chapter six

[ IN WHICH SHE THROWS UP ]

I lift my head back up, wiping the remnants of my puke. Breathing heavily, I lean against a tree as I wait for the world to stop spinning. I can feel his burning stare in the silence, so I tuck my curls behind my ears to get a better view of the shirtless young man with wings.

He still hasn’t said anything.

He’s just standing there, observing me from head to toe like some museum artifact. And I do the same.

The man in front of me appears as though he has been crafted out of a fairy tale. However, he’s not the hero in the fairy tale, but the devious villain. The villain that has everyone in chokehold with his mere presence. His sword that has black smoke swirling around it is no longer in sight. It's like it disappeared the moment he set foot on the ground. I scrutinize the man with white, flawless skin. His hair is dark as the sky above us; dark, wavy strands are sat on top of his head, giving the right proportions to his sharp and square jaw. Something about his hair feels familiar. And suddenly, an image of hands —my hands— running through his dark hair flashes in my mind.

My breath hitches when I gaze into his eyes.

He has deep-set eyes, the color of dove feathers, not the albino kind, but the ones with a hue so softly grey that they could have been pencil drawn. His eyes are beautiful; almost angelic. As his eyes watch me, I get self-cautious. His eyes watch me like they’ve seen all parts of me, like they know and understand me, and like they’ve seen me at my worst.

With a shaky breath, my eyes drop to his full lips.

Honestly, every part of him is carved to perfection. His upper body is fit. He’s not muscular, he’s just the right amount of slim and muscles. I spot markings and tattoos on his chest and arms, and I begin to wonder if he has more in places that have been covered in his trousers.

There’s something familiar about him, I can’t place my finger on it. And I don’t know what these images in my mind are.

My eyes anxiously move to the black feathers on his wings. Before I can get a better look, the wings start to move again, and slowly they disappear into his back. My eyes widen at the view. It looks so unnatural, and I get irritated again.

Nausea washes over me as I bend over, puking on the stones and dead leaves in the forest.

Cursing at myself for being so disgusting, I wipe my lips and straighten up. I hold my head higher, trying to protect my dignity in front of the man.

Now that his wings are gone, he looks like a regular human, but I do wonder if his back is covered in markings too. My fingers ache to touch them and relieve whatever pain might be there. But I control myself.

The only thing I should be aching for is my escape.

Maybe he can help.

“Hey, man.” I call over the distance. “Do you know a way out of here?”

He doesn’t say anything. He’s still watching me quietly with an unexplainable emotion in his grey eyes.

I shift on my injured feet, wincing a little. His eyes snap down to my feet as his jaw clenches. I move closer to speak again. “I need to return home, can you help me?”

“This is your home.”

His voice sends shivers down my spine. I’ve never heard anything so raw, and deep.

I shake the thoughts out of my head. “No, see, I’m not from here. In fact I don’t know where the fuck this place is. I was abducted by the King of this Hell. And, I will very much like to leave as fast as I can before he finds me. So, help me.”

He keeps a straight face.

His silence frustrates me. “Come on, what are you doing just standing there? Help me out of this place. Who knows what will come after me next? You saw those men. What are they even? Vampires? Vampires don’t exist. Who knows what else lives in this place? And you—” I cut myself short. “I don’t want to see any more… bird-people like you.”

The man folds his arms. “Bird-people.”

“Yeah, you have wings. You’re a bird.”

He doesn’t look happy with my analogy. “I am not a bird.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, duh, that’s the point. I don’t want to know what you are. I just want to get the hell out of this place.” Impatiently, I look through the trees and bushes, then I see a wall. The wall is a few steps away. When I get closer to it, it’s taller than I imagined. So, I need help getting over. I turn to the man behind. “Come on, give me a lift. You can just push me over.”

His arms are still folded. “I advise that you do not go over that wall.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ve climbed over things growing up.”

“You have not a clue what may be at the other side of the wall.”

“It definitely cannot be worse than what has happened already. I’ve seen a man with wings, so I’m sure nothing can surprise me anymore. And who knows? I might just fall back into my world when I climb this wall.” I tell him. “Now, quit the lecture. And help me.”

After seconds of silence, he replies. “I have no intention of helping you.”

My eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean?” I ask him, but he doesn’t respond. “You practically slayed demons that were trying to eat me. Getting me over a wall shouldn’t be a problem, don’t you think?”

He continues watching me in silence.

I scoff. “Listen. I am a very important person where I come from. And you will regret not helping me.”

His lips twitch, but he doesn’t move from his spot.

Aggravated, I pick up my dress and stride towards him. I stop in front of him. His familiar scent fills my nostrils, and the familiarity drives me insane. We’re in close proximity, and he tenses up, clenching his jaw.

“I am a lady in distress.” I boldly tell him. “You refused to help a lady in distress.”

“I refuse when that lady in distress is trying to go over a wall, so she can escape me, her king.”

My lips part open. My brown eyes widen. I jerk back like I’ve been stabbed. A few steps away from him, I watch him, speechless.

… [that was my first encounter with the king. and it was the beginning of a fatally flawed romance.] …