Red's Demise

Chiroptera But Bigger

Red

I could already picture the lecture. He would yell at me, turn red in the face, and grind his jaw as he mentally ran through all of the consequences my actions could cause. Then he would list them all while still lecturing me.

I was dreading it and therefore decided to avoid going back inside the manor. Instead, I grabbed Ivar and we went back out to the forest.

The prince would report my actions to the queen and she would be hesitant to put out a hit on me, but she would have no choice. Stabbing a diplomat in the castle is a death sentence at the minimum. But considering it was a Prince I had assaulted, I would be lucky to get off with a peaceful death. If the prince dies, I would be tortured to no avail until I finally died.

The Shadowed Manor would be put under investigation and Ezekiel would most likely die beside me while everyone else in the manor would burn along with the building.

If the prince reported me, it would be the end of my peaceful life.

"Fuck," I exhaled a shaky breath as I slid off Ivar and onto the soft grass below me.

I had ruined everything and all because I couldn't keep my temper under control.

My head fell against a tree that I settled against and I looked up into the cloudy sky. Ivar had just broken through the forest and entered the giant plain landscapes when I got off of him. I had been shaking so badly and was so lost in thought that I knew it wasn't smart to continue riding until I had calmed down.

MK huffed a breath as he laid against me. His big head - which was nearly the size of my stomach - found a comfy spot in my lap where his dark blue eyes watched me with an unnerving intelligence.

"I've messed everything up," I choked out while my hand unconsciously pet his head. His presence was comforting, and something about this entire day started to crack at my mask.

I would no longer have a home when I got back. Ivar would no longer have a stable to sleep in. Anybody that I had any trust in would turn against me for a few coins. Including Ezekiel and Fenris.

It was all going to change and all because I couldn't keep my wits about me around that charming elven prince.

My thoughts shifted as a raindrop hit my cheek and slowly slid down my face. I flicked it away with a finger before a realization hit me. It wasn't raining. My eyes were leaking.

I never cried. Even when my mother had died I hadn't shed a tear. It wasn't in my nature. I had just braved everything with a cool and indifferent face. My eyes never felt the need to leak, although there was the first time I got my nose broken that my eyes had watered, they hadn't leaked.

I was so in shock with the tear on my finger that I caught myself just staring at the appendage as if it had greatly offended me.

The feline on my lap shifted, his head tilting at me in curiosity. There was an unspoken question resting on his features.

A chuckle bubbled up through my burning throat and I went back to petting the predator while my eyes continued to leak.

"That prince and his charm have damned me," I whispered but knew the feline could hear me.

Ivar stood nearby grazing. His tail swishing at the summer flies that nipped at his flesh. Usually, he would wander to find better grass but he must've been worried about me as he was only a couple of hands away from me and he kept glancing up at me.

MK scooted his head closer so now his head rested against my stomach but still laid in my lap. The weight of his head was soothing and the pressure caused by it eased my heart rate.