"The hell I do. People don't belong to one another, and I certainly do not belong
to you, even if you did see me first…whatever that means. What stupid–"
He moved closer then I could see nothing but his eyes again. Mouth suddenly dry, I
was unable to finish my scathing rebuttal, and it took a moment to un-stick my tongue
from the roof of my mouth. A warm rolling sensation formed in the pit of my stomach
and lodged there. It was an odd sensation, it even hurt a little, but it was a nice pain. I
breathed in deeply through my nose and expelled the breath through my mouth. The
whole deep breathing thing was helping.
"Okay then, Breandan," I said serenely, but my heart thumped too hard, and he
cocked his head as if he could hear it. I went on nonetheless, "What do you want?
Why are you in the forest, alone?" The best defense is a good offence, and I could
give as good as I got. "This is demon territory y'know. I can admit I was freaked and
a bit off course." He snorted a laugh and my temper bloated into righteous
indignation. "It's dark out here. I was running away from the Clerics because… they
had dogs." My eyes darted to and from his now, uncomfortable with the lie. "And
I…don't like dogs. They bark. Loudly. And how do you know my name?"
There was a beat of silence as his eyes held mine. "You will have to get out of
the habit of lying. You won't be able to do that for much longer. And anyway, you
don't have to explain anything to me. I understand. I know you, and that is why we
have come for you."
"Are you from the slums?"
For a bad moment there I had assumed he was from the Sect. I would be in a
world trouble if anyone saw me out here. I was beyond the Wall, which was
forbidden, and I had seen… I didn't want to think about the horror I'd seen, and how
I'd been foolish enough to get caught seeing the thing I saw. I had disobeyed a direct
order from a Cleric, something I, a Disciple training to be a Cleric, should never do.
No, I was not so sure anymore. If Breandan was from the Sect he'd have called to the
Clerics, not hidden me from them. If he was a civilian, I didn't see how he could
come to be lost Outside. After all, you would have to get past the Wall to make it out
here. There was not a human alive that didn't understand the dangers of going over
the Wall and into demon territory.
I felt stupid then. If there was not a human alive who didn't know how
dangerous it was Outside, what the hell was I doing Outside? I was going to have very
serious words with myself. "Coming for you is not something I chose, and believe me, if I could change it I
would." He paused and shook his head. "We are stuck. You belong to me," he
repeated. "And I to you. Now we have touched it is sealed. Alright?"
Sealed my ass. I decided then and there, I did not like this boy.
"You cannot appear next to me in the middle of demon territory and say such
silly things," I said, strained. "You're beginning to scare me." That was another lie. I
was beyond sacred now. My body couldn't keep up a constant pitch of terror, so it
had simply gone beyond terror and pressed a big reset button. I was too afraid outside
to be anything but calm inside. Voice unattractively shrill, I lowered my clenched fist
and took a deep breath. I moderated my voice. "Let's start with where you're from?"
He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his head. "A place not too far from here.
You are very lost."
I shifted on the spot. "Are you transferring to this region to be a Disciple?" It
happened. Rarely, for it was too hazardous to travel large distances through demon
territory, and it was only attempted once a settlement had reached a population
density that put all the humans there in danger. But it did happen. He shook his head.
"Are you visiting Cleric at the Temple?"
I was reaching, but that could explain how he could be so comfortable in the
forest. Clerics were not like regular people and often came from hardy families. The
Clerics were the fastest, strongest most intelligent and intuitive of humankind. That is
why they managed to keep us so safe.
His face darkened. "No." The word was fired at me like a bullet.
Without preparing myself for the answer I asked with catty aplomb, "Are you a
demon then?"
"Oh yes," he said softly.
I waited for the fear and for the panic. I waited for the scream of terror to rip from my
throat, but it never came. I waited for him to grab me, and murder me, and cut me into
pieces and hide me under the small patch of wild flowers over there. But he said and
did nothing. The clever thing would have been to get the hell out of there and start
running again. But I didn't want to, and I was curious as to who and what he was. I
wanted to know why he was stood in front of me, and what he was after.
His gaze raked over me again and again, looking for something.
"If you didn't think you were safe you would ask me to leave," he said. "And, if
you wanted me to leave, I would have done so already."
I hated that his words made sense to me. "Stop trying to be clever, demon-boy."
"I'm trying to help you, demon-girl."
His words had the same impact as a blow to the head. I twitched liked he'd
pinched me all over and staggered back.
I knew then something menacing was coming around the corner. I had to accept
what he had told me next, right? Not to acknowledge the undeniable truth would be
foolish. A tear slid down my face and landed with a soft plunk on my front. I had
always been different, strange, but within the realms of human strange. Undoubtedly,
I knew I'd gone beyond the boundaries.
He stepped closer, closer still, and our clothes rustled as they touched. Lowering
his forehead to touch mine, warm fingers found my hands and coaxed them to
entwine with his. I did not like the way my body was reacting to him. It overruled
logic and it was beginning to upset me. Something was happening to me and I didn't
understand what. Worse, I couldn't explain to myself why I was still there talking to
him.
His finger tapped my chin up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that, but I
was never good with words." His voice was serious and complicated. His hand
clasping my chin released the knot that had formed in my stomach, and with a sob, I
dragged in a breath to control my tears. "Don't do it," he warned and used his hold on
my chin to tug my face closer. "To cry over learning the truth is useless. It should
empower you." He stroked my cheek, wiping the tear there. "You're sad," he said brusquely and watched me fight to control myself, "That tells me I have not done this
right. Maybe now is not the time to have this talk. I have responsibilities I cannot
ignore simply because it will hurt not to be around you. I'll explain better when I
return."
With no other option I nodded slowly. And then I knocked his hands off me.
Whatever was so important he needed to leave me well, that was fine. "You don't
have to justify anything to me," I said. "I don't know you and I don't expect to ever
see you again." He didn't owe me a thing and I was happy he was leaving.
I could get back to being lost, and worried about being lost.
"So stubborn. I can admit not to see you will be hard. Can you not look outside
yourself for a moment to do the same?"
The intention was to tear into him about his stupid, confusing statements that
made no sense, but as my head turned his lips brushed along my chin. Gravity shifted
and flowed into his eyes to ground me. The world darkened to nothing as they drew
me deeper into their shaded depths. My lips parted in a sigh, and my hands swept
around his waist as he pulled me closer. His hand tangled into my hair as my own
moved over his lower back. I breathed in the heady smell of sunlight from his chest,
and the scent became a taste on my tongue. Exploring the dip in his spine, I glided the
pads of my fingers into the shallow grove flowing uninterrupted to his shoulder
blades. My hands left his back then I hesitated in my exploration. The sensation that
slicked over my palms was, odd. Hovering a few inches away from his skin the air
felt warmer, thicker.
He jerked back and spun away to look into the forest. He peered around us, and
the waves of hostility pulsing from his body cranked the tension in the air up. He
stood, all wound up and tense, so I got all wound up and tense, and we fed of each
other until I was panting. It was uncomfortably wearing for someone like me who was
already beyond terrified.
Breandan said, "Rae, go back to the Temple now. That direction." He pointed
into the trees.
When I didn't move he twisted me around by the shoulder, and pushed me in
the direction he'd pointed. I kind of stumbled a few steps forward before I stopped,
and realized I didn't have to do what he said.
"But, you can't tell me I'm a demon then stop explaining."
I wanted to stay, badly, but sense was telling me I had to leave like he said.