"Is there a problem? You left. You didn't eat. You left earlier too. Are you alright, Bella?"Those words would have been so much better if they were coming from someone else, although the one who stood in front of her was still very unexpected. Belladonna settled the lantern on the floor, far away from the mat. Jazliy seemed to be everywhere. It was very annoying.Belladonna couldn't help but wonder how Jazliy had gotten here so fast. She had still been in the dining room when she had left. Was there a shortcut to this section of the family compound that she didn't know about? There probably was. How had she gotten into the room anyway?"I climbed in through the window. I climb a lot, the walls are low." Jazliy shrugged, although she didn't look entirely proud of at she had done. "Sorry.""It is alright. Just don't do this again." Belladonna said, settling on the mat with a huff. "I am alright, you don't have to worry about me. Goodnight."Could she just leave already?!"Goodnigh
Jazliy had gotten them into the kitchen without a hitch. It seemed this wasn't her first time doing this. What a little thief.Quickly they took out the fried water yam wrapped in leaves from the pot and started eating. Jazliy said it was better for them to eat it here than take it with them, in fear of them accidentally running into GrandMami.They whispered and laughed as quietly as they could over the warm meal, trying to make their actions as silent as sneaky rats.Soon enough though, Jazliy had to go outside to pass water. "Don't worry, I'll be back. If I see GrandMami, I'll whistle. Be attentive and hide." Belladonna didn't like the sound of that, they should have just taken the food away with them, as she had earlier suggested, instead of eating in fear. The adrenaline rush felt good though.Jazliy saw her discomfort with the situation and explained that since GrandPapi wasn't spending the night hunting, it was unlikely that GrandMami would be doing her routine checks.Aft
"Who is Stunning Warrior?""What?" His question came out of nowhere and she just didn't understand."Ah, forget it." He tilted his head backward as he groaned and she watched his Adam's apple move. There was no light in the storage room, no window but the light from the lantern in the kitchen that was seeping into the storage room from the tiny gaps in the wooden door was enough to see him. Wait, her lantern was in the kitchen!GrandMami would---"Did you do anything more than the kiss?"Belladonna's attention went back to him. "This is about Alaris? Go to Jazliy.""It would be awkward as I have just rejected her in the kitchen's hallway."Now, that explained why she hadn't heard the whistle.There had been no whistle."Then disturb someone else's peace, leave mine alone.""Donna, please, I am losing my mind.""Then lose it!" She snapped in a hushed tone. Anger filled her veins suddenly. Who did he think he was to disrupt her life in this manner, to have such effect on her even afte
Frustrated at her luck, and not knowing what to do, Belladonna took out her anger on Eli, as she banged her fists against his chest and blamed him for everything that had ever gone wrong in her life. It was an illogical thing to do, but being logical was the farthest thing from what she was right now. He let her hit him, begging her to forgive him at intervals as he held loosely onto her wrists. "Forgive me. Please, forgive me. Forgive me."Her frustration reduced from an angry outburst, to a sad, frustrated declaration made in tears."Why won't you ever fight me back? You make this so hard." She snatched her hands from him, and turned her face away to cry. He wanted to comfort her but thought better of it and attended to something else instead, as he got busy trying to create more space for them, by stacking the sacks of food on one another effortlessly. Finally, there was enough room for both of them to sit on the floor, while Belladonna had her back turned to him. She might be
Absolutely starved, and passionately feral, his lips ravished hers. Forgetting that he had his gloves on, his hands went on a desperate and crazy quest up and down her dress to find an opening, so he could touch her warm skin that this silly fabric kept from him. He wanted to lose himself in the moment more than he already had.Was there even any more to lose?By Ignas, he wanted to lose himself in her! Buried in her. Deep. Lost in that wet warmth. The memories made him ache. He was going insane!Mad. Against his restraint was raw lust, the strings of which he was losing, every moment that his tongue dominated hers and tasted those lips of hers that he had been deprived of for way too long.The rain raged on outside, while the small storage room was filled with lustful emotions that tussled against each other relentlessly.Bouncing off the walls and straining against them. Thunder clapped and she jolted, pulling sharply away from him. She didn't get too far, his hand was pullin
Belladonna woke up to two things. The blinding sunlight and scroll that was hung up on the wall, for the painting on it to dry. Despite her headache, and her initial ignorance of her surroundings, the painting held her curiosity and as her eyelids slid shut, she opened them again to observe the painting even more. It was a woman, in an oversized shirt, sleeping on a mat, and a lantern on the floor - a short distance from her. It was so detailed but strange because she didn't remember painting anything last night. She couldn't even paint!Wait.Waittttt...Was that... her?!She quickly looked down at herself, confirming that was indeed her.This was the room assigned to Eli.She had never been in it before, but she didn't have to. Everything in here, especially that painting, told her all she needed to know. "By Ignas, no, no, no, no, no!"She muttered beneath her breath, as she rushed up to her feet. It was an action she had done way too quickly, her head seemed to sway on her n
Belladonna had avoided Eli for as long as she could, until that afternoon in the sheds. He had stepped in some minutes after she had. Disoriented by the shock of seeing him, and trying to find a way to escape any conversation that might develop as a result, she had asked, "You are here for some tools? I will stay out of your way, just--"He blocked her path easily."I am here for you.""Oh," she picked at the short sleeves of her brown ankle-length gown, futilely searching imperfections where there was none."I have been looking for you since we returned from the hunt." He already had his bath but she could still catch that slight whiff of the forest smell on him. His brown shirt was stained with charcoal, with the sleeves rolled up. His pair of black trousers concealed the charcoal stains. The string of the woven straw hat was across the base of his neck, along with... her necklace."I wanted to give you this, just in case you are battling with a headache." The bottle looked like th
For everything that begins must end. This was the last night of the Trade Feast and a winner must be declared. Everyone was gathered at the Village Square with their kills from the morning hunt mounted unto one another, right in front of each family. The torches provided light for the arena, ensuring that the cloak of darkness that was decorated by the stars above, wouldn't act as an obstacle to their celebration.The success at different stages were being calculated, as each judge went around with a small slate and chalk in their hands, recording whatever it was they needed to. Belladonna could see Jazliy from where she was standing next to GrandPapi, but she ignored her gaze knowingly while battling a smile. Eli was in front of Sazey's family along with the representative. Belladonna could see his back from here and the little smirk he sent her way when he turned and caught her watching, only reminded her that she couldn't run forever. She might have escaped this afternoon but man
Her stomach rumbled, but it was quiet, and for the sake of her dignity, she hoped that he hadn't heard it. “You don't need the sun, you need food; I know a place.”“Get out of my sun.”“I’ll take you there.” Quickly she was on her feet, his arm along her waist to keep her stable. “Are you even listening or are you just deliberately ignoring me?”“Deliberately ignoring you.” “What? I expect the elderly to behave with more sense,” she jabbed, annoyed with his interference. “There are no elderly here.”In a flash, he is with Arlo. Then before she could tell, they were before a table that must have been prepared for them only moments ago. She was dizzy from the speed but the lovely aroma in the air could not be mistaken; there was food here. She felt Ikrus push her into a chair and she took her seat, blinking to regain her stability and clear vision. When she finally did, she looked around. They were in a kind of glass room with flowers on the ceiling. The table before her was smal
She cleared her throat, changing the topic. “Is my age a problem for you, Ikrus?”He sucked in a deep breath, looking away, still thinking about why he had brought her and Arlo here - still trying to figure out his thoughts. “No. I was merely surprised, that is all.” “I’m not bothered either.” She leaned closer to him, a hair’s breadth between them, catching him off guard with her action. “Don’t worry,” she skimmed her fingers over his hair and he stilled, forcing himself not to move as more of her fragrance consumed his air. “I have always fancied old men.”What?!Old men?!Old men where?!“I’m not old,” he said, clearly offended. “You are thirty-two,” she said as she lay down and closed her eyes. “Exactly. I am not old.”She felt his shadow over her and she sighed, wanting the warmth of the sun on her skin once again. “You are thirty-two… and blocking the sun.”“That is not old at all.” He sounded like he was losing his mind, but his voice was leveled. She shrugged nonchalantly
She turned to him sharply, wheels turning dangerously in her head already to come up with a lie, her lungs clogging with fear, only for her to discover that he wasn't looking at her but at someone else. “Look! Arlo is walking!” He declared in hushed excitement. Aniya rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath of relief, tucking away the poison bottle. He didn't catch her, she could still kill him. “Arlo can walk.”“For long distances like that?” He turned to her, surprised. “Yes.”“Oh.”“In fact, we must redesign the room to accommodate him. He keeps on trying to pull things down.”Ikrus frowned. In a flash, he was holding Arlo who was strongly protesting against being held. He certainly wanted to play on the ground. “How old is the little one?”“Arlo,” she said, emphasizing his name, subtly ensuring that he wouldn't call him “little one” again, “will be two soon.”Ikrus nodded, taking the information in as he easily moved Arlo from one hand to another in his struggle to get down. “H
Aniya told her about the strange lily she found in her coin bag while telling her how she had come by it, although leaving out part of the poison, while watching to see if the witch had told Oana about what she was searching for. It didn't seem like the witch told her anything. “I have seen something like that in my room before,” Aniya said. “I’m scared of what it means and I am afraid—” she looked over to Arlo for the umpteenth time, “of harm coming to Arlo or me.” Oana was very concerned and she said she would tell the Alpha and Luna about it so that they could give orders for the Pack House to be thoroughly searched. Then Aniya asked, “What about last night? Why did the sun suddenly come up and merge with the moon?” She rushed to the window. “Everything seems normal now.”“Elder Superior said it was a result of something that happened in another realm. It is none of our concern; our Realm stays unaffected, and all the portals remain sealed.” Aniya panicked.Another realm? Wha
That night, after they had both eaten, Alaris took Belladonna to a nearby river, where a burning incense was placed on a leaf pad to float away. “It is to let go of the past and begin anew,” he has explained. It was something that helped Belladonna even though she hadn't known she needed it. Her heart felt lighter and with a more positive perspective, she left the river bank.The Belarion Rebellion and the rest of the Cave had fully returned now. Shortly after, Belladonna and Alaris started trying to create the army. They were once again under an open sky. Nyka watched from a distance, just like every one of the dragon people had been advised to do. Her father was right next to her, he wasn't supposed to be here. He was still injured from the torture he had received from the White King’s warriors that had captured him but he was terrified that if he as much took a step from her, the Heir would seize her and kill her. “What do I do?” Belladonna asked, trying to shake off the press
[LYCANS’ REALM]The coins vibrated on the floor, clanking as they added to the slight trembling she could feel around her. Aniya’s heart jumped. Quickly, she dashed to her bed and grabbed Arlo, taking him swiftly into her arms. She could hear a bell ringing from a distance. Voices of terrified people seeping into the air, even with her ordinary human hearing, the building chaos felt loud to her.What was going on? Before she could make it out of the room, though, she felt someone sweep her away, and in a flash, she was in an enclosed space, an arm around her, so that she held Arlo between them. She knew it was Ikrus; with such speed and the feeling of momentarily ease that went through her, it could be no one else. She hated the Matebond for many things but for this little ease that she could feel right now, she appreciated it a little. Even if this relief was a lie that everything was alright, it was better than the sheer terror she had been experiencing.The rumbling continued,
Finally, they were under an open sky.The Moon was full in its glory above them. “It is a perfect night,” Ny'ka said before intertwining her with Belladonna's.“Close your eyes.”She obeyed. “Think of the Bearer, of her grave, of her presence, and connect with her.”The Bearer. Belladonna allowed her mind to roam, remembering the silver-haired woman she would always dream about. She had never seen her face so there was no way she could see that. The image was blurry and soon it was nothing but darkness. “Open the windows, open the door,” she could hear Alaris' voice. Then she remembered her way of sealing the windows and the doors of her mind. So many things were happening in her mind. She could see the path to the castle, down to that room, to that sarcophagus, Then she was back in that room again - with the windows sealed and the doors locked.There was a white beam outside the window and a woman with long silver hair that shadowed her face.“Open the doors and the windows!”
“Don't kill me please, I believe now. You are the Heir, you are the savior. I see it.” Ny'ka begged. They were in one of the underground rooms, away from the people of the Belarion Rebellion and those of the Cave. This was something Alaris didn't want many to know about.“Please, take my life instead and spare my daughter,” Leader Tyrek begged. He knew what crimes Nyka had committed, the Priest told him everything.“You tried to kill me,” Alaris said to Ny'ka who was still on her knees, begging, tears running down her cheeks.“It was a mistake. It won't happen again.”Alaris smiled. “It won't.”He held her wrist and pulled her up, but while he did that, he crushed her bones, and pressing his flames into her skin, he healed her, just like he had seen it happen with Nightshade and that stranger in the Castle during their escape.It was an excruciating moment for Ny'ka and it didn't help that he did it again and again and again…By the time he was done, she was back on her knees, breat
The moment the ambush came upon them, some guards had taken Ny'ka and discreetly escaped from the scene. They were headed to the White King’s Castle to be highly rewarded for bringing to him the daughter of the leader of the revolution against him. They were supposed to take Leader Tyrek along too, but it seemed the guards who had him in captivity had been attacked. There would be much to tell the King upon getting to the castle. While they silently snuck away, Ny'ka found a way to free herself from the bondage and attacked them. She would rather die than have them take her alive; it was looking like that was the only option for her until she felt she had until Alaris' showed up. He descended from the sky with his massive leathery wings and he saved her; he killed the guards and swept her up into the air in his arms. In that moment, she saw what the others saw in him. A saviour.In that moment, something changed. “You saved me,” she said, the wind almost stealing her words away