I bite back a grin, because I suspect someone's not getting to steal her breath tonight.
5
BEE
Even though I know we're making progress, it's still startling to me to arrive one day to find that half of the guards have been reassigned and Crulden's cuffs are gone.
I set down the enormous tray of waffles—I've found a piece of metal that creates a waffle-like stamp and it's a great favorite with the guards, even without syrup—and smile at the two guards at their posts. "Changes today, I see. Riffin didn't tell me."
Zathar nods, helping himself to a waffle. "Lord va'Rin came by late last night to check on things. Fair had a meltdown over how First Rank Novis was handling the situation."
My eyes widen as I pick up Crulden's bowl and wipe it clean with the apron I've taken to wearing, since I tend to do a lot of spot-cleaning in his room now. "Novis got in trouble?"
The guardsman nods. "Said he'd told Novis weeks ago that Crulden was to be shown that we're friendly, not that he was a prisoner. We were all quizzed on how things were proceeding, and Lord va'Rin was pleased with your efforts, not so much with everything else. Several of the men were reassigned and Novis is going to let you take the lead on things, per Lord's orders." He shoves an entire waffle into his mouth. "And no more cuffs."
"I see." My heart trips at the thought of the cuffs being gone. I'm not scared, but I wonder how Crulden is going to take the change. Will he be pleased? Or will he decide that now he's been given an inch, it's time to take a mile? I suppose I'll find out soon enough. I stack several of the waffles into the bowl, filling it to the brim since now there's extras. "And Riffin?"
"Reassigned to house duty. Lord va'Rin says he doesn't want you to have distractions."
I should be sad that my boyfriend won't be nearby, but I'm honestly thrilled. He's become more and more possessive and demanding lately. It's almost like he's threatened by Crulden, which is ridiculous. I can't wait to have a few days to just sit and talk with Crulden without Riffin's obsessive hovering. Crulden won't say much if he thinks others are listening in, and I want him to open up to me. I want to hear what makes him tick.
So these new developments? I'm thrilled.
I enter Crulden's room with the bowl and instead of putting it on the floor at the base of his cage, I walk over to him and hold it out. It's a trust exercise, but either Crulden can be trusted at this point, or it's all going to backfire massively. Either way, he deserves to be treated like a human being.
Or an alien. Whatever. Like a real person.
He gazes at my extended hand for so long that my nerves twinge and I worry I'm making a mistake. Then, he reaches out for the bowl. His wrist is red and irritated, the skin torn and scabbed. "My thanks."
A thank you? God, I'm making leaps and bounds today. I glance around. "I should have brought you a cup. I'm sorry. I'll bring one next time."
He grunts and retreats to the back of his cage, giving me space. It's like he's determined to show that I'm in no danger, and it just pleases me even more. He eats, and I sit on my stool quietly, observing him. His motions are a little jerky, and I can only imagine how tight his muscles were after being kept in the same posture for weeks on end. I think about those torn wrists and decide that not only am I bringing a cup tomorrow, but I'm bringing some ointment for his wrists. "Did you talk to Lord va'Rin?"
Crulden doesn't answer, so I assume that's a no.
"He's quite a nice man, though I've only talked with him briefly myself. The rescue operations he's running keep him very busy. Did you know his wife is human?"
He gets to his feet, holding the bowl out. "Water."
I'm not sure if it's a request or a demand, but I decide to think of it as a request. I get up and take the bowl from him and return it once I've filled it with fresh water from the tap. He tips it back and drinks from it, and I can't help but notice that quite a bit cascades down his chin, as if his lips won't close entirely around those tusks that jut out. I wonder if they bother him. It seems rude to ask. After he drinks his fill, he holds the bowl out again.
I refill it for him, and he drinks three of them before he's satisfied, which makes me unhappy. "I didn't realize you were so thirsty." The moment the words cross my lips, I feel like an idiot. Of course he wouldn't let on that he's thirsty. He's not going to ask for anything or show any signs of weakness. "In the future, I'll make sure you're brought more."
He shrugs, glancing over my shoulder at the guards at the window, then moves to the back of his cage again. "In the future, I'd like to be able to get my own." His strange, tusk-filled mouth stretches into what must be a smile. "Since I'm not a prisoner."
"You're not, but you have a reputation—"
"You mean the male I was cloned from has a reputation."
Well, shit. He has a point. "You can't deny that you've been violent."
"I don't deny it." That feral smile he gives me would be terrifying if I didn't already know he won't hurt me. He wants out of his cage, so he's going to pretend to be “tamed.” I haven't really thought ahead of what happens once he no longer needs to “pretend,” but I'm focusing on one problem at a time.
"Then you understand why you're being kept…under surveillance." I choose my words carefully. "You have to prove you're trustworthy. That you're more than just that Crulden and his past."
"Mmm." He leans back against the bars of his cage and regards me, rubbing his wrists the entire time. Good gravy, his hands are huge. I mean, all of him is huge, but now that his hands are free, I can't help but stare at their size. He could probably palm my entire skull. "I will always be Crulden to these people, you know. You're wasting your time."
"You don't know that."
He rubs his wrists, as if the answer is obvious.
I refuse to take that as the answer, though. I shake my head. "Lord va'Rin is very fair. You'll see."
"But you don't know him," Crulden points out. "You said so yourself."
"I know he's a lot fairer than a lot of the other people on this end of the universe," I retort, crossing my legs on the stool to get comfortable. Even though I'm very short and round, I can cross my legs comfortably, and I dangle one foot, flicking it back and forth as I think. "It's not necessarily Lord va'Rin's words but his actions. Everyone knows the story of him and his wife. He was given a human, and instead of just using her as a pleasure slave, he married her and gave her his name and the rights of his family line. More than that, he's opened up this planet to human refugees so they can have somewhere to go where they're treated like people."
Crulden's eyes narrow as he regards me. "A pleasure slave. Is that what you were?"
I flick my foot in agitation, glancing over at the guards. They're chatting to themselves as they eat waffles and aren't paying attention. Good. Normally I'd complain about the terrible job they're doing as guards, but this suits my purposes. "I don't wish to talk about it."