Chapter 5

Claire

I do as Rowan says, stay wrapped in the blanket laying in bed until I hear the quiet padding of feet down the hall hours later. The door swings open slowly and Bennett walks into the room. I can't stop the frantic beating of my heart, or the way my fingers clench the blanket out of fear when he walks towards me. He notices and stops, dropping his head and his shoulders sagging. He takes a deep breath and sits on the bed next to me. He lifts his hand and runs it gently through my hair, looking at me with wide, sad eyes.

"I'm sorry for what I did. My wolf wants you so much. I'm not used to these feelings, it's hard to control them." He says and for some reason a pang of hurt goes through me at his expression. I sit up on the bed and wrap my arms around his neck slowly.

He stills at the contact and I tuck my head into his neck. He smells incredible, like fresh air and wildflowers. I know in order to survive, I need him to care for me. Rowan never will and Bennett is my best chance at escaping unscathed.

"It's ok. I understand." I tell him quietly as I cling to him. As much as I hate him, hate what he is, it still feels good to be close to him. He wraps his arms around me gently and I melt into his touch.

"We have such a sweet little mate." He coos in my ear and I pull away to see him smiling. His eyes are his normal green and his wolf seems appeased for now. I reach out to run my fingers through his hair and he closes his eyes, leaning into my touch.

"I'm just a human, Bennett. Do you think we can take things slow?" I ask quietly.

If it were up to me, this man would never touch me again. But he is the lesser of two evils so I will appeal to his beast and hope he trusts me enough to give me the leniency I need to steal a car and get out of here.

"Yes, Claire. We will go your speed." He says before tucking his face into my neck and breathing me in. "Come on. Let's go eat." He says, reaching a hand out for me. I take it and he helps me stand carefully. We walk to the dining room where Rowan is sitting, eating. I sit where Bennett tells me and inhale my food.

"You were hungry, little one." Bennett says with an amused smile. I wipe the crumbs off my face with the sleeve of his much too large shirt and he eyes it before looking back to me.

"We need to get you some clothes that fit." He says and I nod.

"Can I go back to my apartment?" I ask and Bennett growls loudly before his eyes begin to glow. I realize the mistake I made and stand. I walk over to him and run my hand through his hair. He seems to like that.

"Why do you want to go back there?" He asks, his voice low as he breathes heavily. I scooch in between him and the table before sitting on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck and curling up into him. His arms grip me tightly, a little too tightly, but I ignore the small bite of pain as I try to calm his wolf down.

"Just to get my things, Bennett." I say quietly and that seems to relax him a little. His eyes stop glowing and he looks down at me, relaxing his grip and kissing my forehead. I rest my head on his shoulder and nuzzle my face into his neck. He makes a low rumbling sound in his chest and I look up at him.

"I like that." He says quietly, kissing my temple and tucking me back into his neck.

"We can go after lunch." Rowan says, eyeing me curiously from across the table. I sigh heavily and Bennett looks down at me.

"What's wrong?" He asks and I shrug.

"I just hate long car rides." I explain and Bennett looks at Rowan who gives him a sly smirk.

"What?" I ask and Bennett chuckles.

"We're not going to drive." He says and I look up at him curiously.

"Then how are we going to get there?" I ask and Rowan responds.

"We're going to fly." I nearly vomited my lunch when what he said registered. They both must have noticed my concern as they chuckle a little at me and Bennett rubs my back gently.

"Don't worry. I won't let you fall." He murmurs in my ear.

"It's not you I'm worried about." I say, throwing a cautious glance at Rowan. His expression immediately darkens and he grunts before standing and leaving the room. I look up worriedly at Bennett, but he just smiles at me and pecks my cheek.

"Don't worry. He'll come around." He tells me and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. I wonder how he would feel if he knew the things Rowan said to me when he wasn't around. I go to climb off of his lap, but he holds me there.

"Stay. We should eat every meal like this." He says smiling and I can't help but snort.

"Why don't you have Rowan sit on your lap?" I ask him and he laughs heartily.

"He's too big. You're just the right size." He says, tucking his face into my neck in between bites. Once he's done eating he leads me outside where Rowan is waiting.

He strips down naked and throws his clothes to Bennett while I avert my eyes. Bennett eyes him appreciatively, making the same noise he did when I sat with him. I feel my face heat in a blush and Bennett chuckles at me.

I hear the sounds of popping and bones breaking when suddenly I hear the woosh of air pass by me. I look back where Rowan was and my mouth gapes in astonishment. A giant cobalt blue dragon meets me. His eyes shining bright yellow and his scales glistening in the sunlight, almost turning a green color in the light. He spreads his wings and he looks as tall as my apartment complex and even wider, likely the size of a football field.

"Wow." I murmur under my breath and Bennett chuckles.

"Impressive, isn't he?" He asks and I nod, despite my intense fear. He is terrifying as a man, but as a beast it's even worse.

Bennett grips my hand and pulls me towards him. I try to pull back a little, scared to get too close.

"How are you going to ride him if you're scared to touch him?" Bennett asks and I swallow hard.

"I'd rather not do either." I admit and Rowan huffs, a puff of hot air smacking me in the face. It causes me to cough as I try to get air back in my lungs. Bennett throws him an ugly look and lifts my hand before placing it on Rowan's side. The scales are smooth and hard as stone. He would actually look quite beautiful if I didn't know how deadly he is.

"Is his dragon like another person too? Like your wolf?" I ask Bennett and he shakes his head.

"No. Rowan is just Rowan. My wolf is like a second person in my mind. He has thoughts, feelings, he speaks to me. Rowan doesn't have that. He is always in control." Bennett explains and I nod, a little grateful I don't have a fourth fucking personality to deal with.

"Alright enough show and tell. Let's go!" Bennett says excitedly as he picks me up and jumps onto Rowan who lowered himself to the ground so Bennett could climb on.

I squeal and grip on to one of the spines protruding from his back. Bennett wraps his arms around me and holds onto the spine as well. I close my eyes and try not to pass out as Rowan flaps his ginormous wings. I feel the air swirling around me, crashing so hard into me it's hard to take a breath. Soon, I feel us lifting away from the ground. Rowan's dragon lets out a loud roar and I look up to Bennett in fear.

"He's just happy to be out and flying." Bennett yells over the rush of air as we climb higher. The air thins and is much colder the higher we go. My body begins to shake and Bennett holds me tighter.

"Don't be scared, little one. I've got you." He calls into my ear and I shake my head.

"It's freezing up here." I say loudly and Bennett smiles.

"You're cold? I'm sure we could do something about that." He says with a sly smirk before looking at Rowan's giant dragon head.

"Our little mate is cold, Rowan! Warm her up!" He calls and Rowan snorts. The next moment I feel his body heating up, spreading warmth where my legs are straddling him. I fight the urge to lay down and curl into the warmth. Pretty soon the combination of Rowan and Bennett being so close to me warms me to the point that I stop shivering.

I look down to see vast countryside, mile after mile of green grass and only one dirt road. I try to memorize the way back to the city, knowing it's likely my only means of escape.