Lord of Chaos (The Dragon Demigods #7) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,26
shakes his head, looking confused. “You guys have lost me here.”
“I signed the papers. According to the pound…you’re my dog,” I say. There is a hint of humor coming through in my voice. I need to stop this shit!
“Okay, you guys are going to have to explain this to me.” Tri puts his hands up.
“Nia is the dog that was following me around,” I explain.
Tri’s mouth falls open. “Say what?”
“I’m a hellhound shifter,” Nia tells Trident. “My dog form is a Doberman. In my hellhound form, I’m bigger and have bright red eyes.”
“Wow! Oh…okay.” Tri nods his head a few times. “I get it now. This whole thing is making some sort of sense. I’m guessing there’s more.”
We nod. Between Nia and me, we fill Trident in on the events thus far. She explains some of the things she mentioned to me earlier in the car.
“This Gaire guy sounds like a real piece of work.” Tri doesn’t look happy. “That’s not how you treat a woman.”
“Says the biggest slut on the planet,” I deadpan. I can’t help it. The words rushed out before I could stop them. Then again, maybe I’m jealous. Yep. That’s probably it. When women leave his place, it’s with goofy smiles and jelly legs. Their tears are tears of joy. I can’t allow myself to feel pleasure unless there’s a whole lot of pain attached.
11
Nia
Tri runs a hand through his still-damp hair. “The biggest slut on the planet? I don’t know about that. What can I say? I love women, and they love me. It’s not my fault I’m this good-looking and great in bed.” He winks at me.
I see Rage glower at Trident. His jaw tightens.
“I might be a bit of a manwhore, but I’m not an asshole,” Tri goes on. “I always treat women with respect. I’m always honest about the fact that I’m not interested in any kind of relationship. I always deliver. I’m polite and friendly…I know how to treat a lady.”
“Okay, fine…whatever…can we move on?” Rage says, then turns to me. “You were going to tell me what power Gaire has over you. We know that he can track you more easily. And then you need to tell me what we can do about that particular problem. It sounded like there was a way to hide these signals you’re giving off.”
I nod, feeling nervous. “I accidentally let my guard down and fell in love with Gaire.” I grind my teeth, feeling angry with myself all over again. “He took advantage very quickly after that. I won’t bore you with the details. Let’s just say I wasn’t game, and he wasn’t happy. He can compel me to follow his commands. I can resist, however it hurts like I’ve never felt anything hurt before. Blinding, mind-numbing pain. I don’t want Gaire anywhere near me because he will try to compel me again. He’ll want me to do awful things, and…” I shake my head, forcing myself to breathe. I don’t want to feel vulnerable like that. The pain is one thing. It’s awful to feel like you might spin out of control and do something against your grain. Your very makeup. “The worst thing is that I can’t hurt him. I can’t lift even a finger against him.” My eyes narrow. “I hate him so much, and yet I can’t kill him.” Everything in me tightens. “I want to end him so badly.”
“I think this is the perfect woman for you, Rage…beautiful and incredibly violent.”
“I’m not violent…unless you try to harm me or those I love. Then yes, you’ll die.” My voice lowers.
Tri laughs. “See, she’s perfect.”
“Stop!” Rage growls. Then in a quieter voice. “What do we need to do to stop him? How do we break this bond that the two of you have?”
“I told you, the bond can only be truly broken if I fall in love with someone else.” I feel myself harden. “That’s not going to happen,” I almost whisper the words, even though I mean them with every fiber of my being. “It would mean giving someone else control over me. It would be better if I found a way to finish Gaire. That way, I wouldn’t be bound to anyone ever again. No master for me.”
“See,” Tri says. “Perfect.” He hits Rage on the arm. “A gorgeous, violent woman who’s not looking for love.”
“Stop your shit!” Rage snaps. “Okay, how do we weaken the bond between you and Gaire?”