxian nearly choked on the spiced meat in his mouth as he groaned at the contact of her leg pressing against the length of his tail. He had to create some small measure of distraction and distance between them... and quickly.

He eyed her as he quickly swallowed, the tip of his tail rising and curling between them to slow her down a little as he battled back the hunger that rose from deep within him beneath the warmth and comfort. Being fed by Alex had a dizzying impact on his senses. She sated his appetite with savory flavors even as she teased other parts of him with her pheromones and the brush of her limbs against him.

“You are taking this surprisingly well,” he observed, his tipping slightly as he regarded her curiously. “Are you not angry that I am incapable of taking you out of the palace tonight?”

She shook her head, her eyes fastened on the bowl as she pushed around a bit of meat with the skewer, and the corner of her mouth hitched slightly in tired amusement as she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.

“I am a non-gratas. Do you know what that means?”

He did. He had heard more than enough of the disgusting practice from females who joined the Vehal. Non-gratas were nothing more than servants to the will of those in power.

“They are much like our hunters from the time they leave the haga,” he observed in a thoughtful voice. “Existing to serve the will of the shinara that claims ownership of them.”

Alex blinked, a small line appearing momentarily between her brows as they drew together in a thoughtful expression. “I had not thought about it that way. We share a common misery that we both worked hard to escape.”

“And yet you are trapped again, and in a more dangerous position than what would have been found in the colonies previously. I expected you to be angry that we did not succeed on this night.”

The corner of her mouth twitched. “What is the point of getting angry? It certainly can’t be helped. Besides, it was unlikely that our first attempt would be successful. Who knew that any of those females would get the idea into their heads to chain you.”

He sighed heavily, settling back into his chains. “I should have predicted that this would be the case with Gereiia. I will be more cautious next time.”

“In two days,” Alex murmured, and he inclined his head, his gavo snapping with his agreement.

“Two days,” he agreed as he tried to ignore the way his flesh crawled at being subjected to the breeding plan once again.

“Unfortunately, I doubt we can rely on the same trick again,” she observed, sighing heavily. “I think the females of the noble families are a bit too shrewd to let it go unobserved.”

Therxian hummed quietly in agreement, but the sound stuttered and his gavo fluttered at the intense look she fastened upon him as she draped her arm casually over her knee.

“The creepy insects... spill. How are you luring them in here like you have a rotting carcass feast for them? I haven’t seen or smelled anything likely to draw them.”

The corner of his mouth curled smugly. “Did you know that the females of our species are the most innovative with sonar tech? You probably have not seen much of it on the surface because many hunters do not have access to such things, but this talent extends also to the females among the Vehal. Not too long ago, a pair of females came up with an idea of how to repel others of our shared species with a specific vibration recorded and played on a continuous cycle. It is not noticeably audible, but works on a subconscious level. It is quite useful to keep servants and guards from lingering near my quarters or tampering with things, but it has had one unfortunate side-effect.”

Her lips twitched again, this time more noticeably. “The insects.”

His gavo snapped wearily. “It apparently draws them. At first, I was elated because the initial insects drawn were not so large but big enough to repel most visitors from my nest. But it has grown inconvenient.”

A soft chuckle erupted from Alex, the sound of which skittered across his scales and sank deep within his chest and belly in a light vibration.

“I bet,” she replied through her laughter, and a smile reluctantly fought its way to his mouth in response.