Hestaesia: Lost in Love

by K. L. Thorne

  Lephas shrugged, getting back to his feet. “For the most part. What kind of horror stories are they telling you up the hill?”

  “Well, let's just say the pictures in my father's books are completely inaccurate!” Lori laughed dryly. “Maybe if they hadn't been, I would have had much more interest in reading them,” she added quietly.

  “What's that supposed to mean?” Lephas narrowed his eyes.

  Lori simply eyed him up and down again, but this time she smiled.

  “Oh, nothing.”

  Lephas watched curiously as she carefully unravelled her braid. The faerie winced as she shook loose the hair around her wound.

  Demons generally tended to be dark in complexion. Though some were red-headed, most women Lephas had encountered had been dark, varying shades of brunette. They all chose to wear their hair short or tied back. It was a sad truth that few had enough coin to keep their hair well-groomed.

  Lori's shone like silk, bright like the sun. Some streaks were so blonde, they were almost white. She casually ran her fingers through the knots that had formed, tousling her damp curls in front of the fire's heat. Her hands paused and Lephas realised with a start that she was looking at him.

  “What?” she asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Like what?” he stammered, coughing into his hand.

  “Like I'm a prize pig at a fair. What – are all demon girls bald or something?”

  “Of course not! I was just trying to look at your wound now your hair is down,” Lephas lied.

  “Hm.” She sounded unconvinced, but turned her attention back to her hair. “It hurts. I don't suppose you have any painkilling herbs with you? Or, better yet, know any healing majick?”

  “You know damn well that we don't,” Lephas growled.

  It wasn't totally true – Haros had been sent to one of the underground majick schools as a child. He knew an array of basic healing majicks, which had come in handy more than once.

  But Lephas wasn't about to sail his friend down the river. If this plan went sideways, he would hate to be responsible for the King's Guard picking up Haros.

  “Know you don't what? Have the herbs or the majick?” Lori asked, bemused.

  “You... You don't know that demons are forbidden from learning majick?” Lephas's anger was snuffed out as quickly as it had risen.

  “You're not?” The princess looked surprised, then her expression turned sour. “Well, then we have that in common, Demon. My father banned my eldest sister and I from learning as well.”

  “Why?”

  “Who knows. I never understand what he’s thinking half the time. I guess he thought it was too dangerous. We know basic defence but that's about it,” she replied bitterly.

  Lephas was relieved. It was good to know he didn't have to expect a fireball to the face from the girl any time soon. That made things much more straightforward.

  The commander itched to know more – her tone suggested there was unrest between Lazuli and his daughters – but he bit his tongue. He didn't want to over-step and raise her suspicions. She had only just started to relax now she knew he meant her no immediate harm.

  Although, she did keep glancing at him from the corner of her eye, which he found unsettling...

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Stop! Stop looking at him, you freak!

  Lori internally berated herself and tore her eyes away from the demon for what felt like the thousandth time.

  She didn't know much about men, but goodness she wanted to know more about this one. Lori ran her fingers through her hair thoughtfully.

  How could she have gotten it so wrong? She definitely hadn't imagined those gruesome visuals in her father’s books. In fact, she could recall ripping one particularly hideous one out as a child and pinning it above Faye's bed one night. Her sister had cried for hours.

  Was that yet another one of her father's lies to 'keep them safe'? She glanced across at Lephas again. He was staring into the fire, lost in thought.

  She nibbled her lip. The demon was easily the most handsome man she had ever seen – even with the horns and fangs. They should repel her, disgust her... She feared the exact opposite were true.

  What is wrong with you?!

  Demons were supposed to be slavering beasts of nightmare, yet Lori was the only one doing any slavering. What did this mean?

  She had very little experience with romance and sex. Her father had ensured she and her sisters led a very sheltered life.

  Unlike her eldest sister, Sivelle, Lori had managed to have a grand total of two sexual partners – a temporary member of her father's waiting staff and a chef that had been called in for Faye's birthday party one year.

  She had pretended to be just another servant girl as long as she could, but inevitably the truth always came out. Funnily enough, once they found out who she was, they hadn't wanted to hang around.

  Sivelle was much more straight-laced than Lori and Faye. She refused to engage in any sexual behaviour until she was married. Lori and Faye often teased her about her prudish nature. Faye had been trying to convince her to purchase a love slave shortly before Lori had run away. That had been hilarious.

  Lori pressed her lips together. She wondered what romance and sex were like within the demon community. Were they governed by the same social shackles like celibacy before marriage as many faeries were?

  Either way, she was clumsy and unpractised when it came to matters of the heart... Or maybe in this case, matters of the loin would be a better way to describe it. She shivered.

  “Are you still cold?” Lephas's deep, rumbling voice cut through her reverie. Lori jumped.

  “Oh, no. No, I'm alright – warming up nicely.” She smiled, praying for her cheeks not to heat. She deliberately kept her eyes off him... Although, she realised with a start, he must have been watching her intently to have noticed that small shiver.

  Lori barely managed thirty seconds before she was glancing across at him under her lashes again. His dark, almost black, gaze was already on her.

  “Have you got any food?” she asked, flipping her hair as nonchalantly as she could manage from one shoulder to the next. She continued separating the tangles on the opposite side.

  Lephas seemed relieved to have something to do with his hands. “Yes, but it's not the kind of cuisine you're probably used to eating though.”

  “I'm starving – I'll eat anything.”

  The demon knelt down and rummaged through a large canvas travel bag.

  “Oh no! My satchel!” Lori exclaimed.

  Sudden realisation hit her and she slumped with defeat. In all the terror of being chased by a wolf, she had forgotten about the poor abandoned satchel in the snow.

  “You had belongings?” Lephas asked curiously.

  “Yes, of course I did! What kind of idiot leaves home forever without any of their belongings?!” she snapped, fighting hot tears.

  In truth, there hadn't been anything of any real value in there – although who knew what constituted value here – just some of her favourite clothes, jewellery and a small canvas sheet she had hoped to make a temporary lean-to out of should it have been required.

  “Where did you last have them?” he asked, ignoring her ire.

  “Right before that wolf–” Lori paused. “What happened to the wolf?” she asked, turning to face her captor.

  “He's outside,” Lephas answered casually.

  “What?! You didn't kill him?!” the faerie exclaimed.

  “Of course not – he's a trained mountain wolf and cost me a fortune. I've had him since he was a pup. His name is Karn.”

  “So, you mean you sent that beast after me?!” she screeched.

  “He'd never have hurt you. Well, not unless I told him to. He was retrieving you for me.”

  “Retrieving me like I'm some sort of fucking dog chew?!” Lori glared. “I was terrified! I thought I was going to be ripped apart!”

  “Kind of the point. He wouldn't have gotten you t
o run to me if he'd rolled over for a belly rub, now would he?” Lephas sighed and tossed a small linen bundle into her lap.

  She continued to glare, but turned her attention to the package. Inside was a pile of unidentifiable items – some large, dark and smooth round fruits, some longer, thinner strips that looked like shoe leather, and hard, bread-like squares.

  “What is this stuff?” She picked up one of the round fruits and sniffed it before dropping it back into the bundle.

  Lephas pointed towards the parcel. “Those are dried blood berries. The strips are dried and cured boar meat, and there's a few biscuits in there too.”

  Lori picked up one of the larger berries and tried to take a bite of it. Her teeth jarred against a rock-hard outer skin.

  “Ow!” She held her mouth. “Where I come from berries are actually edible!”

  Lephas grinned and opened a second bundle. He picked out a blood berry and, using his fangs, bit into the skin. The fruit cracked clean in half, like a piece of hard candy.

  He handed the two halves to her. “Here. The inside is soft – you don't eat the outside.”

  Lori greedily took the fruit and stared at it. It was very aptly named; the flesh of the fruit was a disturbingly crimson colour – like fresh blood.

  “It's a bit off-putting at first, I guess,” Lephas continued, clearly seeing her apprehension. “But they are edible, and actually quite tasty. I swear it.”

  Lori tentatively licked the fruit, pleased with the surprisingly sweet taste. She clumsily started to eat it.

  There was a knock at the door. Another strikingly handsome demon stood in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

  “Sorry to interrupt. I need to speak with you a moment, commander.” His voice sounded familiar. Lori recognised him as the demon that had initially grabbed her out of the snow.

  What was his name? Horus? Harris?

  “No problem, Haros.” Lephas got to his feet.

  Haros! That was it!

  The demon shot Lori a sexy smile and a wink over Lephas's shoulder. She was stunned for a moment, but smiled back, despite her face flushing.

  That demon clearly wasn't too concerned about celibacy...

  Lephas caught the exchange between them and quickly man-handled his demon friend out into the corridor.

  Lori grinned and turned her attention back to the strange fruit in her hands.

  So, Lephas wasn't a one-off. Haros was also nothing like the pictures she had seen of demons. Clearly her father's books were either very out of date or he had deliberately given his daughters false information. Her smile dimmed – she had a feeling the latter was more likely.

  Anger simmered in her stomach as she ate in quiet contemplation. What exactly had her father hoped to achieve by lying to them? How many other things had he lied about under the pretence of 'keeping them safe'? Had he thought to frighten them into submission? To make them terrified of the monsters that lurked outside the castle walls?

  The door creaked as Lephas returned. He had a dark scowl plastered on his face. Clearly the conversation with Haros hadn't been a good one.

  “So, Commander, hm?”

  “Uh, yeah,” Lephas replied as he sat back down next to his satchel.

  “You're the boss around here then?” Finishing her fruit, she picked up a biscuit curiously.

  “Well, I wouldn't go as far as–” Lephas looked up at her and stopped. A wide grin fought its way onto his face. He looked away, clearly trying not to laugh.

  “What?” Lori narrowed her eyes at him.

  Lephas coughed and looked down at his lap, still smirking. When he raised his eyes to meet hers again he laughed aloud, unable to contain it.

  “What?!” Lori whined.

  “You've got blood berry juice all over your face.” He laughed, getting to his knees and shuffling closer to her.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, hands flying to her face. A rush of hot blood flooded her cheeks.

  “Here, here...” Lephas leant across to grab the wet rag he had been washing her wound with. “You need to get that shit off before it stains. Can't exactly have you going around looking like some kind of wild animal that's just been head-deep in a carcass!”

  Fuck, fuck, fuck! Lori screamed internally, hastily scrubbing at her face.

  Her stomach churned with embarrassment and she glanced up from the rag. Lephas was still chuckling quietly to himself. He sure was sexy when he smiled.

  “Eating blood berries without getting messy is a real art form, don't worry. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it.” His dark eyes glinted with mirth.

  “Have... Have I got it all?” Lori asked, still blushing furiously.

  “Yeah, you look...” Lephas trailed off, searching for the right word. “Fine.”

  Brilliant, he thought she looked fine. Lori huffed quietly. Of all the words he could have chosen, he went with ‘fine’?!

  She frowned. Clearly this attraction was going to be a one-way street. It was no surprise, really – he had made his disdain for faeries very clear and had now seen her face covered with blood and food, all in one day. She wouldn't have been attracted to her either, if she were him.

  “So why are you being so considerate?” Lori asked, quickly trying to change the subject. “I wasn't expecting food and a warm bed for the night when you picked me up earlier, that's for sure.”

  “You can thank King Zelrus for that. Unlike your father, our king wants peace between our factions. What better place to start than showing kindness towards the offspring of his enemy? He's set on proving we're better than the hideous beasts your people have clearly painted us as.” Lephas's tone suddenly grew serious.

  Many times, Lori had wished to be someone else, to be free to live her life as just another nameless face in the endless crowd of life. She had never been embarrassed of who she was before. Not until now.

  “You are still a prisoner of war, Princess, but you'll be looked after. Perhaps not the treatment you're used to on a day-to-day basis–” he gave her a half smile. “–but you won't be cold or hungry whilst you're under my supervision.”

  Lori stared at him, unsure what to say. She knew all too well what her father's men would have done if they had come across a runaway demon princess... She shuddered.

  Yet these people were supposed to be the monsters? Another of her father's elaborate lies, perhaps?

  “That's... Reassuring.” She nodded, placing the half-eaten food parcel to the side, her appetite suddenly absent.

  Carefully, so as not to knock her throbbing head wound, Lori shuffled down the mattress and lay down. She gathered her long hair together, tucking it neatly over her shoulder.

  Reading the situation, Lephas left the room briefly before returning with an old wooden chair. He placed it in a far corner of the room and sat his large frame on it.

  They remained in a strangely comfortable silence. Lori stared into the flames, watching them flicker and dance as their heat ate away at the wood.

  Her thoughts turned to her sisters. What were they doing? No doubt Faye was distraught. She had made Lori promise to take her with her if she ever went on an adventure. She wouldn't see it as Lori did – an escape.

  Faye was the oddity of the sisters. Whilst Sivelle and Lori had no real majick skills to speak of, Faye wielded it as easy as breathing. She was a majborne – a child, born with a natural affinity for majick. She was what the faerie people called a ‘sun sprite’. Her flawless skin sparkled and glowed like the evening sun and all of her majick abilities shone bright like a thousand stars.

  Despite all her grandeur and beauty, Faye was kind-hearted and gentle. She was still scared of the dark despite being twenty-four years of age.

  All faeries could eventually learn to use majick, but it took gruelling study and years of practise.

  Whilst Faye may have been envious of Lori’s escape, Sivelle would understand. Her eldest sister had been in the room when Lori had told their father, in no uncertain terms, that she would not be obeying hi
m. It hadn't been pretty. Sivelle had to have known Lori had no other option.

  Lori loved them both dearly. They had spent their whole lives together, locked in their father's cage. She felt empty without them. She hoped that they had found the letter she had written for them before she left.

  Lori's heart hurt just thinking about her sisters, thinking she may never see them again...

  Her vision swam as tears sprang forth. She closed her eyes and a tear spilled and tracked its way down the side of her face. She took in a shaky breath, barely holding back a small sob.

  Deeply absorbed in her own private grief, Lori hadn't given much thought to her captor silently observing her until he was kneeling right beside her. He leant over and placed a small scrap of soft material on the mat next to her face.

  She sniffed and raised her head. A handkerchief?

  She swiped her tears away quickly, embarrassed to have been caught so vulnerable. Lori wasn't in the habit of showing her weaknesses. Shame burnt at her and she brought her knees up, curling up into a ball.

  Lephas didn't utter a word, just got to his feet and went to sit silently in his corner once more.

  Her moment now interrupted, Lori sniffed and played with the soft handkerchief, running her fingers around the delicately embroidered edges. She closed her eyes and brought the material up to her face. There was something comforting about it. She sighed and wished sleep to take her swiftly.

  ∞∞∞

  Lori cracked her eyes open. When had she fallen asleep?

  The nearly extinguished fire in front of her glowed dimly. A dark figure knelt nearby, tending to it.

  “Hello?” she murmured groggily and lifted herself up on her elbows. She hissed as pain spiked in her temple.

  “Go back to sleep, Princess,” a familiar voice said in the darkness. “I'm just sorting the fire out. Wouldn't want you catching a cold.”

  Lori's brain took a few moments to catch up, the events of the day prior filtering back to her. She wasn't in her springy four-poster bed. She was still fully clothed and lying on a thin, lumpy travel mat.

  Her delicate golden wings were folded up inside her jacket. They ached, unused to being constrained for such a long period of time.