I couldn't deny that the last few days had taken some unexpected turns, and judging by the blue-skinned troll next to me fiddling nervously with his four stubby hands, he had harbored different expectations as well.

"By Deya's grace…" Blinkey muttered in a hushed tone, eyeing the magically chained assassin in my basement warily before turning four of his six eyes to me. "Be kind and tell me you are not entertaining the possibility of setting Angor Rot free."

I was, but of course I didn't say it. There were some things even a highly intellectual individual like Blinkey wouldn't have understood.

My inadvertent moment of silence was fuel for the anxious troll's suspicions. "History has shown him to be a ruthless killer, devoid of empathy, and capable of monstrous feats both magical and physical. I fear for the safety of us all if he is released from his bindings."

Then more softly. "I am aware that he indeed did save your life by bringing you here when he did, no matter how unlikely such an action sounds, and I am grateful for that unfathomable little miracle. Nevertheless, I firmly believe we should, as you humans would say, play it safe for now."

"I know, Blinkey, I know…" I rubbed absentmindedly at the bandages covering the base of my neck. "Better safe than sorry, as we humans also say."

"You're picking at it again."

The obvious disapproval made me grimace with guilt. There were downsides to being around someone with so many eyes.

"It itches", was my feeble defense. "And still burns a bit."

"Remnants of the poison, no doubt", Blinkey was quick to educate. "Spearscreech is a member of a rare class of deep cave fungi that possesses a variety of effects, ranging from rather pleasant to death inducing. You are lucky to have survived with a mere itch."

"I was lucky Angor was there", I couldn't resist pointing out.

Blinkey shuddered at my remark, grumbling with a low voice. "Now, there's a sentence that's hard to digest…"

I placed a comforting hand on the blue troll's shoulder. "We'll be fine. I'll talk to him and we'll work something out. You don't have to worry."

"Worrying is all I do these days, and your bizarre… connection with an assassin who's been stalking and killing trolls, changelings and humans indiscriminately is on the top of my list of worries."

I could've offered Blinkey an explanation as to why I wasn't worrying, but I already knew what I could've said wouldn't have eased his mind in the slightest. So I settled on gently ushering him back upstairs.

"Let's just say we have come to an understanding. Go on, you can leave this to me."

"Are… are you quite certain?" the multi-eyed troll hovered on the first step, clearly torn between the urge to get away from the soulless assassin and the want to make sure I'd stay safe. Once I had reassured him and was alone in the makeshift dungeon, I was free to turn my attention to its temporary occupant.

Angor Rot sat silently, eyes closed and legs crossed on the cement floor. Magical wards surrounded him in a circle of intricate glowing-red patterns, crossing the floor and climbing up and around his arms and feet like tattoos on his stony skin. Everything seemed to be just as it had been the last time I had been to the basement, though I couldn't be completely sure. Magic wasn't exactly my forte. Neither had it been Blinkey's, but it's amazing what you can do when you find the right book.

I raised my eyes from the floor at the same time the yellow eyes opened and locked with mine. Despite the confidence I had projected for Blinkey, I couldn't keep a shiver from running down my spine. The luminous gaze held mine with intensity, a purpose, and I already had an inkling of the nature of that purpose. So when the hint of a sly grin ghosted the fanged mouth, I was ready to play along.

"Having fun?" I feigned a carefree smile, getting no response. I approached the enchanted circle slowly. The horned assassin maintained his challenging stare, the black and yellow orbs shifting in their sockets to follow my every move. Of the two of us, I wasn't the one restrained, yet somehow I still felt like I was the one about to spring a waiting trap.

I stopped in front of the trollish symbols, close enough to touch the powerful warrior, if I chose to breach the magical barrier. Angor Rot wasn't any less imposing from up close, even when sitting on the floor the tops of his horns were up to my chest height. I ignored the warning bells in my head and continued with a blatant provocation.

"You know I kind of enjoy seeing you chained up like that."

The stony eye ridges elevated a fraction, and this time Angor Rot spoke. "Why is that?"

The gravelly voice rumbled pleasantly in my ears. I shrugged nonchalantly despite the mass of butterflies that was making itself known in the pit of my stomach. I took my time, leaving the yellow-eyed troll waiting as I deliberately inspected the muscular, lean body. After a while I finished my thorough examination with a slight head tilt and a pondering tone.

"I guess… it's thrilling to see someone so powerful put on a leash and controlled."

The yellow flare in Angor's eyes gained a foreboding gleam, which told me I had plucked just the right cord. The stone-skinned assassin shifted and rose unhurriedly to his feet, leaving me in the shadow his much bigger form cast. Magical barrier or not, my heart was now beating like crazy.

"Controlled?" the gravelly voice repeated deceptively evenly. The curved horns and glowing eyes bent down to loom over me. "Do you really believe that?"

"No", I barely breathed, tense and nearly shivering with anticipation. "I'm actually surprised you still haven't done anything to escape."

Angor scoffed, long tusks bared fully in a brief grimace. "Your friend's pathetic attempt at magic never held me captive in the first place."

The yellow eyes lowered their piercing gaze, the mocking grimace turning into a devilish grin. My eyes dropped down as well, an involuntary gasp escaping me as I saw that the magical chains had began to move and were slithering away from Angor's feet and snaking around mine.

"Now…" the imposing troll rumbled softly, though no less menacingly. "About that leash…"

The protective symbols scattered as Angor stepped on the glowing circle, quickly dissipating in a puff of smoke. I tried to move back, only to find my feet already rooted to the floor by the remaining wards that were now completely under the assassin's control. In no time they had spiraled up my body, forcing my arms down to my sides and rendering me immobile.

"Very… ungh… effective", I commended, gaining a crooked grin from the ancient warrior, who took his turn eyeing me slowly. He was standing so close, I could see every little detail on the cracked stone skin and in the crystals embedded into the broad chest. Then the close view vanished as he stepped past me, shifting behind my back with a fluent motion. I couldn't move, but I could feel the hairs on my arms stand on end as the feeling of imminent danger grew near unbearable.

The horned head lowered next to my ear with a low rasp. "Have we played this charade enough to your liking?"

I was enjoying myself too much to answer right away.

"What do you mean?" I eventually spoke, filling my voice with obviously fake sincerity. "I have been captured by the merciless assassin, Angor Rot. I do believe this is a very serious matter."

A moment of silence hung in the stuffy air, ending in an amused huff that tickled my neck. "Human's are strange creatures."

I smiled at the remark and leaned into the clawed hand that reached from behind me to brush the side of my face. "You like it."

"I... find your preferences amusing."

While speaking, Angor let his hand glide down to the bandage on my neck. With a swift move, he yanked the fresh tape off my skin, making me flinch. Immediately the touch of air on the poison-affected cut made the burning and tingling worse. I fidgeted with the need to relieve the insufferable sensation somehow. Right away large hands clasped my shoulders, compelling me to seize my restless movements. I knew to expect the troll warrior's next move before he made it, tilting my head to the side to make room for the large head that leaned in. A slow lick of his broad tongue on the cut made me shudder, as both the burning sensation and a different kind of warm tingling rising from deep in my core combined to create something enticing.

I was getting impatient for more, even though I always enjoyed our competitive foreplays that sometimes continued longer than the final act itself. I usually lost, but that never bothered me. The only thing I hoped for was that I wouldn't have to one day explain to Blinkey how complicated my connection with Angor Rot truly was.