Lesser Evil

15| The Villain & The Princess

THE VILLAIN
I somehow managed to catch her in time before her limp figure hit the ground. My teeth ground against each other. I was so fucking mad at those assholes for doing this to her.

You did this to her once, too. A voice nagged my insides. I pushed it away with great difficulty and collected her in my arms, picking her up carefully.

Some minutes of walking later, I found a car parked just by the end of the street, no doubt hers. I'd seen it when I had hacked through the security camera footage of her house.

I could, obviously, take her back to my house but I didn't want to. She didn't belong there, and I'd realized that when I'd seen her standing in front of her house which was fit for what I called her— princess.

And, I didn't want her to wake up in an unfamiliar place and panic.

Laying her in the backseat, I fetched the car keys from her grey coat's pocket and the engine roared to life. I only allowed myself one second of peace before I was driving away, out of this shitty place, and taking her back to where she belonged.

Twenty minutes later, I parked the car in her home's garage and picked her up once again. She was like a weightless feather in my arms, but she fit so perfectly... I sighed at the thought and refocused on the keypad in front of me before wracking through my memory to punch in the code so the doors swung open.

With my foot, I kicked the door shut behind and immediately headed to the stairs and the floor above, assuming that's where her room would be.

I'd seen plenty of rich homes before but being here, inside here with her gave me an odd feeling. Our lifestyles were so different, it ached to feel for her.

Surely, the second door upstairs revealed what I could bet was her room. Posters with inspirational quotes hung on the wall, and a few polaroids of her. Course books and novels lay stacked on the white desk, a small bookshelf right beside it.

So different from me.

The sun had long since set now, the sky alive with stars and moon. I laid her down on the plush mattress of her perfectly-made bed. I slid off her shoes before draping the covers over her still unmoving form.

What I had to do with myself would be decided later.

Reluctantly, I used the washroom in her room to clean up the dirt from myself after the fight I'd just engaged in. Once I was outside again, she had stirred from her sleep. I spared her a glance, one that lingered over her for too long before making my way out of the room.

I wondered why she came to find me, what she wanted, what she expected, what she was seeking for.

The questions running through my head would drive me crazy.

But I had to wait. I'd already gone crazy, anyway.

———

THE PRINCESS
My head hurt when I opened my eyes, but I felt better. Like I was complete again.

What happened before I blacked out came back to me like a film. After reading my mother's journal, I was determined to find Shaz and just talk. I didn't care what we had been— captor and his captive. What I cared about what was I felt now, and it was strong. A feeling that made me feel alive.

Maybe it was the last word Shaz had said in the field where he had killed two men, for me.

Shaz. My eyes widened at the recollection. He... He had fought for me again, killed again. But, he had saved me again, too. And I just knew that he was the one who had got me back home, safe and unscathed.

But where was he now?

My heart burned at the idea of going through all that and still not being able to talk to him. Getting so close but still saying nothing. Nothing that mattered, anyway.

I threw the covers back, the beating of my heart could be felt everywhere in my body. My toes tingled and I ran out, stumbling once on the stairs but I went downstairs to see if he was here, if he had left.

If he had left, I would without hesitation chase him again.

My steps were frantic as I rushed around the house insanely. This was one of the times I hated how big the house was, it took far longer to look for him than I could afford.

What if he wasn't even here? No, he was. I could feel it.

However, I hadn't really expected him to be in the kitchen.

With a quiet sigh of a relief, I sprinted over to him and unexpectedly threw my arms around his torso, pressing my face flat against his muscular back. He stiffened beneath my hands but loosened up just as quick.

"Good morning, princess. Missed me?" I let out a watery laugh, eyes stinging with tears. I had no idea where the sudden urge to cry had come from.

"You stayed." Shaz refused to turn around but I mumbled into his back anyway, tightening my arms around him. I felt better here, happy, safe.

"Did you want me to?" He inquired. Even without facing him, I knew his eyebrow had arched in question.

I didn't hesitate to voice out my thoughts. I'd chosen to be honest and real to him ever since I went out to find him. "More than anything. Thank you."

My heart dropped a little when his hands curled around my arms and unhooked them from his waist but I smiled once again when he turned and let me hug him, this time my head resting against his chest. Butterflies fluttered inside of me when he put his arms around me too, holding me close to him. One of his large hands cradled my head and I breathed in his scent— the one that felt like returning home after a long day.

"What were you doing?" I asked, faintly lifting my head to look at him. If he found me clingy then he could tell me but I didn't want to leave him or be away from him for another second.

"Making breakfast for you. You were out like lights."

I frowned a little. "You didn't have to, though."

He smiled, dropping his arms from me and disentangling us. "I've cooked enough times for you, princess. One more time is nothing, and maybe... I want to?"

I lit up at that, grinning up at him. "Maybe?" I decided to tease him

He only rolled his eyes and gave me his back. I stifled the snicker crawling up to my lips at his behavior. He acts like he's so unbothered and doesn't care of anything but... I'd seen the emotions swirling in his eyes that day. He can't fool me with this façade of his anymore.

I watched as he plated the food, the smell of eggs and butter wafting through the house, making my stomach grumble. I didn't feel like I skipping breakfast today, not at all.

He nodded at the table, walking over there first. "I'll eat and leave alright. I hope you don't mind that."

The smile instantly wiped off my face at his words, the fork in my hand almost clattering to the ground. "No, you're not leaving."

"Princess—"

"Don't leave."