Page 18 of Scaled Hearts

“I am Angurus the Terrible!” he roars.

I think he’s trying to intimidate me but I just shake my head. “Is that really your name?”

“It’s what they call me,” he insists. I look him over once again, really examining him. Could I do this?

His form, while enormous and scaly, isn’t...awful. He’s got crimson eyes that match his dark red scales and a yellow underbelly. Horns jut out from each side of his head, black and curling. The tips of each wing have a single sharp claw. The wings themselves look leathery and thin, covered in the very finest of hairs, like a bat.

I don’t find him attractive but neither is he as scary as I first thought. I couldn’t imagine making love to him but I could imagine the pleasant conversations we might have. He’s engaging and we’d have spirited debates.

On the other hand, he’s stubborn, aloof and demanding. It would be difficult to be tethered to this beast for the rest of my days. Would I have my freedom?

Not to mention, I had suffered for years under the yoke of the Orcs. Am I merely trading in one monstrous overlord for another?

I don’t know how to make this decision. “What would being your mate entail?” I ask, curious.

“What do you think it will entail?” he demands in a rumbling voice that reaches deep down inside of me, all the way to my toes. “You’ll be my mate, my companion. You’ll be by my side. In exchange, I’ll protect you and your family, take care of you and give you a life full of riches and comfort.”

I find myself wavering. Be by his side and in exchange, my sister and I will want for nothing? How could I turn him down?

“Will I have to--”

“Yes,” he answered, somehow knowing what I was going to ask before I asked it. I gulped. The idea of becoming his lover was intimidating. I didn’t think I could do it, honestly. I wasn’t a virgin but neither had I ever experienced anything likethis.

It made me question the entire decision, frankly. I could suffer being his companion, put myself through the unpleasantness of his company, but doingthat, becoming intimate with such a beast? I didn’t have the stomach to handle that idea.

My best bet would be to agree, then put off anything to do with intimacy as long as possible. Fake stomachaches, headaches, pretend to be injured...anything to avoid it.

“Well?” Angurus tilts his head, staring at me. I bite my lip. Am I really considering this? Becoming his mate? His...property? Giving up the possibility of freedom? Trading my life with the orcs for a life with him?

“Yes, I’ll be your mate,” I say, sighing. He smirks, letting out a gout of fire that fills the room.

“Good choice,” he nods. “Wait here.”

I stand, still trying to cover up a bit. It’s cold in here without my clothes. Where is he going?

He doesn’t go far, rummaging through his piles of coins. “Where is it?” he mutters to himself. He knocks precious gems aside, moving to another pile. Whatever he’s looking for is somewhere deep in his stash.

“Ah, here it is!” He pulls a large chest out of one of the piles of coins, brushing some off the top. “Someone tried to make off with it a few decades back but I burned him to a crisp. Never steal from Angurus the Terrible,” he growls.

He drags the chest over to where I’m standing, shoving it in front of me, opening it up. I gasp at the sight. It’s full of precious gems—hidium, zanthenite, even the rare nimbius flower gem. I’ve never seen so many valuable gems in my life.

There’s more too, when he shifts the gems aside I see the finest jewels, things that had to have belonged to royal elves. I spot a necklace with a large, clear oster in the center, surrounded by gold petals, like a flower. There’s a glimmering crown made of gold with blue zanthenite crystals adorning each spike, glittery gold and silver bracelets, sparkling nimbius earrings, and more. I have the urge to try on the pieces and to play with them as my sister and I did in childhood, with our mother’s wooden necklaces.

“What is this?” I ask, staring at the chest of jewels.

“I want to give you something, to signify your status as my mate,” he says, digging into the chest. “I know it’s in here,” he mumbles. “Aha!” He pulls out a ring, holding it out to me.

“A ring?”

“Do you not like it? You can choose another,” he says simply.

I’m struck at the sight. The ring is gorgeous! It’s black gold, almost the color of coal. The band is gorgeous with intricate designs on each side that look like scales. The center gem is a purple hidium stone but what makes it unique is that there are small green zanthenites inlaid around the mount that look like they’re glowing.

“It’s lovely,” I admit, taking it from him and slipping it on. I’m surprised he picked it. “Thank you.”

“It’s so others know you belong to me,” he said, voice gruff. “So they don’t getideaswhen they see you.”

“I’m not sure anyone has really ever hadideasabout me,” I say, shaking my head. “But as long as this means you’ll save my sister, I’ll wear it if it makes you happy.”

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