by Jadyn Chase
Peering over the edge, all I saw was an abyss of blackness. My heart sank. This was seeming like an even dumber idea than I originally thought. I’d given her too much room.
“Come on,” she said pulling her hair into a ponytail, “You can swim, right?”
“Only if I have to,” I admitted. I’d prefer to leave the water to the Scalers with gills; Scalers like Aya.
She didn’t say another word to me, only backing up to the edge with her arms extended out like she was about to sprout wings. It made me wonder what she’d look like scaling into a Black Sapphire … extraordinary I believe. But fantasies of us flying into the sunset disappeared as fast as she did under the surface of the water.
FUCK!
I took three deep breaths and took off after her. I dove into the water like a missile. My eyes burned for a moment as my lungs tried to regulate themselves. I had to fight scaling underwater. Fear damn sure tried its best to overcome me, making me believe I needed to survive this dive. I’d never done it under water before. I had no idea what would happen if I did and I was in no mood to find out.
I paddled for a moment trying to find which way was up when I felt her fingers grab me. Suddenly, she lit up like a mermaid. Her smile, her eyes, she wasn’t bothered one bit like I was. She waved her hand at to me to follow her. So I did. It’s not like I had too many other options.
We glided through the water toward a spinning light. It looked like a buoy that had flipped upside down and simply stayed there. I was surprised I couldn’t see this light from the surface. It made me wonder how far down we actually were. There wasn’t much time to ponder it as my chest began to grow tighter. I was running out of air and Whisper was a few feet in front of me. I swam harder and caught up in just enough time to pass under what would have been the edge of the wall we’d just dove off of.
Within seconds we were able to stand in shallow water. She laughed and it echoed like we were in a cave, but I knew that to be untrue. We were in an underground part of the city. I could hear music, people, and the aroma of something cooking over an open flame hit me, making me hungry.
We were greeted by Aya, to my surprise. I bowed my head to her, but she held her hand up to Whisper. She snapped her fingers and someone with a leash around their neck brought a tray with two glasses on it. They held a bubbling blue liquid with smoke wafting out of the glass.
“You drink,” Aya commanded us.
I nodded and swallowed the beverage. My insides burned for a moment before my entire body heated up. In seconds, I was completely dry.
“When we have to leave, we won’t get wet on the way out either,” Whisper told me.
It was clear she’d done this before. Me? I had no idea this even existed.
“Come on!” she held her hand out, but Aya stopped her from moving forward pointing to me and wagging her finger back and forth.
“I am the only Scaler allowed down here. You know that,” Aya said to Whisper.
“Please, Priestess, we just need a moment, a safe place to talk, and then we’ll leave,” she begged her.
Aya looked me up and down and then to Whisper, “You talk, and then you go. Make it quick.”
“Yes, Aya,” Whisper said with a humbleness in her tone. She seemed like she was more scared of her than she was of any of us.
I followed her toward an entrance that looked more like a party was going on, but that’s not where we went. She led me past that and down a hall to another door. It seemed like we were walking through a maze until we came to a large opening. I watched her move toward it, and finally sat down. When I joined her, we were high above the party looking out over the people and the water we’d just come out of.
“A lot of us come here to unwind and have a good time. It’s one of the reasons why Aya doesn’t want you here,” she said softly.
“I didn’t know that you all were familiar with her,” I told her.
“Oh yes, very much so. She’s quite the business woman, playing both sides. But I only brought you here because you said we needed to talk and this is the safest place I know that we can do that and still let me walk away without being your pet,” she reasoned.
“You might be able to walk away without being my pet, but are you prepared to be a mermaid for the rest of your life? You won’t be able to walk around up top anymore without me, without my mark for protection. I’ve tried to let it go since the day we met, but now without it? Skinner, Bart, they’ll all want you. I can’t even believe you’ve made it this long,” I chuckled.
“What do you mean?” she stared at me.
“You really don’t remember me, do you? You have no idea who I am?” I asked her with a raised eyebrow.
She shook her head, “No. I mean outside of what you did for me today, I can’t say that I remember running into anyone like you.”
I wriggled my neck around a bit trying to shave the years of Black Harbor living off of my face, telling her in a hushed tone, “My name’s Ashton, and I live near The Towers.”
“No that wasn’t you!” she shoved me and this time I moved under her touch. “I was wondering why those assholes at The Towers looked at me like I was crazy. I thought you were going to put in a good word for me.”
“Believe me, my word doesn’t hold much weight under the buildings, but anywhere above it’s golden,” I smiled.
“I see that. So what makes you think you can convince me that being one of your play things is going to make all of this okay? What stops them from sniffing me through the air and coming to snatch me away from you?”
“I’d have to mark you. Every time they find you, they know you’re unmarked. They check to be sure but normally, there would be a clean line just above your heart, running parallel to your collar bone, that stops right over it. Your scent wouldn’t be as strong either. It would mixed with mine. You’d be safe,” I told her.
“But I’d be yours. I’m not property. I’m not -”
I stopped her, “I know that. It’s why I haven’t done anything yet. It’s why I chose to dive into the dark waters of Black Harbor after you. It’s why I’m sitting with you right now. I’ve been keeping tabs on you since the day we’ve met. That day I was supposed to take you but the guy you met today-”
“Finner Skinch?” she snarled mocking his name.
“No, the other one,” I chuckled, “Bartholomew Victor, leader of the Scarlet Wings.”
She swallowed hard, “He was the leader of the Scarlet Wings?”
“Yeah.”
“I shouldn’t be alive right now, should I?”
“Not after riding my motorcycle, no you shouldn’t,” I replied honestly. “Bart’s exacting when it comes to his gifts, and in his position when it comes to your type.”
“What position is that?” she turned to face me.
I wanted nothing more than to hold her face in my hands and kiss her deeply. I didn’t want to have to convince her anymore that she should be with me. She should just know that what I’m telling her was in her best interest. If she wouldn’t believe the words I had to say, then I’d have to do something even more drastic to convince her. But for now, I’d continue to reason with her, “He doesn’t like to keep pets.”
“But he called me delectable,” she said with a noticeable chill rippling down her body.
“Yeah delectable in his eyes means menu worthy. I’m not a fan of eating things that look like me, but I can’t say that for every Scaler out there, especially with conditions in Black Harbor as they are.”
“So, I have the leader of the Onyx Skulls trying to keep me as his pet. To be one of the many he’s already claimed from multiple stations to juggle his balls while the leader of the Scarlet Wings wants me filleted and slathered in butter,” she gazed into my eyes, “So if you mark me, neither of them can have me then right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. You’ve been off limits for a while, but you’re out in the open too much. You’re getting into way too much trouble than I can get you out of, and honestly, you’re
exhausting to keep after,” I laughed.
“Jasper says the same thing. I’ve always felt like someone was watching over me. I kind of wanted to believe it was my parents or something dreamy like that, but I guess my own winged protector is just as good as sweet memories… Better even. I’ve never said this to a Scaler before, but thank you, Ashton. Thank you for saving my life.”
I wanted to return the gratitude, but my nerves stopped me from saying anything else. The fact was that after I met her, I never looked at another Anthros the same. Every time I saw a female, I wished it was her. Every time I heard someone running, I wished it was her. And for those occasions that it was, I’d keep my dragon to the sky to keep her protected along the ground. It’s only been today where I had to physically step in. And now here we were, trying to figure out our next move, together. But I knew what our next move had to be. I had to take her home.
“There’s no other way you get out of this alive unless I take you to The Towers,” I leveled with her.
She sighed and nodded, “I think I’m starting to believe you on that.”
“Why don’t you let me take you there under the guise of being my pet, and we’ll take it from there? I won’t mark you unless you tell me it’s okay. As for now, with the way I feel about you, I’m not going to let you out of my sight. You’ll never be okay if I do.”
“Fine, Ashton,” she reluctantly agreed, “Let’s go to The Towers.”
7
Whisper
Ashton went over a few specifics of what I needed to know when he took me to The Towers. I was so frightened by the whole ordeal, I could barely concentrate on what he was telling me. By the time we’d gotten to his bike and rode over there, I realized I’d forgotten just about everything he had told me. He must have picked up on my anxiety as he parked the bike and helped me off.
“Now remember, don’t antagonize anyone here, and keep your mouth shut” he said, “Stay to my right and two steps behind me.”
“Yes master,” I mumbled under my breath as we were walking, but he must have heard me.
He stopped and turned around to face me. Gripping my shoulders in his hands, he jerked me back a little, “This is both of our lives on the line here! I can only skirt the rules so much before I’m held accountable, and after all of the shit I went through today, we have to make this work. We have to make this look good. So pay attention and follow my cues.”
“Okay,” I conceded. I needed to take this seriously. It’s more than obvious that he was. As comfortable as I felt with him around, the fact that he was uneasy made me focus a little bit harder.
He took a deep breath and began again, “Stand to my right and two steps behind me. There’s a woman standing just inside the gate. She’s vicious, but in a deceitful sort of way. Don’t listen to her or anything she tells you to do. She’ll get you killed and laugh every step of the way. Once we make it past her, I’ll remind you what to do next.”
“Okay.”
The Towers weren’t equal in height, and they weren’t as close together as I thought they were. A few blocks were actually between them. My focus on the scenery only served as a means of distraction. I didn’t feel good about this. I should have listened to Jasper. I should have never taken his bike. I never would have been in this position to begin with.
“Pay attention,” he told me, abruptly breaking into my thoughts.
I looked around and began to see the faces of people and Scalers looking at us … looking at me. Swallowing hard, we walked by a group of them. There was a woman standing next to one in the same position as me, to the right and a few steps behind. She didn't dare make eye contact with me or with anyone else. There was a collar around her neck that held two chains which bound her by each wrist. There was an even thicker chain that dropped from the center of her neck down to the waist of the zippered garment she wore like a bikini where the crotch opened up.
“They all don’t look like that,” he told me. He must have felt my mind changing with every step we took closer to the building. “That’s just Herk’s way of keeping his pet. I think she’s the one who picked it out. Last week her thing was a muzzle.”
“It changes?” I asked trying not to ogle and glare at them in any particular way. I wanted to follow the rules. I didn’t want to antagonize anyone here. So I kept my eyes on Ashton’s back and followed close behind.
Blue flames burned alongside a pathway like a landing strip leading the way into the first Tower building. It reminded me of The Gears station making me wonder if Jasper was okay and if he’d gone out to look for me. There were no walls, only doorways and the steel frames of the building stood intact on the ground floor. Flames circled the perimeter of these panel-less walls. As we entered, people began to whisper and point. Some even laughed. I wondered what the hell was so funny?!
Then, just as he said, she appeared out of the darkness. Her eyes were emerald green that appeared to glow. Her long black hair reminded me of oil spilling into the water. She wore a black bustier that cut off just above her belly button. Her leather pants were skin tight, but she smelled of vanilla. Her smile was contagious as she approached.
“My, oh my, what do we have here, Ash?” she gleamed with salacious joy.
“Something everyone’s been waiting to see. I’ve finally decided to bring her home,” he said confidently. The pause in his tone made me wonder if he thought I was going to rebut his statement. Under any other circumstance I would, but I needed to be on my best behavior, especially if I wanted to make it out of here alive.
The woman circled around me, licking her lips. She rubbed herself with her hands before moving toward me. She only got a finger under a few of my strands before Ashton yanked me closer to him.
“No one touches her!” he snarled, “Is that understood?”
“I’ll respect it, Ash. You know I will honey, but the others? That’s a lot of people you’re threatening over a piece of flesh that ain’t been branded yet.”
“What’s with you guys and the branding anyway?” I mumbled under my breath. He squeezed my wrist gently, undoubtedly as a warning to keep my mouth shut. That’s okay. I could take a hint.
“She will be,” he told her, “Don’t you worry about it. And stay away from her and out of my chambers Miranda!”
“You didn’t always use to be that way,” she giggled running her long-nailed finger through his hair, around his ear, and down to his neck stopping just beneath his chin. She pulled it down, so he could look her in the eyes. Before Ashton could say anything else, she had her tongue in his mouth. He backed away almost instantly with a crazed look in his eyes.
“Are you insane?! Don’t do that again!” he warned her.
“Aww but I want the real Ash to come out and play. It’s been such a long time,” she prodded.
“You’re crazy,” he said shaking his head, “Piss off! I mean it!”
“Fine, fine, fine,” she sighed, “I guess I’ll just go finger myself and fuck with someone else’s pet tonight. You should bring her to Preston first. I’m sure he’s going to want to take a good look at her. The cause of all your problems, and grief.”
She finally left us, and Ashton led me over to one of the elevators. While there wasn’t an abundance of lights on the ground level, the elevator seemed to work just fine. It didn’t even stop on the first ten floors. The buttons only showed the top four floors to be exact.
“How does everyone get to the other floors?” my curiosity had gotten the better of me.
Ashton smirked motioning over his wriggling shoulder to his back, “We’ve got it covered.”
“What floor do you live on?”
“Second to the top,” he said. “Only the leaders of the Sapphires stay on the top level.”
“Does your place look like, um, well is it like the…” my voice trailed off so he could finish my thought.
He did just that, “My place looks like a home, feels like a home, and it also has walls and doors unlike the bottom floors of thi
s building. There are too many windows, but I appreciate my privacy. Just wait, you’ll see.”
That’s exactly what I did as we stepped off of the elevator together. It opened up into a community space. There were a few people standing around, but not many. It wasn’t too large of an area, but it was big enough for a crowd to be waiting for us. Ashton’s stature got noticeably harder. He flexed his muscles as he walked, wrapping his fingers tightly around my hand leading me through the space and towards a discreet corner of the floor. There was a long hallway that made me feel like we were walking on a tightrope without any windows to stop me from falling out, but Ashton kept me to the inside against a wall. I was beginning to have a new-found appreciation for walls.
The hallway stopped at a door to which he simply just turned the knob, swung the door open and we walked inside. The black marble floors were a beautiful sight. I’d only seen them in old magazines Charlotte kept around. Everything around Black Harbor was always so grey, brown, and dirty. The most colorful aspects of the city were the winged beasts that forced us to hide in the shadows. He didn’t have windows inside the apartment, but I appreciated the walls that separated his space from the common one that everyone else shared.
There was a small kitchen area but still beautifully designed. Lights were on, just for the sake of being on. I wondered how long he got to leave them on. Jasper insisted that my L.E.D lanterns be used three hours a day at the most.
Ashton didn’t say anything as he walked into the kitchen. He poured me something to drink and handed me the cup. Looking inside of it, I was skeptical.
“It’s water. You need some,” he told me, “Drink it and get some rest. When my father comes down, I’ll try my best to get him out of here, but he’s going to want you marked as soon as possible. No Anthros are allowed in this building if they aren’t.”
“I understand,”I told him. For the time being, I’d go for whatever he said. I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t want to be hunted down either. Until I figured my way out of this, I was going to have to do what I despised the most … I had to prepare myself to be his pet.
