But then there’s my dark, toxic secret, as poisonous as vipn serum. My secret scanner. the way I never stop thinking of ways I can get out of here and back to Jesel. The way that anger surges up in me sometimes, so bright and powerful that I think I could kill a being with the force of my stare, if I just harnessed that passion. The way I long to be free, and the way I sob when I’m alone, scream, bang my wrists on the wall, wishing to be free of these cursed cuffs. the ones that remind me and everyone else that I’m still a danger. That I don’t belong here, not really, although I’m stuck here forever.
The fact that I would so nearly love to be stuck here, wouldn’t think of it as being stuck, if only they could just let me go back once. Just once.
But they won’t. Every time I bring it up, they get more frustrated. So I never speak of it.
And that makes the need grow stronger and more twisted, until I think my chest is full of a tumor of anger and it’s going to burst out of my skin, black and hideous, killing me and everyone in the vicinity.
Mirelle
* * *
“S
ome beings can communicate without talking.” I pick up Lanz’ hand and trace his strong fingers.
“Even here.” He nods. “Did you know Danica and her daughter Marea can do that?”
They can? I frown. “But she’s human.”
“Her story is unique. She carried and gave birth to an Akronian, which changed her own DNA. And then her Zandian mates further changed things.”
“I’m a little jealous.”
“I don’t think she’d say her past is anything to wish for.”
“Not that part. But the communication part. Think how handy that could come in battle. Or just, anywhere.”
He nods. “But I think I can read your body sometimes.” He chuckles. “Like when you’re about to come? You make this noise and tense your body.”
“I know when you're about to come, too.” I lick his neck.
“We can teach you the Zandian warrior sign signals.”
“What are those?”
He takes my hand. “Pay attention.” He taps my palm. One short tap, staccato, and two longer ones that linger longer on the skin. “Fast, slow slow.” That’s the symbol for “Look out, straight ahead.”
“Okay.” I do it back to him. “Teach me another one.”
“Oh, I’ve got one for her.” He takes my palm and taps into it. Fast slow slow slow, fast fast fast fast.
“What’s that one?”
“It means that I want to veck you.”
“Oh, you use this one in battle often?” I narrow my eyes.
Domm gives me a dirty grin. “It’s really just a sort of signal language, a different way of ciphering without letters. You can flash lights to communicate. Or tap, like we’re doing.”
“Could come in handy in a captivity situation.”
“Indeed.” He rolls over so he traps me beneath him. “Like this.”
Then he bends down and licks the message that he wants to veck me into my neck.
“How do I signal back yes?”
“You can just spread your thighs.” He smirks. “It’s that simple.”