Roo never expected bones as soft as ivory to greet his hands.
In the utter darkness Roo couldn’t tell whose bones they were, or how old they were, but he could still smell Fleur and her strawberry and scream scent, yet these bones in his hands, they were shackled secure to a wall of … freezing cold … stone?
The chains rattled loud and crisp, but they were less rattled than he was. His heart raced faster than a panicked stallion. Yet he remained physically still. As if calm. Before a storm.
He gulped.
Focused himself to focus. On his ragged breath. His thumping heart deep. The sludge freezing his toes. The air chilling his body. His body shivering.
But no.
Stay calm. Think of warmth. Like Peaches snuggling with him.
He didn’t earn his position simply because he was a Vorshaya.
Some fear would help him stay alive, as long as he didn’t give in to it too much, or else he was as good as dead.
And if he died, Peaches couldn’t snuggle with him and … wait, familiars who failed to keep their masters alive … no. She’d live, but she’d only have one more life, and without realizing it.
Forget snuggling, she might still be too frustrated at him. Without a chance to make up for whatever was … no, he should of listened to her. Peaches agreed to go familiar, but not genie. It wasn’t his position to demand obedience. That she did, after getting huffy and growly at him, spoke better of her than it did about him, and damn.
He’d need to make up for it.
Once he got out.
That meant he needed to survive.
At least the ground here was starting to get bit warmer, but it was still far too soft underneath his bare vulnerable feet. His body shivered again. A chilly breeze struck all of him?
Enough to make him taste his empty stomach.
And yes, his stomach was empty for far too long.
How long had he been here?
Bad enough he flirted with Fleur right after familiaring Peaches and revealing he familiared Ruby, apparently one of Peaches archrivals, but then against orc and elves were often at each other’s throats, and girls could be worse than guys at that, and brilliant him put himself between them, so better survive or else they’d probably take the chance to kill each other for the final time.
“Fleur,” he said, “We’re in separate cells.”
“No,” she said, “I am zee skeleton in your hands. Just like you are zee skeleton fondling my arms.”
“Really,” he said, “Your bones are like ivory. I’d snap the shackles but–”
“Damage my bones,” she said, “And yessss, you are hurting me a bit even now. Please stop.”
“Okay okay,” he said and let go.
“Vee need to get out of her, yet …” she said, and sighed.
“If I pull your shackles out of the wall …” he said.
“No,” she said, “It is zee shackles around my arms and ankles zat need breaking, yet …”
His power burst would only last so much longer, and he was reluctant to waste much more time.
“I understand,” he said, “But we don’t have time to waste.”
“Vat do you …” she said.
“Trust me,” he said and took some sludge from the floor. Splattered it over her ankle bones, and held the shackle in place.
“Ooo,” she said, “Zat is … ick, but … clever.”
Suddenly loud rattles rang out. Loud whimper.
“Now my wrists,” she said.
He splattered the sludge over her wrists. Held the shackles. And she slipped out of them.
When he suddenly felt warm lips of sleek fine scales smooch his lips.
“It is cold but …” she said, and …
He felt scale warm arms cuddling around him. A sultry chest pressed against his. A warm body of sultry sleek scales against hi bare body.
“Some time,” she said, “Too warm up. I am a serpent, no? Zee cold is …”
Roo wrapped his arms around her back. Her slim waist.
And kissed her lips again.
“Please,” she said, “No sex. Yet. No here. Not like zees. As icky prisoners. Just … cuddle and warm me up. Please.”
Roo gave her another warm kiss on the sultry lips.
“As you wish,” he said, and rubbed her back nice and massaging.
Just as she vanished into thin air.