In the flickering, amber glow of the beeswax candles, she slowly turned her body to look at the young soldier, taking his stature with the chilling precision of a predator head hunting their prey.
Her stare was intense, unwavering, and possessed a weight that felt entirely too heavy for the 'saintly' healer she was supposed to be. For a moment, she looked dangerous.
Under that close, silent scrutiny, Bryant's earlier bravado withered. A deep, embarrassed crimson flooded his face, and he found he couldn't hold her gaze for more than a heartbeat before he begun wringing his fingers and looking at the floorboards.
"Eris and I are very much alike in appearance, she might be more beautiful if I dare say," she finally answered, her voice vibrating with a hidden strength.
She paused, her eyes drifting toward the towering Black Panther warrior, "We grew up loved and cherished. So I hope we will continue to be, as we have never encountered any less," she continued, gauging his reaction to her upbringing. Roy remained as still as a statue, his purple eyes unblinking, digesting the information.
"Our personalities, however, are very different according to those around us," she continued, her tone sharpening. "She will not be easy to find, after all, she believes that if your King wants so badly to merge our territories, he can come begging to join the Margay tribe instead."
As the words left her lips, Eris felt her chin flick up in a sharp, instinctive gesture of defiance. Her blood sang with the insult she had just delivered. Realizing she had nearly shattered her disguise, she took a deep, shaky breath to recompose herself, forcing her features back into the mask of the serene Healer Frey.
In a softer, more melodic tone, she added, "It is the truth when I say I fear for my sister's safety with her strong willed and hard headed personality, it might take a very patient male to not raise his hand to her. I do not wish to see her harmed."
Bryant let out a loud, arrogant snort that echoed off the stone walls. "We are from Claw Kingdom! We don't kill females, nor do we harm them. We only tame them into obedience."
Eris felt her patience snap like a dry twig. Her fingers curled into the soft fur of the healer's robes, itching to slap some sense into the barely of age cub standing before her. Roy, standing just behind Bryant, felt like tossing his second-in-command out of the doorway, how he wish he could beat some sense into the daft male.
The boy's boastful arrogance was not only tactless; it was dangerous. He noticed the healer's expression turn thunderous, though only for a fleeting second. The flash of primal anger vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a mask of perfect serenity.
Suddenly, Roy's internal alarms began to scream. He couldn't find a logical reason for his suspicion, but his gut—the instinct that had kept him alive through a hundred battles—told him something was deeply amiss in this room.
"No harm will come to your sister," Roy said, his voice a low, commanding rumble that silenced Bryant.
The healer looked visibly relieved, her shoulders losing their tension. Roy decided then that her flash of anger must have been a reaction to the sheer terror she felt for her sister.
"Of course!" Bryant interjected again, his enthusiasm unyielding. "She is to be mated to a brave warrior of Claw Kingdom! It's a position of honor."
Eris was having a difficult time hiding her fury now. Her face became flushed, a warm heat creeping up her neck. Her voice, however, remained eerily calm. "I do not understand what you mean. Please, do explain."
With a smug, self-important look, Bryant began to lay out the cold reality. "We have orders from the King to take Eris to Claw Kingdom as soon as possible. To be mated, of course. She will be the prize claimed by the strongest male present who wishes to fight for her mating rights."
Roy stepped in, interrupting the young immature male before he could continue. He wasn't about to let his subordinate share any further information with the female before him.
He reached out and roughly shoved Bryant toward the doorway. "You have my word that no harm will come to your sister," Roy stated, his eyes locking onto hers. A silent asssurance for the gentle female and a promise he meant to keep.
She nodded. Frey slowly turned away and walked over to the two females by the window, handing the Margay cub to Clarise. She whispered a few hurried instructions to the younger girl and then turned back to Roy, the picture of saintly kindness.
"Let me tend to your injury," she announced, gesturing for him to sit on a low stool. "You've got a chuck of flesh missing from your forehead, and it won't take long. If you are worried about the pain, you are welcomed to scream."
Roy was surprised by her thoughtfulness, he found himself unsure how to react at the sudden change in topic. He started to shake his head in refusal, but then his eyes caught hers again, she looked slightly disappointed at his refusal. He changed his mind and sat down. He would permit her to touch him, only once.
The warrior's physique was impressive, it was as if the stool holding his weight would come crashing down any minute. He was not just tall, he was built with muscle. His long legs felt awkwardly bunched out in front of him, proving the stool to be lacking in height and width, swallowing up the piece of furniture entirely with his frame.
Bryant stood in the doorway, watching with wide, curious eyes. He had never seen any female approach his leader. They had been terrified and turned pale with fright every time he came near. Was this healer truly unafraid?
Frey skirted her way around the proud warrior once, she looked like the couldn't decide where to stand to best reach his wound. Suddenly, before Roy could provide his suggestion, she stood directly between his thighs to reach the side of his bleeding forehead.
Roy's nose flared and he felt his loins twitch in anticipation of her touch. How embarassing for a male his age for him to be reacting like this. He noticed everyhing about her, the way her hands shook slightly as she dipped a white cloth into a bowl of clean water made her seem all the more precious.
She remained silent as she worked, her focus absolute. When the wound was cleaned to her satisfaction, she gave a small, professional nod.
As a pretend healer, she had the servants prepare a cool healing paste in advance. Now, as she applies it, she sent a small surge of power through her finger tips, a faint shimmering green light emitted from her hand.
With this, no one would doubt she was only portraying herself as a healer. Those with healing abilities were highly sought after regardless of how skilled or unskilled they were, so it wouldn't be surprising if she had a title to go with it. A soothing sensation washed over Roy, instantly numbing the sharp, rhythmic throb in his skull.
Roy could hardly pay attention, he couldn't even register if she had said anything since she touched him. As she leaned in close to wrap the bandage, he realised she smelled divine. Under the heavy scent of the dizzy flowers, there was something else, a deliciously sweet, wild aroma. It felt hauntingly familiar, like a memory he couldn't quite grasp.
His attention was entirely hijacked by the sight of her beaded necklace nestled against her chest, rising and falling with her breath. The minute she stepped back, the spell broke. Roy snapped back to his senses and stood up with a sharp, ragged breath, his full standing height once again dominating the room.
He opened his mouth to speak, ready to ask the healer once more where her sister's whereabouts were. A sudden shout from the hallway interrupted him before the conversation could begin. One of Roy's soldiers was calling for him, his voice urgent.
"Stay with her," Roy ordered Bryant, his mind already shifting back to the logistics of the hunt.
"I'll protect her with my life! Don't you worry, milord. You can trust me!" Bryant shouted back with theatrical fervor. "As the Goddess is my witness, I swear to you now that no one will touch her!"
As Roy strode down the hallway, his long, heavy sigh echoed against the stone.