02

He stared at her retreating back until she was out of his sight. He sighed and turned back to the river but he noticed she had left her anklet, maybe it slipped off? What happened? He ducked down and held it into his palms, not looking at it while he strode to catch her steps. Amidst the crowd of the market she had walked into, he could still take a glance of her long black hair, and her red gown. He was just noticing that about her. He kept following behind her until he saw the shop she had entered and he waited outside. He wasn’t sure if it was right to go into the shop and talk to her, she seemed to be a little fiery than all the girls he had ever had an encounter with.

But why was he doing this? He wondered and shrugged off his shoulder. He should be on his way now, not following some certain girl with a red gown around the town of Elara. He heard someone shouting from the shop and he casually walked into the shop, as if he hadn’t been there for the past ten minutes. Entering the shop, he realized it was the woman that had the shop fighting that mysterious girl. He rushed over to the counter and without glancing her way, he questioned the woman.

“What’s going on here?” He asked, and she looked between him and the girl before she spoke.

“She has no money on her, and she dared ate my food!” She thundered and he watched as the girl furiously rolled her eyes at her, which nearly unnerved his soul. How could she have such eyes? They seemed to be an amalgamation of power, blood and darkness. What was she? Who was she?

“I’ll pay for her.” He pulled out some coins from his pocket and handed it to the woman, and when he turned, the girl was nowhere to be found. He rushed out of the shop and on the busy streets of the market, he took a glimpse of a red gown with a black gleaming hair, she must be the one.

He ran towards her and when he had reached her, he took a hold of her wrist and pulled her to a narrow corner that hardly contained his hard figure and her as well. She looked up at him, breathing heavily out of shock. The place was so narrow that he had to place both his hands above her shoulders while she looked directly into his eyes.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She spat, rolling her eyes at him and for a second, he saw a flicker of what looked like blood or fire, but she had flicked it off and her natural eyes were back.

The narrow path was filled with darkness that one could think the sun hadn’t graced the world with its light for today. But there was a dim light with which he could see her through. “Why did you leave?” Again, his husky voice did it. She clenched her eyes shut for a split second before she opened them again.

“What? Do you think just because you paid a few coins for me you’re entitled to me or what? Let me go.” Aranya had never hated doing something like she hated looking into his eyes, and it had been barely an hour since she had met him. But she had nothing else to look at but his face, and his eyes were the safest to look at.

He softly shook his head, and she noticed the ends of his lips moving up into a smile. Or rather, a smirk. She hissed softly and cursed him underneath her breath. “I’m not entitled to you, but you can at least thank me, right?” He asked again, fixing his eyes directly into hers.

“Whatever the hell your name is, let me go.” She spoke through gritted teeth and his eyes once again roamed through hers, she hated the sensation. No man had ever done this to her without being dead the very next minute. But she needn’t be told that this man was powerful, and for her to teach him a lesson she might need her powers, which Betla had locked up for the next fifteen days.

“Lorcán, that’s the name.” Lorcán, she called the name out in her mind. Looking at the figures of his face, she needn’t be told that his mother or father chose the best name for this man, it suited him.

She squeezed to get out of the barriers he had locked her in with his hands while looking around from his burning eyes, “Whatever it is, let me go. I don’t have to thank you since I can’t remember asking you to pay for me.”

“If I wasn’t there, what would you have done?” He asked, taking one of his arms that she thought he was finally set her free, but a few seconds later, Aranya knew she was mistaken. Lorcán had something else on mind.

“What would I have done? That’s also none of your business, now if you’ll excuse me.” She tried to move away from him, out to the busy street of the market when she felt his face right on her bosom, his lips grazing above her cleavage.

“What the hell are you doing?!” She thundered, moving furiously to get away but he was so strong that her movement didn’t seem to faze him.

He looked up a bit and she saw her anklet in his mouth before she spoke again, his face moved over to her chest and he miraculously slipped the anklet into one of her cups. The right one to be precise, right where her heart was thumping heavily. Who the hell was this man?! she furiously looked up at him and he spoke before she had the chance to.

“I know it’s an anklet and I have to put it on your ankle, but this place is too narrow for me to bend down, you left it at the riverbank.” He finally took his arms off and she was aware of the look in his eyes, he was still staring at her cleavage without moving his eyes anywhere.

She slapped him so hard on his left cheek and this time when she looked into his eyes, she wasn’t unnerved with the bloody colour of his orbs. “Who do you think you are to do that to me? You would have given it to me if you know this is what I have left there. Don’t you do dare this, I’m not like any girl on this street.” I’m one hell of specie, with blood mixed with races and powers. She would have added, had it been she hadn’t promised Betla not to make a single mistake.

She walked off from the narrow path knowing how he had held his cheek with his palm while furiously staring at her, but he didn’t try to move a limb. It was as if he had never expected her to slap him. No, it was evident he had never been slapped in his entire life. She hissed angrily, she wouldn't have just slapped him if she had just come to Elara to have some fun, but she was here for a mission and she wouldn’t make a mistake.

She had noticed a guest inn on the street and she moved into it. Guest inns had always been where she found her hunts, mostly that was where she got them. Maybe it would be the same for today, or maybe she would have to look around some more. She went there and booked a room before she proceeded into the room.

She pulled out her anklet from where he had kept it and stared at it, she didn’t know why Betla gave her this anklet and made sure she had never for once taken it off, she didn’t know how it slipped off her ankle today. What was it used for? She wondered before she pinned it back and dangled her leg softly and heard its jingle, she smiled.

She had no friends in Zinambra, there was no one to be friends with, but she was missing it. Not wanting to be taken over by her emotions, she stood up and walked out of the room, to have a walk around the inn maybe she might find her hunt. There was a small garden as she walked deeper into the inn, trying to walk past some men which were royal from the way they were dressed, she stumbled and fell, which caught the guards attention and they moved to where she was.

“What are you doing here?! Get out of the way!” One of them flung her away with his leg and when she furiously looked up to break her leash and teach the guard a lesson, she felt warm arms lifting her and as she looked up at him, he seemed to be the one they were guarding. He smiled at her and helped her on her feet.

“I’m sorry for their rude behaviour. My name is Jaromir, the second prince of Gantrick. A dragon prince.” He seemed amused by himself, proud even. And when he extended his hands to Aranya for a shake, she took it gladly, she had finally found her hunt.

“My name is Verena. Verena Jager. Not a princess, but a fierce specie.” She grinned and softly squeezed his hand. For the next fifteen days, she will be Verena Jager.