Page 27 of The Manticore's Fire

He blinked and then smiled. “Perhaps I should demonstrate the answer to that question.”

Chapter

Eighteen

For the first time, Abby was introduced to what lay behind the furthest locked door. She didn’t even know what to describe. Half forge and half dungeon in appearance, there was something mildly threatening and yet not that sent a quiver through her. Samir had an assortment of metal cuffs of various thickness and sizes. Some were small enough to fit around the narrowest wrist, and some large enough to collar a bear. And the chain… never had she seen so many chains of various thickness and size of links. She studied it incredulously.

“But where did all of this come from?”

The manticore shrugged. “It is a hobby.”

She blinked and glanced at him over her shoulder. “Collecting chains and manacles is a hobby? That is the strangest thing I’ve ever heard—well not the strangest. There was a hunter who I heard of who obsessively collected claws which doesn’t sound weird until he wants to show you a troll toenail.” She mimed gagging and Samir chuckled.

“No, it is nothing like that. As I live in a mineral-rich cavern and I am capable of producing fires of which I have the ability to control, I enjoy forging. A very long time ago, a human I captured demonstrated such an ability and thirsted forknowledge of it. So, we made a bargain. He taught me everything he knew, and once I mastered it—I gave him a portion of my longevity and let him go.”

There was something within his expression that tightened perceptively when he mentioned the human and she knew without a doubt that this was one he had spoken of. The betrayer. She wanted to poke more into it, but she held her tongue. Some wounds were better left alone.

“Mastered it, huh.” She squinted at him. “Just how long did it take?”

“Just a century or so,” he rumbled absently. “But I was good as my word and let him return to his home—such as it was. I had not expected that in the end he would turn on me.” The manticore let out a dry laugh. “He was not a mere scholar but a hunter and had used me to gain what he wanted before launching his attack.” Samir shook his head sadly. “I suppose you can say that we used each other, each getting what we wanted. I would have given him so much. I would have given him everything, but he insisted that I honor the terms of our agreement. I would never have predicted that he would have prepared a trap, nor that I would have ended up being forced to kill him.” He met Abby’s eyes. “I do not regret killing him for his betrayal, but—” he sighed, “I missed the company once he was gone.”

Abby genuinely didn’t know whether to be horrified that he kept a human who possessed an amusing skill he desired for a century—and what that could mean for her—or to feel sympathy for him. But she didn’t feel mere sympathy. She ached for him because she could see the betrayal and loneliness that was so obviously buried within the heart of the monster currently fiddling with a chain hanging from an anchor in the wall.

Her brow furrowed as she focused on the anchor. Why was there an anchor hook buried in the wall?

Samir struck, moving with unexpected speed. Abby’s skin jumped, flinching instinctively as she prepared for pain that didn’t come. Instead, a cold manacle slipped around her neck, the metal settling against her skin as the latch slid closed with a click. A second click followed that she knew was the lock fastening in place.

A burst of adrenaline flooded her as the feeling of being trapped hit home. Samir stepped back with a soft purr and Abby instinctively lunged forward, the rattle of a chain following her and then pulling her short abruptly as she came to the end of its length. She tipped backward at the sudden halt to her forward momentum, her eyes widening with the realization that she was falling. Her arms whirled helplessly in a desperate attempt to regain her balance, but it was the warm, strong hands clasping her shoulders that steadied her and Samir’s soft purr that settled into her mind, soothing her.

“Shh, do not be afraid Abby. I have you. No harm will come to you. You wished to see my chain? Well, here it is,” he rumbled. “The collar that you wear was one that the human you feel such sympathy for crafted with the intent of capturing me. As was the chain that holds you so securely. These were crafted to contain a manticore’s strength while giving pretense of an honorable exchange and friendship with me, and he was the one who wore them in the end untilIdecided that I was through with him as a reward for his treachery. He thought he would bind me and bring me to his king as if I were a beast to be kept as a pet in a royal menagerie. In turn, I kept him here as my own pet until I became tired of him. I keep them here as a reminder of the duplicitous nature of humans, and yet for you I will wear them.”

Abby’s breath slowed as her panic receded, and she met her monster’s sharp, green gaze. There was no deception in those eyes, no laughter at catching her, just a sober, warm regard that worked to calm the fear that rose instinctively within her. Herhands lifted and she ran her fingers slowly along the wide, heavy band all the way back to the overlapping clasp and lock that held it in place. From there the chain was threaded through, each link as wide as her first two fingers.

“How… how did he imagine that he would get you into this?”

“As I said, though I spoke to him in the common tongue, he thought I was nothing more than a beast and easy to trick.” His thick tail flicked unhappily but his hand moved to grasp the chain as he lowered his gaze to regard it thoughtfully. “I admit that I was foolish with him. At first, I was captivated by the skill with which he created them, employing me to use my magic fire to fashion the chain link by link and solder the collar. And then, eventually, I became infatuated and captivated with the male, himself. It was not until he suggested that I try it on to demonstrate its effectiveness that I realized his intention.”

“And what did you do?” she whispered.

The fleeting smile that curled his mouth was one that bore a hint of sadness. “I turned his trick against him, of course. I pled with the male to show me first how it was done and then I would try it. He was reluctant but finally agreed, blinded by his own determination and his own belief in his human superiority. He thought that I was a dumb beast and would blindly imitate him once he showed me. It was most satisfying seeing him caught in his own trap.”

A shiver ran through Abby as she imagined the man struggling with the magic-forged chain once he realized his mistake. She knew without a doubt that her family would have rushed to rescue the male and believed him worthy of saving despite his treachery. They would have seen nothing wrong with his betrayal but would have applauded him for his cleverness because they wouldn’t have seen Samir as a thinking and feeling being. To her family he would be seen as nothing but a creature to be caged or destroyed despite how intelligent he was andthe good he did unasked. He was a monster, they would have reasoned, and regardless of his sentience, the moment he acted against a human, it made him a target for extermination—and rightly so as far as they were concerned. And Abby once would have blindly agreed with her parents because it had been what she had been taught from the time she was small. But now—her stomach turned, rebelling at the thought of senselessly snuffing out his life when he only sought to enjoy the same freedoms, and took his vengeance as any person would have done. The thought of her family ever finding out about Samir made her feel physically ill.

Her hand closed around the chain just above his as she took a step closer, her eyes lifting to meet his. His pupils contracted into slits and slowly widened into diamonds as his nostrils flared, taking in her scent. The enormity of what was happening here struck her all at once. He would be wearing the same chains, and when he did so he would be surrendering completely to her control. She was wearing the chain now and could feel the weight and strength of it for herself and in doing so understood exactly what he was trusting her with.

“And you will wear this for me?” she whispered. “You will give up your control to me?”

“Will you give up all control to me?” he rasped, tugging very gently on the chain.

Abby shivered at the sudden curl of desire that rose up within her in response to his purred words and the heat suddenly warming his eyes. They glittered down at her as she leaned into him, trusting him despite having her chained and helpless. Was he looking for her to prove something? Perhaps he needed mutual trust to be shown and given in more ways than one. The question was, could she submit to him fully and trust him to hold power over her?

“Yes,” she whispered, the word sighing from between her lips.

His pupils blew out and a shiver ran over him. Samir’s hand tightened on her chain as a soft groan hissed from him, and he lowered his head so that his velvety soft lips brushed her cheek and trailed down to her jaw. His hand skimmed up the length of the chain until he was holding it level with her chin. Keeping the chain short, he held there against him as he explored gently, caressing her chin, lips, the tip of her nose and each eye with his oddly shaped mouth with its hint of feline muzzle. At times she felt the corner of his lip lift as it rubbed against her skin so that his fang teased her flesh instead. Each time it happened, it caught her off guard and sent a small erotic ripple through her that made his purr ratchet up and he pressed closer, his powerful body rubbing against her through the thick leather and woven fabric that covered her.

Despite the sweltering heat of her clothing—something that she had become accustomed to since arriving in the desert—Abby found herself far more frustrated by how much they muted the sensual glide of his musculature against her own. She made an impatient sound and made as to step back to tug off her shirt, momentarily forgetting the chain until she jerked against its confinement. Samir smiled down at her but did not relinquish his hold. He merely moved his other hand to the lacing on her shirt and patiently worked at the ties, unthreading the length of fabric until it parted, baring her breasts, before falling away completely.

A soft pant burst from her as the cooler air of the cavern teased her skin, drawing her nipples into rigid peaks. Samir ran a velvety finger pad over one, rumbling with pleasure when she jerked and drew in a shocked breath in response to the sensation.

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