Flame (Fireborn) (32 page)

I stand tall.

He catches his breath,
staring at me, and for the second time in my life I wonder what a man
sees when he looks at me.

"Here," he
finally says. He hands me the cloth, careful not to touch my fingers.
I'm clutching the towel to my chest, and I see his eyes glance there
quickly, before he looks into mine.

"Go change."

I hold the dress limply
in my arms.

Swiftly, he gives me
his back. "Boys," he calls out, his deep voice rumbling in
the quiet room. The other two guards look up. One looks slightly
annoyed at being interrupted. When he has their attention, he says,
"You two go ahead. I've got it here."

"You sure? I don't
mind staying longer," the one who looks the most annoyed offers.
His eyes never stop moving, staring at us in a way that unnerves me.

"Yes," the
red haired guard replies, his voice hard. I see his shoulders stiffen
ahead of me. "Go." The command is harsh. "Now!"
The two walk off, sending irritated glances back, but they don't
argue.

He doesn't look back to
acknowledge me as he walks to the entrance. Even though I'm left
standing alone, I don't feel rejected. I can't describe the feeling
coursing through my blood, but it's something powerful. I glance at
Nymphora, who's looking at me with a slightly awed expression.

I hide a secret smile.

It's quiet for the rest
of the time we're there; but this time the quiet isn't one filled
with fear. At one point, it even feels calm. I keep my eyes trained
on the Saguinox guard as I disrobe, but he never turns back to stare
at us. Not even once.

I think about what
Nymphora said about how like humans, shape shifters are all
different, and I begin to wonder if the same can be said about the
Saguinox. Rhys's golden eyes flash in my mind. A flutter runs through
me.

Without thinking my
mind calls out,
Rhys?

As soon as I say his
name, I want to take it back. I don't know what he can do in my head,
and I'm scared he might see what Nymphora and I did. I wait with
rising panic, but I don't feel his presence in my mind. A minute
passes by, and still, I don't sense anything. Strangely, I'm relieved
and disappointed at the same time.

I'm one of the last to
enter the lines. I walk behind Nymphora like I've done since
yesterday. Looking at the floor, I notice faint swirling designs.
It's obvious that this place was built with care, yet one hundred
feet over these halls is a gloomy and rundown prison. I mentally
shake my head again at the paradox of our situation.
It must have
something to do with the Saguinox culture,
I think. Cleanliness
and beauty before an ultimate gruesome death, I conclude. A chill
washes over me that has nothing to do with the thin shift I'm
wearing.

Abruptly, I feel hot
hands grabbing mine. Chloris grips my fingers, squeezing them before
letting go. I gaze at her with surprise. She's breaking an unspoken
rule: never leave your spot in line. She pulls the girl in back of
her to the front, and she's so surprised she doesn't resist. Then
Chloris is beside me, breathless and nervous.

Her eyes are wide, and
tremulous when she says, "We're getting out of here
tonight
."

We're running, moving
as fast as we can. Nymphora pushes the door aside, and Chloris's
panicked face greets us.

"Get out!"
she hisses. But we're already moving. Nymphora slides through, and I
go next, trying to shove the hard door back in place.

"…to line up
when you are finished," the guard is speaking, his voice low and
deep. My heart is beating with panic because the door is stuck. I'm
pushing with all my might, but it isn't moving.

"Kenna!"
Nymphora's voice is strained. "Turn around. Bow your head!"

I face the guards,
desperately trying to catch her eyes, but she's a deceptive picture
of demureness, her gaze trained on her toes. Someone's looking at me,
and I have no choice but to drop my head, hands clasped loosely in
front of me. We've moved into a crowd of bodies, but luckily no one
notices our reappearance. Everyone is too focused on the guards.

The door isn't closed,
and though the crack is small, the shadows from the opening would be
noticeable next to the white walls. I swallow nervously, trying to
hide what I can with my body.

There are three guards.
The one in the middle is speaking. He has reddish hair with a strong
chin. His eyes don't glow as much as the other two, but the air of
authority around him is potent. All three hold clean red dresses in
their hands. The one speaking lifts a dress up, offering it to a
taker. He's scanning the room, waiting, but no one moves. The women
look petrified, and remain frozen.

Taking deep breaths to
calm my racing heart, I try to look less winded. When I close my eyes
images of what I've just seen bombard my mind, flickering on and off
like a switch. So I blink, opening my eyes rapidly, drinking in the
sight before me to block the pictures. It's no use though. The scream
haunts my mind, and I hear it as a broken song. Resisting the urge to
cover my ears, I clutch the towel to my chest, feeling the rapid
throbbing of my heart.
Please don't notice us.

"You." The
voice is loud in the silent room. He points to us. I freeze. "In
the back. With the green scales. Come here."

Chloris lets out a
squeal of terror she can't disguise, and my heart goes from beating
like a drum to almost stopping. Everyone's turned to look, and I'm
shaking, praying they don't notice the unclosed door behind me.

Chloris' steps are
tentative, painfully so. Her dread is so palpable the girls move to
the side, creating a wide pathway for her to walk by. Her tail
flickers nervously behind her, and we all watch with bated breaths as
she stands in front of the guard who called for her. I notice he's
the same one who watched her earlier, whose gaze was too intense.

He hands her a dress
from his arms. "Go into the stalls and change," he orders.
A couple sneers trickle from the two Saguinox behind him, and she
shrinks back. He raises an eyebrow, daring her to resist. Silently,
she takes the dress, and clutches it to her chest as if it can cover
her from their gaze. Her quick steps take her into a stall, and there
are fluttering sounds as the towel drops.

He points to another, a
strawberry blonde with faint freckles covering her skin. "You.
You're next." The girl cowers, bowing her head pitifully. "Come
now." The guard's voice is soft, almost patient. He talks to her
like she's a wounded animal. Looking at her wide blue eyes, she is.
"You won't be harmed."

Yeah right.

Nymphora can barely
contain her snort, and her nostrils flare out. We watch carefully,
suspicion still rampant. The girl lifts her hands for the dress. Her
towel isn't tight, and when her fingers leave her chest, the red
cloth nearly drops. Swiftly, the Saguinox guard catches it, moving
closer to hide her body with his own muscular one. He says something
to her, bending his head until his forehead's almost touching hers.
She's looking up at him as if she can't make up her mind. I can't
either. What sort of trick is this? I expect him to pull the cloth
from her thin body at any moment, but he moves back instead. He
gestures, and the girl goes into a stall, quiet as a mouse.

No one is sure what to
make of what we just saw. The tension lessens since we know we won't
be harmed, and each girl takes the offering without a sound. The
guards point at women, commanding them over like they're ordering
dinner. I'm repulsed, but also relieved. The commotion is enough to
cover what I want to do, and turning back, I attempt to push the door
back in.

"Nymphora," I
whisper loudly for her attention. "The door's stuck. Hurry!"
She gives me a startled look, swishing her tail.

"You've got to be
kidding!"

I grunt, pushing. "Not.
Kidding. Help. Me!"

She makes an aggravated
sound, and together we pull and push, heaving with our efforts. The
women are slowly disappearing into stalls, and I know it's only a
matter of time before we're noticed.

"It's broken,"
I finally tell Nymphora, halting her movements.

"No, it's not. We
just used it!"

"Stop." I
grab her arm anxiously. "Look, we're wasting time. We just have
to make sure they don't notice."

"And how are we
going to do that?" she asks angrily.

I take a deep breath
because I don't like what I'm about to say. "By creating a
distraction."

Her eyes open wide like
I'm out of my mind. "That's going to get us killed faster than
you can say the word!"

I take another deep
breath, hating my next thought. "Not if it's a distraction they
like."

"What does
that
mean?"

I nod to the two guards
who are too busy gawking to notice our stares. "Look at how they
look at us. The dresses make us beautiful- desirable."

She raises an eyebrow
then gestures to the red towel clashing horribly with her blue skin.

"It does," I
insist, remembering Rhys's sharp intake of breath when the dress was
put on me.

"Personally, I
think it makes them want to eat us," she interjects.

I shake my head,
ignoring her. "We can, oh, I don't know," I murmur,
thinking out loud, "maybe
flirt
with them?"

Her mouth drops open
for a solid five seconds. After that moment of astonishment passes,
she laughs.

I ignore her outburst,
and struggle on. "You, me and Chloris," I say, valiantly
trying to speak over her snorts.

Nymphora looks at
Chloris, who is incredibly timid leaving the shower stall. She plucks
at the dress, lifting it like she wants to hide inside. Nymphora
looks back at me, and laughs harder. "Forget it.
That's
not going to happen."

"Fine," I
snap, irritated. "
I'll
do it."

She's looking at me,
amused, which only annoys me more. I straighten, determined to prove
her wrong like our lives depend on it, which they do.

Everything I've ever
seen Bree and other popular girls at our school do flitters through
my mind. Images of girls lowering their lashes in playful shyness,
and lightly touching in flirtatious gestures tumble in my mind,
rolling into each other like sand. They always made it look smooth,
easy even. I attempt to move with more grace, swaying my hips
slightly like I had seen women do in movies.

I glance up, but no one
other than Nymphora watches me. She's giving me an I-told-you-so
look, and I clench my teeth.
I need to be noticed
now
,
more than ever.
Boldly, I walk straight to the red haired guard,
whom I'm almost positive is the one in command.

"Excuse me."
I attempt to make my voice thick and husky. I point to a scarlet
dress. "May I have one," I gulp, "H-honey?"

He's looking at me in
utter shock, and for a moment I feel like his mouth is going to stay
open from pure astonishment. His cheeks flush, and he bites his lower
lip. Something in his eyes glint, and he blinks, hiding it before I
can understand it.

"Yes," he
says, swallowing hard. He looks a little embarrassed. He's taken off
guard, and it's making him speechless. For some reason that knowledge
makes me more confident.

I edge closer. Ancient
womanly instinct kicks in, and I lock my eyes with his. I have no
idea what I'm doing, and the whole time I'm acting this out, another
part of me is cringing, wanting to hide under a rock. But I don't
back down. I keep my gaze level with his.

I stand tall.

He catches his breath,
staring at me, and for the second time in my life I wonder what a man
sees when he looks at me.

"Here," he
finally says. He hands me the cloth, careful not to touch my fingers.
I'm clutching the towel to my chest, and I see his eyes glance there
quickly, before he looks into mine.

"Go change."

I hold the dress limply
in my arms.

Swiftly, he gives me
his back. "Boys," he calls out, his deep voice rumbling in
the quiet room. The other two guards look up. One looks slightly
annoyed at being interrupted. When he has their attention, he says,
"You two go ahead. I've got it here."

"You sure? I don't
mind staying longer," the one who looks the most annoyed offers.
His eyes never stop moving, staring at us in a way that unnerves me.

"Yes," the
red haired guard replies, his voice hard. I see his shoulders stiffen
ahead of me. "Go." The command is harsh. "Now!"
The two walk off, sending irritated glances back, but they don't
argue.

He doesn't look back to
acknowledge me as he walks to the entrance. Even though I'm left
standing alone, I don't feel rejected. I can't describe the feeling
coursing through my blood, but it's something powerful. I glance at
Nymphora, who's looking at me with a slightly awed expression.

I hide a secret smile.

It's quiet for the rest
of the time we're there; but this time the quiet isn't one filled
with fear. At one point, it even feels calm. I keep my eyes trained
on the Saguinox guard as I disrobe, but he never turns back to stare
at us. Not even once.

I think about what
Nymphora said about how like humans, shape shifters are all
different, and I begin to wonder if the same can be said about the
Saguinox. Rhys's golden eyes flash in my mind. A flutter runs through
me.

Without thinking my
mind calls out,
Rhys?

As soon as I say his
name, I want to take it back. I don't know what he can do in my head,
and I'm scared he might see what Nymphora and I did. I wait with
rising panic, but I don't feel his presence in my mind. A minute
passes by, and still, I don't sense anything. Strangely, I'm relieved
and disappointed at the same time.