Calamity Falls | Wattys 2019

LIX

Calamity slit the throat of the final demon on the barren field. Some of the demons eventually fled when they realized that they were doomed.

Calamity surveyed the damage she and Leopold had done. Hundreds of bodies strung across the dry, cracking ground. Calamity panted, hair in disarray, blood coating her body, the stench of death rampant on her.

Leo wasn't in much better condition. His body still trembled in rage, even after killing so many people. His nudity took a back burner to the many issues at hand. First thing was first. He needed to calm down and get clean. Then he would interrogate his mate.

"There is a river about a mile south of our camp. We can clean off there," Calamity informed solemnly.

Leopold smirked, sensing her tension. "Does that mean we'll be bathing together?"

Calamity rolled her eyes. "No, smart-aleck, that means that we'll be each other's lookout. I don't think either of us would pay much attention to our surroundings if we were together in the water. You know what happened the last time."

An excited shiver ran down his spine. "And I will never forget." He shook his arms out in a lame attempt to release some of his desire from the memory.

Calamity looked down at her bloodstained figure and trudged her way back up the hill where Reinard waited for them. Reinard turned his horse when they neared, trotting at a slow pace back to the camp. Calamity grabbed the reins on her mare. Not wanting to soak her sleek fur with the blood of the demons, she just walked, with Leo and his horse following behind her.

Calamity grabbed the essentials for a bath from her tent and exited while she waited for Leo to hurry up. As soon as she heard him come out from behind her she began walking to the source of water where they would purge the filth of the day, not waiting for him to acknowledge that she was already on the move. She heard his feet shuffle to catch up to her, strides long and quick.

Neither spoke a word on the way to the river. Leopold sensed that Calamity wasn't in the mood for idle chatter. Instead he reached for her hand, a small comforting gesture that released some of her unease. She held his hand back loosely but securely.

"You can go first," she told him quietly when they arrived at the river bank. Calamity stood against a tree with her back to the river. "I won't peek--even if you want me to." She sat her stuff on the ground, Leo doing the same.

Leopold walked to the edge of the water and stripped from the bloody cloth he adorned. He stepped into the cool water, shivering at the contrast to his naturally high body temperature. He dove into the water. He scrubbed roughly at the demons' blood on his skin and in his hair. He was still in awe of what they had done. The two of them alone had demolished a small army of demons.

Talk about power couples.

Calamity listened to the subtle splashing of Leopold in the water. He seemed to be relaxing. She didn't want to say what she had on the battle field, but she needed him at his full potential. Angering him seemed to bring out the best in his abilities.

The brush around the river was thicker than near the camp, a nuance of private serenity surrounded the area. It was calm and gentle, something Calamity could appreciate right then.

A larger splash followed by the crunching of rocks and twigs resonated throughout the mini forest. Leopold had finished. Calamity held his towel out to the side for him to take. She felt the fabric leave her finger tips as Leo accepted the cloth. She heard the ruffle of him drying himself off. She saw him grab his clothes from the ground out of the corner of her eye.

Leopold stepped in front of her, clean of any remnants of their battle on his flawless skin. It was her turn.

Calamity walked to the bank and rested her possessions on the rocky shore. She checked to certify that Leopold turned the other way before stripping from her ruined clothing. While the armor was still okay, the cloth underneath was frayed and bloody. She sighed at the misfortune of her clothes. She tested the water with her foot. It was frigid against the fire that ran through her veins, but she didn't care as long as she got clean of her victims.

"What did he do to you?" Leo began his interrogation, the same burning anger hidden in the undertones of his gruff voice.

Calamity scrubbed the blood off of her face and out of her scalp. "I don't want to talk about it," she responded after a few seconds. She leaned her head forward into the water to clean out the mirth in her hair. She flipped her long mop of hair back, generating a loud slapping sound as it made contact to the water and her back.

"Well, we need to talk about it! I understand that it may be difficult to talk about, but this isn't something we can just ignore. The last thing I want to make you do is relive it, but I need to know," Leopold argued. He hated demanding something like this from her, but it was imperative that they discussed this.

Calamity hurriedly removed the rest of the grime and grit from her body. She grabbed her towel from the shore and finished her chore as quick as possible. She dressed herself and braided her damp hair to restrain the wisps from tickling her face.

She walked over to Leo and pulled down the sides of her pants, revealing long jagged scars on her hips from a struggle. "These were from him. I resisted and he dug his claws into me, trying to ensure that I couldn't escape. His hands groped every fleshy part of my body he could get a hold of. He was an inch away from taking my innocence, but he stopped when my father came looking for me," her voice strained from the emotions and the memories. "My father was a lot of things, but one thing he could never abide was the premature loss of my virginity. He would have killed Dimitri had he discovered the truth. That is one of the few things I am thankful of him for."

Leopold dropped to his knees and brought her hips close to his face, inspecting the scars angrily. He rested his face against her abdomen. He screamed into her flesh in frustration. Why hadn't he been there? He should have been able to protect his mate. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

Calamity grabbed his face and tilted it upwards. "No, Leopold. It is not your fault. You didn't even know I existed. You didn't know anything about me. There is no way that you can logically be at blame for any of my suffering. You have only helped me. You are the light in my life of perpetual darkness. I love you." She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers tangled themselves into his thick dark hair.

His arms wrapped around her securely. In that moment, they needed each other's warmth, whether it was because of their cold baths or their insatiable desire to protect the other. "I love you," he whispered into her hair.

They stayed like that for several minutes before heading back to the camp.

~~~

Leopold's head nestled against Calamity's breast like a child against their favorite stuffed animal. His arm draped tightly over her waist, securing her against him.

Calamity ran her hands gently through his hair, trying to ease him to sleep. He couldn't fall asleep with the thought of what had been done to his mate, but she didn't mind soothing him. She leaned her head down to kiss the top of his head tenderly. He pulled her impossibly closer in response. He clenched his eyes shut tightly as her memories of the encounter played through his head. He had requested to see her memory of the event. She was reluctant, of course, but complied anyway. He wanted to understand, so she would provide the means to make that possible.

He would be exhausted in the morning if he didn't sleep. "Let me take your energy, turtle," she whispered to Leo. "You need sleep."

Leo nodded subtly. Calamity tilted his head up to face her before pressing her lips against his, steadily draining his energy. Leopold's eyes fluttered shut as he drifted off to sleep in his mate's arms.

Calamity couldn't sleep. Leo had forgotten that taking his energy would rejuvenate her mind, leaving her alone to her thoughts while her mate's mind lived in darkness.