The Princess & the Dragon

Chapter 13: Protection

Parker storms through the back doors with a serious look on his face. His clothes are covered in dirt and there is some smeared on his cheeks. I'm happy to see him alive and in one piece. I stand up and walk over to him, dropping my hands on his chest and lean into him.

"I'm sorry."

"You promised me Stell."

"Rosark was hurting those fairies. I couldn't just sit there and watch."

"Yes," He yells. "That's exactly what you do. You were told to stay in your room."

"I'm not some hostage here Parker."

I refuse to allow him to treat me the same way my uncle Kerlin tries to do. I obey no one, only my parents and I don't see them here anywhere.

"You are going to get yourself killed."

"I can protect myself." I fall back and start to walk down the hall with him trailing behind me.

He runs to catch up with me. "You have failed multiple times already. What makes you think you have what it takes to defeat someone as strong as Rosark."

I stop in the middle of the hall and turn around to face him. "You do it don't you."

"I have special powers Stell." He gives a wink and I roll my eyes at him.

"I'm going upstairs to wash this dirt off of myself. Please don't follow me."

I go into the bathroom off my room. Parker follows me the whole way up the stairs giving me absolutely no space. I slam the door behind me and watch as he paces in my room creating circles on the floor. Ugh, he can get on my nerves. He thinks because I'm mortal and human that I can't protect myself. I have lived the last fourteen years of my life just fine. I come to Lindo and need someone at my side every moment.

Turning the tab on hot, water comes pouring out and starts to fill the tub. I take my time cleaning up. As I wash my legs I notice a cut that runs from my knee to the back of my leg. I get out of the water, wrap a towel around myself then dig through my things looking for a big enough band aid to cover the cut. I end up having to use two. I change into a pair of yellow silk pajamas that match both the top and bottom. As I brush my hair I start to laugh at myself. I am really becoming one of the moral's with the way I'm dressing. Little old Stellana Camden is still inside there somewhere. They can't change me completely.

I walk back out into my room and Parker sits on the side of my bed waiting. I drop my dirty clothes into a basket for Sirena and as I walk around him I notice he's changed into fresh clothes and his hair is damp. I walk in front of him and stand between his legs. He leans up and watches me closely. His eyes move from mine down to my lips. I pull my bottom lip in between my teeth. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. My hand lifts up to his face and moves his damp hair to the side and out of his eyes. He grabs my wrist and pulls my hand down.

"You said I can save you. How?"

"You weren't meant to hear that."

"Tell me."

"I can't—"

"Your dad. Does he have something to do with all of this?"

"My father is dead."

"But Rosark..."

"Don't speak his name." Parker speaks with anger in his tone and his eyes turn from green to yellow. His bottom lip starts to tremble, and I look down and see his fingers are doing the same.

"Will you tell Kerlin I left the castle?"

Parker looks up and our eyes meet. I hold in my breath as the color in his returns to green. "He already knows."

His face glows in the moonlight that shines in from my window. I move out of between his legs and take a seat on the bed beside him. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Sure."

I pull the duvet down and slip my legs in first before crawling underneath the covers. Parker stands and pulls the duvet up under my chin, tucking me in for bed. He leans down and kisses the top of my head. As he goes to stand I grab his wrist.

"Are you mad at me still?"

"No, Stell. Go to sleep. You need to rest before tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?"

He looks at me and smiles. "Lessons."

"That woman is here already to give me lessons on how to be a lady." I spit out the word like it's poison. I didn't come here agreeing to this. "Kerlin compromise yet on his part of the deal?"

"What is his part of the deal?"

"I asked to explore the castle and for." I stop talking and look at Parker. Crap, I also asked for him to give me the book of curses that Parker is in procession of. Parker moves and takes a seat back on the bed beside my head. I inhale a deep breath. He smells like pine and a bonfire. Not the best mixture but it suits him.

"And for the book of curses."

My jaw hangs open as my eyes widen. "Parker, I –"

"Why do you want to save me so badly?"

"I don't know. Don't you want to be saved?"

He looks around the room as he thinks it over. Then his eyes land back on me, and I give him a weak smile. "It's not that simple. Saving me means you give up something of yourself. I can't let you do that Stell."

"What if I'm willing to give it up."

"Once you find out what it is, you won't be so willing."

"You're wrong." I scoot further under the covers and turn myself so I'm fully facing him. "I'd give up anything to save you."

He laughs a small relief then stands up from the bed. "Goodnight Stellana."

"Goodnight Parker." I keep my eyes on him as he walks over next to the window. He sits down on a single wooden chair that wasn't there before and as he reclines back, propping his legs on the window sill I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.