The Skeleton Queen

Nuevo Comienzo

Her white ears perk up from the sound of crackling close by. Her hands feel the soft warmth of the blankets covering her body. Her nostrils take a whiff of some delicious food that makes her lick her lips.

Is this the afterlife? This is too pleasant for someone like me. Is this a mistake?

Her golden eyes shoot open from Jaime tending the fireplace. She shuffles the blankets off of her and eyes for the door or a window to run through. She falls onto the floor from her weakened state.

Jaime spins around to help her. "You shouldn't move. You need to eat something."

She throws the blanket over herself. "Leave me alone!"

Jaime keeps his hands by his side. Silence sits between them.

"There's no one else here, but us. I won't get in the way if you want to leave, but you need to eat and rest first," he gently takes charge while crossing his arms.

She uncovers part of the blanket to look at him while covering her ears. Not even a wrinkle of meanness on his face.

He points to a plate of sausages, chestnuts, and glass of wine on the table near the fireplace.

"Let me help you up." He throws her arm around his shoulders and picks her up with ease with the blanket still around her. Her heart thuds rapidly from being this close to him. He sits her down.

"Do you need help to-"

His sentence is cut off by her stuffing the meal down her mouth. A chuckle leaves his mouth as it reminds him of the first time they met. She takes a sip of the wine. Her eyes well up as the flavors remind her of home.

"That's my wine with-"

"Osmanthus flowers," before drinking her glass down to the last drop. She covers her mouth to muffle a belch. "Darao yixia," she excuses herself.

Her heart pounds to the rhythm of his approaching footsteps. From the corner of her eyes, a blue towel with spare clothes sits on the table.

"They may not fit but use them to keep warm when you leave. The bath's over there with everything you need," he mentions to the left of them.

She clutches her knees to her face, ashamed that she smells terrible to him.

Why do you care since you won't see him again, her mind argues.

"Oh, mierda (Span for crap). I-I didn't mean like that. I was trying to be a good host," after seeing her reaction. He takes the other chair and flips it around before sitting down.

She understands he's giving her privacy to get clean. He hears quick steps followed by the slamming of the bathroom door. She gasps from seeing the bathtub had already been filled with fresh water. She touches the surface with a finger. It's still warm. She removes her old clothes and sits in while putting her tails to the side.

A pleasurable moan leaves her mouth from the inviting water. She takes in the fact that there's no window for her to slip out. Yet part of her doesn't want to leave.

She shakes her blushing head to remind herself of her past. She scrubs her body and tails clean with the soap-soaked brush. The spare clothes feel like a warm embrace to her ivory skin. Her tails shrink to tuck inside her outfit while she covers her ears with her headwrap. She slowly opens the door to see he's still facing the other way. 

"Thank you," she shortly says.

"You're welcome," he turns around to see her. The golden irises properly inspect his room which has a wine rack and cabinets near his bed. They well up from seeing his family photo on the nightstand. Her body shudders from the deep sadness wanting to consume her.