Woman of the Woods

Ch.3 An Introduction

"You're bleeding." Celendria fails to digest his words fully before she finds Fyre knelt before her lifting the skirt of her chemise gently.

"NO, HOW DARE YOU!" her ears twitch with irritation and she digs her foot into his chest laying him to the floor.

"GOD'S You fiendish woman, You're injured." His voice spews with anger in a manner reminiscent of a growl.

"Oh...uh...I .I'm sorry." She wavers, unsure how to mitigate the scene.

"You aught to be, just try not to let it happen again." She nods shallowly as he regains his steady footing upon his knees.

Fyre once again carefully lifts her skirt revealing a significant cut running down the length of her shin. His fingers dancing over the gash bringing rise to an uproar of warmth within Celendria.

"Gahh... it's just a cut, I'll be fine" Fyre pulls his hand from her, irritation staining his features.

"Fine, suit yourself." He slinks back to his chair and sits pensively, never breaking his eyes from her small form. He hated to admit it, but there was something about her that enraptured him.

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Celendria awoke the next morning wrapped with a wool woven blanket. She was strewn out over the bed, in the back of the cabin. She could only see the large muscular form of Fyre's back as he stood cooking breakfast over the wood stove.

She had no idea how to go about handling herself in this situation, she lifted the blanket, relieved to find she was still dressed. Fyre's voice shattered her confusion, echoing from the room beyond.

"Little one, I know you're awake, come get some eggs."

She obeys, afraid of his wrath if she didn't. She lightly padded her way to the table and sat down in a rickety antiquated ladder back chair.

"Why do you call me that?" She questions as Fyre lays a steel plate of eggs in front of her adorned with the necessary utensils.

"Well it was better than, hey you with the green hair." He sits down across from her and shovels into his food without hesitation.

The realization dawned on her that her name was never brought up as a topic of conversation.

"Celendria, is my name." She lifts her fork and scoops some eggs from the plate into her mouth.

"Little one, it is then. My name is Silas Fyre, you can call me Si.

She nods polishing off the rest of her plate. She moves to stand but a deep screaming pain reverberates through her torn shin, sending her back down into her seat with a boisterous wince.

"Gods!" She lifts her skirt to see her wound surrounded in deeply flushed skin. Her every breath sends shockwaves of pain rippling over her flesh.

Si, makes his way over in a blazing speed. knelt in front of her he wraps his massive palm around the back of her leg, creating a sturdy foundation.

"You seem to have taken a turn for the worse, little one. what did you even do? I don't believe any of my actions would have resulted in a wound of this caliber." His voice is calm as he stands and retrieves a bottle of clear alcohol from the shelves. Returning to his former position he holds her leg level and pours the spirit over her open wound.

"GAHHHHH,.....shite!" Tears burn down her cheeks as Si continues to wrap her leg with a clean strip of linen. "Curse those jagged tree branches, burn them all down."

Si chuckles inwardly at her statement and turns his gaze to her tear stained cheeks. He elevates his gruff thumb and while cupping her cheek brushes the tears away.

There is no way she is my mate, just look at her, she's weak. No one in this pack will ever respect her as my Queen. This match will do nothing but cause her pain. Yet, I can't seem to pull myself from her. She makes my beast tranquil. The words spun through Silas's mind, a tornado of emotion hiding just behind the brim of his ebony eyes.

Celendria sat frozen under his touch, everything in her mind told her to throw his hand away and run. Run as far and as fast as she could. Yet, her heart said something different, It craved his touch in a cavernously profound way.

As he pulled his hand away and rose to his feet, a wealth of emptiness flooded through her. It took all she had to not pull him back.

"I have business to attend to, in the village. Don't try to escape, the door locks from the outside." His words exited his lips more curt than normal as he left through the front door.

Celendria shivered as the knock of the iron lock slid into place behind the wooden port. She rose from the chair and limped her way back into the bedroom. Directly above the headboard was a small shelf, housing a variety of tomes. She stood atop her knees on the bed and pulled a few down. She made herself comfortable, lacing her legs between themselves. The first book she flipped open held a multitude of beautiful sketches. She turned through the pages displaying vast landscapes, beautiful fauna, and the occasional flower here and there.

Maybe Si did have some interesting traits.

As she reached towards the end of the sketch book the drawings grew evermore familiar. She traced her fingers over the drawn horizon depicting the face of her home. The last page brought her mind to silence. Her eyes danced over the elegant curves of her face and the sharp bend of her ears. She was stood against a dense forest background, plucking apples from a tree.

How long had he been watching her, sulking around in the distance, just out of her line of sight. She closed the book and placed it back above her head. Luckily, the next tome was a collection of old poetry. She relaxed within the comfort of the bed, pushing the drawings from her mind, and getting lost within the honeyed rhymes of the written words.