"You don't understand, little female. I am like a God to these people."
Elodie is lost. Literally.
After a massive adventure leads her to a strange planet with enormous alien men, she has few choices left.
On the run from an aggressive male determin...
I walk carefully through the forest, each step calculated as to not disrupt the precious creature cradled in my arms.
Elodie tired herself out crying. She promptly fell asleep as I held her. The poor thing gave me a fright when she panicked. All I did was try to pick her up to give her injured ankle a rest. She was tired, so carrying her would have been the obvious choice.
The fear in her voice, the trembling, the tears. It was too much. I didn't know what to do as she fell apart in my grasp.
My biggest question is, why did she act that way? What happened before to instill so much fear in Elodie?
The possibilities anger me. It doesn't seem right that someone as sweet as her should be afraid. If anyone has hurt her....the mere thought alone is enough to send me into a fury. I only hope she doesn't wake and have the same reaction as she did earlier.
I glance down at her as I stomp through the fading light of day. She slumbers peacefully, her cheek resting on her hand that's pressed to my chest. Every delicate breath in and out of her lungs has my attention.
Everything she does. Every small sound, word, movement, it all feels important. I pay close attention to her.
In all my cycles, I've never been more needed than I am with Elodie. Being a gladiator never felt this important, this fulfilling. Holding her, caring for her, it feels like the most important job I've ever done.
Returning her to the palace is the most noble thing I can do. Giving up this feeling won't be easy, but it's for the best. It's what Elodie needs.
Even Salsh has become attached. The rasler is worried about her. Whenever she's in distress, he's on high alert. I have no doubt that he would protect her with his life if it came down to it.
I'm sure he'll be disappointed when I return her to her rightful place. Not as disappointed as I'll be, but I'm used to the feeling.
I walk for a long time, stepping over obstacles carefully so as to not jostle the female. She doesn't wake, hardly even stirs. I have to resist watching her. It's very tempting, but I can't risk stumbling and waking her.
Thankfully, I know the way to the palace by heart. I travel there fairly often for supplies. It'll take a few rotations to get there because of Elodie and her injuries and weakness. I don't mind the delay, in fact I'd do anything to draw the trip out.
I keep an eye out for empty space, a meadow of some sort to build my tent for the night. Setting up a camp won't take much time, but finding a good place is the tough part. Usually when I travel, I sleep under the stars, but I won't let Elodie sleep on the hard ground or without shelter over her head.
Finally, I discover a valley of grass and wildflowers situated among the trees. I nod my head in approval as I find a soft place to lay the tiny female. I gently lower her into the cradle of grass. Elodie makes a soft mewl, curling into a ball for warmth as I release her. She doesn't wake, for which I'm grateful.
I stare down at the female for a few moments. Salsh trots up, nuzzling Elodie's wrist insistently. I snap my fingers at him. He glances up at me, and I shake my head once. He knows the signal of my disapproval.
Instead, he decides to lay down against the human, snuggling close to her until she wraps an arm around his torso. She nestles her face into his fluffy coat, sighing contently.
Salsh gives me a look of defiance, and I smile softly at him. It would seem he's outsmarted me.
I make quick work of building the tent structure, unraveling blankets for a makeshift nest. Once I'm satisfied, I go back to her, picking her up and carrying her to my tent. She smiles in her sleep, adorably.
By the time she's settled in the blankets, it's completely dark out. I feel ashamed that I didn't get the chance to feed her last meal. We stopped earlier to eat, but she needs to eat often to heal. I'm not doing very well at caring for her. I need to do better.
I sigh, shaking my head as I close the flap door, tying it shut. Salsh lays down outside, already snoring from the long day of traveling. I settle myself in front of Elodie, laying on my side and watching her in what little light remains from the moons.
She's beautiful. I pull the blankets up to cover her, all the way up to her neck. It gets cold at night, and I don't want her to catch a chill.
Elodie begins mumbling in her sleep. I grin to myself, she's done this before. We sleep in the same nest every night. When she's very tired, she says a few words. I don't understand them obviously, but it's cute regardless.
"no Locanas. juuust Barre." She rambles senselessly, clutching at the blanket while her red eyebrows furrow.
I recognize two names in the jumble of words. Mine, and another. I glower, my smile disintegrating. I don't know who this Locanas is, but I don't like the fact that she's saying his name. It's a Rytarian name. He must be from the Palace.
Momentarily, I wonder who this male is, and why Elodie is dreaming of him. At least she also said my name, that has to count for something.
I sigh, rubbing my tired face and reaching out to hold the tiny female.
"I'm here."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sorry this took so long. I've been going through a hard time lately. My dog passed away, and I'm just now getting back into writing.
Quick question, if I wrote a vampire mate Romance series, would anyone be interested in reading it? I'm starting one soon and want to know how many of my lovely readers would read it.
