Here Be Dragons (Completed)

Inspection

"So now that we have that squared away," Gabriel grunted as Owen and I ended our handshake, "What do we do with her for a whole week if I'm not allowed to have her?"

I hadn't thought of that, assuming that since Owen had been tethered by the thin arrangement we'd agreed on, that I would be sent on my merry way with Gabriel and Luke. Apparently, that wasn't the case as Nathan and Kota looked at each other before turning to Owen for guidance.

"I can take her." Luke offered but was immediately met with resistance.

"No way," Kota shook his head vehemently, "North will kill you himself before gutting her if we leave her alone with you."

Luke pouted, his lower lip plumping out and his arms crossing over his chest. "He's not the boss of me, and she wouldn't hurt me." He looked over at me from under his lashes, making his exotic dark eyes even more striking. "Would you, Sugar?"

I shrugged, neither confirming or denying his statement and he chuckled at my lack of response. Kota looked unamused as he pursed his lips. "I don't care, she's not staying with you. Owen should take her."

I made to protest but Gabriel beat me to it. "Oh hell to the fucking no! He'll lock her in a kennel or some shit. No way! You should take her!"

Kota balked at the suggestion and I had the strangest sensation that this was what kids felt like when their parents went through a messy divorce. "I'm not taking her! Give her to Nathan."

Nathan pondered the idea as his eyes perused me heatedly, but he eventually shook his head slowly. "I could try but I don't know if I can trust myself with her." His honesty was surprising though I wasn't sure what he didn't trust; his ability not to kill me or something else?

"Silas?" Luke added but Gabriel snorted in disagreement.

"You kidding? He'll fuck her for sure!" Gabriel moaned.

I shot him a horrified look. "Excuse me?" I was offended at the insinuation that I would so readily go to Silas's bed. Sure, I wasn't a virgin and I'd had one night stands before, not to mention Silas was hot as hell, but I wasn't a total slut. I had standards and there was no way I was jumping into bed with one of my captors!

"Oh, come one, Trouble." Gabriel tutted at my reaction. "He's a silver tongued Greek devil. He'd get you on your back eventually and you wouldn't be upset about it." My jaw dropped at his candor and I saw Luke and Nathan cringe.

"Thank you, Gabriel," Owen said dryly, "For that enlightening and scarring mental image. So, Silas isn't an option."

Nathan scratched the back of his neck, his serious blue eyes staring off as he thought. "North will definitely kill her and Sean will either charm her death or talk her onto his operating table where he'll kill her on accident."

The others snorted at the comment and I made up my mind to never let Sean get anywhere near me with so much as his stethoscope. "Send her to Victor." Kota instructed and I watched Gabriel mull it over. "He follows the rules and if we have a game night set, he'll wait till then."

"Fine." Gabriel conceded, grimacing in pain as he unconsciously shifted his weight to his injured leg. "Fine, give her to Vic, but I swear to God if she comes back with so much as a fucking fingernail missing I'm smashing his piano to pieces."

The others accepted this turn of events easily and I ground my teeth at the notion of them choosing my babysitter for the next week. As long as it wasn't Owen or North, I knew I had a chance of either escaping or at least surviving the week, but I still felt like a child being pawned off on a reluctant, unwilling relative.