Hestaesia: Lost in Love

by K. L. Thorne

  She didn't doubt Lephas's physical attraction to her - he had made that more than clear to her - but she wanted more than that.

  Her chest ached, just thinking about the possibility that this was all 'just for fun'.

  The demon's breaths grew deep and even. He was falling asleep. She closed her own eyes, listening to the fire crackling, and trying to put her concerns to the back of her mind.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The eerie sound of howling winds woke Lephas from sleep. Their fire from the night before was long since extinguished. He stretched out, his limbs heavy from the cold.

  Lori was curled against him with the hood of her fur coat up over her head. He watched her silently; her beautiful blue eyes were vacant, lost in thought. How long had she been awake?

  Nothing about her expression gave her away. Lephas swallowed, eager to know how she was feeling about the previous night's events.

  With a flash of embarrassment, he recalled the mess he had made all over her. The demon's stomach churned and he hoped it hadn't been a distasteful step too far for the princess. She hadn't appeared to have minded at the time but things always seemed different in the light of day. Was she already regretting it?

  Lephas cleared his throat, drawing Lori's attention.

  “Good morning.” She smiled tightly, but the emotion didn’t reach her eyes.

  Oh no... Something was wrong.

  “Hi,” he replied simply, trying not to show his growing anxiety.

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “Like a log,” Lephas responded, punctuating his statement with a yawn. He covered it with his fist. “Have you been awake long?”

  “A little while,” she mumbled, quickly getting to her knees. The wind whipped at the entrance of the cave, whistling angrily.

  Lephas felt his face turn down into a grimace. “The weather doesn't sound too good out there.”

  “I know,” Lori agreed. The demon watched as she pulled her hood down, untied her hair from a messy bun and re-braided it. He would never tire of watching her playing with her hair.

  “That's going to make today more challenging.” He shook his head, cautiously heaving himself up. Although his injury protested, he managed to get to his feet reasonably easily.

  “Great,” Lori sighed irritably.

  Lephas stood awkwardly and desperately glanced around the cave for something to occupy him. The faerie wasn't happy about something, that much was clear. A knot formed in his stomach.

  He busied himself with folding up the woollen blanket and packing it back into the bag. Lori still sat on the mattress, so he left that down for the moment.

  “Oh damn, we forgot to take the pot out of the fire,” he mumbled, picking up the metal container. The water within had been boiled dry.

  “Well, we were very distracted.” Lori shot him a sultry smile that made his pulse race.

  So, she wasn't too upset about the sexual nature of the night before. Lephas swallowed, silently relieved.

  He realised that even in the short time he had known Lori, he had become familiar with her character. He had begun to easily recognise behaviour that was unusual for her – he had seen her happy, angry, sad... But he had never seen like this. The commander couldn't make heads nor tails of it. Something else was definitely bothering her.

  “Yeah.” He smiled back at her and dropped the metal pot back into the bag along with the blanket.

  “How much further do we have to walk, do you think?” Lori asked, finishing her braid. She turned her attention to the mattress and began rolling it up neatly.

  “It's only an estimate, but before the weather turned I would have said a day or two. Now? I really don't know. We'll have to take it a step at a time and see how we go.” He shrugged.

  “Could we just stay here until it calms down out there?” she asked.

  Lephas shook his head. “Tempting, but every day we stay out here, the weaker and more exhausted we get. Besides, we need to keep moving. The longer we stay in one place, the more likely it is that your father's men will catch up with us.”

  Lori shivered and nodded in agreement. She strapped the mattress to his bag.

  “Here... They're cold, but it's better than nothing.” Lephas stooped and picked up the remaining cuts of rabbit meat from the night before that he had saved.

  The faerie took his offering and began chewing her way through the tough meat. Her eyes glazed over and her expression turned vacant, deep in thought once again.

  Lephas swallowed his mouthful.

  “Is everything alright this morning?” he asked. “You seem quiet.”

  “Oh, yeah. I'm fine.” Lori shot him another tight smile.

  He shook his head. “I'm not buying it. Something is wrong.”

  “I'm just tired.”

  Though Lephas fought to contain it, he felt emotion bubbling up in his chest. Even as a lad, he had always hated the thought of the people he cared about being upset or mad at him.

  “Was, uh... Was last night too much?” he asked, avoiding looking at the princess.

  “No!” she exclaimed. “Only in the sense that it was almost too good.”

  The demon felt a wave of relief, yet still concern ate at him. He allowed a long silence whilst he chewed. Before he had the chance to probe further, Lori finally spoke.

  “I've just... Oh, it doesn't matter.”

  “No, go on – I want to know.” He encouraged her.

  “It's silly, really.” Lori shook her head.

  “Try me.”

  There was a pause. This time, it was the princess's turn to avoid his gaze. She pressed her lips together nervously.

  “Please tell me. I'll be worrying about it all day otherwise.” Lephas shot her an apologetic smile.

  “I've just been wondering... I mean, we've been intimate now and I guess I just, um, I'm wondering whether it's just a casual thing or...?” Lori's face flushed.

  “Oh.” Lephas replied, lost for words.

  It was hard to deny the feelings he had swiftly developed for the small faerie. Even before he'd had the great fortune of meeting her, he wasn’t the sort of man to covet a casual fling. He supposed that was probably the main reason he had significantly less notches in his bed post than most of his friends.

  Lephas had to be honest, their unique situation had been on his mind too. It was complicated. Lori was, after all, still a prisoner of war. He was still charged by his king to return her safely to him in order for her to undergo questioning. An uncomfortable hollow feeling crept its way into his chest every time he thought about it.

  When they returned to Banesteppe, Zelrus would expect him to hand the princess over and put her in a cell. He didn't need to consider it to know he would struggle to do that to her.

  He wanted nothing more than to be able to return to Banesteppe with her and just pick up his normal day-to-day life, albeit greatly enhanced with her beautiful presence, but he knew that was an impossibility.

  “I... don't know,” he answered honestly. A sorrowful expression flickered across Lori's face, cutting him like a knife.

  “I didn't mean I don't know about you.” He hurriedly backtracked. “This isn't a quick fling. I... Like you. A lot.”

  “I like you a lot too.” The faerie's face softened into a shy smile.

  Lephas sighed, trying to ignore how his cheeks threatened to flare into a blush yet again. “Well, that's good. But it's complicated.”

  “No shit.” Lori snorted.

  “I don't know what will happen when we get back to Banesteppe,” he explained. “You're my charge. I've already gotten myself into a lot of trouble just with what I've done so far.”

  The princess smirked knowingly and Lephas rolled his eyes exasperatedly with a short laugh.

  “Zelrus isn't just the boss. He's the king,” he continued. “It's not as simple as just disobeying him. I don't know whether he would understand.”

  “You said he's a kind demon, right? Would he really punish us for fal
ling in like with one another?” Lori looked at him hopefully.

  “Falling in like?” The demon laughed. “You're a real fruitcake, you know that?”

  “I have been told once or twice.” Lori grinned.

  “Look, I want to have all the answers for you but I don't know what will happen when we get back.”

  “I guess.” The faerie paused thoughtfully. “We'll figure it out. I'm just glad to hear this isn’t a casual fling to you either.”

  Lephas shook his head. “That’s just not who I am.” He was immensely relieved to see the unsettling vacant look lift from the princess' face. “Was that really all you were worried about?”

  “Well, yeah.” Lori shrugged. She got to her feet and brushed herself off. “I decided after last night's stunning performance that you're stuck with me, whether you like it or not. Obviously, I would prefer you like it but–”

  “I like it very much,” the demon interrupted.

  “The feeling is mutual.” She took a few steps towards him, reaching out to rest her palms on his hips. The faerie brought their bodies together and Lephas automatically stooped to capture her mouth in a soft, passionate kiss.

  It felt strange to be making a full conscious decision to kiss the faerie in the daylight. It felt real.

  Lephas' heart sped up and he kissed her harder. If he allowed himself to forget all the complications between them, it felt so raw and natural to be like this with Lori.

  She kissed him back and he swore he could almost sense the shift in emotion within her embrace. It was new and exciting, yet comfortable and familiar – all at the same time.

  He was in deep trouble.

  With little warning, Lori leapt up into his arms. Lephas reacted quickly. He ignored the stabbing pain in his side, seamlessly capturing her weight under her bottom. The faerie wrapped her legs around his waist and draped her arms around his neck.

  “Are we in a rush to get out into that snow?” Lori asked between kisses.

  “Definitely not.”

  The faerie didn't reply, just smiled and kissed him again.

  ∞∞∞

  “Come on, slow-poke!” Lephas shouted playfully over his shoulder through the onslaught of snow. The storm pelted against him, any exposed skin stinging from the impact. He tucked his chin down and hid behind the woollen scarf covering his face.

  “Give me a break, this is all your fault!” Lori shouted back, stumbling in the deep snow. “My legs are still like jelly from earlier.”

  Lephas's chest puffed with pride. Though they were later leaving the cave than he would have liked, he couldn't bring himself to regret spending the morning with his mouth between the princess's thighs. She had been even more delightfully responsive without the effect of the alcohol.

  His mind turned to the half-full bottle back in the cave; the one he had deliberately forgotten to pack.

  Lephas wondered, should they be fortunate enough to find a suitable camping spot later this evening, if Lori would be keen to officially take their relationship to the next level.

  After all that was what it was now, he realised with a start, a relationship. They had admitted they had feelings for one another and whilst there were still a lot of wrinkles to iron out, the demon couldn't deny the happiness that had taken root in his chest.

  It may have been the most complicated relationship he had ever entered into, but he had no doubt it was also the most exciting too. Lephas was becoming increasingly keen to get her pretty little body beneath him.

  Lori had proven herself to be a sensitive, reactive lover so far. Curiosity ate at him to find out if that held true when he was inside her too. He shuddered.

  “Hey, Dummy!”

  The demon felt a snowball hit the back of his head. He spun and shot a playfully accusing glare at the female trudging behind him. Lephas was greatly relieved the majority of his face was hidden behind his scarf. He felt for sure his face would betray his lewd train of thought.

  “A little help here?” Lori held out her hand for assistance as she struggled to free herself from a particularly deep snow drift.

  Lephas fought a grin but held his hand out to her dutifully. Once she had a tight hold, he pulled hard against her. The faerie flew free from the snow with ease, sending them both sprawling backwards across the snow.

  Lori tugged the fur snood down from her face for a moment, laughing and gasping for air. Lephas winced as pain from his rib shoot up his back and he fought to keep from laughing too hard.

  They both struggled to right themselves, floundering in the deep snow.

  Naturally, Lephas was first back to his feet. He held a hand out for Lori and helped her backup.

  “This weather is ridiculous!” she shouted and huddled closer to him. The demon tried to use his big body to shield the worst of it from her.

  “I know, but we need to keep going.” He pulled his scarf down and leant in to press a brief kiss against Lori's exposed mouth. The tip of her nose was like an ice against his cheek. He grasped the material of the snood and pulled it up, covering her face before replacing his own.

  Hand in hand, they continued to trudge slowly forward. The snow storm swirled angrily around them, blustering snow into their eyes.

  They had only been walking for maybe an hour or two, but Lephas was already beginning to tire. As he had predicted, the lack of food and proper sleep was beginning to take its toll. He didn't doubt that his tiny companion was feeling the effects tenfold. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

  The wind howled around them, so loudly it was almost a deep, growling noise. Wait...

  Suddenly his arm met with resistance and Lephas glanced questioningly at the faerie. She was frozen still, her azure eyes wide with fear and fixed on something in the distance.

  The demon turned, following her eye line. His heart stopped.

  A large, dark shape loomed through the thick, blustering snow fall. It growled, so low and deep Lephas swore the ground shook.

  A sable bear.

  It was too late to hide. The creature had already seen them. Its dark eyes regarded them curiously and it snarled, lips curling back from large, yellowed incisors.

  “Lephas,” Lori whispered, her voice shook.

  “Stay still,” he commanded, slowly side-stepping to bring himself in front of her. “Don't move until I tell you to.”

  The bear took a few heavy steps forward and sniffed the frozen air.

  Lephas lowered his hand to the sword at his side. His heart pounded as adrenaline burnt like fire through his veins.

  “No. Let's just run.” Lori cried softly, clearly seeing his readiness to fight.

  The bear stepped forward a few more paces and stood its huge body up on two legs, roaring aggressively.

  “Shit,” Lephas hissed, not taking his eyes off the bear. He threw a hand back and shoved the faerie firmly. “Run... Run!”

  The girl obediently turned and began sprinting as fast as she could manage through the snow.

  The bear dropped down to all fours once more. Its vast, hulking frame burst into a charge. The commander freed his sword.

  “Lephas!” Lori screamed from behind him as she realised he hadn't run with her.

  The demon stood his ground, breathing deeply and his vision tunnelling as he watched the monstrous creature barrelling towards him through the undergrowth.

  As it reached him, Lephas dived to the side, narrowly missing the bear as it lurched forward with its sharp teeth. Turning mid-movement, he drove his sword into the animal and buried the blade into its thick, meaty shoulder muscle.

  The bear roared in pain, losing its footing and crashing to a halt. Snow, dirtied with earth and blood sprayed over him.

  With a brutal tug, Lephas freed his sword from the bear's flesh. He brought the weapon up just in time to parry a brutal blow from a giant paw.

  The demon clenched his teeth as his bones jarred under the enormous strength of the animal. With all his might, he pushed back against it. It was just enough to da
rt away before the bear slammed its sharp claws down into the snow.

  The strong coppery tang of blood hung heavily in the air, enraging the beast further. Quicker than Lephas had thought possible, the huge bear was on its feet and launching itself at him once more.

  He slashed out at the creature again. This time the bear anticipated his strike and feinted cleverly away from his sword. The blade whistled through the air as he missed his target.

  Lephas barely had time to think before the bear stood and brought both of its big paws down on him. He flung his sword between them, grasping both ends of the weapon in his gloved hands. The creature's claws caught on the edge of the sword and, gaining purchase, it fought down with all its strength.

  The demon fell onto his back foot as he steadied himself. His biceps burnt as he matched the bear in a battle of strength, one on one. Though he shook violently with effort, Lephas' strong body held.

  It lasted but a moment. The commander darted skilfully away and the bear's paws crashed down inches from him once more.

  Lephas panted, the ice-cold air burning in his chest. He glanced around hurriedly in search of Lori, but he couldn't see her. Snowflakes continued to pelt at him, stinging his eyes.

  The sable bear rebounded and roared as it threw itself towards him. Lephas raised his sword to block the onslaught but the creature recoiled at the last second.

  The demon stumbled forward, wrong footed, and the bear struck.

  He wasn't even aware that the animal had caught him until Lori's blood-curdling scream pierced through the storm.

  “No!”

  Lephas roared in pain as the bear's huge mouth encased the forearm he had thrown up to protect himself. The sharp teeth crumpled his armoured plate like paper and pierced through his flesh.

  The creature dragged him to the ground roughly. Unthinking and blinded by white hot pain, Lephas viciously struck forward with his free sword arm. The blade lodged itself in the bear's thick neck muscle, but not nearly deep enough to reach any of the vital arteries.