My Darkening Ember

Chapter Eleven

"Am I allowed to kiss thy fair lady?" Lau's head popped out from the door frame. His voice was sly and an attractive grin played on his lips.

I chuckled and threw a towel over my shoulder, placing my hand on my hip. "And who said chivalry is dead?"

He sprinted over to me, carefully wrapping a hand around my waist, while the other cupped my neck, pulling me in. Our lips touched and I wrapped my hand around his arm, feeling his muscles tense under his shirt. His lips moved from mine, tracing down my neck while his other hand touched my breast.

"We are in your father's bar," I giggled, removing his hand before it moved any further. I pulled back to watch him look at me with such lust I grinned.

"He's not my father," Lau's soft voice whispered back as he leaned in to kiss my neck.

"Well then," I teased as my hand slipped into his pants. He moaned slightly in surprise before smirking, planting a soft wet kiss on my lips.

The door burst open, the sound making us tear from each other.

"I told you to stay away from that boy!" My father's voice was loud and filled with rage. His hand grabbed my sleeve, yanking me with him towards the door.

"And you!" He stepped quickly, his finger was inches from Lau's face. "If I ever catch you with my daughter again I will gouge those pretty eyes from their sockets. I don't care whose boy you are." It was a warning he meant.

"Move it!" He roared, grabbed me again and shoved me out the door.

Lau's frightened but angry face was all I saw as I turned my head.

"We need to go." A voice said, forcing its way through my dreams shaking me into reality. I woke, feeling pain flow through me immediately. I was aching all over, which is what I would expect when beaten to a pulp.

I groaned and sat up. The fire was still smouldering and behind it, the sun was barely rising. The day was beginning, gloomy and dark. Grey clouds painted the entirety of the sky. The humid air made it clear the weather would turn soon.

I felt cold sweat on my forehead and checked my arm the second Xander turned his back. The burn was black and the poison had turned to ink beneath my skin. It had already infected my blood as dark veins were slowly growing up my arm. It felt sore as I poked it with my fingers. I winced and quickly covered it with my sleeve.

Six days left. It had begun.

The weather turned fast as I predicted. The rain poured down from the cliff walls like tiny waterfalls.

A long time ago, the pathways in between the cliffs served as rivers, running through the country. History books predicted that the desert was once a blossoming forest, so green it stretched for miles like its own sea. But as the land changed and the waters fell, it left the empty skeletons of where the river once ran through. I wondered if with enough rain that could happen once again. 

When we finally sought shelter in another cave, I was soaked and freezing. My hair was clamping to my face. We had tracked the pathway carefully for hours, our slow pace was the result of my injuries. It hurt all over but I refused to let it cripple me.

Xander had glanced back at me a few times, his look told me I should act carefully. He hadn't tied my hands to anything. I figured he knew I wouldn't try to run again.

The rain continued for hours and the salty air reminded me of Lau and the bathhouse. I damned the thoughts because they were always accompanied by my insatiable guilt. It was on repeat in my head.