Slash handed the baby to Ruby with a boyish happy grin. His white crooked teeth will fall out, Ruby thought.
The man had that grin on his face ever sense he set eyes on the little one, it made Ruby felt sorry and jealous.
Jealous for losing the man's attention to the baby, and sorry for him because she is going to hurt him when her betrayal of this trust they have formed is broken. Why the mere thought sudden her heart so, she wouldn't dare delve into.
"Have you ever been married…? Oh, what a stupid question to ask."
"It's okay ma'am. I have never been, and never had any kids with any gal, when I found out bunch of them turn tuff boys to vegies. This one here is my first contact with a baby, and the experience moves like a snake in my heart."
Ruby giggled. "Siana definitely teach you boys an uncanny way of speaking. I never knew feelings can move in a heart like a snake." She chuckled again. Trying to sit up on the bed to feed the hungry little cutie.
Slash rushed to the beside to aid her to sit up, and arranged the pillows to support her back. Up close he could smell her. Slash have no heavenly scent to compare to this natural cologne.
It had taken him sometime to realize that the flagrance never wears off the woman, it must be in her blood. What a lucky man Spooky had been. Slash thought.
Ruby knows hunger in a man when she sees it, and the hunger of this man had nothing to do with food. Maybe in another life and not this one. But to lure the man to help her escape, she had to play along... she felt guilty using him this way though, but there was no other way.
"Why did you do it, Slash? Request to be present wihile I gave birth."
Slash hesitates, "Um, one of them things, ma'am. That butcher of a doctor shouldn't be allowed to touch a fair maiden like you…" he replied protectively.
Ruby felt her cheeks warm up to the genuine kind words of the man in her defense.
"What about the doctor, Slash? Butcher is a very crude word to use for someone in that profession."
"Oh, not that one ma'am." The man was unrelenting, but she felt like living the subject alone. Her only aim was to escape from this place through this man.
"Thank you, Slash… little Vialla thank you for being there. I learnt the little things want the touch of the masculine they born, since they spent most of the time with the mother for so long in the womb..." Ruby said and paused.
She felt awkward. Something felt wrong. Her body had been tingling with an unknown presence. A twerking jolting pain around her kidney area.
She had thought it was afterbirth effects but now she was beginning to doubt that. Something jolts and pull under the skin on her back, and the sensation only intensifies.
"Ma'am, everything okay?" Slash asked with concern, when he saw the discomfort look on the woman's face.
"I need water; get me a glass of water, Slash" Ruby murmured.
Slash reached out for the bottle of water on the side of the bed. When he stood up however, Ruby had passed out on the bed, blood oozing from her nostrils.
She was caught in a painful trance with veins bulging, causing her neck to expand to a point where Slash thought it's going to explode.
The baby started a hysterical cry and Slash picked her up from the bed and put her in the cradle. He rushed back to the now convulsing unconscious body of Ruby. The woman was purging to point of blasting.
Slash, shouted out repeatedly for Roy, whilst spanking the lady with both palms on the cheeks, hard enough to prevent her from going into a shock. The purging suddenly stopped, and she fell into an exhaustive sleep.
"Damn it Slash, what is it? you woke me….". Roy stopped in mid-sentence on entry. He came to the bed side to see Slash wiping away the blood spewing from the ladies' nose with wipers.
"We have to turn her on one side to make sure the blood flows out rather than flow back into the gullet, and possibly the brain," Roy said as he performed the task.
Slash picked up the crying baby from the cradle and start to hymn soothingly. Vialla stared up at the man holding her with a new curiosity.
The lullaby seem to be doing its magic on her tender little soul. She started to dose and momentarily lose focus of the tune and started to cry but slash amplify the symphony…..
Roy wiped the last drop of blood from Ruby's nose, knowing it was not anything serious, no damages whatsoever.
He had lived with the panther clan, and had come to have so much intel on their ways. But this only means the lady is experiencing the agony of a dear one. Someone care about must be in a perilous situation.
She is probably undergoing some trauma of sort, especially since this one was a makilla and will cry blood in grave emotion. Blood from the nose however was new to him among these people.
He glances at his watch, it was 12:27am. They were the only three living in this section of the fortress on the 437 feet high vegetative ground, gently sloping and stretching out 25miles to meet the ocean on one side to the east.
Kate had gone out, and has not returned. Probably out on a beast hunt. They feed on the wild animals.
Ruby stared feebly, opening her eyes in the dimly lighted room. She gasped as she sat up abruptly. Her head collided with the bald head man stooping over her.
"Vialla, Vialla!... my baby" was her first cry. She panicked stretching out her hands.
Slash put one finger across his lips as he rocks sideways with the sleeping baby in his hands.
Ruby was fully awake now from the ache of the collusion with Roy.
"Sorry, ma'am," Roy apologized first before Ruby ever got a chance to say hers.
"What happened to me?" Ruby directed the question to slash.
"You passed out," slash replied as he put the now sleeping little Vialla into the cradle.
"How long has it been happening ma'am?" Roy asked with furrowed eye brows, and when he heard Ruby say, "this is the first time I actually experience something like this."
Roy had his furrowed eyes turned cocky in ponderous bewilderment. He passed the bottle of water on the bed to her and she took it with an air of gratitude.
"I will call the doctor tomorrow from B. to come and check on you" Roy said.
"Never mind Roy, I am fine, I will let you know how I feel tomorrow. What do you mean B?" Ruby asked Roy, while looking at Slash.
Slash wondered whether the question was for him or Roy. Roy and slash glance at each other as though they have both committed a despicable random act.
If Roy couldn't keep his stinking mouth shut, Slash wouldn't do it for him. He acted nonchalant as though he didn't know what Roy meant by B.
but Ruby did see the first expression, and it gave her the impression that both men didn't want to say anything above their pay grade.
She wouldn't take them through that, so she let that one too drop, now is not the time to pushing her way through things, she was in exile after all.
"B is umm…". The stare from slash got Roy stammering…. "it means the grounds outside this mansion", slash answered quickly, saving the man's neck whilst, giving him a look that say you owe me some, Roy.
"Do you have people living outside this walls?" Ruby asked, a little intrigued.
"Mostly ingenious tribes," Roy answered, and added, "I am glad you have your witts about you now, if you will excuse me." Ruby nodded to the bald amiable chef within the walls."
People, ingenious tribes. "What are you not saying Slash."
"I can't really say much, ma'am. Just like you I spent most of my time within this walls."
"lets go to bed slash, its late. Goodnight….." Ruby said lying on the bed and turning her back to him. It was a goodnight slap. The woman is angry with him for not telling her things he clearly knows, but was hiding from her.
He likes the woman, perhaps obsessed over her, but he was not a fool either.
There are times his feelings get his better judgement, but he knew he has to be careful. Being too familiar with the woman, may cost him his life. A dead man can't love, can he?
He turned and walked to the door. This was his ultimate test from Nka, the master. Slash wouldn't be surprise if the man knows his feelings towards his daughter.
Perhaps that's why he did place him on this detail, to test his resolve. Most of the security detail guarding the place, well trained security officials kept changing. Only the main house detail remained the same.
But damn it, he wanted to tell the woman what B stood for, not he has ever been there..."B is…." Slash try to explain.
"I don't want to know slash, I think you already gave me an answer, goodnight." Ruby cut him off.
Slash walked out, cursing the woman for the first time. What if she blacked out again, and there is no one around and she choked in her sleep? He paused on his tracks, worried.
Ruby could read the thoughts of the man clearly. He was taunting her in his thoughts, and was so concern about her wellbeing, and that has nothing to do with her exhibition of anger towards him.
Her gift lies in picking up deeply emotional vibrations from the ether with people she had formed an emotional connection with.
He was coming back, what is the man doing? He stood by the door. If he couldn't interrupt her in the room, he will stand her to make sure she has none of the attacks, and the little one will cry till when? Slash shaked his head at the mere thought, he didn't want to conceive.
Ruby wiped at her tears, for her awful actions and intentions towards such a man. His thoughts were pure and genuine. There was nothing in his mind except warmth for her and vialla. He was throwing warm kisses to Vialla in his imaginations.
She sat up and went and stood by the door, but didn't open. This close she could read the man so well she thought she is in his body feeling all his masculine energy channeled towards her.
She was surprised to find that the man love her so much, he found her too perfect to be touched, caress or loved in a physical way. No amount of prurient conceptions could be sensed from him.
The impact of the realization hit her hard this time and she burst out crying, how can someone loved like that? who the hell is Slash? She broods emotionally. Her cries seem to have wake up vialla.
She stood up wiping at her tears before ambling to the cradle to feed the little starving baby.
When she reached the cradle, Vialla was bleeding from the nose lightly, but like any mother, Ruby couldn't take it lightly, she screamed and went into a shock.