Independence

Chapter 8: Escape, let’s escape…




It was a gloomy day. ‘Pitter-patter,’ sang the raindrops that fell on his glass window in a familiar tune he had grown accustomed to. It sang to him gently, in a way a mother would lull her baby to sleep. Back on the island, the rain sang a different tune. It had been wilder and much more chaotic in comparison to this calmer world which he had escaped to. Huddled inside his warm and dry apartment, the rain seemed even tamer, like comparing a sprinkler to a waterfall. And in times like these, he missed the rush of the waterfall.

Lex looked around; catching sight of all the odd trinkets he kept on the bookshelf next to the television. He had collected them as souvenirs, a memory of all the places he had been to whilst traveling with his father. Many of them were figurines and wooden dolls he had stopped at the local markets to purchase while his father was away with his business partners. He always remembered showing his new-found treasures to his father the moment he got back to the hotel. And his father would smile, patting his head in affection as they discussed about where and what they would like to eat for dinner that night.

‘Those were happier times,’ thought Lex with a fond smile.

Looking around the room once more, Lex grimaced slightly at the lack of photographs there were around the hall. He knew why of course, after all, he had been the one to get rid of them after that night. He recalled coming back one evening to his two bedroom apartment and somehow as he stood in the hallway, looking at all the smiling pictures of his father hung up in various places around the hall, something inside of him had suddenly snapped. With an angry glare, he had grabbed every single one of them and thrown them into an empty box.

He couldn’t look at the pictures, couldn’t even bear to think of the person in the photographs. He didn’t need reminders of his childhood but somehow, he couldn’t seem to get rid of the various figurines on the bookshelf. Perhaps, some part of him hadn’t wanted to let go.

And if he couldn’t look at pictures, perhaps, he had kept those small plaster and wooden figures as the only real physical link to the past.

(break)

Light was pouring in from the open windows at the end of the room. It lit the room in a soothing yellow light, brightening all the nooks and crannies, leaving nowhere untouched by its presence. Wind blew in from the open window, the curtains swirling and twisting back and forth in a dance. The soft breeze caressed his naked skin, making Lex shiver slightly at the feel of its cool touch.

Cracking open an eyelid, Lex woke to the sight of that unfamiliar room. Lex’s sleep muddled mind wondered how his room had suddenly been transformed into this luxurious suite. This room couldn’t be his, the bed he was currently resting on was too big, the covers were too soft and the room was altogether too large. ‘Perhaps, my fairy godmother had worked her magic while I slept,’ he thought as he stretched in a cat-like fashion.

And as he was about to run his hands sleepily through his hair, his movements stilled to a sudden halt. Automatically, his eyes widened in panic as the reality of his situation smacked him hard in the face, leaving him gaping like a fish out of water. Memories of past events rushed into his mind like a speeding bullet train. Lex smacked himself for letting his guard drop, even if it was only for a moment.

Perhaps it was a way for his too-stressed-out mind of coping with a situation such as this? With a small nod, Lex deduced that it was so. His poor brain could only handle so much until it completely broke down.

Taking in a deep, calming breath, Lex cautiously looked around the room. The room looked like one of the rooms which might belong in some luxurious hotel he had seen on television. Beautiful but hardly lived in. There was nothing personal about the room, no pictures or left behind articles of clothing to show that someone had been living here.

There was a large wardrobe and small cupboards at one end of the room. No pictures, save some random paintings of scenery, hung on the cream colored wall. The curtains and drapes hanging by the windows were pure white, and the carpet which covered the whole floor was a rich crimson, reminding Lex of the Hollywood red carpet for some reason. There were two doors at two different ends of the room, one which he was sure led to an equally impersonal bathroom and the other, he was positive, was the exit.

Lex didn’t know what he was doing in that room or where the Ro which had most probably brought him here had gone off to. But he was sure of one thing, Crescent had left him alone. And as such, now was the perfect time to make like a bat out of hell and get the hell out of here. Who knew when the dominant would be coming back? The faster he made a run for it, the better.

Tossing off cream colored covers, he quickly crawled his way across the large poster bed and dashed towards the first door to his left. Opening the door he found himself staring into a large bathroom, complete with its own personal Jacuzzi. ‘Damn,’ thought Lex. ‘Maybe escape can wait awhile,’ were his silent musings as he stared longingly at the huge Jacuzzi. Shaking his head, he slammed the door shut, making his way to the other side of the room.

Just as he was about to reach for the doorknob, a light rapping on the door he was about to fling open, stopped him dead in his tracks. Panicking and wondering if it was Crescent, Lex dove for the bed, hoping to pretend that he was still asleep. Maybe if he pretended to be sleeping, the dominant would simply leave him alone and go away?

‘Well, I can certainly try,’ were his thoughts as he reached for the covers and pulled them over his head.

The sound of someone shuffling into the room and accidentally bumping into some cupboards caught his attention. Lex peeked out from under the blankets, wondering why the Ro was being so noisy. Usually, dominants carried themselves with confidence and walked or should he say, stalked, with the silence and grace of a born predator.

Catching sight of bright red hair, Lex immediately sat up and stared straight at the stranger in his room. The man, no, the boy, for that was what he looked like, stood balancing a tray full of food in one hand and a small basket of some unidentifiable bottles in another. He was humming happily to himself, occasionally stopping to curse softly under his breath when he bumped into a cupboard or the dressing table.

He wore a crisp white shirt and long black pants, reminding Lex of a butler. His short red hair stood in natural spikes above his head and his eyes were a light hazel. He looked to be of average height, for a teenage boy of maybe, fifteen. Lex cocked his head at that. What was a fifteen year old boy doing in his room? Who the hell was he anyway?

“Oh, hello. I see that you’re awake,” said the boy cheerfully the moment he caught sight of the submissive, staring questioningly at him from the large poster bed. He then began crossing the room, making his way towards the submissive with a rather large smile on his face.

Lex’s gaze turned suspicious just as soon as the boy started making his over. What did the boy want? Not trusting any strangers at that point, Lex burrowed deeper into a couple of large floppy pillows and pulled the sheets closer to his body. He had enough of people staring at his naked form after all.

“I brought some food for you. Lord Crescent said that you might be hungry,” he continued seemingly unbothered by Lex’s unblinking gaze.

He placed the tray laden with food on the side of the large bed, and beckoned for Lex to approach. “Come on, Lord Crescent even told the chef to roast some chicken for you just in case you were really starving,” he gestured towards a plate filled to the brim with roasted parts of a chicken.

Lex eyed the plate of roasted chicken hungrily. How long has it been since he had a decent meal? ‘Too long,’ came the reply in his mind as the scent of the roasted chicken washed over him.

‘But what if it’s drugged?’ asked the logical part of his brain.

Lex stared suspiciously at tray of food. Would Crescent drug him?

Lex decided that the best way to find out was to study the person who brought in the food. Maybe the boy’s actions would give something away?

The boy only smiled at Lex pleasantly the moment Lex looked up. He then began bumbling around the room like a drunkard who had one to many bottles to drink, and started humming a rather popular tune. Making his way towards the door leading to the bathroom, he placed the basket of bottles near the sink and waved back at Lex who was watching his every movement closely.

“They’re disinfectants, liquid soaps and shampoos,” the boy said as he pointed towards the basket. “They’re for bathing,” he said as an afterthought.

Lex stared at the red-haired teenager in annoyance, wondering if the boy expected there to be other uses for soaps and shampoos. Did he look like some sort a mental retard? ‘Of course I know what they’re for,’ thought Lex as he huffed inwardly.

The boy however, must have misinterpreted the look Lex shot him because he soon said, “You don’t have to worry about that, though. I’ll help you with the bath just as soon as you finish your meal. Wouldn’t want you swallowing any of the shampoo, would we?” he said with an amused smile playing on his lips.

Lex almost lost control at that moment, but stopped himself just in time before he started shouting at the annoying brat. Him? Swallow shampoo?

‘Excuse me?’ his mind huffed.

But Lex managed to calm down, reminding himself that he couldn’t blow his cover. He still needed to pretend to be a ‘normal’ submissive. How else was he going to escape from this whole mess?

Lex was brought out from his musings the moment his stomach began to rumble. The red-haired boy laughed at the sound and walked towards the door leading out of the room.

“Lord Crescent’ll want to know that you’re awake. I’ll be back later, okay?” he said to Lex as he exited the room, leaving Lex alone with the tray of food sitting only a few feet across from him. And of course, being as hungry as he was, Lex dove for the roasted chicken.

So what if it was drugged? He was too bloody hungry to give a damn!

The chicken tasted as good as it smelled and in only a matter of minutes, only the chicken bones remained on that once full plate.

Lex licked his lips in satisfaction.

‘Okay, meal time is over. Now, it’s time to escape,’ he thought with glee as he snagged a piece of bread roll from the tray and raced towards the door.

Who cares if he was escaping naked? He had bigger things to worry about besides his nudity. But if it really did bother him later on, he supposed that he could always sneak into unsuspecting civilian houses and rob them of some of their clothes. Who would miss a couple of worn jeans and faded t-shirts anyway?

He pushed the door open and stuck his head out. Seeing that no one was around, he plopped the bred roll into his mouth and closed the door silently behind him. Part of him wondered why the red-haired boy had not locked the door.

‘The brat must think that I’m like all the other submissives,’ he decided. Most Ri’s wouldn’t have ever even seen a door, and turning doorknobs was certainly something they would be clueless at. ‘It’s no wonder, he left it unlocked,’ thought Lex with a small smirk.

‘Nothing beats escaping on a full tummy,’ he thought as he sneaked through a long corridor lined with paintings of people dressed in gaudy clothes that were in fashion about three hundred years back. He ran right passed the paintings, not sparing them a second glance. He had never been one for art and now was certainly not the time to develop a sudden interest in it.

He raced past several turns leading to other corridors before he came to a stop at a broad staircase, leading downwards into a large hall below. Lex wondered where everyone was. He had run through the long corridor for more than 10 minutes but still, there had been no one in sight. The place was big, yes, but there should be people somewhere, shouldn’t there?

It was definitely too big a place for just Crescent and the teenage red-haired boy to live in alone. Shouldn’t there be guards or servants?

Shaking his head, Lex decided that it didn’t matter. He was going to escape, not look for people who would most likely stop him from running away. Besides, he told himself, what did it matter if Crescent wanted to live in this huge place with just that annoying brat? It wasn’t like he cared. Truly, positively, probably…

Lucien Crescent could do whatever he liked. It had nothing to do with him anyway, right?

Lex shook his head. Where were these thoughts coming from?

One thing Lex could conclude from his short run through this place.

It was freaking huge.

Lex deduced that he was probably in some sort of a mansion or a castle. He wouldn’t even be surprised if it was a stronghold.

Traipsing cautiously down the stairs, his eyes darted left and right, searching for any sign of someone who might accidentally walk into the large hall and catch sight of him making his daring escape. Creeping silently down towards the hall, Lex found himself staring at a pair of large, dark wooden doors built into the wall at the very end of this impossibly large hall.

The floor beneath him was marble, white and sparkling clean. Lex could even see his reflection through the floor and as he was currently in the state of undress, he blushed and looked away from the mirror-like floor.

He definitely didn’t want to see himself in the nude at THAT angle!

He approached the twin doors at the end of the hall, his shaking hands hesitating at the large wooden double handles. Lex wondered what he would find at the other end, or if the doors were even opened. They could be locked for all he knew.

And if these doors really were an exit out of this place, could he bear to leave?

Lex pushed that thought out of his mind. He didn’t know what had gotten into him lately. Didn’t the whole point of running away mean escaping? What was he hesitating for? It wasn’t like he had anything here to hold him back. He had a twin brother to rescue after all.

But somehow, the thought of smoldering grey eyes made him double back on his thoughts. ‘But what about him?’ asked one part of his mind.

Lex shook his head furiously. Why was he thinking of Crescent? Lex didn’t owe it to him to stay. In fact, he had been taken here against his own will. Didn’t he have the right to leave if he wanted?

‘And besides’, his mind supplied, ‘he was the one who left me in that room all alone and wandered off to goodness knows where in the first place.’ He scowled at that thought.

Crescent could be off in Vegas surrounded by half naked showgirls, for all he knew. So he definitely didn’t owe the bloody dominant anything.

And so, with a defiant glint in his eyes, he pulled open the double doors.

‘Uh-oh,’ were his thoughts as more than twenty pairs of eyes turned to look at him the moment the doors creaked open. ‘I’m so screwed,’ he thought once again, glancing at the large beings, clearly dominants, staring hungrily at his naked form.


(break)



Lucien Crescent was not a happy Dragon.

‘Sometimes I really hate being leader of this bloody clan,’ he thought, rubbing at his temples for the seventh time that day. He was currently sitting in a meeting room, surrounded on all sides by the clan’s advisors and most influential members discussing about this year’s budget for the state of Rah, run by the members of his clan in Dragon country.

“What do you think, my Lord?” asked one of the advisors to his right. The rest of the committee had stopped their debates and arguments, now turning towards Lucien in expectation.

‘I think you should all go stuff your heads up your asses,’ he thought in irritation, wondering why they always pulled him into a particular discussion the moment it got too heated. The bloody lot should learn to solve the problems, which THEY created. Why did they have to get him involved?

“I think we should move on to the next issue at hand. We’ll discuss about this issue, at a more CONVENIENT time,” he said, stressing on the word ‘convenient’.

He truly didn’t deserve this. After centuries of service to his country, surely he deserved a little down time. He had just taken a submissive home for goodness sake! Couldn’t they have chosen a better time to be holding a meeting? He currently had a distraught (and naked) Ri to see to. Didn’t they understand that?

The events of the night before played out in his mind as he thought about the Ri he had brought back to his mansion. The moment the submissive had fallen into unconsciousness back in the Sanctuary, he had lifted the Ri up into his arms and flown away, heading towards his hilltop mansion in the state of Rah. The precious burden in his arms never so much a moved a muscle during their journey in the air and Lucien had frowned worryingly at that.

The submissive must have truly been on the brink of exhaustion for him to remain absolutely still during their rather cold flight across the rapidly darkening sky. Most would have shivered or thrown their arms about seeking shelter subconsciously from the cold air. But his Ri however, had remained as still as one of the dead.

Lucien had picked up speed at that thought, hurrying to arrive back at the mansion and away from the cold night air. He needed to get his submissive away from the cold and into a soft bed so he could work on treating his mate’s bruised fingers in a warm and comfortable environment. His mate deserved every bit of comfort he could offer, after all.

His mate was his life now and he would never allow anything to happen to his Ri. Nothing and no one would ever come between them.

‘Except these bloody idiots, of course’ he thought, glaring at all the dominants in the room.

The moment he had touched down onto the northern balcony of his mansion, one of his servants had come running towards him, going off about an emergency meeting that had been called for by the state council members of Rah. He had then proceeded to glare down at that particular servant and stalked off towards the closest guest room in the northern wing, leaving behind a profusely apologizing servant in his wake.

Barging into the first room he came across, he had gently lowered the sleeping Ri onto the large poster bed covered in cream colored sheets. Lucien had never really been fond of rooms such as these in the northern wing of mansion. These rooms were mostly guest rooms, specially designed to fit the tastes of most dignitaries around the world. He however, preferred his more personalized western wing, where all the rooms were designed by his own hand. His friends and personal guests were always housed there during their stay with him in the mansion. But he really didn’t have a choice at that moment as he had an urgent meeting with the state council to attend.

It looked like his mate would be staying in this room temporarily until the meeting ended. Though, who knows how long that’ll be?

When you have a whole room of immortal Dragons together in the same room, you could be sure that it’ll definitely take a while before everyone is satisfied. Dragons after all, had all the time in the world to spare and this only contributed to the long meeting hours Lucien had no choice but to sit through and endure.

Lucien had taken one last glance at his gorgeous Ri as he traced the submissive’s attractive features and soft pink lips gently with fingers. What he wouldn’t have given then to simply lie next to his to-be mate and gaze upon his sleeping form all night long.

And so, with a soft sigh, he brought his lips to softly kiss his Ri’s forehead and left with a parting, “I’ll see you later.”

He had then made his way towards the kitchen, startling the head chef when he had barged in to find her dancing to a song being played on the radio sitting on the shelf to his left. “May I help you, my Lord?” the plump red-haired woman had asked, flushing in embarrassment at the bemused expression on Lucien’s aristocratic features.

“Prepare some food for my mate. He’s currently sleeping upstairs but when he wakes up, I’m sure that he’ll be rather famished,” he said as he turned to leave.

“Yes, my Lord,” she answered obediently.

“Oh, and be sure to include some of that special roast chicken I’ve been hearing so much about. I’m sure he would appreciate it,” he added as he exited from the double kitchen doors.

And after that he had gone down to the large meeting hall in the eastern part of his mansion to find the whole committee already waiting for him to start the session in one of the larger meeting rooms.

Sometimes Lucien wondered why they had to have emergency meetings in his home and not at the public state meeting halls where they usually held official sessions. Rubbing his temples for the twelfth time that day, he could only sigh in irritation.

“And so, to bring up the issue of…..” came the words of the current speaker in the committee but Lucien had purposely drowned him out, preferring to turn his thoughts towards his beautiful Ri, lying somewhere asleep in this large mansion.

The sound of the double wooden doors creaking open though, broke him from his train of delightful thoughts and made him turn to stare towards the source of that sound. Eyes growing wide with disbelief, he found himself staring at the object of his thoughts, standing naked in the entryway before an audience of twenty four dominants.

A/N Well, firstly I would like to apologize to every one of my readers for this incredibly late update. Forgive me; I’ve just been so busy lately. Well, and not to mention that at some point I had actually gotten a rather serious case of writers block, LOL…I’ll try to update though, as soon as possible. If I can…..ehehehe…

Secondly, I would like to give a huge ‘Thank You’ to all my delightful and faithful readers. You guys are just so supportive, it made me determined to update as soon as possible. (Which really wasn’t that soon, I’m sorry!!)

Reviewers like betrayed actually reviewed every week just to ask me to update. And it made me so incredibly happy and not to mention a little guilty…hehehe….

So thank you, everyone who reviewed and encouraged me to continue on with the story. You guys are simply the best!

I actually have the plot for the next chapter all worked out and you can be sure that it’s going to be much more erm….exciting (?) compared to this one. This one was rather a bit of a bore for me to write and it made me wonder if you all felt that way reading it too? Do tell.

I’ll be waiting for your opinions. (I think I’m being rather obvious with the hints here…)
Till next time.