Page 19 of Dark's Savior

"You looked like you didn't expect to run into anyone, and you looked pretty shocked." She took a step closer, her hip brushing the tableside. "And, well, I was pretty shocked myself." She laughed. "Ah, sorry, I'm...not feeling myself. I saw you here, and I just wanted to say that, I guess." She started to turn, as if that was all, then she came back." And if I hurt you, I'm sorry also."

"Hurt me?" Ryziel couldn't help saying aloud.

She brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, her soft lips curving ever so slightly, and the gesture almost made him shiver at its sweetness. He could feel himself growing harder, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"You seemed...in pain when you got close and..." She looked to Xilya then back at him and placed her hand against her throat, and he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Then you ran. I don't know. I thought maybe my skin was toxic or something. But maybe that's stupid..."

Stupid, yes. But not entirely illogical, he guessed, for someone to think who had no knowledge of other species besides their own.

Something welled in him, and a noise escaped his throat. Xilya nearly jumped beside him and stared at him in shock.

Because he was laughing.

This strange human woman was so innocent, so naive, about what she was saying.Scared him? Hurt him?If she knew his past and who he truly was, she'd see how funny—how ironic—such statements were.

He could hear his brother's laughter too.

The innocent ones are always the most fun to play with.

He stopped laughing and frowned at his brother's words. Oh, yes, how his brother liked to play. And suddenly, he had an image of him toying with Aly, and for some reason, it bothered him. Now, he was irritated.

"Your apology is a waste of breath," he said. "You didn't scare or hurt me. Perhaps you surprised me...barely. But it was because I thought for a moment you were one of therukthat had somehow scurried its way up from the bottom."

Her brows knitted. "What is a ruk?"

"A giant sightless frog," Xilya answered. "Give or take."

Aly frowned, and the disappointment in her eyes almost stung him...almost. He shoved any guilt down.

"Oh." She smiled then laughed a little. "I guess I can see the mistake." A joke, he thought.

She nodded her head and went to take a step back when an abbiot walked past. Ryziel watched as she backed into him, and he, in turn, jutted his great arm out and pushed her back, letting out a deep growl. Ryziel watched as she stumbled forward, hit the table, and caught herself, smacking her hands on the tabletop. One hand landed on the cool metal, another landed on top of his own.

The touch was as electric as the last time. Ryziel's Drega tore its way up, ready to pounce, and in response, Ryziel shot his hand back and bared his teeth, a hiss escaping his lips. A violent surge of lust ripped his lower abdomen, pain throbbing between his thighs. He was ready to lunge over the table, grab her arm, swing her around, shove her against the table, bend her over, and take her right there for everyone to see, Nihl be damned.

Panic took him. He found himself leaping over the table, but he didn't touch her. She stumbled back in alarm then fell to the ground, and her fear was plain. He towered over her with a heaving breath.

"Stay away," he growled. "Stay away from me. If I find you anywhere close to my territory or near me again, you will regret it."

And that was that. And he could see in her that it was enough. He disliked himself in that moment, though being cruel had never garnered such shame in him before. But right now, it felt necessary.

Before he did something he might regret later, he turned away and left, leaving the girl on the floor and Xilya to sit there wondering what the hell his problem was. But it was a better scenario than the alternative. And so, he went without a word.

Chapter Eight

Aly sat up in her unit, staring out the one small window next to her bed, her head pressed against the cool glass, watching the lights from outside. It had begun to rain again, and, based off the skymeter's readings beside the window, it would continue to do so for the remainder of the night and all into the next day. The temperature was to drop as well, and the wind would pick up after that. Another glorious day in Lethe Maws.

Aly sighed and lifted her head from the glass then begrudgingly made her way to the kitchen and made herself a cup of dark hyli tea. She wasn't going to get much sleep tonight, she knew, so she might as well make the most of it in some other fashion. She took her tea over to the bed and set it on the bedside table to let it cool then she picked up her sketchbook and opened it carefully. She flipped through it until she stopped and stared at the image before her and frowned.

The nillium's face stared back at her, only partially shaded from face to neck, his eyes glaring at her just like he had at Shadowpoint. Angry.

She was a fool. A real idiot. She didn't know what had come over her then at the bar, but she certainly wished more than once she could go back and just drag her intoxicated ass out of the situation, patting herself on the back and saying, "nice try." But no. The memory of only a few hours ago still lingered like an open wound in her mind: the nillium's face snarling above her, his more than serious threat, his eyes alight with a violent fire she cowered before. And what had she done? Well, she wasn't entirely sure where she set him off as he had seemed pretty put out by her even in the beginning; but, by her guess, it was when she had stumbled onto the table and accidentally dropped her hand onto his. He really didn't like being touched, if only by her. That thought hurt, though she told herself it shouldn't. There were plenty of people, humans included, who didn't like to be touched, so she shouldn't feel offended.

Except that she still couldn't help feeling the obvious hurt and disappointment of the...rejection. Yes, she had been rejected. It wasn't like it was the first time, but this one seemed to bother her a lot more than it should. Why, she couldn't say.

Maybe she was just confused. He had come up to her on the bridge, had wanted to touch her. She wasn't stupid enough to think he actually mistook her for some giant frog. She could take a hint at an insult when it was thrown in her face. But hehadbeen interested. She could tell, even as he had cautiously approached her that night.

So why the sudden change?

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