Page 13 of The Death Striker's Partner
“I’ll see you soon Billie.” I smile at her as warmly as I can manage, with my head feeling like it’s cracked like an egg, blood coating the left of my face, neck and shirt. Tears did nothing to wash it away. Alaric tries to take my elbow and I defiantly shrug him off.
“You are strong.” The Prince nods to me. “I will respect that strength and give you one last opportunity to go willingly to have medical attention. If you continue to refuse, I will have you carried to the nearest medical professional.”
“No one is fucking carrying me.” I’m in too much pain and I’ve lost too much blood to care that I’m snarling up at a giant Cobra. I give Billie one last look, straining to see her, and nod with a smile. “Call me, daily, or I’m coming to find you. I love you Billie.”
She does what she always does when I tell her that.
She taps her chest three times. I know what that means, and that’s all that matters. I hold my bloody head high and turn to walk away from my sister. I feel like I’ve ripped my heart out of my chest, but at the end of the day, Billie says she wants to stay with the scary bastard. I can’t force her to come back with me. Not with Allico’s CEO insisting I don’t have the legal right to do so, and their Prince insisting that Billie is staying with him.
I was right, what I said back there. A politician hurt me this badly without even trying. I shudder to think what a large King Cobra could do to me. I know for sure that if I suspect for a second that he’s done anything to Billie when I talk to her, or she doesn’t answer my calls, I’m finding one of Allico Inc’s hidden gun caches and going Rambo on his scally ass.
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“That was incredibly brave, and I appreciate this is very difficult for you, but you’ve done the right thing.”
“Fuck off Alaric. Your people stressed my sister before this mess, and your boyfriend just used me like a rag doll and scrambled my brain.”
“Ex.”
“What?” I mutter as we walk past the Ambassador who looking very sorry for himself and answering questions to a mixture of human and Ucfeni first responders. The humans wore full black Kevlar, and both had tasers on their belts. If I wasn’t so fuzzy in my head and my limbs going so numb, I would have been curious to see that the emergency response team that had been deployed to my rescue was a mixed team. Humans and Ucfeni officers working together. I suppose that would prevent any bias, having both species in the unit. Two humans, two Ucfeni.
One of the Ucfeni officers is staring at me. He’s pitch black with glossy scales and even darker eyes. I can’t even see any pupils, so I can’t tell if they are rounded or elliptical.He doesn’t have a hood like Prince Izule, but he’s just as big otherwise.
And he’s staring at me…I think…I’m really dizzy so I can’t be sure. I stop looking at him and stagger onward in favour of getting that medical attention Billie insisted I get.
“Rerasha is my ex-boyfriend. I don’t want to date someone who would put his handsortail on a woman like that.” I had to admit he had some balls. Mr CEO was looking right at the orange serpent as he said that. I couldn’t help but peer over and see the heartbroken way the Ambassador was looking at Alaric. Forlorn, guilty and remorseful. My throbbing head made me less than sympathetic for the damn snake. “I’m sure we’ll come to some sort of professional arrangement for working together, but that’s it. Now come on. Let’s get you seen by a doctor.”
My world starts to blur as I step out of the door. “Hannah?” I don’t pass out right away. My knees buckle and my eyes are still open as I fall backwards. I expect to hit the deck hard on the unforgiving stone floor, but I’m caught by someone. At first I wonder if it’s Alaric, but then I realise I’m staring into the abyss of two massive black eyes. “E-Excuse me Officer? I’ll take her to medical.” My body is cold and I don’t feel pain anymore. That’s probably not a good thing. A black tongue flicks out and tastes the blood on my cheek.
“I am faster, and she is fading.” I shut my eyes, beyond caring that yet another snake man has a hold of me as I slip off to sleep.
Chapter 12
Dalahan
Charlie.
When the shit hit the fan I was carried out by Dalahan in his arms like a damsel, and I was not impressed. I tried to push myself free of his pale green chest to get back to Hannah and Billie, but he was too strong for me. As the hall emptied out all the guests into the corridor, I even tried to pull myself over his shoulder to tumble down his back. He held pinned my waist to his shoulder and carted me my a sack of potatoes.
“Put me down! My friends are back there!”
“They will be fine.” He chuckled at me, not concerned, and that pissed me off even more. “The Ambassador and your Human leader are with them. They will be fine. Better than fine, since one of them seems to belong to the Prince now. A luxurious pairing.”
“Billie doesn’tbelongto anyone!” I don’t like how this guy seems to think we’re property. I also don’t like that he’s still carting me around on his shoulder. The heat on my back is the first sign that we’re outside the palace. We’re moving at such a speed that I see his long emerald green tail winding in a blur against the yellow stones beneath us. I push my hands onto his firm and scaly back to see I’m not the only human being carried by an Ucfeni. Over the shoulder or in the arms, but all just as helpless as I am. Being a man doesn’t make a difference, it seems. Nor do my struggles. “Look, can you just stop for aminute? I get that you want to be my sponsor, but I think you have the wrong impression of me.”
“Oh?” Dalahan chuckled and thankfully slowed to a stop. I took hold of his shoulders and pushed myself upright. He supported my waist and legs with both his arms and I wasn’t best pleased with how my face and his were suddenly level. Held flush to his chest meant there was very little breathing space between my mouth and his. A mouth that held fangs ready to extend and strike. “What impression would that be?” His bright green eyes were filled with mischief.
“Whatever impression your friend Rerasha gave you of me.” I grimace. I knew that taunt would come back to bite me in the ass, but I expected Alaric to mess with my assignment or something. I didn’t expect the Ambassador to be the one to screw with me. Dalahan introduced himself to me as someone his friend said would ‘like to get to know him’. I have to assume that was because I told the Ambassador he was more my type and I liked big guys. I have to say, Dalahanwasa big guy and he seemed to ooze with confidence.
“Are you a medical doctor?” He starts moving again but at a leisurely pace.
“Yes.”
“And you need an Ucfeni sponsor as you’ve been assigned to a clinic in Orna?”
“Yes but-”
“Then I’m the perfect sponsor for you. I own many buildings, including 6 medical clinics.” He smirked, amused with the way I narrowed my blue eyes at him. He leaned his weight on his tail to the left and my stomach flipped as we started to go over the edge of the main bridge. “Hold on, this is our stop.” I instinctively clung to his neck and bit my tongue so I didn’t start screaming. He swung us upsidedown and I felt gravity try to pull me out of his arms to plummet to my death.Dalahan held me firmly and arched his back to slither into a large round thick basket. He coiled up and I found myself sat on his hips and my hands on his chest, with his emerald tail bundled around us. I looked around anxiously as he used his tail tip to close the door of the basked with a hook and latch. The basket was made of something that reminded me of bamboo, but it was yellow and way thicker. Smoother too.
