by K. L. Thorne
Lori jumped, surprised as Lephas reached out and took her hand in his. Despite the hollow feeling in her chest, her stomach flipped over. She squeezed him appreciatively.
“We'll get him back.” Lephas continued, his tone brightening. “We just need to get back to Banesteppe and then we'll put a plan of attack in place to spring him. He's not the first of us to get captured, he won't be the last. We always scrape through somehow.”
“You have no idea how much I hope you're right,” Lori mumbled.
“Well, we've got you as our ace. Who better than to help us get into the castle undetected than the person who managed to escape.” The demon shot her a kind smile.
She shook her head, but Lephas's smile was contagious.
“How did you get out of there? Just curious,” he asked.
“It really wasn't anything glamorous or heroic. I just bribed one of the gardeners to accidentally leave a gate open. He was an old man and had always been kind to my sisters and I. He used to cut us fresh flowers for our bedrooms.”
Lori felt sadness well up in her chest once more. She hoped the kindly gardener was alright. In the midst of her escape, she hadn't given much thought to his fate if her father found out he had helped her.
“That's one hell of a risk to take,” Lephas marvelled.
“I'm forever indebted to him.”
“I can check on him when we go to break out Haros. I wouldn't be opposed to trying to bring him back with us.”
“You sound so confident. It took me twenty-six years to escape that castle and yet you talk easily of walking right in and freeing your friend.” Lori paused, the most important question burning on her tongue. “How difficult would it be to get my sisters out?”
Lephas' face turned grim. “Kidnapping not one, but both of Lazuli's remaining daughters? That’s a pretty tall order. No doubt he's increased the security measures around them since you managed to escape.”
I understand, but you have no idea how much I worry about them,” Lori replied sadly.
“I may have an inkling.”
“Of course - Haros. I know you worry for him, but my sisters... We've spent our entire lives together. They're all I've got. I've never been apart from them this long. Just thinking about them, still trapped inside that castle–” Lori felt hot tears well up in her eyes. She swallowed, looking away quickly and willed the emotion to recede.
“Hey, hey...” Lephas soothed. He stopped walking and pulled her in to him by the hand he held tightly. “Try not to get upset.”
“I'm sorry, I...” Lori sighed heavily, biting her lip to keep it from trembling.
“It's been a really tough couple of days. Let’s try to stay positive. We can only take it a day at a time. We’ll get out of this forest, back to Banesteppe and then worry about these things. We can't do anything about it right now, can we?”
“No, you're right. Sorry.” Lori nodded determinedly, steeling herself with a shake.
“I know, I understand. Let's just keep walking and try to forget about it for now.” Lephas grasped her shoulders and turned her around.
They continued in silence for a few minutes before the demon spoke again.
“You know, I can't stop thinking about last night.”
Lori faltered and tripped over her own boot. She looked up at him curiously but he avoided her gaze. His handsome face had begun to grow steadily pink. Lori smiled, she loved it when he got embarrassed like that.
She knew he was only telling her because he wanted to take her mind off her sisters, but excitement fizzed in her belly nonetheless.
“Me either,” she said.
“I can't quite actually believe it happened. Things like this don't ever happen to me.” Lephas laughed awkwardly.
“Pft, now I know you're making that up,” Lori scoffed.
“No, really.”
“But you're gorgeous. Surely you have your pick of the demon girls back at home?” She countered, genuinely surprised.
Lephas groaned, smiling despite his face flushing further. “Are you trying to embarrass me? Because it's working.”
“It just surprises me, that's all. Men who look like you aren't known for being short of female companionship.” Lori paused. “Not that I've ever met a man like you. They're in considerable short supply in Awrelwood.”
“Well, I must be an oddity then.” The demon rubbed the back of his neck.
“How many women have you slept with?” Lori asked brashly. She would have usually hedged around the topic a little longer, but his embarrassment was addictive. She loved getting a rise out of him.
“What kind of question is that?” he asked incredulously.
Lori shrugged. “You say you're not that popular with women, but that's all relative, isn't it? You may think only bedding one woman a week is a dry patch, or maybe you've never been with a woman–”
Lori snorted at the appalled scowl that earned her as Lephas finally met her gaze.
“Alright, so maybe not to that extent.” She put her palms up apologetically.
“Give me some credit.”
“So, how many is it then?”
“Does it really matter?”
“Not at all. Even if you had been a virgin–” The princess laughed aloud at the insulted look he shot her once more. “Which, obviously, you're not. It wouldn't matter at all, I'm just curious.”
The demon didn't answer her, just cleared his throat.
“One?” Lori paused, awaiting a reaction.
“I'm not telling you,” he argued, turning his face away.
“Fifty?” She pushed further, laughter barely contained when he groaned.
“You're not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope. Ten?”
There was a heavy pause.
“Four, alright?”
“Four? Making me lucky number five?” she clarified.
“You don't count. We haven't had sex,” Lephas retorted.
“Yet,” Lori replied simply and enjoyed the long thoughtful pause that followed. She smirked, sensing the demon's ever-growing embarrassment.
Her stomach squeezed nervously. Should she have put that out there so soon? She didn't want to come across as too forward.
“You, uh... You want to, then?” Lephas’s dark eyes flicked over her.
“I wouldn't say no.” Lori felt her own cheeks flaring with a hot blush.
“Have you, y'know... Before?” he asked dumbly. Though it wasn't a full sentence, the princess knew exactly what he was implying.
“Yes, but only twice.” She tugged her hood down further over her head and hid her face inside.
“Twice, as in two people or...?”
“Two people, but also only twice. Once each!” She laughed awkwardly.
There was another long thoughtful pause.
“My four isn't only four times that I've actually... You know that, right? It's significantly more individual times than that,” the demon explained hastily and ran his hand over one of his horns.
Lori bit her lip. Why had she started this conversation? She mentally chastised herself. “I figured.”
They walked in silence once more. Lori tried to concentrate on the creaking of the snow underfoot and ignore her heart fluttering nervously in her chest.
“...Fuck, now I really can't stop thinking about it,” Lephas groaned beside her.
Lori laughed, smiling shyly at the demon. He returned it briefly before looking away again. His bashfulness really was so endearing.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“The snow is really starting to come down again.” The faerie looked up into the sky and blinked her eyelashes against the onslaught of snowflakes.
They had been walking for hours. Lephas's ribcage ached him constantly and he had long since begun feeling the familiar burning of exhaustion in his muscles.
He knew they were going to need to stop again, but they hadn't made nearly enough progress. Though he wasn't completely clear on where they were, if his instincts
were accurate they still had a fair hike ahead of them until they could double-back on themselves towards the main road.
He frowned with frustration He wasn't used to being the weak-link - the reason why the journey was taking longer than it should. He winced as one of his feet slid slightly in the snow, jostling the painful fracture.
“We should start looking for somewhere to camp up,” Lephas said.
The ground here was uneven, covered in dense shrubbery and brambles. He had released the faerie's hand so they could walk single-file through the undergrowth. Though they mostly managed to pick their way through it, following animal trails, it was going to be difficult to find a flat, open spot to be able to erect the lean-to.
It was rockier here, Lephas noticed. The ground beneath the snow had grown steadily harder and had become more difficult to traverse. Lori had nearly lost her footing several times already. They must be near the base of the cliff again.
He knew from his previous surveying of the forests around Banesteppe that there was a deep fissure running through the land. Eons ago, the ground had fractured, slipping away from itself and causing that steep cliff he and Lori had thrown themselves off. It ran the length of the countryside.
“I'm no expert, but I don't see many options.” Lori glanced around.
“It's a difficult area to camp in, that's for sure.” Lephas halted briefly. It wasn't helped by the thick snow falling. The visibility was so poor, he couldn't see clearly ahead which made it even more difficult to try to find a suitable resting spot.
The faerie behind him wasn't paying attention. She crashed into the back of him, unaware that he had stopped walking. She yelped in surprise, jostling them forward with the impact.
“Steady.” Lephas teased and fought not to lose his footing.
“Sorry! I was too busy looking over there.” The princess pointed across the forest. Lephas turned his attention to the direction she was indicating. “Is that a cave?”
Relief flooded him.
“Yes, it is. Well spotted.” He turned to grin at the girl.
Lori's face glowed happily back at him from underneath her hood, revelling in his praise.
“We'll have to fight our way into the brambles to get at it.” Lephas began pushing his way through, stamping down on the coarse branches in an attempt to clear a path, immensely glad his thick leathers protected him from the worst of the thorns.
“Ouch!” Lori yelped. The demon glanced over his shoulder. The girl's smaller frame was swamped as she pushed her way through to follow him. The fur on her jacket caught on sharp spines at every turn.
“Here, I’ll carry you over the worst of it.” He reached for her.
“No, you can't. Your rib–”
“It'll be fine, it's only a short distance.” Lephas shook his head, gesturing her closer.
Ignoring the splintering pain in his chest, he swept an arm under her legs taking her feet from the ground and slung her unceremoniously up over his shoulder.
The princess groaned but held still, compliant.
Lephas fought on, pushing his way through the thorns. He ached all over, but his spirits were lifted. You couldn't ask for a better shelter for the night than a cave - provided it was unoccupied. He would have to check that out, before they got too comfortable.
Inside the cover of a cave, he could light a proper fire to warm them up and wouldn't have to struggle to erect that blasted lean-to again. It really was a blessing.
Fighting with renewed vigour, they arrived at the dark mouth of the cave quickly. He slipped Lori from his shoulder into his arms.
“Are you going to carry me across the threshold like newlyweds?” She teased, throwing her arms dramatically around his neck.
Lephas rolled his eyes and released her, carefully placing her back on her feet. “You're ridiculous. I need to make sure there's no one else in this cave before we hunker down for the night.” “You're no fun!”
“Stay here,” the demon instructed and cautiously stepped into the cave entrance with his hand resting on his sword’s hilt. He had to stoop a little to get in, but as he shuffled deeper the cave widened and allowed him to stand easily.
So far so good. He scanned the floor of the cave for droppings or any other signs of animal activity. It was dark and gloomy but Lephas, like many demons, had good night vision.
The narrow entrance opened up into a large cavern. Daylight speared in from a crack in the high ceiling above, perfect for ventilating the smoke of a fire. Lephas couldn't believe their luck.
He scouted around the cavity. There were animal bones littered across the floor – lots of them – but they were old and bleached. A faint pungent musky smell hung in the air.
Bears. He would recognise it anywhere.
Lephas cautiously glanced around for more clues. The floor of the cave was covered in thick dried ferns and plant life that the bear had dragged in for bedding. It was undisturbed and had been vacant for some time.
The cave was unoccupied but it had once been the cosy den to a bear – a large one, judging by the bone size of the prey it had carried back here with it.
Lephas would have to keep his wits about him. Where there was a den, albeit old and unused, there were always bears.
He walked back out to the entrance.
“It's safe, come on.” He gestured Lori inside and she followed him eagerly.
“Wow, it's huge back here,” she exclaimed as he led her into the cavern.
“Plenty of space to light a fire and camp up for the night,” Lephas agreed with a relieved sigh. The dried foliage the bear had used for bedding would make lighting a fire easy. It was just what he needed after an arduous day.
The pair didn't waste any time settling in. Lephas quickly unbuckled his sword and got to his knees. He carefully assembled a fire, making sure to brush the plant life away to a safe distance.
Lori started unpacking their belongings. She laid the travel mattress down just away from the fire and placed the woollen blanket, still folded, at one end.
“I need to get about twenty or so small rocks to surround this fire, just in case it has any ideas of spreading.” Lephas said, brushing his hands off and preparing to get to his feet.
“You stay here, I'll get them.” Lori offered, striding away to the cave's entrance.
“Are you sure, I don't–”
“You look exhausted, you need to rest,” she interrupted. “There were plenty of rocks just outside, I won't be long.”
Lephas felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. Since when had she started taking care of him? He watched the faerie's small frame exit the cave.
The girl continued to surprise him at every turn. Though there was no doubt she was completely clueless about survival, he had to admit she wasn't the prissy princess he had expected. Lori had generally mucked in with him as much as she had been able to, assisting with anything he asked.
The only thing he'd actually seen her shy away from so far was that rabbit. He smirked.
The commander got to his knees, removed his gloves and untied the second rabbit from his pack. Seeing as his partner was out collecting rocks for him, he figured he might as well start dressing the rabbit.
His partner? Lephas shook himself. For possibly the thousandth time that day, the demon's thoughts turned heated.
He could no longer deny his interest in the princess and she had made her attraction for him more than clear – hell, she had out and out offered to sleep with him. The demon’s stomach churned.
He had never been any good at reading 'the signals' from women and he appreciated her straightforward nature, but he hadn't been lying when he had told her he wasn't used to it. Lephas had never met a woman who had been so upfront and bold with her intentions. It was ironic really, as Lori clearly wasn’t sexually experienced.
He could have sex with her tonight if he wanted, he realised with a start.
The cave would provide much more shelter than they’d had over the previous nights. Lephas might b
e able to actually get her at least partially undressed without fear of her freezing, provided they stayed near the fire.
He might finally get to see those frilly undergarments. In his mind's eye, they were pink but he burned with curiosity to know for certain. More importantly, he would also get to see what was underneath them. He felt his nethers twitch at the thought.
Lephas shifted uncomfortably. He didn't resent not having got any action himself so far, but he couldn't deny how badly he wanted the release now.
It had been a long while – too long – since he had last been with a woman and the commander had been tormenting himself with images of Lori's pleasure from the night before all day. His body was more than primed.
He couldn't wait to get those thighs parted, to stroke and kiss her pretty little–
“Hey, are these alright? Not too small?” Lori interrupted.
Lephas startled guiltily and his knife clattered to the floor. The demon felt his face growing hotter.
“I, uh, yeah,” he spluttered, snatching the blade back quickly. Lori cast him a confused look.
“They are too small, or they're fine?” she asked, holding a rock out for his inspection.
“Sorry, yes, they're great.” He nodded, busying himself with the rabbit in his hands. He couldn't bring himself to look at her.
Lori dropped the armful of rocks near the partially assembled fire. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. I was lost in thought and you just startled me, that's all.”
“What about?” the princess asked curiously, dusting off her gloves.
Eating you, like a fucking buffet...
“Nothing,” he replied quickly, keeping his eyes downcast.
“You were lost in thought, thinking about nothing?” Lori pressed, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes,” he said, wishing for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
“Hm.” Lori was clearly unconvinced.
He pleaded silently that she would let the topic slide. He didn't think he could handle any more embarrassment for one day.
“Is there anything else I can do to help?” she eventually asked.
“Uh, you could put those rocks in a circle around the fire? Nice and tight, with no breaks. It'll stop it accidentally catching alight anywhere we don't want it to go.” He nodded in the direction of the small patch he had cleared on the floor of the cave.