Prey Drive

Chapter 10: The Onion

Hey Guys, TBH this chapter flummoxed me. Sorry for the late update, writing progressive dialogue is hard.  Please Vote and Comment!  It always intrigues me to see what you like and what you don't! Thank you all!

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Clayton turns his body until we can look each other in the eye. He looks like I just took a dead fish out of my purse and asked him to hold it, confused and a little grossed out. Blair is still trying to get her breathing under control, she has tears on her cheeks.

"So you two arent.."

"Having knife orgies in the woods!" Blair blurts, voice still wheezy. Her features sharpen even further in her delight. She reminds me of broken glass, beautiful and dangerous.

Clayton shoots Blair a look and she half-heartedly tries to control her expression, "No we aren't. Why," He clears his throat, "What made you think that?" His cheeks are flushed.

I spin my cup around rubbing my fingers on the surface, "Well you guy's kept saying you sparred, with each other and," I look at their bewildered expressions, and cringe. "That doesn't mean what I think it does, does it?"

Clayton laughs, "No it doesn't, and just to clarify me and Blair are not bonded,  nor will we ever be." His tone is final, leaving no room for doubt or what-ifs.

Blair mimes gagging.

My breathing feels normal for the first time today. I hadn't realized just how heavily their made-up relationship had been weighing on me until it disappeared. Clayton stares at me while his words sink in. I nod at him, and he looks how I feel, relieved. That invisible strand between us (that I'm pretty sure is a figment of my imagination), hums. Sunlight on spiders silk, a warm glow that connects my chest to his. I wonder if I could survive off this feeling alone.

Stupid! 

I need to get a grip. Just because he's not bonded to Blair doesn't mean he wants me.  My thoughts are storm clouds on a summer day. The glow dims until it's negligible.  His expression flickers before becoming neutral.

"So if sparring isn't... " I make a vague hand gesture, then rub my palms together. "What in the world are you guys doing? You guys don't like actually fight?" 

They look at me as if I've grown two heads. My expression is probably pretty similar.

"Yeah, of course we do." Blair states, "Wait, do prairie shifters not spar?"

"Like beat each other up?" The idea is foreign, "No, no we don't."

"It's not really fighting, it's training, making sure we can face any threats. Assuring that the pack is strong," Clayton adds.

"I mean we don't really live in a pack so-"

"Yes, you do." Clayton interjects voice stern, "The Prairie is in Knox territory."

"Okay, yeah physically.  The prairie shifters reside in your guy's territory, and we are under the Alpha's rule, but like we don't have any input."

"What about negotiations?" Clay queries. He looks perturbed when I huff out a laugh. 

"You mean Wolves telling us what percent of our crops we need to give them, and us agreeing. Not a lot of back and forth if you ask me."  

They both look at me stunned, my loose lips clam up. I need to hold my tongue, talking like this could get me in trouble. "I mean it's not really a bad deal, we do our own thing you do yours. I've heard it's a lot worse in other pack lands."