Blood and Chains

The Long Road

It didn’t take long for us to check out of the room, I’m also thinking that the rooms aren’t as soundproof as Emmy claimed because she had a gleam that could only be described as the Cheshire Cat.

“It could be the big mark on your neck.” Flynn commented, as if he could read my mind. “Or that I had to borrow some of her clothes for you.”

I looked down at the shirt that had to be a rock t-shirt. It had a red devil, a succubus, some sort of woman demon. The words were faded, so it looked like, ‘M D r est Day’.

“Uh,” I didn’t finish my sentence, I was happy to have something that fit at the bare minimum.

“So now it’s going to be dusk, we spent too much time in the room.”

“Whose fault is that?” I eyed him.

“Yours.” He said simply.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused.”

“You’re the one who f****d me.” I snapped.

“You’re the one who was staring.”

“You were naked on my bed.”

“You left the bed.”

“I didn’t think you would go into it naked.”

“I didn’t want to put on my clothes just yet.”

I raised an eyebrow to him, “So you admit, it’s your fault that I was tempted.”

“Don’t blame the temptation princess. It’s very crass.”

“I am going to blame you though; you pushed me on the bed.”

“Pulled,” he corrected. “And I stopped before I penetrated you.”

“So I was supposed to just get blue balls?”

“Do girls get blue balls? And that is more of a human thing.” He looked me up and down, “You’re definitely not human not after what I did to you.”

“Ha! You admit it’s your fault.”

“No, I admit I f****d you and it felt good.” He laughed.

I gave him a light push, “Fine, we both know who is really at fault for us taking so long.”

He nodded, “You.”

I sucked in a breath to yell, but released my breath. “Not even,” I tried to say in a low voice.

“So princess, going onto more important matters than who to blame for the amazing s*x we just had with each other, are you convinced that your brother has run off on his own?”

I nodded, “After the long nap I had, I do believe that he knew he wasn’t coming back for a while.”

“After you have to take the throne.”

I sighed, “Yes, after I came to the throne. I need to find him and drag him back.”

“Isn’t that a little selfish?”

“He is the crowned prince, he doesn’t get to be selfish.”

“But you can?” he gave me a questioning look.

“I’m not the heir, or the favorite child. I have never had anyone expect more from me that to sit quietly.”

“Sounds fair.”

“I want him to come back and do it properly.”

“What if he doesn’t want to?”

“Then I’m running away.”

Flynn laughed, “Just like vampires to just run away.”

“I’m not running because I want to. I need to.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have any training to be queen, ruler, anything but sitting quietly. My mother put zero effort into me even as a backup. I would put my people into ruin.”

“Who would be next?”

I thought for a moment, “I think Zion actually. His family actually did put stock that he could be the next ruler, so he took the same classes and tutor as my brother.”

“I see. Where do you plan to look for your brother?”

“Remember I asked that traveling merchant if he saw a vampire that looked like him, he said no one came by that looked that way. So that’s why we are headed in the opposite direction.”

“Because the random man said he didn’t see anyone?”

I nodded, “But it wasn’t just any random man, it was a Will-o’-the-wisp.”

“So?”

“They see everything.”

“So he saw that mark on your neck?”

I rolled my eyes, “Everyone in that town probably saw it at this rate.”

Flynn snickered.

“Not funny.”

“Kinda is.”

As the sun began to set, I couldn’t help but long for a simpler time, when all I had to worry about was the occasional demon or the threat of getting fired from my mortal job. Now, I was on the brink of inheriting a throne that I knew nothing about, and I couldn’t shake the fear that I would not find my stupid brother.

I looked at Flynn, his face illuminated by the golden hues of the sunset. His eyes were a deep, intense blue, almost like a wolf’s gaze. In that moment, I was reminded of the connection we shared.

“Flynn, I’m not sure what we’re going to do,” I confessed, my voice shaking slightly. “I’m terrified that I’m not going to be able to fulfill my destiny or find my brother. I’m so out of my depth in this world after being away from it so long.”

He glanced at me, his eyes softening despite the fierceness of his gaze. “We’ll figure this out together.” A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Besides, we don’t exactly have a choice now, do we? You’re the crowned princess of the vampire realm, and I am duty-bound to help you.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Duty-bound, my ass. You’re just trying to get into my pants.”

He smirked. “I already did that, and I wasn’t trying to.”

“So don’t be a fake sap.”

“Fine,” he raised his arms up in defense. “But now I want to see how this plays out.”

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the night sky in shades of deep indigo and purpling, the woodland around us began to breathe with life. Luminous lights flickered in the distance like fireflies, luring us deeper into the forest.

We followed the spectral glow, our footsteps muffled by the damp earth beneath us.

The air was thick with anticipation, as if the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for something momentous to happen

As we made our way through the dense underbrush, the canopy above us grew thicker, blocking out the setting sun and casting an eerie green glow over everything. The air was heavy with the earthy scent of ancient tree trunks and the mustiness of decaying leaves. We emerged into a clearing surrounded by towering trees that stood like sentinels, their gnarled branches reaching towards the sky in a majestic display. The ground beneath our feet was soft and springy, covered in a lush carpet of emerald moss. It felt as though we had stumbled upon a sacred grove, steeped in centuries of magic and mystery.

In the heart of the grove, an ethereal figure emerged. Their robes were woven from threads of shimmering moonlight. At last, they threw off their hood, and there stood a beautiful young woman. I knew instantly who it was.

"Greetings, travelers," her said in a voice that seemed to echo through the trees, "I am the Scribe, and I have been expecting you."

Her gaze locked onto the mark on my neck, and she smiled pointedly.

"Ah, the signature of Loki," she mused, " The lines of the infamous wolf's bite. Your reputation proceeds you Fenrir."

He laughed a sweet laugh, one he never had given to me before. “Hello my lady,” he bowed before her and kissed her hand.

“Wait,” I said, the words finally reaching my ears. “Fenrir? As in the wolf?”

She nodded, “Of course, who else?”

“I thought you were a werewolf or something of that kind!” I yelled out.

“I am pretty sure I never said that I was a werewolf.” He rose to his feet.

“You…” I pointed a finger to him.

“Zelda,” the Scribe’s voice said in a calm voice. “Are you ready to find your brother?”