[DL-K]  Sleeping With the Enemy

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

K'drik picked restlessly at the plate of food.  He'd eaten until his stomach 
ached, but was still overwhelmed by a hunger he could not seem to sate.  
Prisoner or no, Ar'lan had been generous with the provender, keeping him 
well supplied with venison, mutton, and cheap red wine.  Overfull and mildly 
drunk, K'drik sprawled on the bed uncomfortably.

The cell was as dank as ever, but at least Ar'lan had given him clothing to 
help him fight off the damp and chill.  Probably some of Ar'lan's own 
clothes, judging by the oversized fit.  The fabric bore a faint musky scent 
that K'drik found appealing in spite of himself.

K'drik reminded himself fiercely that Ar'lan was a rogue rider, a 
calculating man who seemed to have no compunctions about using both K'drik 
and Jacinth for his own ends.

<This makes no sense,> Jacinth observed.  <I eat and eat, but can't ever get 
full!>  She, too, had lately been supplied with generous portions of game; 
Ar'lan and Phard had obviously done an excellent job hunting these last few 
days.

<Ah-ha, you're the culprit,> K'drik observed.  <I'm picking up extra hunger 
from you.>

<Wish I could get a sense of fullness from you instead,> she replied.

Their first mental conversation after their capture had been joyous relief.  
Since then, they still hadn't seen one another in the flesh, since they were 
being held in separate cells, but they mind-talked frequently.  They tried 
to keep the same hours, sleeping and waking, in order to keep each other 
mental company, but the monotony of several days' captivity blurred the 
passage of time.

<Have you seen or heard from our hosts recently?> K'drik asked, more bored 
than curious.

<Hosts?>  Jacinth murmured with slight disbelief.  <If you mean our 
*captors*, I last saw the man a couple of hours ago, when he left the 
carcasses I'm working on right now.  He took the stitches out of my wings 
today, and didn't re-bandage them this time.  I guess he thinks they're good 
enough, now.>

<Are they?>

An experimental flap or two later, she replied.  <Not quite good as new, but 
they'll work properly.  Not a dragonhealer, to be sure, but he's done field 
surgery before, I'll wager.>

<How about Phard?>

<I haven't *seen* that horrid blue since the day they took us, but I hear 
his creepy mind-voice from time to time.  The bully gloats,> she observed 
miserably.

<Bullies often do,> K'drik replied, rousing himself for another drink of 
wine.  He didn't dare voice the thought that had crossed his mind just 
then...

<Fine, I'll apologize!> Jacinth thought testily, catching his drift anyway.  
<As soon as we get back home, I'll tell that little wretch Lazara I'm sorry 
that I mocked her.  Satisfied?>

<You might want to omit the phrase 'little wretch' from the apology,> K'drik 
observed, loosening the already-loose shirt.  For the first time in days he 
actually felt warm.

<You're drunk,> Jacinth observed with mild amusement.  <Say, I didn't think 
you could do that... I thought you got sick whenever you drank...?>

<Just that awful stuff D'Neor puts away,> K'drik replied.  <A sip or two of 
that stuff is enough to make me lose a meal or two...>

<Please, I'm eating!>  Jacinth protested, slurping down a huge gobbet of raw 
meat.

<...almost as bad as that stuff in that bottle we found,> K'drik continued, 
unabashed.  <It only took the *smell* of that drug to make me sick all the 
rest of that day.  I must be allergic to it or something...>

K'drik's head swam with the sudden realization.  <It *is* the drug!  
Someone's been drugging D'Neor's wine...  no wonder he's been behaving so 
strangely of late...>

<No wonder,> Jacinth agreed.  <He's not worthy of you anyway, K'drik-Mine.>

K'drik blinked.  Not worthy?  <Why?  Just because he's been... distant... 
ever since that night?>

<Not worthy,> she repeated.  <No male is worthy!>  Waves of impatience and 
annoyance washed across their bond.  K'drik would have been overwhelmed by 
it, had he not figured out the cause of it.

<It's time,> he told her.   <You're about to rise to mate.  The hunger, your 
mood...>

<Don't be ridiculous!>  she snapped.  <Don't you think I'd know if it was 
time?  And it's not time yet.>

<It isn't?>

<No, not now.>  There was a long pause.  <Now.>  Panic and frustration.  <I 
can't get out of this cavern!>

<Relax,> K'drik said with a calmness he in no way felt.  <They'll let you 
out for this.  It's what *they* wanted, after all.>

<I have to get out!   I have to->

%you may teleport% Phard's eerie voice cut through Jacinth's rising terror.  
%but not far%     %just to open sky so you may fly%     %try to reach home 
and he will pay%

<I need not teleport more than once to escape the likes of  you!> Jacinth 
shot scornfully.  <An open sky is all I need...>  with that she seized an 
image of the place they'd first encountered the rogue pair, and teleported.

K'drik had pulled off the suddenly-too-warm shirt and was struggling in vain 
against the leg iron when Ar'lan arrived bearing a lantern, which he set in 
one corner.  The larger rider was also shirtless, and beads of sweat ran 
down his rock-solid chest and abdomen.  His hair was loose this time and 
flowed in a ruddy mane to his shoulders, and his eyes gleamed fiercely in 
the flickering light.  "The chase is on, lad," he murmured meaningfully.  He 
stretched a hand toward K'drik's face, but stopped inches short.

"I'd almost forgotten," Ar'lan rumbled with a smirk.  "You haven't asked for 
this yet."

K'drik drew nearer, but Ar'lan stepped back, just out of reach.  K'drik was 
on fire, desire and revulsion warring within him.   This man was the enemy, 
yet K'drik desired him anyway.  He wanted to scream, to pull away... but 
even more than that, he wanted *him*.

Somewhere in the back of his mind K'drik felt the chase end; Phard had 
captured Jacinth easily.  No surprise there, really; he was a strong fast 
flyer, and her wings had barely healed.  K'drik's attention was focused on 
the nearer chase.

Ar'lan was breathing hard, visibly excited.  His hands twitched eagerly.  
"Say the word, lad, and the chase ends."  He stepped closer.  "You know you 
want me, lad.  This happens, now."

"I'm not a lad," K'drik muttered through clenched teeth.  "My name is 
K'drik, and I am a man and a dragonrider."

"Indeed?"  Ar'lan caressed the younger man's jaw, the beginnings of a dark 
beard rough against his hand.  His hands played across the curls of his 
chest, then inched downward.  His eyebrows shot up in pleased surprise.  "A 
man indeed, it seems.  Very well, enough games, K'drik.  You want me...  
even as I want you."

"Even if I do..."  somewhere Jacinth was in the throes of her first mating.  
It was bittersweet, feeling her through the bond while he himself stood 
aching.  He thought again of D'Neor sadly, fleetingly...

Ar'lan knelt and unlocked the leg fetter.  "Run, then, if you wish...  or be 
mine."

K'drik trembled.  Jacinth had already been claimed in the flight.  The urge 
to be taken in kind was overwhelming, the presence of the other rider 
filling him with delight and dread.  "Please," he whispered.

"You had but to ask," Ar'lan replied triumphantly, taking him in his arms.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

K'drik awakened in an unfamiliar bed chamber, sparsely appointed but clean.  
They'd mated once - no, twice - in the dank cell, then K'drik had drifted 
off to sleep...  Ar'lan must have carried him here.  K'drik began to slip 
from the bed, but a powerful arm wrapped itself around him and pulled him 
firmly back to the warm bulk beside him.

"Not so fast, K'drik," Ar'lan murmured.  "I'd rather have you here than back 
in the cell..."

"Why?" K'drik said coolly, euphoria of recent mating slowly fading to the 
realization of what had transpired, and with whom.  "The deed is done; I 
sense that Phard has already forced Jacinth to teleport back to your 
would-be hatching cavern, and taken his leave of her.  The dragonlust has 
long since faded."

For an answer, Ar'lan kissed him deeply, yearningly.  "Perhaps, but perhaps 
it served to awaken deeper lusts in its passing.  We gave ourselves to each 
other.  I felt it happen."

"Only because the flight compelled us," K'drik protested weakly, not 
entirely believing it himself.

"At first, yes," Ar'lan agreed.  "I wasn't quite able to wrap my mind around 
it, at first...  but once it happened, I realized I wanted it, too.  And you 
gave yourself to me.  At first it was because you had no choice... but I 
felt the change, partway through, when you began to want it for yourself.  
You gave yourself to me, and I accepted."

K'drik tried to deny it, but Ar'lan kissed him again before he could protest 
further, and again a third time.  Ar'lan's body pressed close against his 
own; whatever Ar'lan's previous feelings, there was no reluctance on his 
part now.  The force of Ar'lan's need and lust was as intoxicating as 
Jacinth's had been through the dragonbond.  K'drik's resistance melted, and 
he and the rogue rider began to explore each other once more.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

K'drik had half-expected to be returned to his cell afterwards, but Ar'lan 
insisted that he stay in his room instead.  "You belong here now," Ar'lan 
explained.

"If I'm no longer a prisoner, let me go completely," K'drik implored him.  
"Show me the way out."  For even though he was no longer confined and 
allowed to roam the tunnels, the caverns were labyrinthine, and Ar'lan's men 
observed his comings and goings.  K'drik guessed he hadn't even come close 
to finding the exit yet, since none had tried to stop him.

"Not yet," Ar'lan said.  "Not until after our clutch hatches," he said with 
a broad grin.  "Maybe not even then; why stop at one clutch, after all?  
You'll stay here, with me.  I could use an able lieutenant, to help me train 
the others.  Among other duties."

K'drik realized with a sinking feeling that the odyssey was nowhere near 
finished...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


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