equilibrium. A massive thumb and forefinger
encased her chin, raising her head until she was speared by a pair of the
deepest violet eyes she’d ever seen, and they were anything but pleased.
“You have to focus, Alicia.
Now is not the time to lose your nerve. Snap out of it. Pull your head out of your
ass and think. Follow the link you have with Drago and tell us where he is.”
Without thought and more
pissed than she’d ever been, Alicia hauled off and slapped Rayne MacLendon, the
Commander, the man that scared her shitless just by breathing, right across the
face. Once again, time stood still, but this time she felt the electricity of
her pure unadulterated rage filling the space between her and the formidable
Guardsman. It was as if all the air had been sucked from the atmosphere.
Everyone stood still, staring, holding their breath…waiting.
Her hand stung from the
contact with Rayne’s face. A hand print, her hand print, was quickly
becoming visible on the Commander’s left cheek in glowing red reality. Alicia’s
nerve was failing and fear was quickly replacing the anger that had only
seconds ago had been coursing through her veins. The weight of her impulsive
action bore down on her like the boulder she knew was still blocking Drago’s
prison. Unable to stand the pressure, her head fell forward and she focused on
a particularly interesting rock sitting between her feet, praying the Commander
had more self-control than she did.
Anxiety pushed her heart to
beat fast and loud, so loud that all other sound was only background noise. The
young witch thought it might beat out of her chest. A bead of sweat rolled down
her spine while her knees began to shake.
Alicia was sure there were
rules against striking a Dragon Guard Commander, she just prayed the punishment
wasn’t hanging at dawn. Goddess knew her people had seen enough of the rope
throughout history.
Seconds ticked by as she
waited for something… anything , to happen. Sure Rayne was plotting her
demise, Alicia looked up just as the Commander threw back his head and laughed.
Not just a little chuckle to let her know everything was all right. Oh no, it
was a booming, roaring, all-encompassing guffaw of a laugh that had everyone
standing around them immediately joining in.
Regaining his composure,
Rayne looked down at her and asked, “Feel better? Ready to save that pain in
the ass uncle of mine?”
Alicia stared at the
Commander, letting his words sink in. He wasn’t mad…not even a little bit.
Actually, if she was reading the situation correctly, which she seemed to be if
the looks on everyone else’s faces were any indication, she’d done exactly what
Rayne wanted her to do.
Needing clarification, the
young witch cleared her throat and asked, “You’re not mad? I mean, I hit you…in
front of everyone.” She whispered the last part mostly because she couldn’t
believe she was reminding him of her actions.
Grinning, Rayne chuckled,
“Not in the slightest. You were freaking out. I needed you to focus on
something other than your grief. If hitting me helped then it was worth it, but
I will admit you pack a helluva a punch, little one.”
“What did you call me?”
“Little one, why?” The
Commander threw his hands out between them and feigning fear added, “You’re not
gonna hit me again are you?” His shoulders bounced at his own joke as Alicia
quickly shook her head.
“No, it’s just…oh, nothing.”
Rayne smiled a knowing smile
but quickly schooled his features and dropped his hands before resuming his
Commander persona. “Okay, now that you’re back with us, I need you to focus. I
know you said you can’t feel Drago at all anymore but that could be the black
magic, or he might be blocking your communication for some reason. But whatever
it is, I refuse to believe he’s gone. Not when we are so close to returning him
to the clan.”
Alicia could feel the
strength of Rayne’s conviction and was once again amazed by
encased her chin, raising her head until she was speared by a pair of the
deepest violet eyes she’d ever seen, and they were anything but pleased.
“You have to focus, Alicia.
Now is not the time to lose your nerve. Snap out of it. Pull your head out of your
ass and think. Follow the link you have with Drago and tell us where he is.”
Without thought and more
pissed than she’d ever been, Alicia hauled off and slapped Rayne MacLendon, the
Commander, the man that scared her shitless just by breathing, right across the
face. Once again, time stood still, but this time she felt the electricity of
her pure unadulterated rage filling the space between her and the formidable
Guardsman. It was as if all the air had been sucked from the atmosphere.
Everyone stood still, staring, holding their breath…waiting.
Her hand stung from the
contact with Rayne’s face. A hand print, her hand print, was quickly
becoming visible on the Commander’s left cheek in glowing red reality. Alicia’s
nerve was failing and fear was quickly replacing the anger that had only
seconds ago had been coursing through her veins. The weight of her impulsive
action bore down on her like the boulder she knew was still blocking Drago’s
prison. Unable to stand the pressure, her head fell forward and she focused on
a particularly interesting rock sitting between her feet, praying the Commander
had more self-control than she did.
Anxiety pushed her heart to
beat fast and loud, so loud that all other sound was only background noise. The
young witch thought it might beat out of her chest. A bead of sweat rolled down
her spine while her knees began to shake.
Alicia was sure there were
rules against striking a Dragon Guard Commander, she just prayed the punishment
wasn’t hanging at dawn. Goddess knew her people had seen enough of the rope
throughout history.
Seconds ticked by as she
waited for something… anything , to happen. Sure Rayne was plotting her
demise, Alicia looked up just as the Commander threw back his head and laughed.
Not just a little chuckle to let her know everything was all right. Oh no, it
was a booming, roaring, all-encompassing guffaw of a laugh that had everyone
standing around them immediately joining in.
Regaining his composure,
Rayne looked down at her and asked, “Feel better? Ready to save that pain in
the ass uncle of mine?”
Alicia stared at the
Commander, letting his words sink in. He wasn’t mad…not even a little bit.
Actually, if she was reading the situation correctly, which she seemed to be if
the looks on everyone else’s faces were any indication, she’d done exactly what
Rayne wanted her to do.
Needing clarification, the
young witch cleared her throat and asked, “You’re not mad? I mean, I hit you…in
front of everyone.” She whispered the last part mostly because she couldn’t
believe she was reminding him of her actions.
Grinning, Rayne chuckled,
“Not in the slightest. You were freaking out. I needed you to focus on
something other than your grief. If hitting me helped then it was worth it, but
I will admit you pack a helluva a punch, little one.”
“What did you call me?”
“Little one, why?” The
Commander threw his hands out between them and feigning fear added, “You’re not
gonna hit me again are you?” His shoulders bounced at his own joke as Alicia
quickly shook her head.
“No, it’s just…oh, nothing.”
Rayne smiled a knowing smile
but quickly schooled his features and dropped his hands before resuming his
Commander persona. “Okay, now that you’re back with us, I need you to focus. I
know you said you can’t feel Drago at all anymore but that could be the black
magic, or he might be blocking your communication for some reason. But whatever
it is, I refuse to believe he’s gone. Not when we are so close to returning him
to the clan.”
Alicia could feel the
strength of Rayne’s conviction and was once again amazed by
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