Scared-Tika

As I cower against the wall with my eyes squinched tight together, I slowly make myself relax. With a deep breath I release the tension in my body and I stand up straight. I vision the forest on the drive here as my eyelids relax. When the growling stops, I wait for the pain. I wait and I wait. Yet no pain comes.

A hand lands on my shoulder and I just in fright as my eyes fly open. They whirl around the room as I search for danger and check my shoulder for a wound. With a frown on my face I turn to see a women in white scrubs who happens to look just as frightened as I do. I look around the room and finally notice that I no longer see the giant blonde man. I don't even see a trace that he was ever here.

I would think that I imagined it but it's as if I can still smell him in the room. His scent is sweet like corn but like the corn has been roasted to become tender over a warm fire. The nurse watches me warily as I search the room. "My name is Julia. I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to make sure that you are alright" she says gesturing for me to return to the bed.

I can't explain how happy I am that she has not touched me. I don't want to touch any of these monsters. I walk slowly over to the bed as I watch her where she stands. As I take a seat and presume to get comfortable on the bed she stays in the doorway. Satisfied that she got me to sit down she gives me an affirming nod before adjusting her posture.

"I do apologize about what just happened. I didn't hear the entire conversation but I heard the end of it. His reaction is much tamer than I know of the others. After all, he is the alpha so I get why exceeded common expectations" she says as she rambles.

I stare at her in confusion because I honestly don't know what to say to that. She just said that what happened is normal and that it could have been worse if it was someone else. I almost want to laugh at the way that she talks. Her hands move about the air as if she is talking with them. Occasionally ever few words she is moving her long black dreads to hand behind her ears when they block her vision.

"You don't have anything to fear. He won't hurt you, you know" she says again once I don't answer. This time I get even angrier that he has involved so many others in his plot. How many people will he have feed me lies and false security.

"You know that that is not true. They told us all why we were brought here. I have no misconceived notions that I am here to die. I have accepted the fact and I would prefer to only hear the truth from now on if I have to continue this conversation" I tell her as she frowns. Suddenly she burst into laughter and I have to look around to see what she is laughing at. Apparently everyone here is crazy. Who knows maybe I have been just imagining it all.

"Oh, I really needed that. You are hilarious. Now I wish I could give you the answers that you need just to see the look on your face. it is going to be priceless. Girl, you were not brought here to die. You are here for an entirely different reason. I know that at first glance they all seem like monster. Especially Xander" she says. "You know the tall golden guy who was just here. They are all big old softies. Don't you worry about a thing you will see" she says placing her hands on her widened hips.

"How would you know, aren't you one of them?" I ask her watching her reaction.

"Nope. I'm not a dragon at all. I am human just like you" she says saying each word pointedly.

I look at her closely now and think about the other men I have seen before coming here. She's definitely not big like them. I also haven't seen her do any magic or seen her eyes change in that weird way.

"Well, what are you doing here with them?" I can't help but ask curiously.

"Oh, I live here officially now. I came with my best friend when she found herself mated to one. They even have kids on the way now. I mostly stayed to support her but I would also have to admit that they kind of grow on you" she answers coming closer to the bed.

"You don't sound like you are afraid of them" I state to her bewildered.

"I was at first. Once I got to know them though I was able to realize that they are people just like us. They just have another side. That other side is large, scary, and easily angered. But since I have been here that anger has never been turned on me. There are other humans who live here safely too" she states.

I ponder what she said as I look her. She seems honest as if she is telling the truth. A part of me really wants to believe her but what happens when I do. I can't just let my guard now even if they aren't truly monsters. Letting you guard down is how you get hurt. It's how you end up hurting other people. I can't afford to let that happen again.

Before I have the chance to reply or ask more questions I hear raised voices in the hall. "Why didn't you just put us back in the room." "You really want to pop in on her after what you just did. Nope, This seemed smarter. You aren't to pampered to walk down the hall are you." "I am still your alpha Max, don't make me keep reminding you." "Yup, you remind me so much I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to." "Asshole." "Yup, heard that one a lot too." "Don't you have something better to do as my beta." "And miss you apologizing, I don't think so. Now that I think about it I should have brought some popcorn for this." "Shut up." "But you're the one talking to me." "And now I'm not so such up."

Just as the guy who can disappear is supposed to respond they both walk back into room and my body tenses. I watch them waiting for the claws and his body growing bigger. The air is wrought with tension as no one makes a move and I am left sitting here as I watch all the people in the room. My heart races in anticipation as I wait for something to happen.

"Well, this is awkward. I am just going to....go. Yeah, I'm going to go." Julia says as she rises to stand. I don't know what possesses me to do it but I grab her hand to stop her. Her gaze swirls back to me and she must see something in my eyes because she takes her seat once more. I give a sigh of relief and try to tell her with a smile how thankful I am for her staying.

"My name is Xander and I believe we have gotten off on the wrong foot" He says as he steps through the doorway. I almost want to chuckle at the fact that he has to duck to get in. He really is tall. "I also need to apologize at my own behavior for losing my temper" he says holding my gaze. I simply nod my head at him. I won't say that I forgive him because I was honestly scared for my life. I still am.

When I don't respond, he clears his throat and continues. "I would like to have a conversation with you and answer any questions that you may have. I would like to know the name of who I am speaking to before I continue" he says as he stops a few feet from the bed. Not sure how to respond I look at Julia and she nods her head in encouragement.

"Tika. Tika Heather" I answer.

"Tika. Well, it's nice to make your acquaintance Tika" he says in his smooth baritone. Hearing my name on his lips for some reason has an effect on me. I feel the tension leave my shoulders and some of the fear ebbs away. He doesn't offer his hand as he says the greeting. It looks like he fights doing so because his hands drum against his thigh instead.

"So, since our story is always hard to believe, I am going to start by sharing it. You will be able to ask any of the questions that you need to afterwards. Is that okay with you, Tika?" he says. I nod my head in reply not trusting myself to speak. "May I" he ask gesturing to the chairs in the room. I nod once more and watch as he folds his large body into one. No one can miss the discomfort on his face from fitting his large frame into something so small.

The other guy in the room doesn't even hide his laughter and the gold one throws a glare at him before turning his gaze back to mine. "I am alpha of this clan. It means that I am in charge of ensuring the well-being of everyone that stays here. That also includes you, Julia and the other humans that choose to live here. Maximus is my beta. That basically means second in command. He is in charge of security and who comes and goes mostly" he says as he points to each of us in the room.

"As you saw earlier, we are dragons. We are only one of the five species that occupy this land. We can get into the other species at a later time if you wish to know more" he says pausing to see if I follow. "Almost twenty-six years ago, there were eggs of beautiful colors that hatched all over the world. Our five species is what was found inside of those eggs. The government labeled us as people of interspecies DNA. We however choose to call ourselves shifters because we can shift into another form. For twenty years many of us have been placed here. They say it is for the safety of humans even though many of us have never caused harm to another" he says as he watches me.

"We learned to thrive in this land where we were place and have now made it our home. It is fully functional. We grow our own food. We raise our own livestock. There is running electricity, running water. We are our own fully functioning society. We have to be because we cannot leave these lands without going through a long, drawn out process" he admits with a frown.

"If you are fully functioning, then why have us brought here?" I can't help but ask. He gaze flies to mine when I voice my question. For some reason, a smile breaks across his face and I have to fight returning one to him. His face almost glows when he smiles and for a moment he doesn't seem so scary. I stare at him as I wait for him to answer while he still stares at me. I find my eyes searching the features of his face and it almost feels like he is doing the same to me.

The spell is broken as Maximus clears his throat rather loudly and I look down to my hands breaking the spell. My face flames as I think of how I just stared at him. I probably shouldn't have done that.

"I know what you were told when you were brought here but that is not the truth. They actually should have discussed why you had been brought here because we were supposed to have your consent. You were supposed to be willing" he states softly. His gaze has me lifting my head once more to look at him. I can hear something in his voice as he speaks.

"What consent? What are we all supposed to be willing to do?" I plead to know.

"I have to explain some more things to you before I can answer that. I do just hope that by the end of this conversation that you still want to stay" he says watching me carefully. I can't answer because I haven't decided yet. There are some things that are worse than death. It appears that I don't have a choice but to really hear him out.

I'm hoping that what he tells me is a good thing. There are a lot of things that I would do not to have to go back to prison. Even though I deserve to be there. I deserve to pay for what I have done but that doesn't mean that I want to return for that guard to violate me. To have someone steal the last thing of mines would be worth than death. They took my life and my freedom by sending me there. My body is all I have left. I just hope that I haven't been brought from one prison into another.