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1827 Words
Slowly, Dallas’s eyes roamed his torso until it took in his shoulder and the arrow that protruded from him.
“Run!” yelled Dallas.
“Merena! There’s no place for you to run!” exclaimed Geoff.
“Mykeal! Get her out of here!” yelled Dallas.
Dallas saw the arrow as it whizzed through the air; before it hit Mykeal, he ran and blocked the impact. Blood sprayed into the air with the wet thud.
“Dallas!” screamed Merena.
“Let me be your hero. I promised to save you,” whispered Mykeal in her ear.
Gradually, his head turned until he saw her, then mouthed, run, be safe, and I love you. She stood frozen in her spot as tears silently flowed down her face. Within a moment, Mykeal lifted her onto his shoulder.
“Devin! Run!” ordered Mykeal.
While he ran, Merena stared at Dallas. He smiled. His knees collided with the ground than his body slowly impacted the grass face first. As the moments slowly passed by, red spread across the grass, and Dallas no longer moved. Soon Merena’s body hung limp on Mykeal’s shoulder.
“He’s … dead … They … killed … him …,” cried Merena.
“I’m sorry,” said Mykeal.
He stopped in the forest, then placed her feet on the ground and braced her face, then continued, “Snap out of it, Merena. He did this for you. You need to transform and get away before the hunters get you.”
“They … killed him … because of me …,” whispered Merena.
“Let me save you. Merena. Transformed,” whispered Mykeal, his thumbs gently caressed her cheeks.
“Transform,” muttered Merena as her eyes lashes fluttered, then she stared at him.
“Yes. Transform before they get all of us,” whispered Mykeal.
Without another word, she morphed into her katorian form.
“How do we get out?” asked Merena.
“We’ll think of something,” answered Mykeal.
“As long as I’m with people, no one is safe,” stated Merena.
“Don’t say that. Stay with the lycanthropes. We will keep you safe,” expressed Mykeal.
“No,” muttered Merena.
The three of them halted by the hidden path, and their eyes looked back where they came from. Immediately, they transformed into their human forms. With no warning, Mykeal engulfed her in his arms and held her against him.
“It will be alright. We will get out of here. You will be safe with us,” said Mykeal.
“How? They found me here. It’s protected by magic. I warned they have henkan under their control,” whispered Merena while her face leaned on his chest.
“We are used to the danger. They pursue us also,” related Mykeal.
“My presence will make it worse,” conveyed Merena.
“I’m sorry they are after you. Will you tell me why?” probed Mykeal.
“I’m rare, and he’s obsessed with me,” indicated Merena.
“I’m not surprised. Let’s get out of here,” commanded Mykeal.
“He has cursed me,” whispered Merena.
“Don’t say that,” ordered Mykeal.
“Let’s go,” said Devin.
“We’ll go up the hidden path then find a way out from there,” informed Mykeal.
“No,” stated Merena as she shoved away from him.
He stepped toward her, and she backed up then said, “No. Don’t touch me. I’m bad luck.”
In one fluid movement, she turned gyverian. She looked at the men then the sky.
“Don’t do it, Merena,” ordered Mykeal.
“We take care of you,” conveyed Devin.
“You can’t,” replied Merena, then her wings lifted her into the sky.
She circled, scanning for any sign of Dallas’s body. With no sign of his body, only the remnants of the blood, her wings raised her higher into the air. A scream burst out of her beak, and the breeze carried it over the area.
“Don’t let her get away,” ordered Geoff.
“Chase her. Don’t kill her like you did the avianthrope,” commanded Terrence.
“Yes, sir,” replied their men.
Soon they rode their horses hard after Merena. She circled in the sky until they caught up with her then she headed away from the oasis. Geoff and Terrence followed behind their men.
“Is she leading us?” questioned Terrence.
“I would say so. Maybe away from her happy home. She did that when she was 10,” responded Geoff.
“True,” said Terrence.
“I hope they can use this body. We’ll have to get it to the fort quickly,” conveyed Geoff.
“I’m surprised we didn’t find her sooner,” remarked Terrence.
“We didn’t think she would be in our own backyard. This was well hidden. If we didn’t have Tamish, we would have never found that oasis,” commented Geoff.
“I’m glad I was helpful,” related Tamish. His fingers rubbed his chin.
“What’s wrong, Tamish?” asked Terrence.
“She is beautiful like you reported,” answered Tamish.
He glanced at the two men and continued, “You know the boss won’t be happy at what has played out.”
“What do you mean by that?” probed Geoff.
“The rape of Merena. The death of the avianthrope,” replied Tamish.
“Does he need to know about Merena?” asked Geoff.
“What will I get?” countered Tamish.
Geoff halted his horse's stride then conveyed, “I will allow you your own crew under my care. Freedom to select henkan for yourself.”
“Money?” asked Tamish.
“Of course, money,” answered Geoff.
“We can blame one of the dead for the death of the avianthrope,” related Tamish.
“Good idea,” said Geoff.
When night took over the sky around them, their men returned.
“You lost her?” questioned Terrence.
“We’re sorry. She flew into the mountains,” responded a hunter.
“We will take the body to the keep. Also, we’ll tell hunter Kevin that one of the dead killed the avianthrope. Do you understand?” ordered Geoff.
Instantly, everyone answered yes, sir. They headed the way they came from.
“It has been a couple of days. Do you think she’ll be back?” probed Devin.
“This is a place she felt safe. I think she will come back,” replied Mykeal.
“We’ll get supplies for when she comes back. You stay here,” conveyed Devin, then the group departed out the hidden path.
A few minutes later, he heard the sound of flapping wings then a gyverian appeared at the entrance of the cave. He watched the bird from his darkened advantage. After the gyverian stood inside the cave, it turned human, and her strides took her to the bed. She fell on top of the bed and circled her body around a pillow. Hesitantly, he approached the bed, then his body wrapped around her body.
“Merena,” whispered Mykeal.
“I thought you would wait for me,” muttered Merena.
“No more tears?” asked Mykeal.
“No. I don’t have anymore,” answered Merena.
His hand rubbed her arm, he continued, “I said I would help you. Let me be here for you. I want to save you. Let me be your hero, no matter what happens to me.”
“Why?” questioned Merena.
“I made a promise. I understand why you run,” responded Mykeal.
“Oh. It isn’t because I look the way I do? Because I’m a changeling?” probed Merena.
“You are rare. You are beautiful. But they aren’t the only reasons I want to rescue you,” replied Mykeal.
“Oh really,” said Merena; she rolled on her back.
“What are you doing?” asked Mykeal after she grasped his hand.
“If I didn’t look this way, you wouldn’t help me. This is what you want from me,” remarked Merena as she positioned his hand on her body and rotated the hand.
“You know how I feel about you. Stop before I can’t control myself,” requested Mykeal.
“You know you want this,” remarked Merena.
“I do but not like this,” declared Mykeal and stopped his hand's movement.
“You stopped,” whispered Merena; she gazed into his eyes.
“Yes. I stopped,” commented Mykeal.
“Why?” whispered Merena.
Instantly, his arms encircled and pressed her against his chest. A hand stroked her hair. Soon she fell into a restless sleep.
“You were right. She came back,” said Devin.
“Yes. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep,” conveyed Mykeal.
“We will start the fire and make some food,” reported Devin.
“Thank you,” remarked Mykeal.
“How long do you think she’ll stay?” asked Devin.
“Not long. She’s terrified of the hunters,” answered Mykeal.
“Do you think she will ever come back to civilization?” questioned Devin.
“I hope so. How Dallas talked, I would say yes,” responded Mykeal.
They woke up in the morning. Merena no longer hid in the cave.
“Goodbye, Merena. For now,” whispered Mykeal.
Ω
“Do you understand why I’m the way I am? Why, even though you are my hero, we can’t be anything more than friends?” asked Merena.
“I can’t say I like it, but I understand,” answered Henry.
“Will you not attempt forcing me to have s*x?” questioned Merena.
“I will stop. It will be hard because I find you attractive,” responded Henry.
“Thank you. Don’t be like Geoff,” stated Merena.
“I have spread the word to the lycans and the dragonkin about you,” conveyed Henry.
“Thank you,” said Merena.
“You are welcome,” replied Henry.
“If you don’t think you can restrain yourself, I can move from this house,” related Merena.
“There’s no need for that,” commented Henry.
“I will hold you to your word,” remarked Merena.
- Writer
