by Alyssa Ezra
As proud as they’d been about her first catch, and though he’d been so eager to start getting ready for their journey, dinner and packing became the furthest thing from their minds that night.
Chapter Six
Four times. Juliet had never been fucked so well and so much in such a short amount of time. She would have gone more rounds if she could have, Zalgar too, but by that time, her body was growing sore and tired, the fire having died out long ago. The last thing she remembered before drifting to sleep in the furs and in Zalgar’s arms was him telling her that they needed to be up early in the morning so that they could leave.
Juliet didn’t have any hopes that that would actually happen, though. She expected to wake up just as she did every morning, with his cock hard against her back, and this time, she wasn’t going to shy away from it or try to keep him asleep while she pressed her hips gently into his.
But when Juliet woke up, she found Zalgar gone, the bed completely empty besides herself. Sitting up, the blonde frowned. She noticed that she wasn’t completely cold, though, and she could see her surroundings, enough to know that he wasn’t anywhere in the cave. The fire was lit now, crackling happily in the fireplace.
She yawned, stretching her arms above her head before they settled on the mess that was her hair. Juliet frowned further, then felt around for her hair band. Her fingers only found the cold of the cave floor, and growing impatient, she stood up from her bed, not covering up. Who was there to be decent for, after all?
Where is he? Juliet asked herself as she started to walk around, looking for a hair tie and anything that would hint at where Zalgar had run off to. She made her way over to the small dining table, not finding any note. The empty medicine bag was still there, though. Juliet dug into the bag and grabbed the sap, spreading it on her old burns.
The smell of it reminded her of Zalgar taking care of her, bringing her some comfort. When Juliet was done, she went to the kitchen area and started grabbing at jars of stored food, berries and dried meats and fruits. He’s probably out getting breakfast, she rationalized, And if he wants to leave early this morning, I should probably start help packing.
Juliet kept in mind that they wanted to pack lightly but at the same time get as much as they could in there, so she mostly stuck with the dried meats and dried fruits, which weighed less than the stored berries.
There was one jar, though, that she couldn’t reach. Juliet knew that it was her favorite meat that she’d had thus far, though. Zalgar had given her some, and it tasted a lot like chicken. When she asked what the beast was, he explained that it was a kind of bird, which explained the similarities.
Now Juliet didn’t even ask what the food was, realizing that no matter how he described it, she wouldn’t actually know whether to feel queasy about it or not. Which only helped her eat more, instead of less.
Her back was turned to the door, so when she heard it open, she already started talking. “Oh! Hey, I was just getting started on the packing,” she said, still reaching for the jar before giving up, “Do you think you can reach this for-” Juliet stopped when she turned around and saw who it really was.
Those weren’t lilac-colored eyes staring back at her with both shock and lust, even a hint of disgust. It wasn’t a big, strong man with his black hair in that familiar bun. Instead, Juliet found a smaller man with large, innocent-like eyes and light, brown hair. “J-Jahan…”
She was completely naked in front of a man that she’d only just met the day before. A man who shouldn’t even be here for two more days, Juliet reminded herself, then glanced at the door, where no one else had come through, Where’s Zalgar?
Juliet immediately tried to cover up, strategically placing one arm over her breasts and her other in between her legs. “I… I should get dressed. I- We… We weren’t expecting you so soon,” she rambled.
Meanwhile, Jahan didn’t say anything. He just kept on staring, and not even at her eyes anymore. While she was covered up by her arms, Juliet felt as though he was burning a hole through them as he stared at her chest. Juliet swallowed. This wasn’t good. “Where’s Zalgar?”
It was as if the name of his friend brought Jahan back. He shook his head for a moment before clearing his throat. “He’s with Samara,” he answered, then took a step forward, “She has a way with Zalgar that no one else ever has. If anyone can talk sense into him about this mess you’ve created for him… It’ll be her.”
“I didn’t create any mess for him,” Juliet argued. She wanted to believe that Jahan was only saying that because he wanted to hurt her, saw that she was naked in his friend’s home and assumed correctly that they’d slept together. But as much as she hated to admit it, the seeds of doubt were planted.
Samara, who knew Zalgar before, a Zalgar that Juliet had never known… He wouldn’t even tell her what happened, what made him leave the city. But Samara, she probably knew. She probably knew everything about Zalgar that he kept locked up inside. “Let me just get dressed-”
Jahan had been walking towards her slowly, and Juliet was reminded of the fight Zalgar had gotten into with the Dwynlin, how the Dwnylin had fought similarly, elegantly. Jahan was the same in that he didn’t have Zalgar’s size in his favor, but neither did Juliet. He would overpower her, surely.
Defensive, Juliet reached for anything that could be used as a weapon. At the movement, Jahan rushed forward, pinning her hands against the counter and pressing his hips firmly into hers. Juliet could feel his length poking into her thigh, and she fought to get away.
“You’ll have to forgive me,” Jahan said quietly, “I didn’t expect this to happen with a human. Maybe that’s why Zalgar’s kept you around.” Juliet shifted her knee, trying to get it in the right position. “He’ll understand. Zalgar is a man of war, and the rape and murder of women is just another part of that war.”
Juliet grit her teeth. “Not this time, asshole.” With all the force she could muster, she pushed out with her chest. It wasn’t much distance, but it was enough for her to bring up her knee as hard as she could into Jahan’s groin, snagging one of his blades in the process.
The man groaned and doubled over. “Bitch,” he muttered, and started after her again.
This time, Juliet ran to the left, going to the opposite side of the table. Her chest was heaving, adrenaline pumping. She didn’t even care that she was fighting while naked now, exposed and vulnerable in the most literal sense.
Juliet had one blade, and she had to believe that she was going to get out of this alive, or at least long enough for Zalgar to come back. If he comes back, a small voice said miserably, If he hasn’t already been won over. The young woman shook her head, as if that could shake away her insecurities. No, not after last night. Remember last night.
Jahan looked both aroused and angry, and Juliet knew that was not a good mix. She moved slowly around the table, just as he did, stalking her. This time, though, she refused to be the prey. When he stopped walking, Juliet did the same, maintaining the distance between them.
Thinking on her feet, she shoved the table forward into his gut as hard as it would go. She didn’t have much time after that to think, knowing that she had to incapacitate her attacker as quick as possible.
Juliet hopped over the table now that Jahan was distracted. The bag she’d been packing fell to the ground with a loud clanging, the jars banging around inside. The other remaining jars that she’d left on the table while perusing through everything fell to the ground as well, some of them shattering. Gripping the blade tightly in her hand, just as Zalgar taught her, she aimed true, stabbing it in Jahan’s arm.
Jahan let out a loud, angry yell. She didn’t wait for him to retaliate, grabbing pulling the blade out of his arm and grabbing the supplies. Juliet only had just enough time to grab her clothes off the floor before she ran out of the cave.
Adrenaline pushed her forward, just as it had a month before, numbing the stinging pain in her feet from the shards of broken glass that came from the jar
s. Juliet ignored it completely, running until she was completely out of breath.
It was only when she sat down that she felt the pain, hissing when she looked at her bare feet. Most of it was shallow, easy enough to get the glass out. Juliet got dressed quickly, darting through the forest on just her toes to avoid the pain.
Finally, she found what she was looking for, the stream. She sighed with relief, dipping her feet in to wash away the blood, next washing Jahan’s blood from her new blade and her hands. Juliet worked methodically, keeping as quiet as she could be. The area that she was at was covered in shrubbery, but someone who was actively seeking her would probably find her in no time.
She tried to think of Zalgar, what he would think about her running away without him. “He won’t even notice,” Juliet thought to herself bitterly, scrubbing out the last of the glass.
With her feet taken care of, she let them rest for a couple of minutes, but then was back up on her feet. Without shoes, Juliet had to be careful of where she stepped, and cursed herself for the fact that this was going to slow her down.
She still had no idea where she was going, but she decided that following the river downstream was as good a plan as any. If there was anything she learned in school, it was that civilizations often formed around rivers and other bodies of water. Though that was based purely off of earth history, it was all the university student had at this point.
It hadn’t been long, less than an hour, when she started to feel eyes on her. Juliet quickly reached for her blade within the pack. She didn’t know what she hoped for, a beast or someone she knew.
Deep down, she wanted it to be Zalgar, but those chances were slim. And at least with a beast, she’d spent more time training on how to hunt those. She’d never been taught to kill. It wasn’t something Juliet or Zalgar ever saw coming, though maybe they should have. In that moment, while “alone” in the forest, Juliet wished that was a skill they’d focused on.
“Hello?” Juliet called out, feeling stupid as soon as she said it. This isn’t a horror movie, she chastised herself.
No one answered her. The blonde stood completely still, ears straining to hear any sort of sound. But there was nothing besides the birds, the bugs, the water, and her own breathing. Still, Juliet couldn’t shake the feeling. A hunter is always patient, she remembered, When he’s patient enough, his prey will come to him.
Juliet stayed completely still. She waited and waited and waited. It was agonizing, not knowing what was out there. Juliet was so used to running away, fleeing, but she forced herself to stay still, to keep her bare feet planted in that soft, earthy spot. And then, she heard it. She heard him.
The bushes rustled, but he was out in a moment, a war cry escaping his lips. Juliet ran from her spot, darting to her left when she heard him come out from behind her. She turned around just fast enough to find Jahan.
The cloth of his sleeve was drenched in deep red from where she’d stabbed him. There was a fresh anger in his eyes, a fury Juliet had never once experienced. It made all the air escape from her lungs. The Dwynlin had been scary enough, but this? This was true fear, a real, trained killer ready to rip her apart.
“You thought you could hide for long?” Jahan asked, laughing, “Do you even know where you’re going, you pathetic, little thing.”
Juliet smirked. “Little thing? Look who’s talking,” she replied. If he wanted to mock her, she could do it right back. Even if she was literally shaking in panic. “You’re no Zalgar.”
Jahan spit on the ground angrily, pointing his blade at her. “Zalgar ran away from his life as a commander, all because he couldn’t handle his orders. What kind of man is that? Hm?” He looked like an angry child, ranting, and he was starting to sound like it, too.
It was an observation Juliet needed to take herself more seriously than she took him, to feel like she had the upper hand. Confidence is key, she reminded herself. “I’ll show you what a real man feels like. It won’t be gentle, earthling. I’ll make you regret ever showing your face on Rolq’thos.”
“Believe me,” Juliet sighed, spreading her legs apart on the ground for a fighter’s stance. Her mind searched through the memories of Zalgar fighting beasts, and especially when he fought the Dwynlin. She had to fight. No amount of running was going to save her now. “I’m already regretting it.”
She decided against fighting like Zalgar, not having his size and strength. Instead, Juliet worked mostly on dodging, playing the defensive. She aimed to tire Jahan out or try to find some sort of pattern where it gave her an easy way to land a hit or stab. He lunged forward,
Juliet just dodging enough that she could only feel the tip of the blade graze her. She then backed away before he could swing it back for another slice. It went on like this several times, Jahan growing more and more frustrated as Juliet refused to hit him but managed to get away with only one cut, a shallow one at that.
“No wonder,” he muttered, trying to egg her on, “You’re a coward just like him. You’d do well as his mate.” Jahan smirked. “I haven’t seen Samara, though. Perhaps she was successful in seducing Zalgar.”
He found just what he needed to make Juliet take the offensive. Upset and thinking that she would have surprise on her side, the blonde moved forward, trying to slash directly for Jahan’s chest. Her opponent expected it, though, and kicked her legs, knocking her to the ground.
Juliet gasped and struggled to get up, but Jahan was on top of her pulling and ripping at her clothes and her hair. “See? Weak,” he growled, just as he started to get her shorts undone, “Don’t worry, earthling. This will be your best fuck yet.”
Juliet continued to struggle. She could feel hot tears rolling down her face and hated the fact that she was letting him see her cry. “Stop! Get off of me!” she screamed. But what was the point of screaming? Who would save her?
It was a moment of doubt that Juliet would regret. Jahan was undoing his own pants, finding it difficult to hold her still while he took his cock out, when she got colder. Realizing it was the lack of someone else’s body on top of hers, Juliet sat up quickly, backing away and grabbing her blade from where it’d fallen on the grass.
She kept backing up until she felt her back hit a tree, knife raised in the air firmly. Juliet couldn’t see who it was, but she could hear a struggle, a bunch of grunting and rustling in the grass, and the clanging of metal against metal.
She let out a sob when it grew quiet. Juliet had no idea who it was that had fought off Jahan, whether it was a beast or even a Dwynlin, or even Zalgar. Out of the four possibilities on the winner, there was only one that would actually save her, and even that was iffy, depending on if Samara really got to him.
“Juliet?”
Juliet should have let out a sigh of relief. She knew the voice instantly. Zalgar. He’d found her somehow. He knows these woods, she thought, And he’s the best hunter I know. Of course he’d find me. But what were his intentions? She still wasn’t sure.
Zalgar followed the sounds of her heavy breathing and crying. Juliet’s blue eyes widened when he came into sight. Upon seeing her blade still raised, he crouched to eye-level with her, hands raised in surrender. It was like he was approaching a scared animal, and Juliet knew that there were many similarities in that comparison. “Juliet… Put the knife down.”
“Where is he?” she asked, her tone harsher than either of them were used to, “And her? Where are your friends?”
He frowned. “They’re not going to bother us anymore. I took care of them.”
Juliet blinked back more tears. She felt pathetic. “I… I tried to fight him off,” she said, “I couldn’t do it. Did you kill him?”
Zalgar hesitated. “Yes. I killed him.”
“And Samara?”
“I talked to her. She wasn’t violent. Jahan has always been a rival more than my friend. He wanted to take what was mine, my job and…” Zalgar sighed. “You. It’s why he showed up early. She tried to stop him, but it didn’t work obviously.”
Juliet wiped with her free hand at her tears, erasing the evidence. “What, so she’s just going to let us go?”
He shook his head. “No, she’s giving us three days. If I agree to go through with our engagement when you leave.”
She hadn’t expected it to hit her as hard as it did, but it did. Juliet laughed humourlessly. “What, and you agreed? Do you even like her?”
“Does it matter?” Zalgar asked, “I bought us time, Juliet. I bought you safety. I can deal with Samara on my own. You’ll be gone anyways.” He sounded so logical about it all, almost cold. Juliet wondered why she felt any different.
He was right. She couldn’t stay here. She was leaving, going back home. Somehow, during their love-making and fucking, she’d forgotten the part where that meant having to say goodbye to the man that kept saving her over and over again, who had patience and made her laugh and smile.
Fresh tears came to her eyes, and this time, she couldn’t hold them back. Juliet had only ever cried in front of two people in her entire life, always seeming so emotionless to people back home. And yet here she was. Zalgar seemed calm through it all, his hand slowly reaching for her knife. “Juliet… Please,” he instructed, “Put down the knife.”
