Armana's Gift

ZEVAN

       He stepped into the room shortly after dinner had technically ended but he had been corned by Lornak for a talk. An awkward thing where Lornak had said something that sent absolute fear through Zevan. He had gone to see Vera, check up on her. Caught her coming out of the bath. Lornak had no attraction to anything that wasn't a dragon female but he made sure that he told Zevan he'd enjoyed the view.

      He pushed into the room, terrified of what he might find and saw her curled on the couch, silent tears running from her eyes, still wrapped in a towel.

      He'd left her earlier that day angry and had been unkind. He hoped she would let him comfort her and find out exactly what Lornak might have done.

      "Vera," He called softly. He saw that dinner had been untouched. "I heard Lornak came here."

      "He shocked me when I was too scared to kneel. I was petrified and didn't kneel in time." She whispered, a sob breaking out form her. "And he shocked me."

      Ah, gods, Zevan thought and sat next to her, pulling her in his arms.

     "Anything else?"

     "No... well, he told me I was to stay here, apparently I'm doing good. And he told to 'keep being good'."

     "Nothing else?" He was so scared for her but when she shook her head, he felt better. "Then let's get some food in us and some rest. It's been an eventful day."

     "Yes, it has," she whispered, wiping her face. "I'm sorry, everyone else must deal with this all the time but..."

    "He never comes to the slave quarters, so no, they don't. You had a right to be terrified by him here in this room." He smoothed her red hair gently. "Tell me a story," he whispered. "It'll get your mind off it."

     "Once, I slipped on the marble floor of my temple while preparing to help a soul find penance from Armana." She whispered back. "I fell, right on top of the man who was so sad until that moment. At that moment, he laughed."

     He couldn't stop the chuckle himself.

     "You fell on him?" He tried to ask, feeling his fear fall back at the thought of her falling on a man.

     "I think I'm the only female who can say she truly did fall on a cock, yes, get a laugh," she whispered, a touch of laughter to her own voice.

     He did, he laughed harder and more freely then he'd done in centuries. She had been preparing to give the man penance in Armana's grace and fell on him while he waited for her, probably hard at the sight of her. He felt for the man, he had similar problems having a woman who had no care about her own nudity when she had a choice in the matter.

     When he finally stopped, she was staring at him wide eyed.

     "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have," he snickered. "You've been through a lot and I... I shouldn't be laughing at you."

     "It's a funny story, it's why I chose it." She whispered, looking at him. He had pulled her to his chest to comfort her but now they were much to close and the day's earlier change came back to him.

      He'd wanted to kiss her then, wanted to kiss her now. Resisting was hard, painfully so but he wouldn't use her. Wouldn't make her feel like she was forced to. He couldn't.

     He made space and watched a smart amount of hurt touch her eyes and then disappear.

     "Thank you, for making me feel better, comforting me," she whispered. "Other then the shock from the collar, it wasn't awful. He's just a very intimidating man and he used it without even..."