"Will!" Eleanor's loud scream reflected her panic. It carried her helplessness even when it served its purpose.
Will turned around on hearing her, though a bit too late. With a swooping sound, a dagger pierced through air and he felt a stinging pain in his abdomen when the knife grazed it as he shifted to dodge the attack. Luckily his fast reflexes saved him from getting too hurt as his change in position mislead the attacker and he came out fairly unscathed except for a minor scratch.
It was nothing compared to the life-threatening injuries he has suffered from in his hardcore training and previous missions. The man has consumed all kinds of deadly poison daily to become immune to them! So one can imagine how much experienced he must be in handling wounds and pains, how trained he must be from his rigorous regime.
Eleanor felt her heart, which had been about to fall out of her chest, relax and her accelerated breathing returned to normal when she saw him dodge the attack. From where she stood, she couldn't see whether or not he had gotten injured, otherwise, she surely would have overworked her brain in distress.
Will grabbed the wrist that held the knife and twisted it, causing the knife to fall on the grassy ground. The assaulter sweated as he found himself in a losing position once more. Why did he stupidly dare to attack this person from behind? Now that he peered in the prince's steely silver irises, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
A feeling of icy terror washed over him. He had never felt so hopeless before. The dark glare made him think that even Hades's stare would seem much kinder than this man's. He was simply not human!
Will clutched his throat with his other hand, lifting the brawny man, who kicked his legs violently in the air, up using a single arm. The goon-turned-victim pleaded for mercy. There was none in the demon prince's dictionary.
The assassin's attempts to escape soon tired him out, and his lack of oxygen made dark spots appear in his vision before he lost consciousness. Then he was thrown with great strength and collided with the wide trunk of a tall tree.
Eleanor ran up to the masked man and impulsively searched his figure for any injury. She saw the scarlet color of his blood paint her hand before her gaze turned to his wound. Will observed her actions and felt an immeasurable amount of warmth flood his cold heart chamber.
Eleanor heard his feeble voice before she noticed his pale face," No need to worry about me. Ar-re you f-fine?" Suddenly he fell on the thin girl before him, who barely kept them both upright.
This man deserved the national award for his excellent acting skills. He completely deceived the brunette, for she did not think too much of it as her undivided attention was on his wound. Taking advantage of her distraction, Will took out his phone, typed and sent a message on it, before he let it fall on the ground.
"You're losing too much blood too quickly. I need to treat this as soon as possible," saying so Eleanor shifted him by taking his chilly hand, hung his arm over her shoulders and supported him with her arm around his waist. He willingly let her shoulder half of his weight, enjoying the feel of her curves against his body. With great difficulty Eleanor lugged her faint patient to her shop; the nearest place where she could properly treat him.
Unlocking and entering through the narrow door with some difficulty, Eleanor led her patient to a back room inside the shop where she had a small bed and other medicinal necessities.
She helped him take a seat on the bed before making him lie down. She turned towards a shelf to gather all the equipment that she'll need and with her back to the bed she asked him to remove his top. He readily followed all her instructions.
When Eleanor turned around to face him, she nearly lost balance and almost dropped the tray she held in her hands. He still had his mask on while his hoodie was off and he lay half naked on her bed. The previously very well hidden rippling muscles were now in full display for her perverted eyes to feast on.
She dared not to let her gaze wander down to stare at his impressive chocolate abs, so she fixed it on his face. She let out a relieved sigh when she saw his closed lids and focused on his masked face.
His long dark tresses that reached a little below his chin were ruffled messily, giving him a sexy and wild allure that was unlike any other she had ever seen or felt before. Eleanor had always felt attracted to the long-haired Male leads from historical dramas and stories. In her eyes they were the most handsome asset of a male, making them look captivatingly enchanting and drool-worthy.
"Have you stared enough?" His gentle, inquisitive tone startled her out of her trance. She hardly maintained her composure at the sight of his inky orbs peering through her soul. When did he open his eyes?
"Do you really dislike the thought of showing your face to me that much?" Truth be told, Eleanor felt inexplicably hurt by this. She knew it was his decision if he would show his face to her. But she felt they could be counted close enough for that now, couldn't they? Then why? He was fine with showing her his body, yet not his face? Who is like that?
"I am afraid you will run away once you see it."
'Huh?' His words confused her. Eleanor proceeded and reached near the bedside. Placing the tray on a stool near her, she observed the wound with a serious stare.
Eleanor had received various opportunities to gain experience to treat many medical issues as she attended to the town's people. Her university's intensive practical training she could attend, thanks to her excellent grades, also helped her learn a lot.
As she examined the cut on his abdomen, her focus was solely on the gash which was covered with blood making it hard for her to discern anything properly.
Still she asked him," Is your face not as charming as you claimed? Don't worry, I am not shallow -minded to care about petty things like that."
He answered her with a chuckle before the lying patient wheezed in pain. Concerned she patted his chest lightly, causing his heart to skip a few beats when her soft hand contacted his cool skin.
"Do you need water?" Eleanor asked worriedly.
He shook his head," No need. Please continue." He had to continue acting like he was in unbearable pain. Otherwise, how will he be able to enjoy her undivided attention and care?
Eleanor pursed her lips as she peered at him through her thick lashes," Your wound is deep. Nothing of too much concern, though. It should heal fast, with no issue, when I am through with it. However, it will hurt when I clean it. Will you be able to bear it? My reserve of special herb lotion is empty. Otherwise I would have used that to minimize the pain for you." She looked apologetic as she said this.
The herb she used to make that lotion was hard to find, and hence it wasn't always available to her. She feared he would be in too much pain when she treats his wound.
"Do not worry. I can handle pain well." His tightened tone made it seem as if he was trying to be brave when he wasn't. He was succeeding well in fooling his temporary nurse.
Eleanor gave him a small smile before she completely focused on her task. She was unaware of the prince's piercing gaze that observed her side profile intently, as if it were an elusive perfection. He easily ignored the pain he felt as the girl totally immersed in her professional mindset with clear, decisive moves cleaned the wound with medicinal alcohol and applied some other self-made herb-lotion to it.
What made Eleanor special in her skill set was that she didn't blindly follow previously created and safely tested recipes and methods. She liked to experiment and create new, improved ones herself; something many others didn't have the courage to do. Herbology was a difficult subject and hard to master. It came naturally to this young girl, though.
She took some white gauze and covered the wound with it. Eleanor was careful while attending to him and sensitive to any reactions he might have made. But he didn't. He didn't show any signs of being in pain like she had thought he would.
The prince was much too mesmerized by her elegant movements to remember his act of displaying weakness in front of her. When he barely registered his pain how could he show it?
"Your endurance level is commendable. I never knew you could hold back such intense pain and persist through so long." She complimented, impressed. The procedure had been long and tiring because the slash wasn't easy to handle.
"Your presence helped me ignore and bear it." The mysterious prince really chose weird moments to be honest.
Eleanor, who was keeping away her tools and cleaning her hands, gawked at him. Her cheeks turned red, and she quickly turned her back to him. Coming back beside him, she put her hand on his forehead. Her slim fingers brushed a few bangs and she felt his hair have an addicting silkiness to it that makes her want to run her fingers through it and continue doing so.
"You don't have a high temperature," She said while looking down at him. "Is it usual for you to get delirious and talk nonsense sometimes?"
"No. It only happens when I meet someone equally aberrant. I behave the same with others as they behave with me."
"You think I am unhinged," Eleanor asked with a frown.
"I never implied to yourself, you assumed the indication. Why do you think I am delirious?" Since he was still comfortably lying down with his head on a plump pillow, he could only look up at her. His expression was as always a mystery to her she could only guess.
"I was only joking," she answered feeling wronged. She was only trying to lighten the atmosphere. But, she should have known her inability to joke, something she had never learned due to lack of friends, would only backfire on her.
"I was, as well." He took the simple way out. The mighty prince was not someone who understood jokes. In his small, but trusty friend circle, he was infamous for his cluelessness to puns. Maybe it was because he had his own different, twisted sense of humor. Often those who tried to joke with him either ended up wanting to slam their heads at his reaction less indifference or offending him. The latter was never good news for the other party.
"Really?" Eleanor's voice dripped with sarcasm.
Even sarcasm couldn't penetrate through his thick-skin at times.
"Yes," He said matter-of-factly, though he knew that wasn't exactly true. He wondered what she thinks of him. She has known him for a couple of days now and he wanted to leave a good impression on her.
"Eleanor!" Hearing someone call her name from the front of the shop, Eleanor walked out.
When she came back in she saw Will's eyes closed firmly and he looked to be deep asleep from the repeated rise and fall of his chest.
Taking a chair, she turned it around and sat on it with her chin on the back of it.
She gazed at his masked face and pondered over her thoughts. She wondered if it would be fine for her to secretly take a look at his face. The feeling of familiarity that he gave her never disappeared and made her curiosity rise to a high level.
She shook her head. Of course not. How could she? She couldn't disregard his wishes and exploit his right to privacy and discretion. Eleanor hardly ever took any steps that went against her conscience. Her mother had always advised her to have a healthy balance between the decisions of her heart and mind at all points in life. She always abided by her mother's words.
Eleanor always treated others how she wished to be treated by them.
Hence throwing her impulsive thoughts out of her mind, she got up, brought a thin sheet to cover him and sat back down. Within minutes, her eyes closed of their own accord. Today's events had tired her out, and she needed a good nap to refresh her.
__________________________
Around midnight, when the night was at its prime and there was silence all around, the prince opened his eyes and sat up on the small bed. He stood up, his injury protesting, but he paid no mind to it. He wore his hoodie and covered his head with the cap.
He glanced at the pretty brunette snoozing lightly in an uncomfortable position on a cushioned wooden chair. He shook his head at her with a small smile on his lips. Picking her up, he transferred her to the bed and covered her with the sheet she had used to cover him with.
He pulled down his mask and left a lingering peck on her forehead before heading out of the shop. He turned to gaze at it for one last time," I am sorry, I am leaving once again without informing." He whispered into the silence. "I'll explain everything at the right time. Please be patient and wait for me."
When he turned around his expression twisted into a cruel smirk and he looked deadly beautiful under the moonlight as it shone down on his exquisite features.
"It's time to make someone regret their existence."