MATURE FANTASY** slow burn* 🔥 He is a predator who thought he captured an ordinary girl... but her mind is sharper than any of his claws.
Ariana lives in the shadow of her monstrous father in a world barely held together by a treaty. Until her l...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was the day before we were scheduled to leave once more for the Bavadrin lands. That meant that soon, I would leave the Lysians altogether. We would go our separate ways, but I wished we would also find our way back to each other. Though I had every intention of taking my freedom back on my own, I hoped that the relationships I forged could withstand the change.
I also desired to know more of the Sidhe, and learn whether the accusations the Lysians made bore true merit.
After a long day of training with Eislyn, Erik and I went for a walk around the surrounding forest. It was the first time I had truly had any time with him since the Lysian attack. We made it to a lovely area where tree cover was sparing enough to allow sunlight to touch the ground, warming the spot where we sat for a bit.
Erik picked a partially shaded spot while I found the one with the most sunlight and took a seat beside him. With closed eyes, I took a deep breath. My muscles began relaxing as the heat of the sun warmed my aching body. It felt nice.
"I never properly thanked you for your actions that day," he stated, his voice breaking the peaceful silence.
"You've had little opportunity," I replied, turning to face him. Since the attack, our encounters had been brief and infrequent.
He nodded, shifting to gaze up at a tree branch overhead, using his arm as a makeshift pillow. His other hand rested casually on the hilt of a blade at his hip. "Plans needed to be made to ensure nothing like that ever happens again," he explained, turning his sapphire eyes back to me. "I should have sought you out sooner. I am sorry."
I did not hide my surprise. "I get a thank you and an apology all in one day from the Lysian King? Perhaps the healer missed a spot somewhere in there, leaving something wonderfully broken."
His lips inched upward. "I can admit when I am wrong and when I am thankful."
"Remind me to thank the healer," I smirked.
Erik chuckled in response, the sound deep and rich. A subtle rumble that hinted at hidden amusement.
"Can you tell me about who they were?" I asked, shifting the conversation.
He took a deep breath before answering. "Distant relatives that broke away from the group a long time ago."
That seemed like the most I was going to get from him. Moving a hand from his blade, Erik picked a flower of an autumn weed and twirled it absentmindedly between his fingers.
"Why didn't you run?" he suddenly asked, his gaze thoughtful.
I shrugged. "What good would that have done me? Perhaps I could have made it home, or perhaps Lysians would have caught me, and I would be worse off than I am now." I turned, meeting his gaze. "If I ran, then you would have likely died. I couldn't let you die like that, not when you protected me." Of course, he would never have needed to protect me if only I had been already set free.
