by Lumtrexa
Uneasily, I step into the dark tunnel following the voice blindly.
"S-s-someone h-help..." The voice mumbles again.
Turning a corner, I nearly jump out my skin.
Lorcan has the pixie king by the throat.
The pixie king is covered in black and blue bruises, a nasty looking cut is on his sweaty forehead. I stick my head further into the room to get a better look.
A pool of blood encircles the pixie king, on the wall and the floor.
The pixie king coughs up blood, the blood landing all over Lorcan's face and hair.
Suddenly, the pixie king's eyes flick to mine. I hide back in the tunnel way. Did he see me?
"Who's there?" Lorcan barks. Should I show myself now? I quickly peek into the room again, Lorcan's wings are quivering in rage, his body trembling like a starved animal. His eyes are ablaze, the blood lust in them shines like a beacon in the shadow of the room.
I must do this.
With a shaky breath, I step into the room. When I turn the corner, I bump right into Lorcan. I look up at him slowly. He cocks his head to the side, eyeing me curiously. Then, a sinister smile slowly forms on his face. Does he recognize me? I hear a muffled cough come from behind Lorcan, on the other side of the room. He must have released the pixie king before he walked over here.
Lorcan's body is still trembling. His wings quiver menacingly, extended at their entire length.
"Lorcan? It's me, Elaine. the human...I think we should leave." I say gently.
He doesn't respond at all, instead he continues staring down at me.
I try tapping his shoulder, but he doesn't flinch. I reach out to stroke his wing to try and calm him down. His breathing to my dismay, grows heavier, its almost as if he's ready to have an outburst again. Just to be safe, I take a step back. He takes a step towards me. I take another step back, he follows me.
I'm about to take another step back, but the back of my foot hits the wall. Great, now I'm trapped. I know Lorcan won't hurt me, he just needs to calm down. I feel his proximity is too close, I look into his deep red eyes anyway. He's definitely in a trance or is he just always like this when he fights?
Abruptly, his hands seize my shoulders. He towers over me at his height. I'm helpless, locked in his hold.
"Lorcan snap out of it! We have to get out of here before this whole place is destroyed!" I shout. Sooner or later this pit is going to collapse. Lorcan, however, just stares at me blankly. I struggle in his hold.
"We need to leave now, right? Come on." I urge, looking at him desperately.
Instead of answering me, something flashes in his eyes, a deep purring noise comes from him. He then shoves me against his chest, as if I'm a teddy bear.
Now what is he doing? The longer we stand here, the more likely we are going to be crushed by the walls around us.
I grab his face in frustration and give him my best serious face. The blood smothered all over him, including his face, doesn't make me feel any more comfortable.
"Listen to me wise guy, I don't know what you're playing at here, but snap out of it!" I yell. I'm about to try to get out of his grasp again, but he suddenly releases me.
The air is forced out of me as he crashes against me, pinning me up against the wall.
Then, he brings his head to the crook of my shoulder, he inhales sharply and yanks my hair. Oddly, something warm inside me blossoms. I can tell he's still in his trance, so I stay still as a statue, maybe he will snap out of it.
When he releases his death grip on my hair, I look up at him. His flaming red hair hair seems dimmer because of the darkness of the cave.
His smile, however, stops my heart. It may be the dim lightening in here, but his teeth seem sharper. His smile makes me hold my tongue.
The silence between us creates an unnerving atmosphere.
I was too busy staring at his face to realize, that I can longer see the of the side of the room. His inky red wings, dangle over us, as if forming a wall to the outside world.
Suddenly Lorcan's face falls, rage radiates from him. He turns around, his wings angled menacingly at the pixie king lying on the other side of the room, half dead.
I'm confused, so I step next to Lorcan.
In the blink of an eye, Lorcan stands above the pixie king, his body shaking again. A sick feeling forms in the bottom of my stomach, I know what's going to happen, but my body refuses to move. It’s almost as if I'm frozen in place.
"No Lorcan." I say sternly.
He unsurprisingly ignores me.
He clenches a knife in his fist that I didn't even realize he was holding. A low chilling laugh echoes around the room, I shudder.
Then Lorcan brings the knife down, slashing at the pixie king violently. The pixie king screams in agony, my heart races.
"This is for taking what's mine." He hisses at the pixie king, in a low sadistic voice.
Finally, Lorcan finishes with a deathly stab at the king's head. The pixie king takes one last hateful glare at Lorcan, then shuts his eyes.
The pixie king is dead.
Lorcan drops the knife, then turns his head toward me.
I stagger back. I know the pixie king was a bad creature, but the violent outburst from Lorcan leaves me shaking.
My face feels numb with dried tears, I turn my head away from him.
"C-c-can we go now?" I whisper at the floor.
"Now, now, don't be scared." Lorcan coos at me from the other side of the room.
Suddenly, he is in front of me, towering above me. His wings are gone, the psychotic look in his eyes seemingly vanished, just like that.
He reaches his hand out toward me to take, I hesitantly grab on. Finally, we are able to escape this horrible place.
The moment Lorcan flys us to the ground above, a strong gust of wind nearly knocks me over back into the pit.
However, Loran yanks me by the hair and I fall back on the ground.
"Ow!" I yelp.
"Would you have preferred to fall back into the pit, human?" He taunts. Just when he finishes his sentence, the pit collapses in on itself, the dirt and rocks filling the gigantic hole.
I shake my head, while lifting myself up from the ground. I wipe my cloak off the best I can, however, dirt stains still cling on to it.
Lorcan on the other hand, might as well throw out his cloak. It is covered in dried blood, dirt and ripped up along the sleeves. His face is still covered in blood, I still can't believe he took out all those pixies on his own.
As we continue down the forest, leaving behind the pit, I contemplate over asking him some new questions I have.
Every so often, Lorcan glances at me, something seems to be bothering him ever since I saw him kill the pixie king.
______________________________________________
The air has gotten colder, I keep tripping over thorny weeds. Lorcan hasn't uttered a word since we left the pit behind.
Even though I've seen Lorcan fight before, something tells me fought differently back there. I push my thoughts about in the back of my mind for the time being. The sooner we get of this forest, the better.
"We will camp here." Lorcan states in a low tone.
A fallen log sits on top of the lush dark green grass. The grass in this area is still high, up to my knees. The canopy of the trees above us entirely cuts off my view of the sky. It is very dark, with minimal light seeping through the trees above.
I plop down onto the ground, letting out a tired sigh. I decide to rest my back against a rather large rock that happens to be covered in moss.
I exhale, watching the fog of my breath disperse into the air. An icy chill snakes down my spine, I shudder. It’s definitely going to be a cold night.
Lorcan hasn't started gathering any wood. In fact, he seems like he's taking a nap against the fallen log. How can anyone sleep when its this cold out? Then again he isn't exactly normal.
"Aren't you cold Lorcan? Should I gather wood?" I ponder aloud.
"We won't be having a fire, it’s
too risky at this point." He mutters under his breath.
Shuddering against the cold, I pull my hood over my head, hugging my legs to me. I end up in a fetal position, trying to maintain my body heat.
"I'm cold." I whisper into the darkening air. I assume Lorcan has fallen asleep, as he makes no remark to my statement.
Deciding to attempt to get some shut eye as well, I lower myself onto the grass, laying on my side.
The icy cold ground, penetrates right through my cloak. However, I refuse to move around more, my body is already frozen in place as it is. I can only hope it doesn't get any colder.
Chapter 17-Under The Lights
Panting, I fling myself up from off the ground. Was I having a nightmare? I can't seem to remember. My heart slows down, I blink just to make sure I'm awake. The ground below me is still freezing cold, I glance over at where Lorcan is sleeping.
Maybe if I stretch a bit, perhaps even jog in place, I will warm up. I can tell its early morning by the light dew on the grass, its still very dark though.
With a yawn, I stretch my cramped legs and stand up. Lorcan is still asleep, I struggle to stifle a laugh at his obnoxious snores.
I jog in place and rub my hands together, feeling quite ridiculous. To my dismay, I'm just as cold as I was when I woke up, if not colder.
Hearing the wind whir, I turn my head towards a slight opening in the low shrubbery.
My skin prickles pleasantly as an odd warm draft passes through me. Before I know it, I'm blindly following the direction in which the wave of heat came from. I step over big stones, around old thick trees with dead branches. Every so often, I turn my head back to keep track of where I came.
All of the sudden, a soft melody reaches my ears, in the same direction as the wave of heat.
My feet clumsily wobble through the high grass, avoiding the several thorn bushes in my way.
The strange warmth lures me farther and farther, into the woods, away from Lorcan. I pull my hood down, as the heat increases. It feels like its steadily increasingly warmer the farther I go.
As if in a daze, I sigh in bliss at the soothing warmth, no longer do I feel freezing cold. At last, I push aside a picky bush, revealing a most captivating scene.
A vacant meadow, with low dark green grass flourishing with flowers of yellows and pinks stands before me.
Even though the gentle soothing melody has stopped, the meadow still beckons me to come.
There is not a doubt in my mind that this is where the warm draft came from as I easily glide into the center of the meadow, in awe of every detail of it.
I feel the soft petals of the flowers with my fingertips, as I step carefully in the meadow. The warmth of the meadow comforts me in my solitude, my eyes look up.
I gasp when I notice little glowing orbs, twinkling in the foliage. Their soft yellow light creates a beautiful contrast against the dark trees, illuminating the meadow. I smooth out my hair, smiling as I admire the scene.
When I turn around, back where I came, I debate whether to go back, the thought easily escapes my mind.
I start to hum to myself, dancing around in circles, even if just for a short while, I can have some peace.
Suddenly, the snapping of twigs cuts off my dance, I become still.
Turning my head towards the direction in which I came, Lorcan stands eerily quiet.
In a flash, he is in front of me, staring down at me with his crimson red eyes. His hood is down, revealing his flaming red hair. The blood from the pixie fight is off his face, he seems unusually relaxed.
Oddly, his cloak looks as good as new, then I look down at mine. My eyes widen in disbelief as I notice there is not a smudge of dirt on mine.
That's not what makes me nervous though, Lorcan's wings are out, usually it seems he only takes them out if he's going to fight or protect us.
Suddenly, the soft melody plays, Lorcan's hands find mine. Something in the back of my mind is screaming for me to get out, to run away, but I ignore it.
The peaceful air around us lures me to relax, a hazy feeling washes over me.
In a dream like state, a warm smile forms on my face. I lay my clouded head against Lorcan's chest as he continues stepping through the meadow in a slow rhythmic pattern. My breathing gets shallower, everything seems to slow in euphoria.
I can tell Lorcan is just as mesmerized as me. His breathing has been getting heavier too, his hands holding mine seem to be getting warmer, every step we take.
I have been so caught up in the moment, I didn't even realize we were floating!
This strange new sensation of peaceful warmth has my mind puzzled. Looking into Lorcan's eyes, I almost let out a shriek of how intently he is watching me. His blazing eyes are set directly on me.
Perhaps it is because of the comfortable warmth around us that doesn't make me even flinch when I clearly see his wide smile. I can confirm what I saw back in the pit, his teeth really are pointy. They aren't like vampire teeth though, my delirious mind chuckles at the thought. His teeth instead are short and pointy, just sharp enough you can tell they aren't human.
Funny I've never really noticed that until now.
I feel the soft plush of the ground below me, Lorcan must have floated us down.
Suddenly, Lorcan yanks my hair and I'm flush against him. Instantly, my cheeks burn in embarrassment. My clouded mind doesn't complain though.
I feel his hands caressing my back gently through the material of my cloak. A low guttural noise vibrates deep inside him. I swallow, unsure of what he's up to.
Before I have time to react, his lips meet mine firmly, demandingly. He quickly pulls away. I am left breathless, stunned, I keep entirely still maybe he really is sleep walking or delirious. He then snakes his arms around me in a death grip, locking me in his hold. I don't know why, but I do not try to get away.
"Mine." He growls sinisterly in my ear.
A sharp pain stings the center of my back, then the world goes dark.
Chapter 18-Brayden
My heart pounds heavily, I open my eyes, only to shut them quickly. I can feel a burning radiance around me, specifically in my back. Grimacing, I sit up slowly. The memory of last night irks me, was it a dream or did it really happen? It must have happened, I remember that awful stinging pain that stabbed me in the back just before I passed out.
I bet it was some pixie that sneaked up behind me, they could have got me without me noticing. Then again, Lorcan would have seen it behind me.
I feel around me lazily, the soft velvety petals meet my fingertips. I'm definitely still in the meadow.
"Wake up." An annoyed voice barks above me.
I squint my eyes up against the blaring light, to see the figure of a familiar someone.
"We're out of here today. Let's get a move on, human." Lorcan says coldly. Does he even remember last night? I feel my back carefully.
I yelp when my hand collides with a bump. Did something hit me in the back? Well at least its not bleeding. It almost feels like a giant bug bite, right in the center of my spine.
Shuddering, I stand up clumsily.
"Lorcan...do you remember last night? We danced and I think we are still in the same place." I say uneasily.
"What are you going on about? You were the one who I found over here, I woke up this morning and you were gone. You must have been dreaming, human. Keep your dream fantasies to yourself." He says with a laugh. I clench my fists in frustration. Did I really sleep walk this far away? I shouldn't have even bothered asking him.
"Lorcan, I think a bug bit me. Do you see a bump, it’s really irritated." I mumble, avoiding eye contact. I turn my back to him.
Something flashes across his face, fear? No it couldn't be. Maybe he is just irritated that I'm bothering him.
I slide my cloak off, the bump feels big enough that he would be able to see it through my shirt.
"I see nothing. I'm no doctor, but I think you just slept on a rock or something. Now let’s get a move on." He says
impatiently. I pull my cloak back on with a huff.
_______________________________________
At last, my back has stopped feeling itchy and sore. Lorcan has made us walk for at least two hours, the woods are thinning out, I can tell we'll be out of here soon.
"Lorcan where are we going?" I ask sheepishly. I know he hates those kind of questions, but lately that has been one of the major things on my mind.
"We are going-" He says, but before he can finish, a whoosh of wind passes by. We both freeze, waiting for whatever comes out toward us. The sharp snapping of twigs draws closer and closer.
A deep laugh echoes toward us. Lorcan flinches and looks down at me with a worried look in his eyes.
What would he be worried about? We've already come across weres and pixies. Now that I think about it, there has to be far more terrifying creatures out there.
Suddenly, someone flies out of the bushes straight at us like a freight train.
"Brother!" The man shouts.
The man is just as tall as Lorcan, maybe even taller. His face is tan, his hair black and shaggy. Suddenly, the man's piercing green eyes meet mine. Immediately, I avert my eyes.
Lorcan never mentioned his family, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
The man grabs Lorcan by the shoulders, shaking him.
"Oh my, brother who is this?" He says giddily, almost too happily.
"Nothing of your concern, a mere human I found." Lorcan grits.
Something tells me these brothers have had a rough past. The friendly demeanor of the dark haired man is completely gone.
"Well, its nice to meet such a fine lady. Surely you must be special, so sorry you had to meet him before me." the man murmurs toward me with a wide smile. I glance at Lorcan to see him clenching his jaw. What’s wrong with him?
Well at least he isn't calling me human.
"Save the introductions for later, Bray. I'm sure you know by now that we're being followed." Lorcan vents.
"Right then, follow me." He says with a grunt. We take off with a jog behind Bray. He runs surprisingly fast, I struggle to keep up with Lorcan as we run around trees.
Finally, we are out of the forest.
