The shot of hope

7

Kingsley

Stirring awake as I felt around for Roselyn, I'd grown fond of the women and being able to simple hold her without having to get attached filled a hole in me but made a new one as I knew the more we traveled together the more the feelings would grow into something else and than it'll be harder to leave her. I came back empty handed making me open my eyes confused as she was always one of the last to wake or would wake when I did due to me moving. Sitting up as I looked around though I didn't find her but I could see her tracks in the snow leading me to standing as I followed them, soon finding her by a lake as she sat by it with her knees tucked close to her chest with her blanket around herself.

"Rose? What you doing out here..." I called out and when I reached her she avoided eye contact as I rested a hand on her shoulder and I could tell she had been crying

"Nothing, it's fine" she croaked as she struggled to stand as I went to help her but she avoided it.

"Clearly somethings wrong... you know you shouldn't be walking on your ankle" I sighed.

"Why do you hate me!" She blurted out as she covered her face.

"I do not- why would you think I hated you? Sure you can be a pain in the ass but that doesn't mean that I hate you" I spoke confused.

"You always laugh with everyone else but with me your always so serious, you don't even let me see your hair let alone your face..." she sniffled as she tried not to cry and I took her hands from her face.

"And I also don't hug or sleep with the others... I have never let them touch my wings other than Jess when she has to treat them... I've never talked about my family with them ever... sure I may laugh with them but that's rare and only because I've known them for years and years" I explained to her as I held her hands while I rubbed her palms with my thumbs.

"God you probably think I'm pathetic..." she croaked.

"No I don't..." I mumbled, "your stronger than you think... also why the hell are your hands like tiny"

"Your just tall! I barely come up to your chest for crying out loud! Sam barely comes up to your shoulders!" She reasoned and I laughed softly as I compared them as I could easily engulf her.

"Tiny" I grinned down at her even though she couldn't see it.

"I am not!" She huffed while attempting to punch my stomach and I barely flinched, "why you so strong! It's not far!"

"Rose my job is literally hunting people down of course I'm strong" I chuckled as I carded a hand through her hair as we both went quite as I simple admired her before I reached behind to my hood as I pulled it down revealing the dark almost black hair that was in a messy bun as her eyes lit up as she reached out and undid it letting it cascade down before I let my mask slip off.

"You need a hair cut" she smiled.

"Yeah... usually during summers I cut it quite short but it grows back fast..." I explained

"I didn't know avians had pointed ears..." she muttered as she admired me freely, "I don't see why you would hide this..."

"Are you calling me beautiful?" I grinned and whenever I smiled or grinned my canines would poke out slightly making her laugh slightly.

"Maybe..." she hummed softly as she traced my freckles as if she was remembering every little detail of my face.

Moving closer to her as her pulse quickened as I rested my hand on her hip as I leaned closer and I felt like my heart was in our throat as neither of us pulled away as our foreheads met and we could both easily tilt our heads to join our lips but we waited for the other to make the move. Risking it as I moved first as I tilted my head as she stayed still as I let my lips meet hers in a slow kiss as her hand tightened in my hair as she held onto my shoulder with the other while I held the back of her neck and had one hand on her hip as I traced a calming pattern with my thumb while I pulled back.

"Well I'm dead now" I spoke bluntly as her face filled with panic.

"Oh my god! Your dead! I'm dead!" She panicked as I stood calmly as she went to moved back but she forgot about her ankle as she fell back and she hadn't let go of my hair leading me to fall back onto her as she relaxed while bursting out laughing, "god were idiots aren't we..."

"Well I'm the one who just kissed royalty..." I hummed as I sat up before rolling off her so I wasn't crushing her.

"I kinda kissed you back... I was kinda waiting for you to pull back and abandoned me..." she shrugged and something clicked in my mind.

"Oh my god you were jealous of Sam!" I laughed as her face burned up.

"I was not!" She gasped as I laughed.

"Yes you we-"

I was cut off as she shoved a handful of snow into my face as she laughed as I smiled while watching her, "your lucky your hurt.." I hummed as I wiped my face before standing up as I put my hand out and helped her stand before I easily hoisted her up as she instantly wrapped her legs around my waist with her arms doing the same to my neck as she buried her face into it.

"I regret playing in the snow..." she shivered.

"Yeah we should get you some thicker clothes..." I mumbled as I carried her into the cave and Sam was awake by the fire and sent us a smile.

"Well look at that, maybe your heart isn't so cold after all" he grinned in amusement as I place rose down onto the floor in front of the fire.

"How far are we from the kingdom?" I asked while sitting down behind the women.

"A day of riding and we should reach it" he sighed.

"Remember you have to make sure they know we weren't the ones who did it, we have done two missions for your family before but that doesn't mean they won't act without thinking..." Jake reminded her, "especially with Kim..."

"You've worked with my family?" She spoke confused.

"Your family is wealthy, of course they have want people dead" Sam shrugged, "we don't question it"

"Who they ask to be killed" she asked.

"Well when your brother was captured we had to retrieve him and murder the group who had done it and they had also ordered us to kill a servant that had attempted to assault your mother" Sam explained to her, "let's just say your family knows how to contact us..."

"Wait how do people actually contact you if you can't be found?"

"They send owls as we have them trained to wear a red colourful bracelet and people give them the letter that has information of who they want dead or captured and where to collect the payment" I explained to her.