A Nine-Tailed Love

Chapter 9

Eun-Ae

That man finally left me to myself except another man dressed in a dark blue hanbok had approached, his skin was wrinkled as his white beard was neatly trimmed around his chin.

"Miss, I need to examine your wound, may I?" He asked anxiously. 

I growled and whined as I rolled into my right side revealing my left side to him before I passed out due to the intense pain and fever.

Some time had passed and the sun began to set. The crackling of the fire pulled me from my black out. I groaned as I attempted to sit up. A pair of hands on my shoulders forced me back down onto my pillow.

"Hey, you need to rest." The man's voice sounded in my ears.

I caught his scent. It was the man who smelled of sage. Dae-Hyun if I remember correctly. 

I swallowed hard, "Y-you didn't leave? What happened?" My voice cracked.

"Your wound is infected. My doctor took care of it. You just need to rest now." He soothed as he pulled a blanket up to my neck.

I cracked an eye open at him and waited for my eyes to adjust before his face came into focus. "You're…the king, aren't you?" I asked. "Why did you do this?"

Anger and confusion swirled in my chest. The throbbing beat of this man's heart was igniting a flame deep inside of me to rip him apart.

"The guilt was eating me inside. I couldn't leave you alone knowing I had hurt you. Now please just rest." He sighed, sitting beside me.

"I would suggest you leave. I don't want to hurt you." I whispered.

He raised a brow at me, "Why would you say that? How could you hurt me in the state that you're in?" He grabbed a bowl and brought it to me. "Just drink." Helped me sit up to drink whatever it was in the bowl.

He brought it to my lips and tipped the bowl just enough for me to sip. The spicy ginger tea soothed my dry throat, my thirst must have been craving as I grabbed the bowl from him and quickly drank the tea. Fluid spilled from either side of my lips as I finished it off and let out a soft breath.

I lowered my head in shame. He must think I'm desperate. I thought to myself before gazing up at him, "Thank you." 

Dae-Hyun smiled at me. "No problem." He pressed his lips into a fine line and looked down at our hands still clutching the bowl. My hand was over his, causing him to blush and quickly pull his hand from mine.

He cleared his throat and pushed himself from the ground. "I-I'm going to go now." He stated as he brushed his pants off.

I lowered my ears in sadness and fidgeted with the bowl, "Okay."

"Or I can stay until you're better? If that's alright with you." He shyly replied.

It had been a while since I had company that wasn't a shifter. But I was so used to just killing these men and… eating their hearts. From the looks of it, this one meant no harm to me and even felt a huge weight on his shoulders after discovering the pain he caused me.

"If you wish, your majesty." I gave him a small smile.

His head perked up, "It won't be for too long. Just until you're better. I won't get in your way. If you want me to go just say it, okay?" 

"As long as you don't bring me back to the palace, I'll be okay." I glanced back to the outdoors and saw that there was very little light left outside. I couldn't send him back now, I knew Jung would be lurking nearby and I was not strong enough to stand up to him. Not in my current state.

"You want to call your horse in too? I don't want him to be out there when it gets dark. He has no protection. Not against what's out there." I suggested as I slowly rolled onto my side, shifting my knees under me.

He turned his head out to the cave entrance and whistled. The black coated stallion trotted in and bowed its head to me.

I smiled at him and bowed back. I recognized one of my own instantly.

Dae-Hyun gave me a look of confusion before turning to Baek. "You know who she is?" He asked the horse.

Baek bobbed his head up and down before making himself comfortable beside the cave entrance.

I sighed and slowly rose. The aches in my leg turned into a sharp stinging sensation as it coursed its way through my back. I moaned in pain, gripping my leg.

Dae-Hyun rushed to my side and helped me retain my bearings, "Are you alright?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

My heart blossomed and raged with anxiety and fear. No man has touched me beside Jung. But his sensitive touch, and the softness of his skin caused me to close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself before I did anything uncalled for.

"I'm alright, it just hurts." I muttered, turning my head away from him. 

He reached down and positioned his arm under my knees and lifted me into his embrace. I squeaked and held onto his shirt. My antics caused him to chuckle at me as he sat down on my makeshift bench with me in his arms.

My heart slowed down as the warmth that radiated from him soothed my aches, "Y-you don't have to do that."

"I'm not doing anything, I-I just thought you might want to be held. You're cold."

"I can shift and be alright." I replied.

"But you haven't, which tells me you're enjoying this." He smiled down at me.

Was he right? Was I enjoying simply being held by a man whose intentions were not set on something he had no ties to?  Did he even know about my pearl?

"You know. I don't actually get to enjoy time with people besides my friend. This is really nice that you'd let me stay here with you." He began, his tone was low, almost sad even.

Why was he telling me this? He's a king. He must have a ton of women to keep him company. Wait, why do I care?

"You're a king, I'm sure you have plenty of women at the palace. Even those shifters you kidnapped." I muttered under my breath.

He shook his head, "I have no interest in them. I didn't even want them there."

"Then why not release them?" I asked.

His voice became muffled as his warmth enveloped me. I closed my eyes and nuzzled into him as I drifted off to sleep.

The pitter patter of paws woke me up as the sun shone through the cave entrance causing me to stir. I groaned and rolled over to see Dae-Hyun behind me, his back facing me.

He stayed? I pulled the blanket off of me and checked the entrance to see Jung standing in the entryway. His teeth bared. I quickly shifted and leapt out of bed and tiptoed over to him.

"What do you want?" I chatted at him as I shoved him out.

"You really brought him here. " He growled.

"What I do in my spare time has nothing to do with you." I hissed snapping my jaw at him.

Jung huffed and narrowed his eyes at me as he turned and trotted off. I stomped my paw at him and turned around as well to walk back toward my bed, only to see Dae-Hyun rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Miss, is everything okay?" He asked.

I nodded my head and plopped down beside the fire. "Just another shifter. Nothing I couldn't handle." 

"Are all of the animals out here shifters?" He c****d his head at me.

I turned my ear in his direction and continued staring at the fire, "It's about a fifty percent split. But that one in particular is apart of a pack that refuses to let me leave here." I explained.

Dae-Hyun rose from the bed and excused himself to the outdoors. I'm guessing nature called.

"Yah, what the hell is that! Stay away from me!" Dae-Hyun shouted.

I immediately jumped out of my seat and ran outside to see Jung had returned and had cornered Dae-Hyun. 

Without hesitation I leapt onto Jungs back and snapped at him as he lunged at Dae-Hyun.

"What is you're f*****g problem!" I screeched at him.

Jung growled and flipped me off of his back and into a plot of grass. I quickly rose and shook my fur before running between him and Dae-Hyun.

"Jung, stop this!"

"Why? He can't touch what is mine!" He roared back.

I snapped my jaw at him and flared my tails. "I don't belong to you or anyone!" I screamed, lunging at him.

The two of us crashed into one another and immediately went for each other's throats. Ferocious growls and yelping echoed through the forest as Jung and I fought for dominance.

"Get away from me!" I clawed Jung across his chest causing him to cry out in pain.

"You will always be mine Eun-Ae." He jumped onto my back and pinned me to the ground by my throat. Even he knew to restrain my tails with his other leg.

"I will not! I never have been and I never will be!" I squirmed and shouted below him.

Jung bared his canines and lowered himself down onto my neck, "If I can't have you, no one will."

Before he could strike Baek charged him, shoving him away from me as I shifted and rolled onto my back, holding the wound on my side. 

Dae-Hyun quickly picked me up and mounted his horse before taking off back into the forest. "Miss, I need you to stay with me, don't fall asleep!"

I shifted back and shrunk my frame down to fit into the crook of his arm.

Darkness consumed me, due to the blood loss.

Some time had passed before I realized what had happened that morning. I shifted around and noticed the smell around me wasn't of my home. 

“Wh-where am I?” I whispered, pushing myself up from a plush bed. I rolled onto my side and slowly opened my eyes, letting out a heavy huff of air. 

"Hey hey, take it easy… I brought you to the palace." A familiar voice sounded from beside me as a hand pressed against my forehead. "At least your fever is gone." 

I turned my head, looking over my shoulder at the man, and to my surprise, it was undoubtedly the King, Dae-Hyun. "Why would you bring me here?" 

"Because you were badly injured, that guy Jung… the wolf? He injured you pretty badly. Baek saved your life."

I raised my hand to silence him. "That mutt, I swear when I get better I am going to kill him." I wrapped my arms around myself and lowered my head to see that I was wearing a hanbok. My hanbok. The one I left at the lake days ago.  "Where did you find this?" I asked as I turned my body to face him. "I thought I lost this. Where did you find it?" 

Dae-Hyun sighed, "I didn't find it. Someone else did." He rubbed the back of his neck and rose.

"Wait, where are you going? You can't just leave me here!" I shouted, trying to push myself up from the floor. A sharp pain shot through my ribs and neck, causing me to moan in agony.

"My medicine man will be coming by to check on it in a little while. I have something I need to attend to."

I closed my eyes and ignored the pain the best I could as I propped myself up against the wall and took a limping step toward the door. "I am not staying here. I can't. They will kill me."

Dae-Hyun stepped in front of me. He placed his hands on either side of my arms. "They won't do anything to you. Not unless I tell them to and right now the last thing I want is for any more harm to come to you."

I rose on my tiptoe and leaned into his ear, letting out a low growl. "You are the reason I am hurt to begin with. If you didn't stay everything would have been fine!"

"I know but I couldn't leave you there to die. And I'll never forgive myself if something else were to happen, so you'll be staying here until you get better. Then I'll escort you to where ever it is you want to go."

I was appalled by his response. This man's guilt was eating at him over someone he didn't even know. He wasn't like his father in any way, shape, or form. Pulling away from him, I gazed into his eyes. "Y-you'd do that for me?"

He nodded his head and gave me a tight-lipped smile. "I would. Because I am not my father. Harming others solves nothing and my mother raised me to be a gentle and a loved ruler by trust. Not by forcing anyone's hand let alone war."

"I do not want to be here. I just want to go back home." I slumped my shoulders and made a limping turn toward the bed.

"I-I know this is a strange question but, can you tell me your name? I do not know what else to call you…."

I pulled the ribbon on my hanbok loose upon reaching the bed and slipped out of my top, revealing my upper back. I glanced over my shoulder at him, "Eun-Ae." I replied before pulling the tie on my skirt. The heavy silk dropped to the floor as the only thing concealing my body was my flaring tails and hair.

"What are you doing?" He shouted.

I shrugged my shoulders and shifted into my fox form. "I don't have the energy to stay in human form right now." I hopped onto the bed.

"Wait, when was the last time you ate?" He asked as I curled into a ball in the center of the mattress. 

Resting my head on my paws, I gazed at him, "Depends on what kind of food you are referring to." I chatted at him. I smirked as his eyes widened. I hissed in pleasure, watching him become more and more uncomfortable.

He reached up and scratched the back of his head nervously. "I uh. I mean whatever it is you eat."

"It's been weeks." I replied quickly before turning my head away from him and closing my eyes. 

"What? Weeks? How are you surviving?" He shouted, causing me to lower my ears.

"Small rodents, the occasional vegetables I do manage to find but it's not what I need to sustain myself let alone my appetite."

The sound of Dae-Hyun's heartbeat throbbed in my ears. I needed to ignore my primal urge to rip his heart out again. The thought of a still bloodied heart in my hands made my mouth water with hunger.

The door squeaked open and shut quickly, indicating that he had left the room. I sighed as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. There is no reason for me to be awake and anxious. I might as well make use of my time here and sleep.