Page 35 of Legend of Scorpio
When she finally collapsed on the couch, she exclaimed, “Enough.”
“Tired?”
“Yes. Hard to believe this morning I was doing my job and now I’m here playing games.”
“After an eventful day, it’s important to do something to unwind. It helps to clear the mind.”
“Do you need to do that often?”
He shrugged. “Some missions are harder than others. It’s why I’ve got these distractions.” He waved a hand at his gamingsetup. “Aries has a treadmill when he needs to de-stress. Cancer has a fish tank with the most epic setup you’ve ever seen.”
“Will your tower magically conjure something for me?”
“Probably. Heck, the tower might decide to fill a room with glaciers simply to keep you amused.”
“You’re kidding?”
“I told you, the tower gives people what they need. It’s really good at taking care of its inhabitants, even the non-warriors.”
“Are there many?”
He shrugged. “Hard to tell. It’s a big place so we rarely run into those who live here.”
“Aries ran into Sage,” she pointed out, recalling her story of having been brought here.
“Because Sage became part of the warrior circle, despite not being Zodiac.”
“Absolutely wild, and on that note, I think I’ll go to bed.”
“I take it you haven’t changed your mind on sharing.”
She cast him a glance and, for a moment, was almost tempted to invite him. Sleeping with him would complicate things though. “Nope. I sleep alone. You should be thankful. I’m a blanket stealer.”
“I don’t need a blanket.”
“Still no. Good night, Scorpio.”
“Night, Doc.”
He didn’t try to cajole or seduce. He let her go to bed while he took the couch. A big couch, but still, she felt a little bad about getting the comfy mattress.
Fatigue hit her fast and hard once she’d stripped in his bathroom, which held all the modern amenities she needed and a set of pajamas in her size. When she slid under the covers, her eyes immediately closed.
She slept. Deeply, but not dreamlessly. She floated in a dark place, not in water, but not with anything solid around her, either. Just pure nothingness, until she heard a voice.
Set me free.
She tried to reply, but nothing emerged.
Set me free!the voice demanded more stridently.
She wanted to ask how, but once more, the words remained caught. She couldn’t even apologize.
Set me free or the world will burn!
To make its demand more urgent, heat licked her floating body.
Intense heat that came with pain. A pain that had her soundlessly screaming until?—