The Lamb and the Wolf's Tango

Vaas lies in his cot, exhaling the fresh joint he rolled up. His girls are ready; starting tomorrow, they should be able to storm the front and put an end to Kingston; Dominique's schematics really came in handy…

He inhales.

Dominique should be rolling in to their room at any moment now, smelling of perfume and her makeup unscathed. She'd hop in their cot, wipe off her makeup on a rag, tie up her hair, and lie down under the thin blanket. She'd mumble information for Vaas to store in his memories, and she'd doze off. He'd stay up all night, smoking and planning out the next step in operation Colonial Fuck until the sun rises and he gets the girls ready. He turns on his side, waiting for his back to be warmed with her body heat and to smell her scent.

Like clockwork, a body plops down beside him, the body heat warming his spine. He expects to smell coconuts and jasmine, but instead he smells gunpowder and blood. He jumps from his position and notices Dominique lying face-down on the cot, her hair fanning out over the makeshift pillow like a black cloud.

"What the fuck happened to you?" he asks.

"Mrrmng."

"What?"

She flips over.

"Training." She croaks out. Vaas assesses the damage. She's bandaged on her leg, her clothes torn and damaged with dirt and bloodstains, her lip carries a gash and the left side of her cheek is starting to swell.

"What kind of training?"

"Learning how to fight, shoot, kill, with Carmen. She worked me."

Vaas snorts.

"So the princess decides to learn how to fight? Got tired of sitting on your throne?"

"No, Vaas. I just wanted to know how to defend myself next time I meet Kingston. I think it won't be long before he learns whose side I'm on and try to do me in. And it helps if I'm stuck with you again that I pull my weight."

"How considerate. Maybe I won't have to croak you after all." He flops down on the mat, hands laced behind his head. She groans in response.

"Everything fucking hurts. I can't even move."

"Good. That means she didn't go easy on you. And that also means I can sleep knowing you won't try to kill me in my sleep."

Silence.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?"

"You seduce him again. Get him alone and keep him busy. And we'll take care of the rest."

"I don't think it's going to go as planned…"

"Why would you say that? Don't tell me you fucked it up. Fuck, it's the easiest task and you can't even do that right…"

"No. It's just…it doesn't feel natural."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"If it doesn't feel natural, it's not believable. I'm uncomfortable around him, stiff. I'm not believing the lie and it won't be long before he catches on. I need help."

"Pretend it's me."

"That's going to make it worse."

"No, hermana. You're comfortable around me, yeah?"

"I have no other option…"

"You seduced me for my necklace. You believed in your lie then. You knew how to work me. Pretend he's me. It's not hard."

"It's different…"

"No it's not. Seduction is easy, hermana. You just need to apply yourself." He stands up and grabs her hand. Muttering in Spanish, he swallows his irritation when his bedmate grumbles and slowly rises. She loses her footing and collapses on him, her head pressed into his chest. He wants to push her off him, but her body heat and her softness stops him.

"Look at me."

"I can't even fucking see. It's dark as hell."

"You're not that far from my head, shorty. Look up."

She does. Even in the darkness, Vaas could see those brown eyes lock on to him; he feels a foreign feeling well up in his gut and he swallows it down.

"You know you're fucking beautiful, right?"

"What?"

"You heard what I said. I'm not going to repeat myself."

He notices her avert her eyes.

"Look me in the fucking eye,"

She does. This moment, this exact, fucking moment, is the most bizarre moment he's experienced. It's been years since he had a woman this close, this intimately. It's been years since something like this felt so right, so natural.

What the fuck is he thinking?

Wincing, she sits up, looking down at him. His hands slide from her shoulder blades to her hips, swallowing the rapid heartbeats in his chest when her legs straddle him for better footing. The moonlight peeks through the window, bathing Dominique in a milky blue light.

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why am I beautiful?"

"Because," his breath catches in his throat when Dominique leans over, her nose inches from his. Time seems to slow down, the only noises are their breaths, the cicadas, the soft breeze of trees swaying, and the soft rumble of tigers as they lurk.

This is all happening too fast; he feels her shudder in a breath, her shaky breath ghosting over his lips. He feels dizzy; he doesn't know if it's the high, the alcohol, or her. He feels something tickle his chest and sees the glint of his necklace still wrapped around her neck. She still wore it…

"Because," he licks his lips. His hands wrap around his neck, fingers dipping into the string of the necklace. He grabs it, looks her in the eye, and clashes his lips against hers.

He feels her moan into the kiss, hips grinding into him. She kisses back, fingers raking over his neck, the back of his head. When her tongue slips into his mouth is when he slides the necklace off her.

He pushes her away from him, both are panting. Even in the darkness, the trademark symptoms of arousal are prominent on Dominique's frame; her eyes are lidded, her lips pouted, her tits hardened through the thin fabric of her dress.

"Because," he grunts out, "it's the easiest way to get you hot and stupid."

The look of shock and betrayal flashes across her face. Without thinking, she slaps him.

He laughs.

"That's how you seduce someone, hermana. You fell for it…hook, line, and sinker." He dangles the necklace in front of her.

"You make me sick." She hisses in the darkness. She slides off him and inches away from him. He lets her, lying back on the cold ground, staring at the stars and trying to replay everything that took place.

It wasn't planned; he…he didn't know what he was going to do when she fell on him. Everything was happening too fast, too quickly…he needed to save face. He looks over at her and finds her back facing him. When he notices she's crying, he turns on his side away from her, pushing everything down to the back of his mind. She'll get over it, she knows that this is war and it's for her own good.

They don't talk for three days.