Hidden Rage: Kindred Tales

But what about the way Mother Tizlah sent Bobbi to the Market yesterday, even though she hasn’t been here a month yet? whispered a little voice in his head. What about the way she said it was your Sire’s idea to let her go out in the first place?

Dragon shook his head, pushing the foolish thought aside. Komendant Vizlar wouldn’t do something like that. Zerlix might be an asshole he couldn’t stand, but Dragon loved and respected his adoptive parents—especially his Sire who was always fair.

Komendant Vizlar was an honorable male, who would never try to hurt the woman Dragon had Claimed as his bride-to-be. Nor would he mind having Dragon’s sons running the tiled halls of his compound. He wanted only the best for his adopted son—Dragon was sure of that.

But Zerlix’s words lodged like a stone in his heart, no matter how hard he tried to forget them. And somehow Dragon felt a little less sure of his Sire’s love than he had been before.

Don’t be foolish, he told himself. Surely my Sire had nothing to do with it.

Just in case, though, he would make an announcement at Last Meal that night, when the entire Clan was gathered to eat. He would say that whoever had placed the hit on Bobbi should call it off…or they would be very, very sorry.

VERY SORRY, the being within him agreed in a low, rumbling growl and Dragon felt comforted. No matter what happened, he wasn’t alone in this. He would protect the women he loved—the woman they both loved—no matter what happened.

51

“Oh, Bobbi—is that your Claiming piece? Did Rep. Dragon give you your wedding jewelry early?” Keelah’s eyes widened as she looked Bobbi over after breakfast that day.

“Yes, he did.” Bobbi was eyeing her friend, too. There were dark green marks around her neck, as though someone had been choking her. But Keelah came to their morning work in the kitchens injured so often, she had almost stopped commenting on the bruises and contusions.

Every mark she saw on her friend hurt her heart, but it only seemed to make Keelah sad when Bobbi brought the abuse up. She always just repeated how lucky she was to still be in the compound and then said she hoped that Zerlix would never tire of her.

This time, however, Bobbi couldn’t be silent about what she saw. If Zerlix had started choking Keelah, who knew where it might end?

“Did he do that to you?” she asked, pointing to the marks around the Saurian girl’s throat. “Did he choke you last night? Is that what he’s doing now? Strangling you?”

“Oh…it really isn’t as bad as it looks.” Keelah’s fingers fluttered nervously at her bruised throat. “And besides, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“I can have Dragon talk to him—or try to, at least,” Bobbi said, frowning. “You can’t go on like this, Keelah!”

“I have to, you know that,” Keelah whispered, her eyes darting around nervously. “And anyway, having Rep. Dragon talk to him would only make things worse. Especially after this morning.”

“Why? What happened this morning?” Bobbi demanded.

“That’s what I have to talk to you about. Come on—let’s go in the pantry so we can have some privacy.”

Keelah pulled her through the kitchen, which was already bustling with activity, and into the back storage room, lined with shelves.

Bobbi shivered, as she did every time she entered the room, remembering Zerlix’s attempted attack on her, which hadn’t been that long ago. However, there was no one here but her and Keelah now, so they should be safe enough, she told herself.

“Now what do you have to tell me?” she asked, after the two of them had hidden themselves behind the second row of shelves, which held enormous glass jugs filled with pickled rousen—rat like creatures with long, naked tails and purple fur.

“That Rep. Dragon came into Rep. Zerlix’s rooms and threatened him today before First Meal.” Keelah kept her voice low and one eye on the doorway, clearly watching in case someone should come in. “He seemed to think that Rep. Zerlix had ordered a hit on you.”

“That’s what he told me, too,” Bobbi said. “Why? What did Zerlix say?”

“He denied it,” Keelah said, her eyes growing wide. “Bobbi, he said he thought Komendant Vizlar was the one who put the hit on you!”

“But that can’t be true, can it?” Bobbi asked uneasily. It was one thing to have Dragon’s sadistic adoptive brother after her. But if his father, the leader of the Clan had decided that she was disposable…well, that would be bad. Very bad indeed. The call is coming from inside the house! she thought and felt sick.

“I don’t know if it’s true or not.” Keelah shook her head. “But I do know you’d better be careful, Bobbi. Somebody wants you dead and we really don’t know who it is.”