Dragon's Unchained

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DRAGONS UNCHAINED

Ashley West

Chapter 1: Don’t Look Back

Holly awoke with a start, heart pounding and a scream building in her throat. As she came to and realized where she was and what was happening, the scream died down, but she was far from calm. Her nightmares were terrible, but the reality of her life wasn’t much better.

She pressed a hand to her chest and dragged in a deep breath, holding it while she counted slowly to five and then exhaled for another five count. It was a trick she’d been using to help counter her anxiety since she was a small child, but it only sort of worked these days. There was just so much to be anxious about.

Outside her door, she could hear voice, but she knew they belonged to Dante and his friends. His ‘pack’ as he called them. A high, feminine giggle rose above the rest of the voices, and Holly closed her eyes and let out another breath.

It wasn’t even noon yet, but Holly already knew what the scene would be like when she went out into the living room. Dante, her boyfriend of five years, sitting in his chair holding court. All of his pack crammed into the tiny living room, hanging on his every word and vying for his attention. Some blonde or redheaded woman sitting on the arm of the chair, draped all over him like it wasn’t well known that Dante had a girlfriend.

He never stopped them, and Holly had enough bruises from trying to tell him how disrespectful it was for him to flirt with other women in the house they lived in together, so she knew she wasn’t going to say anything.

Where’s Holly? someone asked from the other room, and Holly froze. She much preferred it when people didn’t pay attention to her in this house, especially when it meant that Dante would come looking for her.

Probably sleeping, Dante replied, and it was clear from his tone how much he didn’t care.

She’s such a frail little thing, said the woman. She probably needs the rest.

There was a ripple of laughter, and Holly felt her face burn hot with shame. She clenched her hands into fists and focused on her breathing.

Well, she can’t help that, Dante was saying. She’s not a shifter. She’s not made to big and strong. That’s why she needs me.

She’s so lucky to have you, Dante, the woman practically purred, and Holly didn’t need to be in there to know that she’d be touching him, stroking fingers down his arm or through his hair, playing to Dante’s ego.

Try telling her that, Dante said in reply. Silly cow don’t know how good she’s got it.

There was more laughter, but Holly had had enough. She closed her eyes and willed the tears to stay put, pulling her pillow out from under her head and covering her face with it. In her head, she counted as she breathed, willing her hurt and anger and resentment to cool. There was no way she could go out there acting like she was upset. Dante would rip her apart and all of his friends and floozies would bear witness.

She couldn’t take the humiliation, so it was better to just get over it now, in the privacy of her own room.

When she thought that she was under control, she removed the pillow and sighed. Slowly, she dragged herself out of bed. Each movement felt heavy and sluggish, and she wondered if she was getting sick.

Honestly, it didn’t matter.

Holly!

She flinched instinctively at Dante yelling her name.

You’d better not still be asleep in there. Lazy cow. Get up!

I’m up! Holly called back, careful to pitch her voice loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough that he’d think she was yelling at him.

When he didn’t say anything else and there was no sound of footsteps approaching her room, she sighed with relief and made herself move faster.

Her room was the smallest one in the already tiny house, just a bed pushed against one wall, a dresser for her clothes, and a mirror on the other wall. There were no windows and the door led directly into the living room where Dante usually was. It was like a prison cell, and that wasn’t lost on her.

Holly dressed simply, pulling on a pair of shorts and a shirt that was large enough to almost hide the shorts entirely. She felt less exposed like that, and if it weren’t so hot out, she would have pulled on a jacket over the shirt to hide the bruises on her arms. She looked down at them in disgust. The finger shaped bruises littering her tanned skin were just proof that her life hadn’t gone the way she wanted it to, and he hated them.

There wasn’t time to dwell on it, though. If Dante got impatient and had to come in and get her, she’d only have more bruises to deal with.

She yanked a brush though her hair and then tied back the riotous mass of dark curls with a headband to keep them out of her face.

A quick glance in the mirror revealed that she looked tired and pale. Dark circles were heavy under her eyes, and her skin was sallow and ashen. But then, she always looked like that. Too little sleep, too little sun, too little reason to smile. Her mouth was almost set in a permanent frown, but there was nothing to be done about that.

Before Dante could call again, she pushed out of her tiny room and stepped into the living room, glancing around quickly.

It was just as she had pictured it in her head. Seven of his pack members sitting on the few pieces of furniture in the living room, and a woman, a blonde this time, draped over Dante in his chair. She was actually in his lap this time, one arm around his shoulders, and Holly swallowed hard and didn’t make eye contact.

There you are, Dante said. What did I tell you about sleeping so late?

I’m sorry, Holly murmured because that was easier than trying to argue with him.

Don’t be sorry. Just do better. Do we have any bacon?

She didn’t say that he could have easily gone to check that himself. Instead she glanced up at him and then back down at the floor. I don’t know.

"Well, go check," Dante said, like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.

The woman in his lap hid a laugh behind her hand, and Holly felt her cheeks heating up. So she fled into the kitchen.

She’d been up for all of fifteen minutes, and already she wanted to cry, but that wasn’t any kind of record.

A quick glance in the refrigerator revealed that they were out of bacon, and Holly’s stomach clenched. Dante wasn’t going to like hearing that, and he was very much a shoot the messenger kind of guy. Especially when the messenger was Holly.

We don’t have any, she said, stepping back into the living room.

Why the hell not?

I think… Holly trailed off, staring at the floor.

I can’t hear you when you whisper like a mouse, Holly, Dante said. Why don’t we have any bacon?

There was a dangerous edge to his voice, and Holly dearly wished she could just go back to sleep and take her chances with her nightmares. Already the rest of the pack were averting their eyes, so skilled at pretending that their leader wasn’t about to reduce Holly to tears right in front of them.

Holly lifted her chin and looked at him, trying not to tremble. I think we ate it all, she said because that was safer than saying what had actually happened was Dante and his pack had eaten it all. Marginally.

"We did? Dante asked. You sure you don’t mean you did? While I was at work, you weren’t here eating all my food like a freeloader?"

No, Holly replied honestly. While he was at work, she cleaned the house and did the grocery shopping and made sure the bills were paid and whatever other chores Dante laid out for her.

And now you’re lying to my face.

There was no way out of this. If she told him she wasn’t lying, then he would get in her face for calling him a liar. If she said that he was right, he’d get in her face for eating all of his food. There was no way to win, and that was an accurate summary of her life in a nutshell. There was no way to win.

She’d thought Dante was dangerous and smooth in all the best ways when she’d left home to be with him, but now she realized that there was no such thing as dangerous in a good way. Danger just got you hurt and trapped.

I-I’m not lying, she said because if she was going to get it either way, then she figured she might as well keep her dignity. Although that was easier said than done when she could feel the woman’s eyes on her the whole time.

"So you’re calling me a liar, then?"

N-no. I just…

"You just what? You just what, Holly? You thought you could get away with eating all my food? You don’t do anything around here? You sleep all day while I work to make money to keep food in this house, and then when I want to eat it, it’s gone. Because you’re a freeloader, and you’re useless. Why do I even keep you around?"

Holly was going to cry, she just knew it. I don’t know, she whispered.

What?

I don’t know! I don’t know why you keep me around if I’m so useless!

In the silence that followed her outburst, she knew she'd made a mistake. Lashing out at Dante never did anything but make things worse, and that sick feeling of fear only intensified.

He looked at her, dark eyes cold and hard. You don't talk to me like that, he said. I do too much for you for you to stand there and talk to me like that.

Holly flinched, already expecting to be hit. To