Episode 28

By the time Scarlet woke, the sun was high in the sky, spilling into the room through the crack of the curtains. And though she had partially awoken, she felt great reluctance to open her eyes.

'Just a little longer,' she told herself.

For, she knew that once she opened her eyes, she would have to face her current reality. Lingering in that place between sleep and awake, she snuggled closer to the source of heat next to her, her right arm wrapped around it. Only after laying there for a few moments longer did it occur to her that she was, in fact, holding onto someone. This caused her eyes to shoot open.

'Helfeirch?'

She suddenly felt embarrassed and pulled her arm back from him while pushing herself to set up with her other arm.

"Woke up, I see." Came Helfeirch's voice from under a pillow he had over his face, she guessed to block out the light.

"Yeah, sorry for treating you like a giant teddy bear."

He reached up to move the pillow slightly to look at her. "I don't know what that is, but I didn't mind you laying close, if that's what you're talking about." He then sat up next to her, pulling his goggles over his eyes as he did. "Besides, I'm the one who climbed into the bed with you without permission."

That was true. However, there was only one bed in this room, and she knew he must have been just as tired as she was. Waking up next to him and holding him may have been embarrassing and a bit of a shock, but she would have been upset if he'd slept on the hard floor.

"That's alright," she finally said. "We both needed the sleep. Now we both need something to eat. Pops will probably have something made for us if I ask." She gave a sigh. "I imagine he'll insist we catch up over the meal."

"You two seem somewhat close," Helfeirch stated as he looked at Scarlet.

"Yeah." Scarlet unknowingly gave a small smile. "He's good people." She made her way out of bed and called down to order food before getting washed up. Coming out of the restroom, her eyes settled on Helfeirch, who was stealing a glance out the window.

"How are your eyes handling the sun?"

His head turned to look at her. "I don't think they'll ever get used to it.

Scarlet made her way to the bed and plopped down. "How are you liking Llygredd Grand so far?"

Releasing the curtain, he walked over and stopped right in front of her. "It's different," he said with a shrug. She was reminded just how tall he was as he stood, looking down at her.

"...You know, now that we're finally here, I could probably find some old contacts that could get you papers, a place to live, and work suited for you. You could have a whole new life."

She was met with silence as he continued to look down at her. "The deal was, I get you here, you take me with you," he finally said.

"Yes, but things aren't going to be easy for me or anyone with me. So…"

He suddenly bent down as he pulled his goggles from his eyes. She froze mid-sentence as she was met by his pale blue eyes, which seemed to pierce right through her.

"I didn't ask for easy. I asked for you." His voice was quiet yet firm. Scarlet instinctively leaned back, but he seemed to follow her, his hands pressing into the bed on both sides of her. "I was fully capable of coming here all on my own had I wanted to. I came here because you were coming here."

"You came here because of me?" Scarlet felt herself caught in the intensity of his eyes.

"Yes." There was no wavering in his answer.

Scarlet began shaking her head. "But why?"

Suddenly, she felt his hand push against her right shoulder, causing her to press into the bed. It was only then that she realized how far up on the bed she was. His hand moved from her shoulder to cup her cheek, his face close enough to hers that she could feel his breath.

"I told you. You're special," he whispered. His warm lips pressed down against hers in a gentle yet firm manner.

Scarlet's mind instantly went blank at the gesture, and she found herself at a loss for how to respond. She had not seen this coming. Yes, only a few weeks ago, he'd tried to claim breeding rights to her with his people. But in the time since, she figured that he had just been trying to help her and wasn't really serious about it.

However, several memories came crashing into her mind from her short time with him, how he'd taken care of her and all her injuries and helped keep her alive while going through his peoples' territory. He hadn't needed her for any of that, and she knew that, he was smart enough and capable enough that, he could have made a new life here in Llygredd Grand without her help.

He pulled away for just a moment, his eyes searching her expression. She knew that if she pushed him away or told him to stop, he would. But if she was being honest with herself, that's not what she really wanted. His small gesture of affection left her wanting to feel more. As if reading her mind, he lowered his lips to hers again, which lead to a series of kisses that grew more and more fervent.

She felt like she'd been through hell since waking up on that cold metal table in the Scavenger Lands and she was tired of it, tired of the blood, the death, tired of the constant fight to survive, tired of living a nightmare while awake, tired of being tormented by nightmares while asleep, and tired of how cold it all left her feeling.

His body pressed down against hers, and she could feel his warmth seeping into her. His lips were warm, and his tongue hot as it found its way into her mouth. His left hand slowly traveled down to her breast before grasping it over her clothes. His thumb rubbed over the most sensitive area, causing her to moan into his mouth. He then lifted his lips from hers, allowing them both to breathe. Both of his hands now cupping her face, he looked at her in wonder.

"Beautiful."

'Beautiful…?'

He'd said that before and she could tell, by the look in his eyes, that he meant it. To most other people in Llygredd, this man and his kind would easily be considered monsters, while she herself looked more and more like one with each passing day.

'Maybe it takes being a monster to find a monster beautiful.'

Before Helfeirch could reclaim her lips again, a knock came rapping at the door, followed by the voice of an elderly man.

"The food is ready, Scarlet."

Hearing Pops' voice jolted Scarlet out of the trance she had been immersed in, leaving her scrambling to respond.

"We'll be right down," she finally managed to say.

Helfeirch's eyes had not left her as he stood up from the bed, releasing her from his strong warm embrace. He then offered her a hand to help her up, which she took. However, when she went to pull her hand away, he did not release it but instead raised her palm to his mouth while still looking right into her eyes. She was so flustered and focused on calming her raging heart that she failed to notice. The tiny scales, that had been a deep crimson since she first saw them, now shimmered white like pearls.