Destined

Don't Make Promisses You Can't Keep

When I woke up with a horrible headache I was lying in an unknown room on the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in. My own bed wasn't that good; my mattress was on the more simple and hard side. We couldn't afford this kind of luxury. 

My eyes wandered around to the tapestries on the wall, the big wooden closet the large windows and the curtains... wait...were they silken? I shook my head incredulous. I always knew that the other creatures lived in luxury. Only we Daonnachd had to endure poverty. Our work wasn't valued in this world so we couldn't get rich. A clearing of a throat interrupted my inner rambling.

My head whipped to the voice, my eyes connecting with that of a blond girl. We watched each other; she with a little shy smile, I with a careful hesitancy. She could kill me with simply the rise of her hand because she was a Creachadair. As I took her in, I noticed something strange. Her features weren't as angular as normal for her race. Her eyes weren't as cold and predatory looking but rather...like ours?!

It was difficult to tell her age. She could be of my age. The size and anatomy of Creachadair wasn't really giving a reference. Men could easily get more then 7 feet, women more then 6 feet. Even at a young age they were intimidating and dangerous creatures. Their fangs were hidden between their teeth, only visible, when wanted. Like big felines they could retract or extract their claws by will. When they threatened somebody, their faces changed into an terrifying expression, that could make you pee your pants. Anybody without fangs or claws felt a big unease in their presence. You always were on your toes, afraid to raise their anger by accident.

All in all the girl was really pretty with her pale skin and her big blue eyes. I closesly watched the girl's mouth, but I couldn't spot any traces of fangs. "I don't have any...", she said in a low voice. My forehead furrowed. Could she read my mind? "Yes, I can...", the girl answered with a slight smile on her lips, clearly amused. My eyes bulged out of their sockets. Now this was ... extraordinary ... and unheard of. She huffed. "I know, I think, I am the only one in Gordan who can."

I shot up from my comfortable position on the bed and turned to her. I let my eyes roam her face without restraint. She didn't have fangs and she could read minds. My excitement made my mind overload. It felt like ants were crawling in my brain. WHAT was she? This was totally unknown. Even mixed raced creatures were either like the father or the mother - not both. But obviously this girl was some kind of hybrid?

 „Hello, I am Callida, what's your name?", I asked in a friendly but cautious way. Her open smile deepened. "Callida! It means  smart in one of the old languages, doesn't it?" Now, I was really agitated. How would she know? The Creachadair couldn't read. Only us Daonnachd were able to read the books of our ancestors, a race once called "humans".

"I can read them too", she insisted. "My mother was a Daonnachd. She taught me the old ways, but died when I was 12." I was speechless. How could her mother be a Daonnachd? No Creachadair would marry one of us? "They weren't married. Mama lived in the former Protos harama", she explained. I nodded my head in understanding. A harama was a wing of the castle, where the Protos kept his most precious female ...companions.

Yes, he had only one wife but many other women to please him. But not only the Protos wasn't into monogamy, the other normal Creachadair weren't too. For men of their race it was a blessing to have many women and many children. But this privilege to live your sexual desires to the fullest didn't count for women. They had to stick to their husband and keep their honour. Unfair, if you ask me, but I am not someone to judge their culture. I could never obey these laws.

"So you...", the girl started to speak, but I raised my hand to stop her. "Wait! You forgot to tell me YOUR name ..." The girl blushed. "Sorry, I am so excited to meet you, I forgot. I am Ailis." "Ailis", I repeated her name slowly. "A very nice name." She nodded. ""Yes, my mother said, it's a name of her people, the Bertaèyn.

I felt a thrill. "Bertaèyn" wasn't a term, you heard often in Desa. This girl had a story to tell and I was very willing to listen. "Ailis, what do you know about the past of your mother? Where did she come from?" Ailis bit her upper lip with her teeth, contemplating, if she should trust me. 

As she took a breath to answer my question the door to my room opened abruptly. I instantly felt my body stiffen and fear creeping its way to my brain. The Protos entered the room. Ailis stood up , bowing her head in a very respectful way. He acknowledged her only with one passing look as if she was nothing ....and not his half-sister. "You may go", he told her, but his eyes were on me. Ailis send me one last wary look and left hastily. Now I was alone with this terrifying creature. Theos, help me, I begged our god to guide me, so I wouldn't  endanger my life with negligent spoken words.

The Protos remained quite, observing. I was grateful he kept his distance in front of this bed. I felt vulnerable, stuck in this strange room, clothed with a revealing nightgown, my long auburn hair hanging loose.  He could rape me and nobody would come to my rescue. I felt a shiver of fear...and I hated being weak, because I knew, he could smell it. 

The Protos took a few hesitant steps until he reached my bed, where he sat himself carefully on the mattress. I shriveled into myself, pulling the duvet up to my collarbones, desperately pressing my eyes closed, like a child would, thinking of the monster hidden under the bed. 

As I heard a low chuckle, I tore my eyes open. He watched me amused. "No, I won't eat you, bite you, claw you or hurt you in any other way." I watched him closely, ready to bolt out of bed to save my life. His amused features grew serious. Tentatively he reached out for my hand, but I withdrew it, stiffening even more.

Sighing he stood up again. "Upon my honour, I won't harm you. You are my destined, how coud I?" I looked straight into his eyes and saw many emotions there, before he regained his stoic posture. Could it be...that I really saw hurt and longing? Surely my eyes were deceiving me. He was the Protos. Emotions weren't designed for his kind. A few moments I detected his body language, his facial expression. "There are many ways to hurt somebody. Don't make promisses you can't keep."

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Author's note: Although this is a paranormal fantasy romance and you may find many strange words, they are not made up. I "kidnapped" the words out of many languages that actually exist: Latin, Greek, Gaelic, Punjabi ... You can search for them, if you like ...

Protos= Greek= the first

Callida= Latin=smart

Creachadair=Gaelic= predator

Daonnachd= Gaelic=humankind

Desa=Punjabi= land

Gordan= Gaelic=big fortress

Theos= Greek= God

And if you liked the beginning of this story, please consider to vote or comment ...or both!!! Thank you very much, obrigada, merci, eucharisto, danke, grazie, gracias.

Patti Dimitriou