2 Part 2

"You! It was you I saw! I wouldn't have crashed if it wasn't for you! Argh!" The last word came out as a growl as she launched herself at him. With his mouth and eyes popped open widely she would have laughed at it if not for being so pissed she could kill.

Bracing her legs under the water he reached up and grabbed ahold of her arms and pinned them behind her back as she fell into his chest. Her snarling and spitting only made him smile wider. What a spitfire she was.

"I believe I said calm down, didn't I? I'll put you under if I have to. Don't get me wrong restraining you is fun and all, but I really should check in." he couldn't resist winking at her knowing it would set her off again.

"Gah. What is with you? I swear, you do let me loose I won't hesitate to take off a limb or two!" Her knee hung precariously close to the 'family jewels' so to speak. Realizing this he shifted his hips and pulled her arms in tighter. Locking his gaze with hers, flashing grey and bright cerulean clash in a battle of wills. Her temper seemed to ebb away as light seemed to swirl in their depths. Something seemed to sweep away the hostility and allowed a semblance of peace instead. He watched the flare of anger leave her eyes and the tension of her limbs loosen so he released his hold slowly. Weaving on her feet she used his shoulders to steady herself. Blinking rapidly she dropped her hands as if burned.

"Fine, let's go check in. You sure as shit know I'm not standing here dripping wet to wait for you to get back. Least you could do after assaulting me is to show me where to get clean clothes. You'd probably love for me to catch hypothermia, oh and by the way, you owe me a new pair of boots."

"A new pair of boots?" he looked at her with a small amount of amusement. Bending her knee she lifted her right foot out of the water and pulled off her boot, a cascade of water poured out from the inside. Shaking the wet leather in front of his face she looked at him like "duh!"

"These are what I'm talking about idiot. For being a handsome guy you don't have a lot up in the head do you?" Carrying her boots smashed against her wet chest she gestures for him to show the way. With an undignified snort he patted her head and walked past her. Biting her lip she reigned in her temper. If she was going to get out of here she needed to find her way around which left her only one option. Follow the insufferable man. In front of her he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Listening to her stomp, like a pouting child, almost made his day brighter.

Meeting the eyes of the clansmen and women that lingered outside the bathing cavern though made him sober up pretty quickly. The weary eyes and the questioning looks brought back the real reason why he had brought the girl here. When everyone's gaze moved from being curious to wary he knew she had followed and was now in view, puddles of water following their footsteps.

Knowing everyone wanted to ask him questions he shook his head towards them warning them away. Coughing slightly he looked over his shoulder. "So you think I'm handsome huh?" Placing a lot of emphasis on being cheerful he still couldn't keep out the strain of tension from coloring his voice.

"Typical. Call a guy handsome and that's all he thinks about. Worse than a damn girl, I swear." Muttering she huffed catching the change in his demeanor she attempted to discreetly look around their surroundings. For a cave it was certainly well lit and it was a seemed classier than some of the five star hotels in Boston. How could they come up with all this inside of a cave? If it weren't for how she came to be here and the disheveled look of the people milling about a person might have thought they were actually in one of those five star exclusive hotels. What she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around was that brief tingle of magick they had passed thru earlier. Only barriers produced that brief a feeling. So another question to add to her list was where they would be that these people would need a barrier only fae could produce. Who were these people and why did they need to be hidden. It felt like she had fallen into the rabbit hole.

Nothing made sense. They couldn't be human rebels. The reports would have indicated any activity of them, especially to those who hold the reins. Could they possibly be? No it couldn't be. A lair of dragons. There hasn't ever been a lair on an island before. There wasn't enough heat and way way too much water. That was, until, the unseasonable heat and subsequent drought that was eating up the island. It wouldn't have occurred to her. Hell even the report didn't say or suggest any of this. Intelligence was falling way behind if they couldn't pick up on this.

All of this she mused pretty quickly. Had to do something other than watching droplets glisten at the ends of deep brown ringlets to fall and cascade down the nape of his neck and onto his collar. She so needed a real vacation and a visit to a spa. Muscles she didn't use were aching just thinking about the piece of meat strutting in front of her. Sighing exasperatedly she hurried her steps and walked beside him.

"How much further? These clothes are getting awfully uncomfortable and I'm getting extremely hungry. You will be the one to blame should I start eating people. I want to leave as soon as possible so let's get this show on the road." She made herself seem like a snotty brat hoping he would want to be rid of her quickly if she made herself be as unappealing as possible. Her musings didn't go unnoticed. He kept a close watch on her. Her emotions were easily passing across her face. A small crease in her brow made him want to push it in with his fingers.

"Do all beautiful girls complain this much? Or am I getting special attention? You did after all say I was handsome. Oh, and as for your clothes and...", a loud growl erupted next to him momentarily silencing him and making her look up with a wide eyes sheepish expression before he busted out laughing. Tears escaping his eyes as he held his chest, "and your extremely angry stomach. Geez when did you last feed that thing? Are small children and animals safe?" Shooting him a burning look she stuck out her tongue. "Har de har har, very funny. Children are safe but you might not be if you don't see to my needs. Now!"

Arching a brow he gave her a heated look, not the shut up kind but a panty dropping scorch. "I didn't. You know that's not what I...oh grow up!!" Sticking her nose in the air she brushed her half dried hair over her shoulders hiding her reddened cheeks. He wanted to tease her further, she almost made it too easy, but a large open archway came into view cutting off his comeback. The palm of his hand cupped her elbow stopping her from walking any farther. She wanted to pull her arm out of his hand but seeing the seriousness on his eyes made her pause.

"Now sweet cheeks, I know that you are feeling trapped and that seems to make you a bit cranky, but I think it might be more beneficial to this situation if you don't treat my commander as a handsome man. The smoother this goes the faster you can get out of her." Behind his back he crossed his fingers knowing full well they were never letting her go but there wasn't any reason to tip her off yet. "Our meeting with him is through this arch. But first I do suppose you'll need a little more sophisticated clothing. Come on thru here." Guiding her after slipping his palm to the small of her back he strode towards a small building sitting to the right of the archway. Pausing to open the worn wooden door he ushered her inside.

"Welcome to my humble abode, only the finest for us...royal...hard workers." He stumbled over his title carefully slipping in a different word before revealing certain information. "If you'll wait here I'll get you some clothes. They are gonna fit a bit long and hang weird but they are at least dry. Check the kitchen for a snack to feed that monster in your belly too. Hate for the guards to think you were sprouting an alien and take you down." Avoiding the shoe missile she had chucked at him, he ducked down the hallway with his laughter left in his place. The opening and closing of drawers, slams of cabinets, and the tinkle of glasses rattling as the refrigerator door opens echoes from the small room.

Coming back into the kitchen a few minutes later with fresh clothes and a towel around his shoulders he takes in the damage the lone female could accomplish in a short time, especially a hungry one. A bread package was spread open across the counter joined with a package of Swiss cheese and Cajun turkey. A mayonnaise jar was open with a knife sticking out of the top. To top it off there was a half carton of milk gone and a split bag of nacho cheese chips littered beside the rest. It was like a hurricane. Standing in the middle was the eye, her mouth shoved full, sandwich in one hand, and glass in the other, crumbs littered down the front of her shirt.

The noises she emitted while eating should be illegal. He'd never heard eating sound so much like sex before in his life. Clearing his throat he hid his discomfort behind the island and looked at her as she swallowed hard, wiping a smear of mayo from the corner of her lips. Gulping down the remains of her milk she giggled looking over the mess she made.

"Um, I suppose I was hungrier than I thought. I apologize for my mess. Here I'll clean it up for you." Embarrassed by her behavior she scurried around and put away the cheese and meat, closing the chip bag and snagging the milk to toss back in the fridge. When she went to grab the bread an arm snuck around her waist and pulled her into a hard warm body. Shifting to give him a piece of her mind she was shushed as he pressed a finger to her lips. Her eyes widened as his grew darker, the pad of his thumb swiping at her bottom lip before it popped into his mouth.

"You had a little mayo left. I, um, just thought I'd help you clean it off."

His stormy green eyes made her tense. She was not going down this road ever again. Not after what she put up with in the past. That hole in her heart wouldn't be filled. Not even for a pair of sparkling green eyes as deep as the sea. Sighing he saw her close off from him, so he dropped his arm and stepped back. The clothes he brought in for her lay heaped on a bar stool.

"Here are some clothes. I hope you don't mind boxers. I don't keep an extra drawer for women. There's a belt for the pants too. I'll uh be waiting outside. The bathroom is the first door to your left down the hall. Don't take too long or I'll have to come find you." He said with a wink before walking thru the front door and gently closing it behind him. He appeared to take her rejection pretty well but she didn't want to test his patience and be caught with her pants down literally so she peeled out of her wet clothes throwing them over the shower rod and used a towel to wipe away any extra moisture before tossing on his extras. They smelled faintly of sunshine and coconut. Twitching her nose she tightened the belt to keep her pants up and tried stretching the tight material compressing her chest. She felt more exposed than if she were in a bikini. Not seeing any alternative she huffed and tied her hair up into a low braid. The cool stone floor eased under her soles making her wish it could seep thru and ease the tension coiling in her stomach.

While outside he paced back and forth not believing his own stupidity. Holy hell what was wrong with him. He needed to get her to Eryavin and soon before he lost his mind. He was still pacing when she stepped out of his home. Seeing him so unsettled made her want to laugh in payback. Serves him right for all the crap he'd put her thru. But it had to come to an end if she wanted to get out of here.

Clearing her throat she watched him come to a stumbling halt. Geesh he wanted to drool, his eyes nearly popping from his head, She was damn near indecent in that shirt but they didn't have time for her to change. Clearing his mind he offered his arm bowing his head. "Shall we go now?" Nodding she took his arm and kept her amusement to herself.

The archway they passed opened into a small stadium with small rows wrapping around an open dirt arena. Directly across was a set of chairs that were placed higher than any others and surrounded by a railing. In the middle chair sat a large man, not rotund by any means but bulky and intimidating. The lightest blue eyes she had ever seen was staring back at her watching her every move. His expression was clouded, undecided. He looked from her to her escort, his brow arching questionably taking in their comfortable demeanor. Meeting Eryavins' eyes he inclined his head and released her arm. "Well met my Lord. It's my pleasure to introduce our guest....uh..." He looked over at her realizing he hadn't ever asked her for her name.

"Autora, My Lord, My given name is Autora VanDromen." They both had to raise their voices to be heard across the open space between them.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you young lady. I hope Fadan has treated you well and taken care of your needs?"

"Ah so that's his name, I had taken to calling him Idiot."

Fadan blushed slightly and made to explain when the elder suddenly shook with laughter. "A girl after my own heart. If only I were brave enough to call him as I see fit too. He only let's those he likes give him pet names. Yours is by far the best I've heard in my lifetime. My, my young woman you certainly know how to make an old man feel young again. Fadan bring her closer so we might talk without having to shout over the meeting grounds."

Hiding his embarrassment he led her around the walkway and up to the gathered chairs. Up close the deep etches around Eryavins eyes and mouth softened with laughter, a streak of silver ran from his widow's peak and towards the back in an elegant sweep. Instead of ice for eyes they seemed like a clear summer sky free of clouds. For an older man he was still toned like a twenty year old not a gentleman in his sixties. Were all the men here this amiable?

Looking back and forth between the two she noticed subtle similarities. They had to be related. Deep blue robes flowed around his ankles, sleeves falling to mid elbow hemmed in silver, the colors accentuating his chestnut hair. Feet bare and slightly webbed. Reaching out his warm rough hands grasped her small one in between them.

"Welcome my dear, welcome to our humble home. I am so grateful you joined us." The warmth in his voice kept her from stating that she didn't come of her own free will. She turned her gaze to the younger version of this charming man for help. The smile on his face shouted loud and clear that he wasn't going to be of any help to her. Swallowing her pride she plastered on a warm smile and bowed her head.

"Please Sir, I am grateful for your help. If it wasn't for Fadan I would be a charred strip of meat only fit for the flies at the bottom of a ravine. You both have my gratitude for it." Her grinning face turned to Fadan and glared at him furiously.

"Oh you poor thing. Then it was good that Fadan stumbled across you and brought you here to heal. Our underground spring is quite rejuvenating." He pulled her down into the chairs with him, Fadan settled behind her seat with his elbows resting along the top of the chair. "I do believe you about that underground spring. It definitely cleared a lot of things up for me. You've been most kind and I couldn't possibly intrude on your home any longer. I should report the accident to the car rental and get back to my own clothes. I have friends that will be looking for me before too long." While she tried to ease herself from the conversation the two guys carried an internal dialogue.

(E)~ What the hell did you think you were doing by bringing her here?

(F)~ She had paperwork containing a report on the climate changes. I had no idea she would react to seeing me that way.

(E)~ Why did you show yourself like that in the first place? Now you have her suspicious. You could have just spoke to her and eventually got what she was doing here without the mess.

(F)~ I know I know. There was just something about her. I don't think there was any way to reason with her. She brings out the idiot in me.

(E)~ Well that's for sure. I haven't seen you so tied up before. Oops, I think we've been quiet for too long.

Glancing back and forth between the two it was like a staring contest gone wrong. Clearing her throat she waved her hands back and forth in front of her.

"I apologize my dear, you were saying?" She had to bite her tongue to keep from retorting angrily. "Yes I had been saying that I didn't want to keep you any longer. There are things I need to do back in town. So if it's not an inconvenience I'd appreciate if I could go back." She looked at both of them with a mix of expectation and frustration, her feet bounced up and down nervously. Eryavin winced slightly turning towards her he placed a warm palm on her knee, the muscle jerking to a stop.

"We can see to all of that for you. We'll call your car rental, have someone pick up your belongings from the hotel and we can leave a message for your friends telling them you're alright. I want to make sure you are perfectly fine before you leave. Please you won't be an inconvenience on us. It isn't often that we have visitors. You'd even have Fadan as your personal escort. Won't you stay with us a little longer?"

If it weren't for the bitter taste of desperation and nerves coming off of him she would have believed they honestly wanted her company. Moving her legs to the side she tried dislodging his hand from her knee without tearing it off, but it was like a leech, suctioned to her. She'd had enough of this. Fadans hand cupping her shoulder was the final straw.

"I don't know what the hell is your problem but you cannot keep me here like a freaking prisoner no matter how fancy the words and packaging! Get your filthy hands off me before I chew them off!" Her eyes flashed a stormy silver and her incisors elongated, scales erupting down her arms and neck. Both men jumped back and stared at her in amazement and just a tinge of fear. The sweet scent making her toothy grin even bigger.

"I'm getting out of here and don't you even think of following me. Something is seriously wrong here and I'll get to the bottom of this." Walking backwards she hissed, narrowing her eyes, turning her head back she made the mistake of looking behind her. Before she could make it thru the archway Fadan had shifted to a space in front of her retreating form. her snarl of anger was cut short as he pounced on her and pinned her arms behind her back dropping them to the floor on the threshold of the arch. Fadans body encompassed Autoras keeping her anger from rebounding. Pressing his head to hers he forced her to look at him in the eye.

"Oh hell no! Get off me you freak! I'm not joining your cult, or your lair, or being your captive bride. You have all those other women to be with so let me go!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and squeezed her eyes shut, her nostrils flaring in outrage. A small crowd formed around the couple grappling on the floor. Her instincts kicked in as the change embraced her body, her skin tearing and long spikes erupt down her back and arms. Realizing what was happening Fadan jumped off her and ordered everyone to back up.

Erupting before them with an earth rattling roar Autora stood on all fours a magnificent specimen covered in scales the same shade as pearls from the sea. Talons etched deep grooves into the floor as she sweeps her tail in a 20 foot arc around her. A small trail of smoke lazily streamed from her nostrils, a slight electrical charge released a waft of ozone around her body.

"Shit! Everyone out, one small spark and it will ignite the whole room! Go! Now while she is still preoccupied." Watching the masses scurry like vermin she chuckles loudly, the sound harsh and grating. Her large head swung back and forth till her huge swirling gray eyes settled on the lone male figure. Crooning tauntingly she took a step forward when she felt the first brush of magick tingle up her spine. Growling she slammed her tail down savagely sending dust and dirt to fall from the ceiling. Her spikes quivered on outrage. Instead of her target there stood a tiny woman with her arms out in front of her. Painted blue swirls covered her palms. Short red pixie cut hair swayed with the ripple of energy that emanated from her hands. Shrieking Autora tried pushing forward only to hit a barrier. Her maw opened wide releasing a stream of fire that formed around her in a wide arc, a few sparks skittered like fireworks around her open mouth.

"Oh Shit! Autora don't!"