Dracarus didn't head back to the manor. He didn't even look at me as he navigated through the thickest, darkest part of the woods, his pace relentless. I bounced against his shoulder, my stomach churning, until we reached a secluded clearing hidden behind a veil of weeping willow trees.
He dropped me unceremoniously. I hit the ground with a huff, glaring at him, but the words died in my throat when I saw who was waiting there.
Lukas.
He was sitting on a fallen log, his shoulders hunched so low he looked like a broken child rather than a lethal bodyguard. His face was a mess...bruised, swollen, and stained with the dirt of the forest floor. He looked like a teenager who had just had his heart ripped out and stepped on, sulking in the shadows because he couldn't face the world and it reminded me of a familiar feeling.
Dracarus looked at him, and for a split second, I saw it—a flash of genuine, brotherly concern in the prince's eyes. He wanted to reach out. He wanted to offer some kind of comfort to the man who had served him for decades. But the "Cold Prince" couldn't let the mask slip that far.
Instead, he turned to me, his voice like ice. "Look after this slop, Hina. I have things to attend to."
"Wait—what?"
you can't just—
I blinked twice. "You're just leaving me here with him? He was supposed to be my bodyguard, and now I'm the babysitter. How can you expect me to make him feel better when I'm not even remotely close to him... well, I am close to him a little, but still...
Dracarus didn't answer. He simply vanished into the mist, leaving me alone with a man who looked like he'd lost his soul.
Is anyone seeing this...?
I approached Lukas cautiously. "Lukas? Hey... talk to me. What did Kyra mean back there? Why did you leave me in the forest?"
Lukas didn't even lift his head. "Don't right now forget it."
he said, his voice cold and hollow. "And right now... I just want to be left alone. Go back to the manor, Hina. Little girls shouldn't interfere with an adult's problem."
The rejection stung. After everything, after being kidnapped by an elf lord, seeing dead bodies, and being used as a pawn, now he thinks he can shut me out? The strong personality inside snapped. "
"Left alone? Are you kidding me?" I stepped into his space, my hands balled into fists. "I was terrified! I had to stand there and play nice with a psycho while you ran away like a coward! You left me, Lukas!"
"Go away!" he barked.
SMACK!!!.
then silence...
.
.
.
The sound of my palm hitting his cheek echoed through the clearing like a gunshot. It was so hard my own hand burned. Lukas's head snapped to the side, his hair falling over his eyes.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Lukas slowly reached up, his fingers trembling as they touched the stinging, swollen heat of his left cheek. He turned his head back to me, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and burgeoning rage.
"Did you... did you just slap me?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "You bitch! How dare you hit me!"
He lunged. He didn't use his vampire speed to kill, but he tackled me with the weight of his frustration. We went down into the dirt, wrestling like children, limbs tangled as we fought for dominance. He was stronger, but I was fueled by pure, unadulterated fury. We rolled through the leaves, bruised and gasping, until finally, I managed to pin his shoulders down.
I sat on top of him, my hair a mess, tears finally spilling down my cheeks.
"Do you understand how worried I've been about you?" I screamed, my voice breaking. "You left me in the middle of a forest! I was with a stranger I knew nothing about! I had to act strong, Lukas! I had to pretend I wasn't shaking, like I always do, but in reality, I'm just a scared girl from another
world!"
Lukas stopped struggling. He stared up at me, his chest heaving.
"You left me there for a reason you refuse to tell me," I sobbed, the words pouring out. "Why can't you tell me this one thing? Aren't we friends? Friends share secrets! They help each other heal the wounds that refuse to fade! Is it because I'm human? Do you think I can't understand a "vampire's pain"?"
I gripped the front of his shirt, shaking him. "Let me tell you something, idiot. It doesn't matter what kind of creature you are. Everyone has issues. Status shouldn't define who can help you. You're struggling with something... just tell me! I'm here for you!"
The rage in Lukas's eyes vanished, replaced by a devastating wave of vulnerability. His lip quivered, and then, the "soldier" broke.
Tears began to stream down his face, mixing with the dirt and blood. He reached up, not to push me away, but to pull me down. He drew me off him and pulled me to his side, resting his head heavily on my chest. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him as he shook with silent sobs.
Maybe we aren't so different, Lukas thought to himself as he felt the steady, warm beat of my human heart. I thought you were fragile. Small. Weak. A defenseless girl named Laura who needed a knight.
He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of vanilla that always seemed to follow me.
I was wrong. You're the strongest woman I know. Maybe... maybe someday, I'll be able to share my secret with you.
I held him tighter, staring into the dark woods. I didn't know what ghost was haunting him, but I knew one thing: I wasn't just a pet in this world anymore. I was a player. And I was going to protect the people who finally saw me for who I really was.