Reid supposed he should have been grateful for the changes, surely it was what they were expecting. But the disappointment and audacity fed into the anger that had settled deep within his gut. 

Freedom?

He had been foolish to think so. There was no freedom for him, only the crumbs of normalcy, likely done to placate him. Tame him. He would not fall so easily and the fact that they assumed so was incredibly insulting.

And so was the goddamn chain that was fastened around his ankle once again. 

Sure, it was longer now, so he had full reign of the room and could finally reach the entirety of the bathroom and he was able to wear clothes now, but to tease him with a taste of freedom was cruel. Then again, he should expect no less from a filthy Dragon.

Sighing, he laid back in the mass of pillows, annoyed by the false sense of hope. It was a step forward, he could not deny that. The small comforts would have to get him by as he devised a plan. Showing gratitude would be tough when he could so easily be found out if the bond went both ways as he suspected it did. Hard to lie with actual emotions. He had to keep the sliver of hope alive, just enough that the Naerian would be compelled to give him more liberties. 

Maybe. Who knew with their kind? Maybe this was the extent of his kindness. Who is to say that the little satisfaction Reid had would be enough to wash the Naerian’s hands of his obligation to him? 

It was a tricky game to play with too many options on how to proceed. He wished he had a little more insight. He was going on with practically zero information. All of his assumptions were baseless. He’d have to play it safe at first, lie as little as possible, before testing the theory with small white lies. See if the Dragon picks up on it, any reaction would be the confirmation Reid needed. 

The door opened in one of the farther rooms he still was unable to reach, just beyond the doors of this room he was confined to. As the steps grew closer, Reid noticed it was more than one set. Three?

On high alert, his head perked up from the pillows, a hand inconspicuously tucked beneath the cushion that hid his stash of knives. 

The Naerian had never brought anyone else before. Maybe it was that other Dragon, the female one?

Reid’s fingers tightened around the smooth hilt of a knife as he waited in tense silence, staring at the door with laser focus. 

When the doors opened, Reid remained seated, watching his Naerian stroll in with a confident stride and liquid grace that didn’t seem practiced. He was in full armor, with black plates, gold detailing, and silver fastens. Despite all the metal that clung to his massive yet clearly muscular frame, he did not make a sound. Each movement betrayed the blossoms of iridescent colors signifying the use of Gemma Crystals. Something in the compound likely absorbed the sound…unless that was simply the skill of the Naerian. Reid couldn’t tell. 

Behind him was another Naerian, equally tall, but more willowly. Instead of armor, this one wore what appeared to be a ceremonial robe? All white fabrics down to his ankles, cinched at the waist with thin gold belt of chain. His hair was long and golden. Not blonde like a human, but actually gold. It matched his eerie reptilian eyes and the pulsating swirling marks along his right cheek, dropping down his neck and disappearing into the neckline of his robe. 

Despite his nature, there was a softness to him that immediately put Reid on alert, suspicion clenching firmer in his gut. Was this another tactic? Get one to show him kindness so that he would bend willingly? 

No, that didn’t sound like the Naerian’s style. 

When the golden haired Naerian smiled at him, Reid’s eyes narrowed. He watched the pair, until he noticed movement behind them. There was someone else there, lingering behind the golden-haired Dragon. 

“Get up,” Kincaid growled. 

Reid focused his glare on the dark haired Dragon. Biting back a nasty retort or the urge to disobey, simply because he refused to be ordered around, Reid reluctantly climbed to his feet, leaving his knife behind. Not that it would do him any good anyway. 

 You’re supposed to be playing nice, Reid.

He walked over to the pair, trying to hold his head high despite the chain dangling at his ankle, before gritting out a “Emkii,” in greeting. 

“Greetings Reid Hudson, I am Lord Pelryn. Councilman to the King,” the gold haired Dragon greeted. 

Reid frowned, not used to being addressed, let alone greeted and given a name from such a high-ranking alien. 

“This is my pair–” 

Stepping from around the male, a human Reid knew all too well. 

“Gabriel Brown. He will be keeping you company today.”

Reid fought hard to wipe the shock from his face. When Kincaid’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, likely picking up the hike in emotions, Reid fought to disguise them. Shift them into excitement. That would be understandable in this situation. Shock at seeing another pair, another human. Excitement at being with his kind. 

He pushed those thoughts and those feelings to the forefront, stuffing the recognition far down in the mix until it was undetectable, lost in the chaos of his humanness. 

Gabe didn’t even falter, his even expression didn’t change, but Reid knew he couldn’t have known. There was shock there, he was just better at hiding it. 

“Hello,” Reid greeted, unsure of what he was supposed to do in this situation. Unsure of what they were expecting him to do. Was this an olive branch? Or was Kincaid planning on using Gabe to spy on me?

Well I guess that worked in his favor. 

“You will stay here with Pelryn’s pair. You will not leave. Is that understood?” Kincaid ordered, his voice cold and solemn, brokering no space for argument. Not that Reid would…

“Yes, Emkii,” Reid whispered. 

Kincaid studied him for a moment longer, morá pulsating a few warm colors before settling back to black. Then the male turned on his heel and left. Pelryn gave Gabe a kiss to his head before whispering, “Behave.” Like he was some goddamn pet. Then he followed after Kincaid. 

Gabe and Reid watched the door for a few moments, making sure they were actually gone, before Gabe rushed him. 

“Reid, what happened? Why are you here?” Gabe whispered, leading them back to the mound of pillows the Dragons used as a bed. 

They were silly questions, it was quite clear why and how Reid came to be there, but he answered them anyway, the adrenaline coursing through him at finally being near an ally. 

He explained what happened when he first ran into the Naerian and then all the events following. “They took me away, I’ve been chained up in here since. I’ve only just gotten to wear clothes yesterday. They gave me a longer leash, but I’m still trapped here.”

Gabe frowned, then took Reid’s chin in his hand before turning his head, dark brown eyes scanning the expanse of his neck. When he noticed the brutal bite in the back, his eyes flashed with sympathy and pain. 

“You’ve been marked.” 

Reid nodded.

“Has he been cruel to you?” Gabe asked him with concern. 

“No more than I would expect. He’s mostly gone. I’ve only interacted with him a handful of times.”

“That’s a blessing, trust me,” Gabe muttered. “I guess that explains it. Everyone was in a frenzy when you disappeared.”

Reid leaned close, voice lowered, “What happened with the plan?”

Gabe shook his head, “Dania put everything on hold when no one knew where you went. The group was torn. Some wanted to go on with it, but Dania refused. Said it may be compromised.” He shot Reid a searching look, gaze unwavering. 

Reid frowned. “You think I’d betray the cause?”

After everything he’d done for the fight. All the risks he’s taken so far, how dedicated he’d been since the very beginning. Especially after his dad. There was no way in hell Reid would ever betray them. 

Seeming satisfied by the incredulity on Reid’s face, Gabe shrugged. “We can’t take any risks. You understand that.”

He did, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. It was something he’d expected from the rest of the group, but not Dania. He supposed it didn’t matter anymore, they had to move forward since obviously they would know what happened to him once Gabe told them. 

“How long have you been here? Since they took you?” 

“A week I think? I’m not sure. Some of the days seemed to blend together. I was taken right before my Rut,” Reid admitted. Gabe’s eyes widened, horror filtering through the brown. 

“Have you been…bred?” Gabe asked, stumbling over the last word as if the very idea of it, let alone speaking it aloud, would call upon it, making the horrendous fate a reality.

Reid shook his head. “He has not.”

Gabe glanced down before whispering, “Is it because of the Rebellion mark? Do they know?” 

The mark was a symbol as much as it was an act of defiance. Most of those in the Rebellion had their sheaths sewn shut, rejecting the idea and possibility of bearing a clutch for the alien race. Gabe had been taken before he could get his but Jamila…when they had found out…she’d been brutalized. It was likely the reason she was never allowed outside. Her captor kept her on the tightest leash. 

Reid couldn’t say he cared about Kincaid finding out. Maybe that should have worried him, but he was prepared to deal with the consequences if only to show them he would not be broken. However, that did go against his plan of playing the perfect pet. The stubborn part of him made this whole endeavor difficult to balance. 

“He has not seen the mark. He chose to leave when I went through my Rut cycle. Said it didn’t serve him. Whatever that means.”

Gabe let out a small relieved breath. “You aren’t off the hook yet. He’s going to find out and there will be repercussions but from what I’ve heard of your mate, he won’t be pushing you any time soon.”

Reid fixed his gaze on his companion, eagerness in his expression. “You know of him? The Naerian that took me?” 

Gabe nodded, expression turning grave. He looked down at his hands, twisting the dark brown appendages over and over again in an anxious manner that betrayed the feeling of discomfort and foreboding Reid had been experiencing himself. 

“Kincaid al Reyr is the General of the Naerian army…” Gabe said, finally raising his eyes to meet Reid’s. His lips pulled into a frown. “And brother of the Naerian King.”

Reid’s stomach dropped. “Y-you’re joking.” But he knew he wasn’t. 

Just Reid’s luck to be taken by the goddamn Prince of the fucking Dragons. He was never going to escape him. 

“It hasn’t been confirmed, but it is my guess. They are very secretive about their identities. My captor was friends with him, but they rarely interacted in front of me. It wasn’t until what I assume was your arrival that Kincaid started coming to us and they spoke somewhat freely in front of me. They sent me here to distract you. I guess the bond is still too fresh.”

Reid shook his head in shock, still reeling from the new information. If it was true, he could probably use this to his advantage, having such a high-ranking Naerian’s ear. If he could somehow get on Kincaid’s good side, maybe he’d be able to feed more information to the Rebellion. 

Kincaid would have all intelligence on their armory, Gemma Crystal stock, battle plans, and more. But he would also be the hardest shell to crack. The male was difficult from the beginning, it would be near impossible to crack him. 

But when had that ever stopped Reid before?

With a renewed vivacity, Reid clasped Gabe’s hands, imploring him to feel the excitement that rushed through his own veins at the new possibilities. 

“How did you get your captor to trust you, to gain more freedoms?” 

Gabe frowns, not sharing the jollity, seeming more concerned with Reid’s shift in mood. “It’s not easy. I happened to have one that was more sympathetic, thinking of humans as pets rather than objects. Yours…he cares very little for humans at all. I don’t think the same methods I used would even slightly be useful in your case. And you have to be careful, subservience after such blatant defiance would only serve to raise his suspicions. I could only advise you to be silent.”

Reid had figured as much, but it still didn’t curb his new appetite for progress in the Rebellion’s mission. However, silence alone wouldn’t be enough. He had to find some way to get closer to the Naerian. 

But in the meantime, he had to make sure things were taken care of on the outside. It would likely be a long time before he was able to get out and check on things for himself. 

“Next time you are out, can you check on my mother? Maybe ask if Dania can? I don’t know how much of her medicine she has left and sometimes she forgets to eat on her own,” Reid asked. The more he thought about it, the more worried he grew. She had no one and now that he was stuck here, there was nothing he could do to help her. He didn’t trust the Naerian’s word, that she would be taken care of. It wouldn’t be the first time they had lied to get what they wanted. 

“I’ll find out what I can,” Gabe promised. 

Reid nodded thankfully. As small as it was, this was still a step forward. He had to hold on to that hope.

*