Arya

The man watches the approaching figure with a narrowed gaze at first.

Then, recognition clouds his features and he falls on his face.

"Why were you bullying my baby here?"

Cursing in both pain and anger, I start walking away.

The man drops dead.

I stop moving. A gasp escapes me.

The women begin screaming and wailing.

As soon as Fang glances at them, they all fall silent.

Women grip their children close to their sides while they retreat.

Fang turns away from them, a devilish grin on her face.

I return my attention to the lifeless man on the ground. His eyes are wide in shock.

Fang crouches down beside him and closes them.

"Why the hell did you kill him?"

She raises an eyebrow. "I didn't like the way he was talking to you."

I step forward until I can feel her breath on my face.

"Even if he raped me, you don't have the right to kill him. I'm not your responsibility, find some other person."

Her eyes flash. She grins.

"I've never seen this side of you."

"That's because I'm sick of you!"

She grabs my jaw quickly, her talons growing into my skin.

Her smile is still intact but her eyes are fiery coals.

"No one should lay a hand on you." She says through gritted teeth. "Not him. Not Xian Xi. Not Claw. Not that pathetic earthling you were with."

Then she releases me. I stumble backward, gasping for breath.

The pain at my side claws at me, eating me from within.

"I didn't realize your injury was this bad."

She offers a hand. I swat it away.

"Let me heal you."

I glare at her. "And bond me to you even more in the process."

The town people are watching our display from a distance.

Fang follows the direction of my gaze.

"It'll make you feel better if you kill them."

"What?"

"They whispering about you. Haven't you ever wanted to put people in their places - even if it's six feet underground?"

I ponder her question.

"Indeed, I have."

"Yourself doesn't count."

"You."

Her eyes go wide with disbelief.

"Let's go. We'll take about this later." She moves to grab my arm.

I jerk away.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

Her eyes flare. "They're watching. Are you trying to embarrass me in front the people watching. If that's your intention, they'll share the same fate with this man." She indicates the man on the ground.

I gulp.

"Why can't you keep things between us?"

It's her turn to draw near. She smells like wind and forest and… sea.

"All this bright sunlight hurts my eyes." She murmurs, shielding her eyes.

Her gaze rests on mine. Her eyes look like glowing embers.

"Because, that's the only way to get to you - your pathetic heart."

She doesn't blink. Not once.

Unable to hold her gaze, I look away.

She caresses my injured side gently.

"Poor baby." She mutters.

My limbs refuse to move.

"Don't touch me!"

Her hands still.

Then she sinks her talons through the skin of my side.

I cry out in pain at the unexpected invasion. She twists her hands.

Blood spills down my side.

Weak, I fall on her. She supports my weight.

I gasp into her shoulder.

"You're making me hurt you. I just want to talk to you." She whispers into my ear.

Fang smooths my hair as if I'm some helpless little girl.

I sputter blood, staining her beautiful garment.

"There, there."

We disappear in a screen of fire.

—

She lays me down gently on a bed. A teapot simmers at the side. I rise up slowly, taking in the room in one sweep.

It's. A large room with an antechamber.

The drapes are drawn, leaving the room in shadows.

A well-crafted table lies at the centre of the room, carrying several scrolls and inkwells.

I lean forward. The cover slides down to my waist.

I immediately cover myself. I'm wearing nothing.

A pretty lady walks into the room. Her head is bowed respectfully, a polite smile plastered on her rosy face.

She is wearing a pink silk robe with her hair pinned up fashionably.

When she meets my gaze, she smiles.

"I've brought you freshly pressed robes, my lady." She says, holding up the garments in her outstretched hands.

I instinctively touch my injured side. There's no longer an injury. It doesn't even hurt anymore.

The last time I was healed, I had lost something in return - my demon side. What did she take from me?

"I have been asked to bathe you, my lady. Please allow me to assist you."

I glance around, confused.

Where am I?

She looks around the room, wondering what I must be staring at.

"Where is this?" I ask, unable to hold my curiosity.

Shcoked by my question, she stifles a gasp.

"This is the King's Courthouse." She colours as she speaks, instantly averting her eyes.

I look down. The protective cover I had wrapped around myself slipped, exposing one of my breasts.

"What King?"

She sets the garments down on the nearest table and pulls the drapes aside.

"The King of Vadi." She answers.

The shock in her voice is unmistakeable.

The main door opens, heralding several girls in similar attire. All their heads remain bowed as they set down a steaming bath tub in the center of the room.

They acknowledge my presence with curtsies and file out of the room as quietly as they had come in.

Four. They had been four.

The scent of the water wafts toward me. It reeks of something sweet and alluring.

What are they doing to me? Where the hell am I?

She cautiously approaches the bed - as if I'm a bad-tempered dog without a leash.

"Do you need assistance?" She asks, her voice low.

I stare at her outstretched hand. They are pale and well-manicured.

"Where is Fang?"

Her face pales. She instantly withdraws her hand, clutching the folds of her robe nervously.

"You must not say her name." She mumbles.

I'm surprised she even knows who I'm referring to.

"Where is she?"

She gulps. Her gaze remains glued to the floor.

"In the King's chamber." Then, as an afterthought, she adds, "With the King."

She knows the King of this place? Of course she does!

My mind wanders to what she might be doing, but I manage to return my attention to the current situation.

The steaming bath.

The pretty attendant.

The furnished room.

This is all very unusual.

"Would you like to have some tea first? I can arrange for cakes if you'd like some."

I shake my head.

"Can you leave me alone for a moment?" I ask, forcing a polite smile.

Her gaze narrows slightly, but she just nods.

She curtsies and leaves the room in a flurry of fabric.

I watch her leave.

As soon as the double doors click in place, I roll the covers off my body and slide out of the bed.

I have to find a way and get out of this place.

I catch sight of my reflection on a metal plate. The mark on my neck glares back at me.

My face is smudged with dirt, my hair messy.

I move stealthily to the other end of the room, snatching up the fresh robes she had brought.

No more flimsy muslin. This may not be leather, but it can withstand some unfavourable conditions.

I put them on swiftly, tieing the knots clumsily.

I head over to the steaming water and dip my hands into it. It's scalding.

I scrub my hands and feet, then my face.

I dry my face with the bed sheets.

A pair of fancy slippers lies by the door.

I would have appreciated sturdy leather boots, but as it stands, anything is better than nothing.

Scrambling through the forest barefooted is something I never want to go through again.

After putting on the slippers, I rush to the window.

The fall is not a long one, neither is it a safe one. Guards are scattered below, wearing chainmail and helmets with red flags at the tops.

There's no way I would be able to escape unseen.

I rush to the window at the other side of the room.

There are fewer guards at this side, but the risk is still glaring. I won't be able to tackle them or evade them.

I glance upward.

The parapets lie above me. If I could climb up, I would be able to get a better view of my surroundings.

I hold on to the window sill and slip one leg out.

Someone knocks at the door.

Oh no.

I don't have much time. The person says something, but it is muffled through the thick oak.

Then, the door slips open a crack.

Taking my queue, I jump down, my robe flailing every which way.

This is risky, but it woupd be a lot more risky if I remain in Fang's custody.

As it is, I don't even know if my thoughts are my own.

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