"You were an idiot, dude, that's what happened," I said, though my voice was laced with affection. "Why did you reach out to her?" I asked him.
He sighed and looked down at his hands. "I don't know. I saw her and my hand just reached out to her. She is stunning, and I just needed to comfort her. It was an impulse I couldn't ignore," he explained.
I didn't want to jinx us, but I was starting to think there was something more to this. We never reacted to women this way, even before we were banished. We were all playboys by nature, all fucking and having a short, fun time, not a long time. I didn't know what this meant exactly, but I knew something was going on, something that defied reality. Something magical.
"Are you sure you're alright? That looked brutal," I said to him.
He sighed and nodded. "It was. What that girl has gone through… it's more intense than anything we have been through. She has survived so much, and I just— it's inspirational," he said.
I wanted to tease him for making comments like that, but for him to be that complimentary to someone he had just met was insane. Not to mention, I was just as drawn to her as he was.
"Alright, now that you're okay, we should go and check on her and Tarian. Make sure they're okay," I said.
He nodded, and I watched as he forced himself up. My heart went out to him. He had survived so much, gone through so much, it astounded me that he was still able to function. My curse sucked, but my incubus nature let me heal fast. The others were warlocks, so they didn't have the healing ability I did. I wished I could share it with them, but sadly, that was impossible.
He got up, and I cast him a smile before we walked over to the other side of the clearing. It was a slow walk, with Quillon still in a daze. His dark blonde, wavy hair was a mess around his face, and his dark blue eyes were still a bit clouded over. I wanted to tell him to rest, but I knew he'd ignore me. He was as stubborn as he was muscular, unlike my more muscular but lithe frame.
We wordlessly walked around the corner of the house, and when I saw what the pair were doing, my jaw dropped.
Chapter Four
Tarian
As soon as we went around the corner, her shoulders stiffened. I did my best not to look at her, as I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable if she was upset. She stood facing the trees with me behind her. Her long black velvet cloak covered her form like a protective shield, keeping her safe from harm. I watched as she tried to clear her head. I might not be psychic, but I had to do the same thing after he touched me the first time. It was a harrowing experience for everyone, and the guilt was overwhelming, coming in like unrelenting waves slamming into you without any respite in between.
"I've been in your shoes. He touched me, and he reacted badly. The guilt… it was so much. I could barely handle it," I said, my voice strong but laden with honesty.
"How did you handle it? He was just trying to comfort me, and he ended up on the ground," she said, her voice filled with self-loathing.
How did I handle it? It was a tricky question. If we brushed up against each other, I still had the guilt flare, so I didn't really handle it that well.
"I just forced myself to keep going. I didn't know, so how could I have blamed myself? It was just a freak accident. He chose to try to comfort you despite knowing the risks, so you can either let yourself grow in guilt that doesn't need to be there, or you can keep moving forward and feel honoured he tried to help you when he knew what would happen," I said.
Sometimes, a bit of tough love was needed. She looked down at the ground and sighed. "You're right. Thank you."
"It's no problem. Now, why don't we get to know each other a bit better?" I said.
She turned around, and I drowned in the green of her eyes. "What did you have in mind?"
"What are your favourite things, and your least favourites?"
She pursed her lips, and suddenly the idea of kissing them exploded in my mind. I shook my head, knowing I had no business even thinking that. She was a princess, a member of royalty, and I was a peasant, or worse, an outcast. Yeah, I bet her mother would love it if she brought someone like me home. I could just imagine it.
"Well, my favourite colour is purple. I love egg tarts, I love the sound of the harp, and I love the sunrise. I hate the sunset, as it means the day is over. I hate my curse, and I despise celery," she said, screwing up her nose at the last one. "Oh, and I love horses."
I chuckled, the sound more genuine than it usually was. "What did celery do to you?" I asked, a smile pulling at my lips.
"Don't ask. Your turn," she said.
I was definitely going to ask later. "My favourite season is autumn. I love thunderstorms, I love bread, I love my bestfriends. I hate ginger, I hate the curse, and I hate birds," I finally said.
She laughed, and I swore I heard angels. She tilted her head back so the column of her throat was on full display, the milky skin perfect and needing to be blemished by my mouth.
"Why do you hate ginger?" she asked me, looking scandalised.
"Don't ask," I teased, and she shook her head fondly.
"Copying my line, are you?" she teased, smirking at me.