Page 25 of Quest for her Knights
“What do you think of her?”
“Who?” I ask, playing dumb.
“Elora, obviously.”
“I don’t know. What do you want me to say? What doyouthink of her?”
He sighs a deep breath before speaking again. “I don’t know, man. She’s so different from the other Elora. It’s hard to wrap my head around.”
“What’s there to understand? She’s the princess. It's our job to keep her safe. End of fucking story.”
“I guess you’re right.” He’s quiet for a minute before he adds, “Goodnight, Draven.”
“Night.” I close my eyes and let sleep quickly overtake me.
Sometime later, my eyes flash open, and I sit up with a start. What woke me? It must be the middle of the night with how dark it is, and I can hear Blaze breathing heavily, obviously deep asleep. Why did I wake up so suddenly? My chest feels tight with tension. I strain my ears, and just when I’m about to lie back down, I hear a soft cry, then a thump.
Immediately jumping out of bed, I yell, “Blaze, get up!” I don’t bother waiting for him as I tear the door open and run into the hall. Ranger must have heard it too as he reaches her door first and throws it open, with me hot on his heels and Arrow behind me.
My eyes widen at the sight of a strange man lying on top of Elora, his hands around her throat. Ranger wastes no time ripping the man from her and throwing him to the floor. Arrow quickly moves to help, so I rush to Elora.
She has tears streaming down her face as she gasps for breath, a look of sheer terror in her eyes. I sit beside her and gently drag her sideways into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. Sheflinches at the sound of Ranger and Arrow’s fists meeting the stranger's skin, so I lift her up and stand.
Blaze barrels in, eyes wide as he looks around in shock. “What happened?”
I say nothing as I brush past him and carry her back to our room. I place her on my bed, but when I try to stand up, her arms cling to my neck.
“No, please stay with me,” she rasps.
“I wasn’t going to leave the room, Kitten,” I say.
Why did I just call herKitten?
“I—Can you please just hold me for a few minutes?” she croaks out, her throat obviously sore from being strangled. Her big, round eyes look up at me with so much hope.
She wants me to hold her? I don’t know how my presence can possibly make her feel better, but I can’t deny her either. And I have to admit that after what I just saw, I want to keep her as close to me as possible, just to know she’s safe.
I lift her again, then sit on the bed with her in my lap, pulling my blanket over us both. I'm only now realizing she’s just wearing a small satin nightgown with tiny straps, and I’m only in my boxers. She starts to shake, so I pull the blanket right up to her chin and rub her arm, gently rocking her.
She rests her head against my bare chest, and I can feel it grow damp from her tears, making me groan in frustration. I can’t handle her crying.
“Princess, please don’t cry.”
She sniffles but then starts to cry even louder as she stutters out, “I’m s-sorry, I c-can’t h-help it!”
I hold her tighter as a full-body sob comes out of her.
“It’s okay, Kitten. Just let it all out,” I tell her, rocking her back and forth.
Fuck, I let that stupid nickname slip out again. But I can't help it. She’s like this tiny little kitten in my arms that I want to take care of and cuddle. I drop my head back and groan.
What is she doing to me?I’m just her knight…aknight… nothers.
Eventually, her tears settle and her breathing evens out, and I’m thankful for it. Hearing her cry literally gave me chest pains. I don’t like seeing her upset.
“Is she asleep?” Arrow asks softly, and it’s only then I realize he’s sitting on Blaze’s bed, his feet planted firmly on the floor as he watches us.
How long has he been in here?
