Eliana is unable to look the Chief in the eye as she sits across from him. The tent that they are in, is much larger than the one Jasper is resting in. There is a large bed and on the other side, stock piles of provisions."How am I going to get out of here," she ponders to herself."Do not be frightened, young woman. I do not bite," the Chief grins.Hiding the shiver nipping at her neck, Eliana swallows roughly. "I would like to thank you for allowing us to stay, while Jasper heals.""Ah, but of course. The Darcy's are still a part of my clan. You on the other hand, are not."She bites back a whimper, "I know, and I am terribly sorry for the intrusion."The Chief leans back in his chair, "It is perfect timing, truly. That the Princess of Drein appears at my door at the same moment as Climont troops invade my territory.""W-what are you talking about?" Tears begin to blind her, as fear builds in her chest. Eliana's body begins to quiver.Scoffing, he sneers, "Oh come now. I hav
Eliana sits on the small cot, her mind zoning out. "Am I not even allowed to go check on Jasper?" The thought of him has her entire body crying out with anguish.Tears blind her, even though there is nothing to even look at, in this small structure."I wonder if Evyn will tell mama Beatrice and papa Conrad about the Chief meeting with me.""Milady," a voice breaks through her reverie and she locks eyes with the clan's healer. He bows his head. "I have come to tend to you. I must look at your ankle."He places a few sacks of unknown substances on a small table."May I," he shows his hands, palms up, waiting for approval.Eliana only nods, her heart tightening with anxiety. He approaches slowly, his long hair swaying with his movements."How does he treat his wives" she blurts out as the healer kneels down in front of her.He is taken aback momentarily, his dark eyes widening. As they sit in silence for a while, his shoulders finally begin to relax. "The Chief is very kind to his
Making it to the border of Murduk and Climont turns out to be more difficult than Olisnia originally believed. Every village she passes, or citizen she meets, is able to tell who, what, she is.Even the farming town that she now enters. She is just a few miles from the border of Murduk, but exhaustion is taking its hold of her. Every individual she passes halts all movement, watching her. Their gazes are filled with distrust, and mostly fear.Living on the Hemrick Islands for most of her life, Olisnia does not have the experience with humans and their distrust of anyone different."Stop right there Drulian."The rough voice of an older man calls out to her. The gravelly tone to his words causes irritation to build in her chest."Such disrespect," she sighs, outloud."This is Climont, Drulians are outlawed in this country. Your wicked magic is outlawed here." The man's face is contorted with disgust."I am passing through," Olisnia states harshly. She breathes in slowly in order
Jasper's shoulders dip at her response. His heart warms, "Thank you," he says under his breath.It takes a moment for him to realize the position they are in. Eliana is so close to him, that the heat of her body causes his skin to itch. Every nerve stands on end, wanting to get closer. He opens his mouth to speak once more, his gaze lingering on her lips as she bites it. He slides his hand from her cheek to the back of her head, and then is reminded of his mother's words."It does not matter what you feel, she is a human. It will never work between the two of you. You are from two different worlds."Swallowing all of his emotions, Jasper steps away, reluctantly, "You should change out of that. It will be hard to maneuver through the trees."Eliana glances down at herself before looking at her other set of clothes, "Uh, I was helped into this dress." She murmurs, her ears turning a bright red.Jasper watches her for a moment, lost in her image, before he understands what she has sa
Fear is what fuels Eliana, forcing her to accelerate her movements through the forest. She clenches her teeth in order to hide her pain, her ankle pulsing up her leg. She has her hair tied up, in order to keep it away from the branches jutting out."Hurry," Jasper hisses. "We need to put as much distance between us and Viptan as possible."Eliana tries to pick up her pace, but her weak ankle protests. "I'm sorry," she gasps.Jasper comes to a halt, giving her a moment to rest."Here, get on my back," he crouches in front of her, his large frame waiting.Heat builds in her abdomen. Eliana shakes her head, even though he is unable to see it."No, I can keep going.""Don't be stubborn. Your ankle is only going to get worse if you continue pushing it." He clears his throat, "The trees are becoming too dense, otherwise I would shift and carry you like that. This is our only option.""But you are still healing," she counters.Jasper shrugs, "I am alright. I can do this easily. Now h
"You need to constantly keep your weight grounded," Jasper explains, tapping his own waist for emphasize.Eliana nods, spreading her legs slightly so that they are roughly shoulder length apart. She takes turns putting pressure on each side. Her ankle is not hurting much."It has been almost three days, are you sure we should be wasting our time training like this," she asks, rolling her shoulders. "Should we not be trying to outrun the Climont soldiers?"Jasper nods, straightening his posture before moving to her side. "Correct, but we are at least a day's journey ahead of them. We can take a small amount of time to make sure you can protect yourself the next time they come."Eliana nods, but is emotionally shaken, as Jasper touches her wrist. The gasp builds in her chest and escapes before she can control it.Jasper pauses for a moment, silence overtaking them both.Clearing her throat, Eliana composes herself, "What happens if the attackers are Pivurlion? Surely I cannot defen
The warmth emanating from Eliana's body and her honey scent, overwhelm every sense Jasper has. His mind is a swirling haze as his body aches for more of her. His arm slides farther around her back as he kneels, placing his other hand on the back of her head, imbedding his fingers into her silk locks. His entire nervous system vibrates, a low humming bouncing off his organs, causing miniature shivers to explode all over. He pulls Eliana closer, pressing their lips together as much as he can. His skin tingles, heat licking its way up his arms and into his face. The entire world disappears, his entire soul only aware of Eliana.Jasper's abdomen burns as it makes contact with Eliana's. Her hands softly reach for his shoulders before slowly sliding onto his back causing a low groan to roll through his chest. The need for more becomes overwhelming and he nips at Eliana's bottom lip, resulting in a gasp to echo form her, her eyes flashing open. Her pupils dilate, her own desire lighting up h
It has been two days.Evyn has joined Eliana and Jasper on their journey to Drein. He has no where else to go for the time being, while he waits for the chaos back home in Viptan to die down. Eliana is more uncomfortable. The presence of another Xefol weighs heavy on her mind. She has only recently realized that bringing Jasper to Zaline can prove difficult when meeting her father, but now another one? She wonders about her father, "What will he say when I arrive with two Pivurlion?" He surely will cast them out.She breathes in, trying to rid her chest of the painful twist at the thought.Jasper passes her by as she sits in front of the small fire, the moon hanging low, almost hidden by the trees. Soon they will be in Drein and they will no longer have the forest as cover.Eliana glances away from Jasper as he tosses a pile of branches next to the fire. He huffs, rolling his shoulders. She presses her lips together harshly, pushing her emotions down. With a quick glance, she spo