forum Blood Oath (O/O CLOSED)

Started February 21, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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I pressed my mouth on his, trying to ease his worries.

“Money can always come back,” I said to him after I pulled away. “Life slips away and you can’t ever get it back. Andreas, the cost doesn’t matter for me. Your parents will accept.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my face into the crook of his neck, sniffling quietly. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Everything,” I held him tightly. “I l—care about you a lot, Andreas. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I’m sorry…” I whispered, sinking into his warm embrace. “Thank you for everything… I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

I ran my fingers through his hair gently, Hope jumping on to his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek to make him feel better.

“Okay,” I agreed, knowing that was the only way he could get Andreas to accept. “You can pay me back whenever you can.”

It was only when I felt Hope nuzzling my cheek that I noticed the presence of Copper, curled tightly around my wrist. A surge of guilt overwhelmed me—how long had he been there, trying to comfort me? In all the rush, I hadn’t seen him…

Plopping a kiss on his little forehead, I leaned back against my boyfriend. “Thank you…”

“C’mon, let’s sneak into the kitchen to cheer you up,” I murmured. “We can get lots of caramel desserts. The chef should be expecting us anytime soon!”

"You're the best boyfriend ever…." I answered, the barest hint of a smile ghosting over my lips. "I–I'll write back later."

Our fingers laced together, almost of their own accord.

[TIME SKIP - Elle's POV, three days later]

"Shit," I cursed under my breath, dropping to my knees to peer under my bed. "Where the hell is it?" Scylla, who was curled up on my pillow, stirred. "Elle? What's wrong?" Her deeper, melodious voice caught me off guard—Neither of us had quite adjusted to the changes made with her recent evolution. "It's my ring.." I muttered aloud. Rising to my feet, I did another sweep of the room. "I can't–I can't find it anywhere—"

We searched together, but my finger remained bare, and the little golden band was nowhere to be seen. "Shit." A note of panic slipped into my voice. Scylla butted my leg in a way that was supposed to be reassuring, but only ended up spiking me with a newly formed horn. "Did you leave it somewhere?" she asked sweetly, growing anxious at my obvious distress. "When did you last have it?"

"I….I didn't do much today…Just training, and—" My eyes grew wide. "Oh! I must have left it in Colton's room–Or the armoury–I don't think I had it when I got back." Before I knew what had come over me, I'd grabbed the binder from the box beneath my bed and was wrapping it firmly around my chest. "Wait—Elle, you can't go out now. If you get caught…"

I shook my head. "No, I have to get the ring. I can't–I can't just leave it to be found by someone else. Come on, we'll be careful."

A few minutes later, and I was fully dressed, creeping cautiously along the wall of the corridor. Shadows stretched across the floor, disrupted only by the occasional shaft of moonlight that slipped through the sparse windows and heavy cloud cover. "It might rain tonight…" Scylla murmured to fill the silence. "So we should be quick….Go to Colton's room, first. Are you sure he won't be upset?"

I wasn't, but it was too late to turn back now. Soon enough, I found myself knocking on his front door.

I paused mid-conversation with my Mistress. I was sure I hadn’t been speaking aloud—so what was it? Did my father need something from me, at two in the morning?

I pulled myself to my feet and walked over to the door, opening it to find a pleasant surprise.

Elle.

”What are you doing here?” I quirked an eyebrow.

My confidence dimmed and withered away.

Colton.

"I–I think I left my ring in here?" I ventured timidly, heart thundering in my chest. Why was it that he looked so beautiful in the dim light, his features accentuated with the barest hints of moonlight? Why was it that a subtle blush was blooming across my burning cheeks?

"Sorry to bother you," I hastened to add, shuffling my feet a little. "I just–I didn't want to lose it. So. Um."

The ring. She lost it? How careless… I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

”It’s not here,” I replied. ”Anyway, you’re an idiot for breaking curfew. Go back to your room. Find it in the morning. It’s just a ring.”

But it's not! I wanted to protest, but his cold tone put a wrench in my already failing bravado. It contains a part of my bondmate's essence. And… you gave it to me. I miss you, Colton.

But I only nodded. Of course, I wasn't exactly planning on listening. I'd just wait until his bedroom door was closed and sneak down into the armoury…..The ring had to be there. It had to be. Right?

Just from the look on her face, I knew what she was going to do. I couldn’t let her, because if she got caught… she would be put to death. I couldn’t lose an important asset, so I stepped out of my room and shut the door behind me.

”Well, then, let’s go,” I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

I blinked up at him, caught off guard. "You….want to accompany me to my room?" Bewildered, I tilted my head, "Didn't you just call me an idiot for breaking curfew?"

"Stop complaining!" Scylla protested, spiking me with her tail. "And give him a parting kiss on the cheek."

My face went red. Dammit, Scylla…

”Elle, I’m not stupid,” I raised an eyebrow, not noticing her reactions due to the darkness shrouding us. ”I know the second I’m in my room and the door is between us, you’re going to search for that ring. And of course, I can’t let you get caught, can I?”

"R-Right," I stammered, suddenly sheepish at my transparency. "Was I that obvious?"

Of course, I was aching to ask him quite a different question. Do you really want to protect me that much? But no. It was stupid of me to think that way. He was only doing this because he thought I was idiotic enough to get caught.

I gave her a pointed look before moving, taking slow, quiet steps.

”Did you leave it at the armory?” I questioned, not waiting for her to catch up to me. ”We should move quickly. They will change patrol in about ten minutes.”

I hurried to catch up with him, feeling much more like a naïve child than I'd like. Scylla let out a teasing laugh that only I could hear, nipping affectionately at my heels. "You should pretend to be scared of the dark, and reach out to grab his hand," she prompted, winding her way around me. "I bet he'd squeeze it back."

Red in the face, I elected to ignore her comments, instead nodding in Colton's direction.

We reached the armory quickly, blending well in the dark. Once we got inside, I shut the door again as if it had never been tampered with. I held out my hand, willing it to burst into red flame. The heat felt scalding, but it didn’t hurt. It lifted up from my hand into the roof, illuminating the room.

”Find your ring,” I said to her. ”And don’t get too close to the fire, Scylla. We wouldn’t want you getting burned.”

Scylla flicked her tail nonchalantly as if to say that she'd be fine. Meanwhile, I scoured the room, scanning the scratched and faded floors for any sign of the little golden band I'd so foolishly lost. Finally, after what seemed like an eon, I found it lodged beneath a weapons rack. It glinted in the dim firelight as I lifted it into the air, slipping it onto my middle finger and turning to Colton.

”Perfect,” I muttered. ”Great, now let’s go—“

A flash of lightening interrupted me, right before rain began falling down hard. If we left like this, the rain would hide our voices, but the time it would take to dry off…

”Damn it…”

I curse flew from my lips, which had previously been twisted into a triumphant smile. Now that the ring was back where it belonged, I felt…..safer, almost. But the storm could rage through the night, leaving us stranded here. And if someone found us? We'd be done for.

"Is there any other way to get out?" I found myself asking. It was a stupid question, of course there was, but no matter which way we fled, the result would be the same.

”No,” I replied rather bitterly. ”We’d get caught either way. The best thing to do is wait and hide here until patrol leaves.”

Understanding that he was most likely upset with me for dragging me along, I only nodded. Scylla gave me a sharp poke with her tail that I was unable to decipher, so, tired from the rigorous training of the day, I seated myself on the floor.