Cursed

21. In Daurien's Arms

21. In Daurien's Arms

It was the middle of the night when heart wrenching screams resonated through the house. I jumped from my bed, disoriented but as soon as I realized where the screams were coming from, I was out of my chamber and bounding through the halls to her's, only bothering to dress in loose trousers so that I was more decent. Everything in the house was awake and following me anxiously.

I swung open the door with more force than I had intended. I had expected it to be locked and I would have broken it down to get to her if it had been necessary. She was sitting up in her bed, her eyes open wide with fear, the cause of which I could only guess at. Her flawless face gleamed with a thick layer of sweat.

When she saw me her enormous eyes widened further and she screamed and scampered back into the the board at the head of the bed.

"Belle," I tried to calm her and held my arms out to her. It wasn't that I expected her to lean into them but what she did do I was completely unprepared for.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed. Her voice shook in her hysterics and she pressed herself further against the board.

"Belle, it's me, Daurien," my stomach clenched as her face contorted with more pain and horror. I did not lower my arms.

"No!" she wailed and hid her face in her palms. Her body shook violently with a mixture of sobs, fear, and chill.

"I would never hurt you." I didn't know what I was doing but I had to do something. She was looking at me the way the villagers had before I had isolated myself. It was a look of utter horror, of the dread of becoming a meal or worse. I came onto the bed, crossing every boundary I had long ago vowed never to cross again and utterly invading her personal territory.

I took her into my arms, touching her as I never had before and against her will as well. She thrashed at me and screamed wildly as I held her to my bare, fur covered chest. She socked me in the jaw quite well but I ignored it and just rocked back and forth with her against me.

"I would never hurt you," I whispered to her over and over again, "I would never let anyone hurt you, I would never hurt you."

She slowly stopped thrashing and went limp in my arms. Her breathing slowed though her heart still beat faster than I ever thought was possible. She was hot and clammy all over. Her hair was matted and tangled and along with her nightgown was damp with sweat. Her face still glittered in the moonlight. Yet somehow, she was still absolutely breathtaking.

Her eyelids drifted to a close and her heart finally slowed though she still shuddered with every breath and there was a steady stream of saltwater flowing from her eyes. I found a way to free one hand and used it to move her hair away from her face and wipe her cheeks dry. She took in a long shuddering breath and her lips parted as she released it in the sweetest sigh.

I longed to know what had frightened her so. It must must have been a nightmare, I told myself, it couldn't have been just me. I hadn't done anything to provoke such horror in a long time. Except perhaps being the monster that I am and imprisoning her.

Again it occurred to me how little she was wearing, however unimportant it certainly was at the present moment. Just another dark silk, thigh length nightgown that shimmered in the moonlight that leaked in through the window. I had one arm against her bare leg, the realization of which was making it very difficult to breathe. I knew I had to release her before I did something stupid.

I placed her head slowly onto a fresh pillow, for the one she had previously slept on was still damp with sweat. I slid my arms out from under her and she shivered. Her sheets were all damp but I didn't want to wake her up so I told Coat Hanger to find her some fresh blankets.

As I waited for him to return, I sat comfortably beside her with my back against the wooden board. There was a stray strand of her knotted hair over one closed eye and I couldn't help but brush it aside. Her eyes opened slowly and they focused on me with recognition.

"Daurien," she whispered, though it was likely to have been more from fatigue than intentional, "I had such a terrible dream."

"I know," I said not knowing what else to say, but then I thought to add, "I will protect you." She nodded weakly and allowed her heavy lids to droop to a close. I didn't take my eyes off her as I started to slide off the bed. Her eyes flew open with a mixture of shock and fear. I froze, startled and worried she might go into another screaming fit.

"Don't go," she begged. She might as well have commanded it for I was powerless against her pleading eyes. I scooted back onto the bed and leaned my back on the carved wooden board. I hugged my knees.

Coat hanger returned with the blankets and I shooed out all of the living objects from the room to spare her any embarrassment. I spread the fresh blankets over her carefully, smoothing out all the creases to reach as close to perfection as I could. She deserved no less than perfection.