The Hunted Princess

For the first time in weeks, Vera felt at peace as she flopped face first onto the waiting bed. It was large enough for two people, but she spread her limbs out and clenched her fists into the sheets, pulling them all toward her. She wasn’t cold anymore, but the feeling of something soft under her, and the comfort that awaited her sleep made her smile as she snuggled deeper. Just as she was almost relaxed enough to drift to sleep, the door to the room slammed open, somehow making the stone walls around her shake. She rolled over in shock, all her happiness disappearing instantly as a hulking figure stood in her doorway, taking up the entire entrance with his dark form. There wasn’t enough light to see his features clearly, but she didn’t need to when she saw his fists clenched at his sides in a very familiar gesture. “What the hell, Garluk!? Go away, I’m done talking to you today!” She yelled as soon as her voice came back. She scowled at the figure before plopping her head back on the mattress. “Not that anyone would want to talk to such a brute,” her mutter could barely be heard, but he obviously did, since she was answered with a warning growl. “Great, are we back to growls? And after I worked so hard to make you smarter than some common beast-,” Her words were cut short as the hulking figure suddenly appeared right above her. She hadn’t even heard him move, but now he was on the bed, knees on either side of hers and fists pressed into the mattress on either side of her head. It had been so quick she didn’t even feel the bed dip! “Careful, human. I’m not known for my patience, and you aggravate me more than anyone,” he warns lowly. His voice seemed deeper than usual as he hovered above her, not letting any part of their bodies touch. Vera fought the urge to look away with him so close. She gazed into his green eyes as fiercely as he had, refusing to blink or back down. “Then take me home. Or just leave me and let me go back myself. I never asked you to take me from my family!” “Family? They were going to sell you! What family does that?” His snarl ripped through his chest, making it vibrate above her. “Whether you want to admit it or not, I saved you!” Instantly, there was pressure behind her eyes, but she refused to let herself form tears. He’d probably mock her for them. “You’re the one putting me in danger! How many monsters have come after me since you started this? How many times must I fall off a cliff, or almost drown before you give up on this stupid mission? What even is your goal here?” All the frustration of the last few weeks was catching up as she fought to keep her voice even and angry. Everything was too confusing, and she’d finally had enough. She brought her fists up and started banging on his chest. As always, it was bare, and her soft skin met his taught flesh with barely satisfying wacks. With her angle she knew she had no chance of hurting him, but maybe if he felt her fighting back he might actually listen to her. It seemed to be the only way he paid attention to anyone. She clenched her eyes and let out all the frustration of the past few weeks. She yelled in his face and banged on his chest, letting out all the tension she’d built up, and all the unjustness she’d endured. He yelled back just as much at the beginning, but eventually he started to be quiet above her. As he calmed down, so did she until they were both panting heavily, but her arms returned to her sides. She didn’t know when the tears had finally fallen, but now she didn’t even have the strength to wipe them away before Garluk could mock her for them. She gazed up at him coolly, her face flushed and her hair a wild mess, but when her brown eyes met his green ones, she didn’t care. She wondered how she’d never noticed the gold swirling near his irises before, and found her eyes tracing their thin lines as they danced around. She got so caught up in the gold dancing, she didn’t notice him shift his weight so he could bring one hand up to her jaw. His chest was now just above hers, still not touching, but his light hair just dusting across the fabric separating them. His heat enveloped her skin as he traced two fingers along her jawline, running down to her chin and back up. When his fingers found her lips, the trance broke, but she still couldn’t move. His course skin felt nice against hers, and without thinking she even opened her lips a bit more for him. His eyes were still wide, seemingly entranced by the appearance of his skin against hers. “You’re right,” he muttered hoarsely, “You are fragile, even more so than other humans.” He brushed his hand up to her cheeks, swiping at the liquid there. “With so many feelings and ideas.” The callouses on his hands threatened to scratch her skin, but his touch was featherlight so they wouldn’t as his fingers found her hair. He wound a strand around his index and watched it unwind with the simplest of movements. “Ever since we met, it’s been constant danger,” Vera’s eyes were half-lidded as she gazed up at him while he almost whispered. Maybe it was the bed, or the warmth, or the gentle way he caressed her as his voice washed over her like a gentle wave, but she felt her body melting under his touch. She suddenly wanted him to lay on her body, not caring that he might crush her little frame. She needed some kind of pressure to keep her from floating away in some kind of peaceful dream. "And you've been nothing but a hindrance with all those things." Just as she’d raised her forearms, a mere inch before she could pull his hips down onto hers, he grasped her hair right at the root and pulled harshly. She gasped as her eyes went wide and more tears slipped out when her head was tilted back harshly exposing her neck to him. “You’re lucky I need you or I would have let those monsters have you long ago.” He growled into her shocked face. “So stop pissing me off, or I just might throw you to them, and believe me, I’ll be smiling as they rip your puny little body to pieces.” Then he was off her and out the door, slamming it shut just as fiercely as he’d opened it just minutes earlier. Vera lay in the bed, tears now streaming openly down her face and into her hair, while her scalp ached where he had pulled it. Her arms fell back down to the bed, and all the serenity she had felt before now left a gaping void that she could only fill with bitterness and her own anger. “Maybe I’ll throw myself to them, just to spite you.” She whispered to the ceiling above her.