Red Lips Always Lie

Overwhelmed

Kneffi slowly shook Cael’s hand, paying close attention to any change in his grip. She was not about to be tricked and captured by a human, but as soon as her palm connected with his, she was hit with a searing pain on her chest. Kneffi felt as though she had been stabbed right through her sternum with a poisoned blade, the burn was something she had never experienced before. 

Falling back gasping, trying to catch her breath she watched Cael’s face go from scared and confused to concerned in a matter of seconds. He rushed forward to keep Kneffi from falling, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. This time it was his turned to jump away, “Ow, f*ck!”

“Why did you...” He placed a hand to his left shoulder where a small hole was burnt into his shirt exposing an angry red patch of skin. “You burnt me! Look I’m sorry if you have these weird boundaries I just didn’t want you to fall.” 

Kneffi was starting to get annoyed with his constant rambling and decided to just stay silent and step away from Cael. He watched her move away with what appeared to be a pained look, but that was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Kneffi began to shiver again as wind picked up around them and the burn of her necklace disappeared the further she moved from Cael. Slowly she paced around the fire putting it between her and Cael, but placing the tent behind her and out of view. 

Cael stalked towards her and stopped about a foot away staring at her chest, curiosity flooded his features. Tilting his head he reached up towards her amulet watching the glow intensify the closer his hand got. Kneffi hissed as his fingertips were a breath away from the amulet, she glared at him and he pulled his hand back. 

“What is that? It’s hurting you.” Cael looked up as concern licked at his words. 

“My necklace isn’t hurting me, you are.” She calmly stated. “For some reason the closer you get, the hotter the gem burns.”

“Why?”

“That, I am still trying to figure out. You are starting to get on my nerves though and it literally pains me to be near you, so I could just kill you now and save myself a lot of grief. What do you think?”

Kneffi laughed to herself as she watched his eyes grow wide and he frantically shook his head from side to side. “Please don’t! I have a family and a long life ahead of me, plus a death in the forest is not what I had planned for myself this weekend. And I definitely don’t want to be killed by a naked Amazonian woman... that’s just embarrassing.”

Kneffi had to strain to hear the last part, but caught enough to be offended. “Not Amazonian. Demon, thank you very much. We are a very different species.” 

“Uh Cael, what’s going on?”

Kneffi whipped around to find the source of the new voice, only to see the second boy from earlier crawling out of the tent rubbing sleep from his eyes. She was ready to bolt when a firm hand gripped her wrist and refused to let go. Her chest started burning but this time a second warmth accompanied it, a comfortable and almost reassuring heat radiated over her skin where Cael’s hand was. She looked down at it, and to her surprise their skin appeared to have a glow where it touched. 

Cael started speaking startling Kneffi out of her trance. “Cody, this is Kneffi. She, uh, is an, um, acquaintance of mine. She’s from Hell.”

The last part made Kneffi chuckle, the poor kid was so quick to mention her home that Cody looked like he had been punched in the gut. Cael quickly tried to recover and give his friend more information, but Kneffi could tell he was having a hard time explaining something as crazy as a demon in his campsite to another mere mortal. 

“This is a sick joke, Cael.” Cody laughed once his friend stopped to take a breath. “I mean, I will give you credit though for convincing a girl to stand naked outside in this weather. How much did he pay you sweetheart? Come on in the tent it’s freezing outside.”

Cody walked out and grabbed Kneffi’s other hand dragging her in the tent with him, once she was inside he sat her down on one of the sleeping bags and shuffled through a bag pulling out a T-shirt. He handed it to her and told her to put it on,; thankfully her true form was only a fraction bigger than what he saw, so she was able to comfortably wear the t-shirt without it being unbelievably small. 

“I don’t know how he became such a good actor and how you put up with his little scheme, but I have to give him credit for getting me my birthday wish.” Cody’s hand moved to Kneffi’s knee and slowly he trailed his fingers higher up towards her hip. “You certainly are gorgeous, where did he find you? I’ve never seen you before because I would certainly remember that.”

Kneffi felt her stomach churn as his hand dipped between her thighs and his fingers explored places no one had touched before. She should have expected something like this to happen, Vonna had warned her about what men did when they got close to her. It’s the one problem when you appear as their deepest darkest fantasy, they want you. ‘Lust takes over and they think with the little head not the big one,’ that’s what she had said. 

Cody had pulled his hand out and was moving it up beneath the shirt he had leant her when Cael came through the door, oblivious to what had been happening while he was outside putting out the fire. He had his back turned and was doing up the zipper in the dark when Cody spoke, his voice low and husky with lust. “Well well, will you be joining us my friend? I’m sure our new friend here wouldn’t mind, she seems the type.” 

Cael stopped closing the door and looked over in astonishment as his friend groped Kneffi, he turned back quickly closing the zipper the rest of the way and pulled Cody’s hands away from the poor thing. “She’s not here for your enjoyment.” Was all he said before gesturing to the other sleeping bag and ushering Kneffi to crawl in. “She is sleeping on my side and you won’t touch her.” 

Kneffi’s stomach flipped when she heard Cael’s protectiveness, and her heart beat a little faster making her angry at herself for feeling anything towards a human. She pushed the anger down though when she heard Cody’s next disturbing words.

“No fair man, you’re keeping her all to yourself after teasing me with that delicious body? Screw you. sometimes it’s nice to share your candy.” 

“F*ck off Cody. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you need to get yourself under control.” Cael glared across the tent and then turned an apologetic look towards Kneffi who was overwhelmed with the scene in front of her. 

One boy wanted her body and she could only imagine the way he wished to defile her. The other wanted to protect her and only planned on keeping her to himself, but not for pleasure only her safety. This was not the world she was ready for, she was prepared to fight off men as if they were rabid dogs. She was not prepared for one to be on her side; especially when he knew what she was. 

“Here Kneffi,” Cael placed a pillow at the top of the sleeping bags and motioned for her to lay down avoiding any physical touches keeping the necklace at a dull glow and somewhat bearable heat. “Lay down and get some rest, I’ll sit right here and be waiting for when you wake up. I won’t let Cody touch you.”

He whispered the last part, but she knew that Cody still heard because she heard him scoff, and what she guessed was roll over in his sleeping bag away from them. Closing her eyes she evened out her breathing pretending to be asleep; she didn’t have the heart to tell Cael that she didn’t sleep. Soon she heard his breathing slow and light snores fill the tent, his hand slipped from his lap and landed on her shoulder making the amulet turn to fire. She gently rolled away removing his touch.

She could leave, it would be easy now. All she would need to do is slip through the door and run, she would run until her legs ached and lungs burned. She could start her mission, but part of her wanted to stay. She would feel guilty leaving in the middle of the night without saying anything. 

She would wait, but only until morning. She would say a proper goodbye and then start her hunt.