- Yuki POV-
I wake and thou I'm cozy warm from Keaten, it doesn't feel right laying with him. I get off him and I'm surprised he is awake. Has he been awake this whole time? How long was I even sleeping for? I want to be alone so I ask him to leave so I can bathe. He accepts without complaint and even offers to let the elder know. It wasn't long till the elder came around to tell me the water is getting heated.
"Oh, and I told the chief you chose Keaten as you mate" the elder said and the smile on his face tells he believes he did a good thing. But good was far from it. She forced a smile but inside she wished she was dead. "I saw you two cuddled up after you guys got back, Jace may have carried you here but Keaten won you affection.. am I right?" I sigh inwardly and give into this life I'm forced to live. At least he wasn't that bad of a guy, and maybe she could convince him she's not ready for sex, not ready to go there yet.
"Mmmhm" I nodded.
He left and the thought of the warm water pushed the news far away from my mind. As I took my clothes off, I thought of Alastair. I wish he was here to take my clothes off. I wish he were here to take me as his mate. Here? No. Far away in a place of our own. Far from this prison of mine.
Will he come to get me or will he just leave me here to suffer this existence?
At least with no windows I know no one can see anything. But it's a whole lot darker in here now. What if I just drowned myself? I wonder. I feel the tears threaten to spill out, and I let them fall. I cry. My life feels worse now. They took my view, made it darker and more like a dungeon. I'm going to have to mate with Keaten. Who know who and how many more mates will be pushed onto me. I stopped crying and got out of the bath, I dried and dressed. This place was built with a drain system so it was easy to drain the water. I then just sat in my nest and cried some more. How long am I going to have to suffer here?
I don't know how long iv been crying for, but a sound pulls me from crying. Is there someone in my place? Who came in? How did I not notice? Am I crazy?
"It's me, Alastair" the familiar voice says. He is sitting beside me and I reach for him. Finding his lips and kissing him, he's here. He came for me. Suddenly Alastair is gone and for a moment, I wonder if it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. When my door opens and light from his lantern shines in, I look around a see nothing. Was it my imagination? If felt so real though. The light moved and behind my bath something looks unusual.
"You should get some sleep, stop crying and be happy your back safe" a guard, one of the villagers says. His words are cold and I know he isn't happy with more guard shifts. His light moves and if Alastair is here, he is finding in a smart place.
The guard leaves and I wonder how ill ever get out of here. I don't think I can leave with everyone okay. I feel Alastair coil around me and something about him calms me. All to quick i fall asleep, safely in his coiled body.
My dream takes me to the night I left and he popped out of the lake. In my dream that moment lasted a life time and I was happily there.
I get woken up by Alastair and half asleep he takes us out of the village. I hear him talking but the words don't make sense. I feel so tired. Once we are out of the village I feel a bit more awake and as the cool night air moves gently on me as he moves across the land swiftly and smoothly.
The thought of being taken back there pulls down the mood. I really don't want to ever go back, it will probably only get worse. I feel bad for Keaten to, being told him and I are mates only for me to leave again right after. I'm pulled from my thoughts from Alastair stopping. He sets me down. The guilt of him having to come get me weight heavy on my mind and I apologize, hugging him. He reassures me it's okay and not something I need to be sorry for. After a heated kiss, he asks if I want to sit on his back so we can travel faster. I already thought he moved fast when he carried me but he can go faster?
At first the feeling is very odd, I struggle to find a way to be as he moves. Alastair is going slow so I can get the hang of the movements. Soon I'm fully good with his movements and he speeds up. It's such a smooth ride, and with the wind from the speed we are going blowing my hair back. I feel so free! This is so enjoyable. I hold on and cuddle into him. The night seems peaceful right now but I know the dangers that do lurk at night. I just enjoy feeling his strong body under mine.
Slowly the night changes and the sky starts to brighten. We traveled all night? I can't believe that. My tummy growling has Alastair coming to a stop. He shifts, keeping most his body as a snake. Eyeing his muscular body and his golden eyes. How is this man real? I ask myself.
"Your hungry" he states. "You need to eat, there is a village not far from here, you can have a meal there then we can continue" he says.
"How far is the village?"
"It's just on the other side of that small mountain" he says. The mountain looks far but Alastair does travel fast and we will be there pretty quickly.
"Sounds good" I smile.
Alastair grabs me and his lips are on mine. I melt and kiss him back. I like that he isn't shy to grab me and kiss me. I like his little bit of roughness. He breaks the kiss when my tummy growls again and he says we should be going. I agree and get back on him.
The mountain comes up faster then I thought and in no time the village is in sight. Unlike the one I grew up in, the houses are made out of what see to be mostly rocks. The fence around them is small and looks more like it's just something to show the edge of the village. It appears like this village is bigger then mine. Along the edges are farms, though I don't know what's all being grown. I don't remember my village having any farms, maybe they did but I have no idea where it would have been. Alastair has shifted to his half man, half snake body.
"Come on" he says and I nod.
I feel nervous. Are they friendly? Are they going to lock me away to? I grab onto his arm and feel him look down at me. I wonder what he is thinking. As we step into the village we get looks. I have never seen the looks they are giving us but I cling to Alastairs arm tighter.
"It's okay Yuki" he says "it's me they are looking at, not you" I look up at him "most don't like snakes or lizards, we aren't very welcome in villages. Especially a herbivore village" I nod.
"Excuse me, what business do you have in our village?" A loud, deep voice asks. I jump and move behind Alastair. "I doubt that female you have is kidnapped, I'm curious why she clings to your arm"
"She is not kidnapped, and that is non of you business" Alastair says, I can here the challenge in his voice "she's hungry, we came to buy food for her"
"We don't sell meat here"
"I didn't think a herbivore village would, I want fruits and vegetables"
"Come, I hope you can pay snake" the, imma assume chief of the village. I wonder what animal they are? They show no signs of what they are.
We are lead to the market area and I pick some fruits. Strawberries, apples and raspberries. He buys more then needed but I don't question it. Before we leave the village one of the men shift to a half horse half man. He stands very tall, holding a spear. He has a brown horse body, a dark brown tail and his human body is tanned and muscular. Long dark brown hair and brown eyes. He is quite intimating.
"Stop it right there snake" he says. "What did you do to her? No female would ever choose a snake" I feel hurt by his words though they aren't directed to me.
"I have done nothing to her, she is free to leave me if she so wants" Alastair says "I think your just jealous a beautiful female actually chose me, a snake"
"Female" he says as his gaze shifts to me and I feel uncomfortable. Everything in me tells me not to trust him. "Be honest, you would rather be with a real male, who can protect you and give you healthy, beautiful children"
"Dash!" A male shouts. I look to see, tall with black eyes and long black hair. Not really tanned but has such amazing muscle definition. "Don't you know how to talk to females? Besides, I think You insulted her" he narrows his eyes at the horse beast named Dash.
"How did I insult her?" Dash asks, glaring this other .. horse?.. down.
"By saying no female would chose a snake" he says "Your not very observant are you? She's clinging to his arm and hiding behind him. If she didn't want to be with him, she wouldn't be so close and touchy"
"Come on, this female is far to pretty to be with him" Dash says. The other male shifts and he is a huge black horse. He fully changed and damn. What a stunning male. His fur is as black as obsidian, his long mane and tail are thick and long. His body is muscular, looking far bigger then Dash. The long hair at his hooves gives him such an elegant look. He snorts and I see Dash has taken a step back.
"Okay. Easy. I don't want to fight you" Dash says and quickly heads off into the village. When I look back at the black horse, he is back to a human form and naked. I know it's normal here, that seeing one naked isn't even a second thought. But I'm not used to it, as iv been kept away from most my whole life, plus any male that I was to be around had to be covered.
"I'm sorry, please accept my apology on behalf of his actions and words. He is young and can't control himself yet" he says
"What's your name?" Alastair asks
"Raven" he says "I will be honest I do have a completely selfish reason for chasing him off"
"Oh?" I question and my tummy growls again. Alastair hands me a apple.
"Eat" he says. I nod and feel weird eating, but I am hungry so I take a bite. "Can we take this outside the village, I think everyone will me more comfortable with me being outside"
"Yes we can. Maybe I'm just cold but I do feel it's their problem"
We leave the boarders of the village and head to a nearby tree. Alastair having me sit on him so I don't have to sit on the ground.