by E E Ewer
“Quiet,” he ordered as he turned, closing the door and locking it behind him. Moving quickly down the halls until he found a shadow large enough to move through, he bent down and lifted Nire like a child. Placing one arm underneath her he held her head to his shoulder with his other. “Exhale,” he ordered.
This time Nire knew what to expect, and she breathed out as much as she could before he entered the shadow. The cold surrounded her as the rest of the air was sucked from her lungs. Lucian tightened his grip on her, wrapping his arms around her as much as he could to protect her from the chill. When they reemerged Nire coughed and took in a deep breath.
Lucian took a few steps and set her down on a low bed that seemed to be comprised of blankets, furs and pillows. Kneeling down in front of her he held her shoulders for a moment and studied her, looking for any signs that she had been hurt. Reaching back he removed his cape and draped it over her shoulders, wrapping her in its heavy cloth. She kept her head down and refused to look at his eyes. This worried him.
“Are you all right?” He tried to ask as softly as possible, but the anger building inside him made it difficult to sound sympathetic. She nodded quietly. Cupping his hand gently under her chin he lifted her head and turned it to face him. She averted her eyes. She didn’t want to look at him. He turned her head from one side to the other, checking her for marks or bruises. She seemed fine. “Are you sure?” he asked slowly.
Nire nodded and pulled away from his hand. Clenching the cape around her she slumped back. She might not be a part of the Lord of the South’s personal harem anymore, but she was right back where she started, with the demon she had been trying to get away from. With resentment growing inside her, she moved backwards and scooted away from the concerned demon.
“Nire, if he touched you so help me.”
“He didn’t. I’m fine,” she snapped, cutting him off. Lucian was beyond confused. Looking around quickly, she spoke again “Where are we?” her voice was cold.
“In a camp outside the city,” he responded. “It’s bad form to bring armed soldiers inside the city walls.” Nire shot him a glance.
“Soldiers?” she asked.
“Yes.” He glanced tentatively behind him. “I cannot stay here with you tonight. I will be missed at Southcastle if I suddenly disappear. Stay here, we will ride out in the morning,” he instructed as he stood and turned to leave. “Is there anything you need?” he asked as an afterthought, furrowing his brow as he turned his head back to glance at the small human.
Nire’s face turned red. She could hardly refrain from just yelling at him, but she knew if she did she would just pass out. Her body was tense as she held her breath, quietly shaking her head before turning to lie down. Lucian was worried about her. She was acting strangely, but he didn’t have time to press the matter any further. She was safe now, and that was enough.
Silently he stepped back into a shadow, reappearing in his room in Southcastle. He had utterly destroyed every illegal trading point from the moment he entered the South in search of Nire. Eventually his search led him straight to Southcastle, much to Lord Azael’s surprise.
He had stormed through the gates and demanded an audience with the Lord of the South. Azael swore up and down that no girl matching that description had been brought to him, and naturally she would not be kept against her will if she had been. Lucian, however, was sure Nire was nearby, as the gem that Neir had given him had been glowing a faint blue ever since his arrival. Azael courteously insisted that he stay the night and rest before returning to the East. After night had fallen, he quickly moved through the shadows in search of the green eyed girl.
He’d nearly given up hope when he spied a brown haired girl sleeping against a window in an extremely well lit room. Finding the room had been the trick, but getting the key had been quite simple. It would probably take them a while to get that door open in the morning, since the key had now gone missing. Azael wouldn’t notice she was gone until long after his troops had ridden out, and when he did, he would have no direct course of action.
It was becoming imperative that The Lord of Shadows find a proper replacement in the South. Azael would have to go. He was becoming too much of a risk. And now, in light of the rising tensions between them, he simply couldn’t be trusted at all. But how? A replacement would have to be in all ways equal to the other Ancients. Any Elder he appointed would simply not garner the same respect from his subjects, or the other Lords. But now with only himself, Seophan, Azael and Elial left, no one in the realm could possibly replace him.
An Ancient could not simply create another Ancient. It had been attempted many, many times during the great wars and proved to be completely impossible. All beings they created were of significantly less power. Although Elders are very powerful, they are of no comparison to Lucian or his brothers, and the force that created them had long since gone. There was not much that could be done, short of redrawing the borders of the quadrants, but that too seemed to be out of the question.
He let out a sigh as he lay in the dark room. Between politics and Nire, no sleep came to him before the sun rose over the South. At dawn he rose and bid an early farewell to the Southern Court. When he reached the camp outside the walls, the troops were already packed and waiting for him. Nire stood wrapped in his cape next to Alastor, who guarded her atop his rathe as they waited for his arrival.
Lucian approached Nire and swiftly lifted her atop his mount, then quickly hoisted himself up after her. She sat in front of him and he circled his arms around her as he lifted the reins and gave the sides of his rathe a swift kick. As the company pressed forward, all was silent between Nire and the demon who sat behind her.
She was still exhausted from the night before, and as the afternoon stretched on she found her eyelids growing heavy and threatening to close. As her head fell softly against his chest, Lucian looked down at the human laying against him. Something was very wrong, and the heavy question as to just what that something was weighed on his mind.
Nire awoke as the Demon Lord brought his rathe to a stop. The sun was setting and the rest of the troops had begun to remove supplies in order to set up camp for the night. Lucian’s tent was erected quickly, and he held the tired brunette in his arms as he walked towards it. Once inside he laid her down on the bed and sat next to her. Prompting her to sit, they ate quietly together under the soft glow of the candles while the soldiers outside talked and laughed.
“Nire,” Lucian said after they were finished eating. “What is wrong?”
She wasn’t sure if the tarigone had worn off yet or not, but at this point she didn’t really care either.
“You lied to me,” she said coldly.
“What?” The Demon Lord was at a complete loss, and despite his agitation he attempted to remain calm.
Nire took a deep breath. “I overheard you talking with Marge. I was in the service halls, and I heard voices, and I know I shouldn’t have been listening, but I was.” Her voice was sharp and defensive.
Thinking back to the day Nire had gone missing, he was able to piece together what she must have heard. “I see…” he began, resisting the urge to defend the fact that he had not actually lied about anything.
Nire interrupted him. “Why even bother coming after me if you weren’t going to help me? Why are you even here?” she asked angrily.
“If he had taken you to the ends of the world I would have followed you there,” Lucian said easily.
Nire shot him a sharp glance. “Why?” She had had a good long time to think about what had been going on in Eastcastle, and she was quite convinced that he had only been distracting her from home. No doubt to use her in the same way Azael had intended to, with only a bit more tact.
Lucian sighed. “I want you to be happy, Nire,” he began.
In her anger she interrupted him again. “Then why not take me home?!” she cried.
“Because… I selfishly want you to be happy here… with me,” he said gently.
&nbs
p; Nire glanced up at him with tears in her eyes, and waited.
“I’m in love with you, Nire,” he confessed softly.
Her green eyes changed from angry to sad, and she hung her head as tears began to fall down her cheeks. She was still too upset to admit her own feelings to herself, let alone to him.
“Why? You don’t even know me,” she argued.
“I know far more about you than even you know, Nire,” he said with a sigh. “This is not the first time I have known you,” he added. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to bring this up, but she seemed to need a little help understanding his reasoning.
“What?” she said after a brief silence, shaking her head.
“A long time ago you lived here, with me. You were taken from me before I ever had the chance to tell you how I felt, and by some strange stroke of coincidence or fate, you were dropped back into my life a couple months ago. You look almost the same as you did then. You even go by the same name…” His voice trailed off.
Nire could hear the confusion in his voice and looked up. He was looking away from her, obviously thinking about something.
After a short moment, he continued. “You were the same age as you are now when you were taken from me. I do want you to be happy, Nire, but I can’t take you home. How could I allow you to leave me again?” He looked back at the small human who sat next to him. She was watching him, studying him.
After a moment she spoke. “So the other person in the library register … ‘N’…”
“It was you, Nire,” he completed her thought.
Nire looked at the floor and tried to think, attempting to put all the pieces together. Lucian interrupted her thoughts when he leaned down and lifted her chin with his hand.
Pressing his mouth to hers, she whimpered quietly as his hands slipped beneath the cape and wrapped around her waist. Her hands rose to rest on his chest, as he pulled her close and tightened his grasp on her small frame.
Lucian leaned his weight onto her, pushing her back until she was lying beneath him. When he broke the kiss Nire’s face was bright red, and he could see her chest rising and falling quickly. Her heart fluttered wildly as he gazed at her with his golden eyes. Bringing one of his hands to her face he stroked her cheek gently before leaning down once more to claim her lips.
She moaned beneath him as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Sliding his hand down her side he took in the feeling of her soft skin. His hand traveled downward until it reached her hip, then slipping it underneath her he took hold of her backside and pressed her against him.
Nire began to feel a little light headed and dizzy, but she didn’t care. Her hands moved up to rest above her head as Lucian kissed her gently, moving his lips down her jaw line, and trailing kisses across her
collarbone and neck. The hand he had placed behind her continued to move down, and his body tensed as he realized just how little she was actually wearing. He pulled away from her quickly, gazing down nearly breathlessly at the young girl lying beneath him. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to go any further.
“Lucian…?” she breathed out, her head still swimming as her eyes fluttered open.
The gray demon let out a low chuckle. “We need to find you a proper dress,” he said with a soft smile. Wrapping the cape back around her he leaned down and kissed her once more, and then lay behind her, taking her in his arms.
Everything was quiet for a few moments as the tension eased. “Lucian?” Nire asked quietly.
“Hmm?” he responded, his eyes closed.
“You can… if you want you,” she whispered.
His heart pounded in his chest, just hearing those words caused him to ache with desire.
“I want to,” he said with a small laugh. “But not just yet,” he whispered gently. Pulling her closer he rested his head in her hair and breathed in her sweet scent.
Nire smiled and leaned into him, quickly falling fast asleep in his arms.
His heavy cape rested over her shoulders in the hot sun as they continued east. It was a little too warm, but she didn’t want to get sun burned. Leaning back into Lucian’s chest she attempted to hide in his shadow from the high midday sun. Lucian glanced down at the girl as she turned her head away from the bright light.
“Why didn’t you just take me back through the shadows?” Nire asked suddenly.
“Traveling that great of a distance would be complicated as it is, but doing it with a passenger would be impossible. Not only do I doubt you could hold your breath long enough but I also doubt I could keep my form that long,” he explained.
“Keep your form?” the brown haired girl asked, looking up at him.
“Normally when I travel through shadows I lose my form completely. It makes it easier to exist there. But bringing you with me, I need to be able to hold on to you,” he explained. “Even if you could manage to hold your breath that long, the sheer amount of energy it would take to accomplish would be exhausting.”
“Oh.” Nire thought she understood… granting that she understood at all what was happening when he moved through a shadow.
He glanced down at her. “Nire, I want you to stay here with me,” he said plainly. “Do you think it would be at all possible for this place to become your home?” He knew he was taking a risk asking her.
“I… don’t know…” she said quietly, pausing for a moment before she spoke again. “But you wouldn’t take me home even if I said no.” Turning her green eyes to the ground, she sighed softly.
Lucian let out a weighted breath. “I would take you home,” he said finally, with heaviness in his voice.
Nire looked back up at him with misty eyes. “You would?” she asked. This was not at all the response she had expected.
“If you would truly be unhappy here, I would take you home,” he assured her with a heavy heart.
Nire didn’t speak for a while. She was completely floored by his unexpected willingness to take her home if she really wanted to go, and now she suddenly didn’t know what it was she actually wanted. Ever since she found herself here all she had wanted to do was leave, and now that it was being offered to her, she wasn’t sure that was what she wanted to do after all.
As she quietly rested her head against his chest, Lucian moved his arm around her and stroked her hair. He knew he could never force her to stay if it meant she would be unhappy, but the thought of having to lose her again, and willingly, spurred a feeling of bitterness in his chest.
Chapter 12
Table of Contents
The exhausting length of the journey back to Eastcastle gave Nire an idea of just how long she’d been gone. Ever since Lucian had consented to take her home, not another word had been said on the subject. As the legions rode through the city streets, Nire blushed and felt more than a little awkward riding at the head of the spectacle. No one in the city knew why the Lord of Shadows had rode out in such a hurry and then called for his legions, and curious eyes fell on the brown haired girl seated in front of him.
Normally, Lucian would have chosen a more discreet way to bring Nire back into the city. However, he had been planning on making a formal announcement of their courtship within the next few days, and thus was unconcerned with the questions that might arise. In fact, he thought it a rather effortless way of introducing her, and getting the surprise of the situation out of the way.
Nire clung to the cape that was wrapped around her and kept her head low until the company finally made its way out of the city and through the castle gates. Letting out a sigh of relief when they finally entered the castle grounds, Nire felt as though she was at last able to relax and slumped back against Lucian, who looked down and smiled. As they rode through the Southern Courtyards however, the relief Nire had been feeling slowly crumbled away as castle residents began to filter out through the doors and watch as the company returned.
“Ouuuughh….” she groaned, wanting to hide her face with her hands.
Lucian let out a light chuckle. “I
t will all be over soon, Love.”
Nire raised her head to look at him. Had he just called her “Love”? He smiled down at her briefly before turning his attention to Alastor as they came to a halt in the yard. Nire ignored what was being said as she thought about the word he had just spoken.
Lucian dismounted and turned to Nire; picking her up by the waist he placed her gently on the ground. Just then a familiar voice came through the crowd and clamor.
“Nire! Nire!” Miko shouted as she ran towards the brunette, who turned in circles trying to find where the voice was coming from. Reaching her friend, the fox girl threw her arms around Nire and held her close. “I’m so glad you’re ok!” she exclaimed, nearly coming to tears. “You all were gone for so long we started to worry he couldn’t find you!”
Lucian smiled at the girls. “Miko, why don’t you take Nire up to her room?” he suggested.
Miko nodded and with one arm around her shoulders, led the exhausted girl through the courtyards and into the castle. Upon reaching her room Nire fell onto the bed. She was happy to be back. The sheets smelled just right and everything was familiar. This is how she thought she would feel when she was finally able to get home. The conflict turned her feelings of ease into distress, as she once again mulled over the concept of “home.”
“Want me to draw you a bath?” Miko asked. “I bet you need one after all that!”
She did need a bath. “Yeah, a bath sounds really nice,” Nire said muffled through the pillows. Miko smiled and practically skipped into the bathroom. Nire could hear the water beginning to run, and the fox girl reappeared at her bedside.
“So… is everything ok with you and his Lordship?” Miko pried carefully at the subject, not sure if it was the proper time to ask.
Nire turned her head to the side and looked at Miko. She smiled and nodded. “Yes,” she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice.