Wolf Dream (27 page)

A shiver coursed
through Regina’s body as she fought to open her eyes.  The room was exceptionally dark and cold, and she could feel the dampness in the air more than usual.  Behind her, she could hear a trickle of water that ran down a wall.  She knew she was in one of the holding cells beneath the Den where prisoners were kept.

She moaned and her head pounded fiercely.  Blinking, she remembered Cica and her blade.  It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.  He wasn’t supposed to step in the way.  Why?

Hot tears ran down her face.  A sharp pain shot through her right arm as she twisted her body.  Lying on the floor made her numb with cold.  She tried to sit up more comfortably, but it was difficult with her arms bent behind her back and manacles around her wrists.  Each movement made the heavy chains scrape against the rock floor.  It felt as though someone threw her down into the room from above.  That was probably the truth.  She worked with the guards enough to know the abuse they would have inflicted on her while she was unconscious.

Regina whimpered as she forced herself to move.  Everything hurt, from her head to her legs.  Angling her arm, she managed to face her palm down on the ground and pushed.  She was able to rise up enough to slip her other arm out from under her seemingly heavy body.  “
Ahh,” she cried out as stinging pains shot through her shoulder.

Her head continued to throb with each beat of her heart.  Tears fell faster and her stomach felt sick with the pain.  Finally, she sat up, leaning on her hand.  Her balance still off as the room spun.

“Hello, beautiful,” a gravelly voice said from across the room.  “It’s a good thing you stab like a girl.”

She jerked her head up.  Over by the only exit in the room, Cica emerged from the shadows, stepping into the sliver of light that came from up above.  She let out a sigh of relief and sniffed back more tears.

“I thought I killed you.”

“It would take a lot more than a silly girl to kill me.”  He walked toward her, slightly wincing with each step.

Her heart broke because she knew that she was the cause of his pain.  “I’m so sorry.”  She tried to sit up even straighter.  “And I’m not a girl, I’m a woman, or have you forgotten?”  She grit her teeth through the pain.

“Oh no, I could never forget.”  His mouth curved up.

“Why, Cica?  Why were you there?  Why did you step in front of him?  Why didn’t you let me kill him?”  Fresh tears burned her eyes.

“You’ll thank me someday.  I knew you needed a distraction so you could leave without someone wondering where you went.  I just changed your plans a bit.”

It hadn’t occurred to her that someone would care where she was.  “Does that mean you’re still getting me out of here?”

“You think I’d let you rot down here?  You’ve got to work on your faith.  Besides, you need me to get to land, and I’m tired of being stuck here.”

“I thought you betrayed me,” she whispered and hung her head.

“Regina, I know you better than you think.  Now come on, I was only able to buy us a window of an hour to leave.  It took all my good looks and charming charisma.”  He tried jesting as he squat down, his face cringing as he moved.

He removed a black key from the front pocket of his leather vest that he now wore.  His bare arms glistened with beads of sweat.  It was the first good look she’d had of him in the dark room.  He had a bandage wrapped around his middle where a dark spot bled through.

She looked up, holding his gaze.  “Ha ha.  You have to have charisma first,” she teased back as he unlocked her manacles.

“I charm you all time.”  He winked at her.

She glanced back down at his bandage.  “I’m worried about you.”

“It’s fine.  Once we make it out of here, you can look at it better but we don’t have time right now.”

She swallowed.  “I’m sorry.”  Tears blurred her vision again.

“Not now Regina.”  He was right, as usual.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her wrists after he released them from their bondage.  Despite the pain, he helped her to stand.  She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss.  “Just in case,” she whispered.

You Can find Mark of the Dragon for all Ereaders and in paperback. Amazon and Barnes and Noble.