The Fire Didn't Stop Her

A Garden of Deception

Kai was holding her hand, her metal hand. Thank goodness he was too elated by catching her to notice the greater stiffness. "Why do you run from me so much?"

"I ... uh." Cinder's cyborg parts must be disabling her ability to speak. As he inched closer to her, Cinder tried to pulled her hand out of his grasp. With every try, her captor only came nearer. For the third time, her mind fought over whether to continue to struggle, or let herself be loved. And allow Kai to show that he cared for her, that she wanted him.

Her body was frozen as his arms wrapped around her waist and his forehead leaned onto hers. "Did you mean what you said last night?" His eyes were begging for her to answer. He waited in anticipation as she mustered up the courage to speak.

"I ..." There's no use in denying it, Selene. "Yes." Her soul brightened up at her confession. "I love you, Kai."

His smile grew and the tips of his ears turned pink. His lips pressed to hers for the first time. Her heart exploded as she stood their, helpless from his attack. After coming to the conclusion that she did want to show that she cared for this man, she began to kiss him back.

Her gloved fingers twirled in his hair. All she needed was this moment to not be afraid forever. Kai made her feel like a normal human being. Like she was just the mechanic that she pretended to be around Cress. He took away the harsh comments about her race, her personality, and her cyborg limbs.

The plan! Remember the plan! Her mind snapped back to reality. Oh stars.

...............

Selene was in his arms. She must be doing a good job with her glamour. He had even kissed her until she broke away from him. "Kai, we can't do this," Selene huffed. She wrenched herself from the prince and began to back up. What is she doing?!

"Why not?" the prince cried. "We both care about each other. We both have the same effect on each other. Why can't we just ... be together?"

"It's ... complicated, Kai," she was close to set of stairs leading to the gates. She clearly had no idea where she was about to step as she neared the edge.

"Cinder," Why did he just call her that? Never mind. It didn't matter that the prince had a pet name for Selene. Only that he was under her spell. "Wait, Cinder, stop."

"Kai, I can't. This thing between us, it has to stop."

"No, Cinder I'm serious. Stop."

"I ... AH!" Only half of her foot had been on the stair as she backed away from Kaito. She was now tumbling down the steps and the prince chased after her. Once she came to a stop at the bottom, she gripped the back of her head. "Ow ..." her face was consumed by fear. Had the princess seen her? No. Selene was looking at something perched on a step. Damn it, Selene! It was her foot. Her damned cyborg foot had come loose and detached when she fell.

She pulled on her dress to cover some of the long wires hanging out of her leg's stump. For the first time in forever, she regretted what she did to the princess. And if that girl hadn't been so stupid and stubborn, she would be manipulating the prince with ease. But she just had to try and be the noble heroine and save the prince, didn't she?

Kaito was close enough to her to see the foot on the steps and the multicolored strands pouring out of her leg. He knelt down and grabbed the foot that was still in her shoe. She took note that it was the one she hated Selene for wearing whenever it appeared. It was a hint to what the shoe protected with its metal components.