Born Enemies

Chapter Four: Amara

After settling down in their huge rooms at the most notorious brothel known among the four major cities, they agreed to get the shopping done to spend a night of bliss in peace. The journey into the city was done at a leisurely pace and they reached it when the sun was at its highest. After checking through the guards guarding the gates, they rode through the streets, which were alive and bustling with people going about their business. The streets were crowded with vendors selling goods and treats. The air was pregnant with the different scents of delicious food as restaurants, inns, and bars began to prepare lunches for the day. "Should we eat a meal once we settle into our rooms or should we just walk around and eat as we shop?"

"The latter kills two healers with one stone," he picked. "Sounds like a plan. I prefer that anyway. I can eat as much as I want to because I'll be walking it off. "

"Right, wipe that drool from your face, it's unbecoming." He suggested, disgusted. Neil quickly did as he was told. After dropping their bags in their rooms, they immediately hit the streets.

They'd hit three shops and four food vendors when he saw her. He didn't know what made him look in her direction, but he was glad he did, for she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. She stood between two other females. Her thick, long, dark amber hair was left to hang loose down to the small of her back. The vibrant golden and reddish-brown strands danced gently in the wind. The dark red wine robes she wore complimented her slender physique, the golden sash outlining her tiny waist. Even the side profile he had was enough to make him excited. With his trained sight, the distance meant nothing to him as he saw the long, thick lashes that adorned her thin eyelids. One of her companions said something and she threw her head back laughing. The carefree and unrestrained laughter made his mouth twitch into a rare smile. But when her honey-colored eyes met him, his breath wooshed out of him as if he'd been hit. At that moment, Amara knew he was lost. She flashed him a puzzled smile before breaking away, her attention returning to her companions, but he was left staring. "Amara, hi man," Neil's voice broke through his daze. He shoved him none too gently to get his attention.

"What are you staring at?" He asked nosely as he followed his gaze and let out a low whistle of appreciation as he saw what held him so captivated.

"She's gorgeous, and man, better than some of the whores in the brothel."

"Watch your month," Amara snapped automatically, not liking that he was comparing her to a w***e. "Sorry," Neil hastily apologized. They watched her in silence and when two boys approached them, standing closer to her than he'd liked, he twitched, his mouth drawn into a deep frown. For the first time, he felt his murderous aura rise and his right hand drifted towards the hilt of his sword. "What the hell man, relax." Once more, Neil's voice drew him back to reality. "They were too f*****g close to her." He snarled the words before he could stop them.

"Yeah, and you're a creep for gawking at her. Stop your creepy staring and go say hi to her. Maybe we can share a meal with them. " The suggestion was too tempting to turn down. He was already making his way toward her. Neil swiftly paid the vendor for their items and shoved them into his storage ring as he hastily followed his lovelorn master. "Ah, it looks like he won't be losing his virginity soon." He thought fleetingly in dismay.

The girl and her companions stopped chatting when they noticed their approach and gathered in a tight huddle together when they stopped before them. Amara could not pull his gaze away from her, for up-close she was even more gorgeous. Her lips were plump and shell pink, which made it even more tempting. Her honey-colored eyes were almond-shaped, slightly slanting upwards in the corner, and her nose was slender with a slight curve at the bridge. There were no blemishes on her smooth, flawless, sunkissed skin. Standing inches from her, he noticed just how tall she was. Being tall himself, his head stopped just under his chin. The more little things he noticed, the more perfect she seemed. "Hi..." Neil began to greet him, but he broke off. "Our mistake, we thought you were someone else." His voice, which was dripping with sweetness, suddenly went cold.

"Huh?"

Bewildered by his friend's sudden change in attitude, he turned to glare at him, but Neil shook his head, his eyes serious. "They're healers," he said. His eyes, now filled with disgust, flickered over to them. Amara felt his world come crashing down. She was a f*****g healer, his and his clan's enemies. "What was that?" she snapped, as she straightened up, her shoulders thrown back as the welcome in her eyes changed to coldness.

"Cel stop, do you know who they are?" Whispered hissed the only other girl in their small group as she tried to silence her.

"I don't care what clan they hail from, it does not give them the right to be rude tl us when they were the ones who approached us first." Cel shook off her concerns.

"I suggest you listen to your little friend if you don't want any trouble." Neil stepped up, getting into her personal space. Amara felt conflicted. He wanted to tell his friend to back off and yet, she was their enemy. "And I suggest that you get out of our faces. Our clans may be banned from killing, but I know various poisons that can make you take your own life. " Watching her stand up to her hothead friend made him smile to himself. She had a spine. His attraction towards her only grew. She was so f*****g perfect for him. "Oh yeah?" Before he could stop him, Neil had wiped out one of his short blades and pressed the sharp edge against her long, slender throat. "

"I can slit your throat before you even have a chance to move." He growled. While her companions flinched and gasped even though they didn't have a knife in their throats. She, however, remained unaffected. "Lora, what clan are they from?" She asked, completely ignoring his threat and the knife in her throat as she held his gaze. "T-their" Lora was too frightened to speak and another friend, one of the males, finished for her. "They're from the Warrior Clan." Her eyes widened slightly, then her sexy lips drew into half a sneer. "That explains your barbaric behavior." Her gaze flickered over to him. The disgust they held nearly crippled him. "Maybe you should put a leash on your dog before he gets you both into trouble." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Watch your mouth," Amara growled, standing up for his friend. Attraction or not, he wasn't going to allow a spinless healer to talk bad about his buddy.

She rolled her eyes, her lips pressing into a tight line. "Sorry, I made a mistake thinking you were the smarter one. Obviously, that isn't the case. " Amara snarled. He shoved his friend's dagger away and gripped her throat instead, his fingers applying pressure. Her eyes went wide, finally a reaction. She gripped his wrist. Her short nails did nothing to harm him as she clawed at his wrist, struggling to free his grip around her throat. "Let go of me." The blow to his solar plexus took him by surprise, but he didn't release his hold. If anything, he tightened his fingers as he yanked her close. His head lowered to her ear, his nose nudging a lock of hair as he breathed her in. She smelled amazing, like flowers and sap. Even the barely noticeable bitter scent of medicine smelled sweet. "Watch that mouth of yours, girl, or it will get you killed. Is it the only thing your spineless clan can do? Bite off more than you can chew?"

"Who the f**k are you calling girl?" Her voice hissed in his ear. She sounded furious. Puzzled, Amara released her throat as he took a half step back to look at her once more. "Does this feel like a girl's chest?" Her long-fingered hands flashed up and grabbed his much larger ones. She pressed them to her chest, her eyes glaring up at him. Amara blinked, then blinked again as his eyes dropped to where she held her hands pressed against her very flat chest. It was way too flat for him to pass it off as late puberty. She wasn't a she, but rather a he. "Now for the last time, f**k off." She dropped her hands and stomped off, his companions scampering after him.

Shocked, He gazed down at his now empty hands, but the feel of his flat, slender chest was forever burned into the skin of his palms.

"Great, f*****g great. You better forget all about her. The whores at the brothel are much better looking, "Neil said, taking back his earlier words. "She's a he," Amara corrected, still shocked. "Come again?" Neil's shocked exclamation helped him gather his bearings and he shoved his shock away. His fingers curled into a tight fist, savoring and holding onto the warmth of his chest against his skin. Regardless of the revolution in his gender, it did not loosen the powerful attraction he'd felt. Besides, it wasn't taboo to be attracted to the same s*x. It happened all the time within his clan and other clans, but it was taboo to be attracted to an enemy. "Let's go back to the brothel." He clipped finally. He needed to release some of his pent-up frustration and lust. Ignoring Neil's still frozen expression, he stomped towards the direction of the brothel, already counting how many whores he would need to free him from this pressure. Neil finally recovered and ran over to catch up. His voice soon filled his ears with an endless stream of chatter about how many whores he planned on banging. Amara only listened with half an ear as he stealthily brought up one of his fists to his nose and inhaled the scent he was fast becoming addicted to.

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That night, when he entered his room at the brothel, he ordered six females and three males into his room, and though he spent the entire night f*****g each of the whores more than twice, focusing particularly on the three males, his thirst was far from quenched. If anything, it only became worse as he stepped into the carnal world of pleasure. Sometime later, he lay on top of his mattress as the whores he'd exhausted for his s****l needs lay sprawled on the bed beside him and at his feet. He was far from satisfied, which left him staring unblinkingly up at the dimly lit ceiling of the four-poster bed. The sweat dried on his skin, cooling him down slightly as his thoughts were crowded with images of himself, his enemy. He was so f*****g screwed, lusting after an enemy. Forcing all thoughts of the gorgeous male called Cel to the furthest corner of his mind, Amara turned away, waking up one of the female whores who slept at his side. He took his frustration and anger out on her body. Her moans and caries soon woke up the others, and he went on another round with all nine of his whores, until the sun began to creep up. Finally, he collapsed, drained and exhausted, and drifted off to sleep, golden eyes filled with fiery rage hunting his dreams.