The Bastard Princess

61.

-HER-

He didn't leave me after I told him to getaway. He stayed there to test my patience and push me even closer to losing my mind.

"But why did you come up here?" I heard the frown in his voice as he asked so.

"Because I wanted to rest," I answered grumpily. The possibility of a headache danced on my forehead. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone again but at the same time, I wanted him to be in the house. My guts were screaming at me that there was something outside, waiting for me. Just that thought was scaring me very much.

"You could have laid downstairs. It's nice and warm there, you know," He offered. I didn't miss the cockiness in his voice. Even though I was facing my back to him, I could almost imagine the tips of his lips tugging up while he had said that.

For some reason, it made me mad at him but at the same time, I was reminded of his taste that lingered on the tip of my tongue.

"No, thank you. Now let me sleep," I grumbled but I internally hoped that he wouldn't leave the house. The last thing I wanted was to be alone but it would be truly embarrassing for me to tell him that I needed him in the house.

I heard him sigh deeply before he climbed downstairs. I held my breath and peeked downstairs to see if he had gone out. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found him laying down in his bed instead. A strange sense of tranquillity washed over me knowing that he was home.

I rested for the rest of the day and only went downstairs to prepare dinner. I was internally glad that he was home but, on the surface, I continued to ignore him.

"Is your body still hot?" He inquired as he joined me in the kitchen. I glanced at him once before answering, "No,"

"Is your heat completely gone?" He inquired next whilst he took a step closer to me. I didn't step away this time surprisingly.

"No," I answered nonchalantly. There was still this strange craving inside me and now and then my stomach would clench with need too. Just concentrating on them made me feel hotter and flush instantly. I decided to have a bath once again after having dinner and before going to bed.

"Do you want me to help you?" He offered as he watched me chop vegetables. I told him to maintain the fire in the hearth instead. Tonight, he didn't seem to be in a mood to joke around much but rather resorted to asking me questions. I was slowly starting to get used to answering them without being irked.

"So, do you have magic in your blood since your mother was an enchantress?" He asked with great interest. I tasted the soup in the pot before I answered him, "Yes but very little,"

"What can you do?" He asked while he tossed some more wood logs in the fire.

"Usually the basics and I can mould myself into someone else," I answered him as I took the soup off the fire and glanced at him.

"Sometimes I think that we wouldn't have ended up like this had you not... you know, shown up looking like a boy," He commented while the intensity of his eyes escalated.

"Would have made it easier for you to kill me, it seems," I stated while I checked the beans.

"No, not that," Ares disagreed before adding, "When I saw you as a boy, I was angry on Ishtar. I thought she was playing games with me. I was finding it hard to accept it,"

"Why? Now that you know that I am Cleopatra's sister and that I tried to kill your mother, you should be plotting my demise," I muttered under my breath but I knew he heard me very well.

The next thing I felt was his hot breath tickle the back of my neck. He then placed his hands on either side of me – on the table in front of me and grumbled, "I would never hurt you, my pharaoh," I heard an unfamiliar emotion laced in his voice that had the capability to pinch at my heart.