Chapter 6: Marriage??

Forcing her vision to clear, Eliana looks back up at Beatrice, her eyes wide.

The Xefol has her head turned slightly down, watching the Princess. "Are you alright?"

"Uh," Eliana clears her throat, trying to halt the sweat beading at her temple. "Is it alright if I stay just for the night? I will leave at daybreak."

Beatrice presses her lips together, but Eliana easily sees the smile forming. "Yes, of course, honey."

Eliana allows her shoulders to relax, the weight she is carrying disappearing. Her mind clears, and she refuses to look back outside.

"Jasper, heat up some water for her." Beatrice orders cocking her brow at who Eliana assumes is their son.

His jaw flexes and he watches Eliana closely. His dense gaze scourers her entire face.

"What is he looking at," she wonders. Heat begins to build in her neck and ears, easing the pain slightly from her injuries.

"Why is she allowed to stay? She broke into our house and took my bed," Jasper argues roughly. His hair places a shadow over his entire face as he turns his back on Eliana.

Fighting the urge to run, Eliana breathes in deeply. "They sent the assassins away. They cannot be all bad, right? Why are they living out here alone, though? Most werebears live with the rest of the clan, right," she wonders inwardly. It is odd for any Pivurlion to live outside of their clan. At least that is what she believed. She did not know much on the different cultures, as there have not been any clans within distance of the castle in the last decade.

"Jasper that is enough," Beatrice growls. She pushes him toward the door. Now go heat up the water."

Eliana's heart sinks as Jasper exits the main room. As a soft shiver explodes in her chest, she scowls and thinks, "Why am I feeling this way?"

"Now, I know that you have every right to despise us," the werebear turns her attention back on Eliana, "But truly we are not your enemy." She sits on the edge of one of the chairs, close to the Princess. Her voice becomes a whisper, "I know that those rogue bears are after you. It is not hard to figure out."

Eliana jumps, anguish filling her throat. They are going to give her up. She will die. They just offered a place to stay, though.

"Do not fret," Beatrice hushes, "You are safe here. They will not harm you. I know there must be a reason that they are trying to find you, but I will not pry. That is your story to tell when you trust us. Now, once the water is ready, go clean yourself up. I do not have any clothes to fit you, but I will have Jasper spare some. It might help to have another scent on you, to mask your own."

Beatrice stands and starts to walk over to the fire.

"Why are you helping me," Eliana blurts out, still standing in the doorway.

"Because we Xefol are not all bad. I hope to change your mind about us."

It does not take long before the bath is ready, and Eliana reluctantly shuts the door behind her.

"I should be trying to escape, not relaxing in a bath. I have no where to go, though. This is my only option, unless I want to try my luck out with the rogue Xefol." She shudders with just the thought of running into the assassins once again.

A shiver bites at the back of her injured neck and her ankle burns with the effort of putting pressure on it. As she slowly unties her dress, the voices from the other room resonate into her own. "There is not much privacy here," she states in her mind.

"I told you that I do not want a mate." Jasper's husky voice continues to send miniature shivers from Eliana's stomach to her heart. She swallows her emotions and quietly listens.

"He has not found a mate yet. They usually find one around the age of fifteen. At least that is what the villagers have told me, from their knowledge," she remembers to herself. On the occasions when she would go to the village at the bottom of the castle, she would speak with her people and ask them questions about the world. She asked about the cultures of the other realms and even the Pivurlions, so that she could better understand them. It was before her distrust of them had taken over completely.

For some reason the idea that Jasper is still alone, sends a jolt of giddiness throughout Eliana.

"Son, I have already made my decision. You will go to Viptan and choose a mate, or we will find one for you," Conrad growls. His voice is so deep it almost shakes the cottage.

As Eliana slowly slides into the steaming bath, she continues to listen.

"What if I marry and my true mate appears? What then," Jasper argues.

"Once we come back here, there will not be many visitors," Beatrice says slowly, and almost too quietly for Eliana to hear. "It will be difficult for you to run into your soulmate."

Eliana tries to rub away the slightly itch in her chest. They will force a mate on him? "Even if he does not wish it? I understand how he is feeling. It is crushing. All hope of finding someone at least bearable is out of the question, if his parents choose a mate for him."

"I will not be happy either way, and yet you force a future on me I do not want." Jasper roars this before a door is slammed.

Eliana dips her head into the water quickly. "So, marriage works the same in both races."

She sighs and forces thoughts of Jasper and the assassins from her mind.