The Princess and The Bandit

TWENTY SEVEN

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Ever since the day Shadow hatched from her egg, she shared a very strong magical connection with Camila. A gift from the late Queen Sinu of Zaragoza for her long lost estranged daughter, Shadow's breed of griffin were descendants of mighty legends of the avian hybrids. And she is considered as some kind of an alpha among her kind.

She can sense Camila. Camila can sense her.

Even from several hundred miles away.

The very second she got tangled up with some griffin hunters, their typical bait not working on her but their wrangling caused one hunter to end up on her back when she wrestled her way out, Camila simply knew.

That very second she shot off to the sky with blinding speed, Camila whistled a quiet tune for her griffin to quickly find her exact location. A trick she learned from her mother in the very short time she spent with her. A total of seven days spent for her to learn the most vital things about her ancestry on her maternal side, and a few faerie tricks from the queen herself.

That was ten years ago. Ten years with Shadow made their magical connection even stronger. Ten years worth of reminder that she is much more than what Alejandro raised her to become. Shadow is the living, breathing reminder of her mother's love for her.

And the very thought of losing her to some callous hunter pricks Camila's skin to absolute irritation that borders on a violent breakdown.

Anyone who dares to steal Shadow from her is one dead rotting corpse already.

That boy struggling to stay upright and screaming on Shadow's back is about to lose his head.

Camila saw in the corner of her eye that Lauren stood as well, her blade glinting off the moon's subtle light. The girl was only covered by an off-white piece of fabric intended to be used as some kind of towel. She can see the outline of the girl's ample breasts and the jut of her taut nipples.

It was very distracting.

Thoughts of that fabric falling off as she fought some stupid hunter with that short blade, smooth creamy skin baring for anyone to see along with some other treasures that the bandit ached to feel, to smell, to taste, all ran rampant in her head. Momentarily pushing away Shadow's little debacle aside.

She wanted to kiss Lauren again. She ached to feel her.

But no, not before she kills this asshole who tried to steal her griffin. Not yet . . .

Camila shook off these thoughts as Shadow landed right in front of her with a strong steady thud on the ground. The suddenness of it jerked the boy off of the mighty griffin, falling face first just a few feet away from the barely-clothed princess. The boy groaned in pain but abruptly stopped when he caught sight of Lauren. His eyes widened in sweet surprise, his mouth gaped open.

He was picking himself up quickly, barely acknowledging that Camila was there too, and stared admiringly at the slightly confused princess.

Oh no . . . Not today, you fucker . . .

Camila growled.

In an instant, she jumped on the boy, pushed him to the ground, buried her weight on his back to trap any movements, forgetting her own injury as she raised her sword and about to swing it down to cut his head off just so he can't leer or smile at her princess ever again.

"Stop!!"

Lauren screams.

The only time she ever allowed anyone to intervene on her rage was ten years ago. That time when she was one slice away from slitting her own father's throat. Dinah struggled with desperate pleas for her to stop before she took notice of all the chaos and wildfire her fury had caused.