The Warrior Princess

Syrene du Wulf

Arianna was not someone to regret. But she regretted for the first time when she opened her eyes and realised that the car she was travelling in just reached the city of New York. The last time she checked, Wyoming and New York were in two different directions. The moment her eyes landed on the ‘Welcome to New York’ sign, her eyes widened and her head was swimming with hows and whys.

Her head whipped around to look at the culprit and found her singing along with the radio. She stared at Syrene incredulously. How could she be so jovial and doing such a thing and she asked just that.

The answer she got was not something she expected, “Pfft. What is the fun in that? Riverton will be there even if you go after ten days. You seem like someone who could use some holiday and shopping therapy. Don’t worry, you got the perfect therapist.”

Arianna stared at her like she grew at least fifteen heads in that minute. But unfortunately, it was not the case. The stare was completely due to the person who seemed to have lost a screw to their brain.

Arianna bit her lips as she considered what Syrene had said. She was right. Arianna could use a holiday. Away from the reality, away from the dead, loving adoptive parents. Away from the anonymous biological parents. Away from the crushing reality brought to her through a letter. Maybe, Syrene du Wulf was right. She seriously needed some holiday therapy. Though she was not sure about the shopping therapy, she could always humour Syrene. At least that was what she told herself.

Syrene drove straight to a motel nearby, probably taking her silence as a consent. They quickly booked two rooms and settled in their respective rooms. Arianna decided to push everything that was bothering her to a corner of her mind and have a little nap since it was only somewhere between seven and eight in the morning.

The first thing she did the moment she put her suitcase in her motel room was to march straight toward the backside of the motel in search of her arch-enemy. That Jackass should have thought that she did not notice him following the car. With his abilities, he must have known that she noticed him within the first few minutes of him following her car.

Well, Arianna’s car. But that was not important at the moment.

And that i***t had the audacity to smirk at her the moment she appeared before him. So, he knew that she knew he was following her. Lovely.

“Hello, love,” he said with his honey soft voice that she hated so much.

“Hello, jackass,” she replied as she popped her hip to one side. She was not at all ashamed to let her eyes fall on his grey eyes, perfect nose, those rosy kissable lips, those eyebrows that quirk with arrogance and she refused to let her eyes wander any more than that.

And she would freely admit that she did not trust herself.

She shook her head and focused on the matter at hand. “Why were you following me?”

He brought the beer bottle to his lips, that she did not even notice in his hands. And her eyes involuntarily traced the ways his lips enclosed over the bottle mouth. What wouldn’t she give to be in the bottle’s place? She shivered at the thought and chastised herself for having such a reaction.

“Who said I was following you?” he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. “I was following the pretty one travelling with you.”

And just like that, her daydreams were gone and anger replaced her mind. She balled her fist as her eyes spit fire his way, “Stay away from her.”

“My, my,” he said as both of his eyebrows reached his hairline, “Are you jealous?” He squinted his eyes as if he was analysing her. “Wow!” he said in wonder, “you are jealous!”

“I am not jealous!” she bit out and pointed her finger at him, “But you will stay away from her.”

“Do you by any chance have feelings for her?” he asked as he peered into her eyes.

She frowned at him for asking her the question. It’s not like he didn’t know her preference. “You know I don’t swing that way,” she said in her matter-of-fact tone.

“Hmm,” he rubbed his stubble, driving her to her dreamy mode, “Maybe your preferences have changed.”

Syrene rolled her eyes and with one last warning to stay away from her new ‘friend,’ she turned around to walk. But she soon felt someone behind her.

“I know who she is,” she heard him say and stopped in her track.

She whirled around and said, “What do you mean, you know who she is?”

“Just what I said,” he shrugged. “But don’t worry. I only want to keep her safe.”

“Why would you want her to be safe?” Syrene spat out at him, her eyes sending invisible daggers.

“Because it is what you want. And that makes it important to me,” he said matter of factly. “Do you still hate me?” she heard his small voice.

Syrene’s mind was transported back to that night two years ago and her eyes filled with involuntary tears. “Why would I not? Especially after what you did that day?”

“And I keep telling you, I was bewitched,” he said, his voice filled with what she guessed was desperation.

“Of course, you were bewitched. By her looks and assets.” She said her voice filled with anger and jealousy.

“Are you an i***t?” he snarled at her. His canine starting to appear, “She was a witch. She planned it so she could separate us. And we fell for her plan.”

“You want me to believe that?” Syrene snarled as well, her canine starting to appear as well.

And their shouting match started and continued until she suddenly pulled his face and kissed. She then pushed him and said, “I hate you, Aaron Ùlfur"

"Well, let's see about that." And they kissed each other with an animalistic growl that was eerily identical.