Page 10 of The Exiled Dragon

Odessa

When Prince Charming left the cave, I was worried for him. He went in such a rush for a moment, I thought the Vampires had found me. He looked at my arms, his rough hands touched every hole and rip in the skin. He knew what happened to me without me telling him. He wasn't some dumb barbarian; he had years of history himself all over him.

The loud roar had me shaking into the blankets. It echoed into the cave, shaking the pitchers on the table, finally falling, making a splatter on the floor. I guess you couldn't say it made the floor dirty; it was a cave floor. Shortly after, the cat/dog beast came back, jumping on the bed and curling up with me.

I guess I have a new friend? I'm assuming it was a he; he pushed the furs over my body, tucking me in. Was this him saying everything was all right? I laid back on the piles of skins while Fluffy lay next to me. Yeah, I had to name him too.

As much as I wanted to believe I was safe here, my body didn't think so. I worried I was trading one life for another. Prince Charming may be the devil himself trying to fatten me up before eating me. Do they have cannibals in this land? Those comforting, deep eyes could just be a façade to help me form a connection with him because he has scars too. However, Vampires just needed my blood and fluids. They made me eat liver every day to try and maintain the iron in my blood. It was disgusting. Prince Charming gave me a great meal that would hold me off all day long. It wouldn't return my blood supply up to a premium level, but I could feel the carbs settling on my hips.

Maybe he liked to eat meaty hips.

He surely wouldn't chase some animal or person away from the cave to protect me and then eat me later, would he? No, surely not. That's a lot of trouble. I bit my thumbnail, trying to believe the lies I just told myself. That he just could not hurt me.

Let's be honest, I was too naive about the world. Whatever world this was anyway. I stayed homeschooled because my dad was paranoid. Now, look at me. The day he passes away, my estranged mother comes back and takes me away, giving me nothing but grief.

The aches in my arms remind me of him every day. Dad's fantasy stories were of faraway places, wars of species of a different kind, and kingdoms fighting for the right to live. Now I was living in one of those stories. Except this time, I was just the blood slave with no hope of returning to the place I called home. Home wasn't there anymore. Home was with family, and I obviously didn't have one anymore.

Between my thinking, worrying, and pity party, I fell asleep. I wasn't sure how long I slept, but Prince Charming came in, huffing. He put his weapons down on the single table meant for one. Prince Charming heard me and froze into blankness. I would say he glared at me, but his eyes were too soft. How could I think he would want to eat me? He was human, just like me. Then again, I thought the Vampires were human, too, until they sucked me dry every day.

No, he was different. When he was near, I felt comfortable. When he was away, my mind did things, thought things that couldn’t possibly be true about him. The question was why I was feeling this way.

“Everything all right?” I questioned. He only nodded, and that was when the real fun began because I had to explain that I really had to pee. There was no way I could climb down off the bed; it was clearly three to four feet high. I already had one swollen ankle. I didn't need two.

He came to the bed without question and lifted me in his arms. I automatically wrapped my arms around his neck; I was worried I was too heavy for him. He thought it was funny; I'm sure because that familiar growl laugh radiated from his chest.

Weird.

Prince Charming took me outside; his steps were light, considering how large he was. He barely made a sound when we reached around the corner outside the cave. It was the first time I was able to see where I was staying. The only description I could give myself was that it was indeed a fantasy world in the light.

A vast area around the cave was set up with furs drying in the sun. Tall trees hung over the cave that looked like willows. The ground was rich with color, parts of the area covered in hunter-green grass and several spots of purple moss. After I stared for a bit, Prince Charming took me to a secluded area with bushes for privacy.

Setting me down, I leaned up next to a rock, waiting for him to leave. He just looked on, waiting for me to do what I needed to do.

"You can't watch!" I waved my hands for him to shoo. Prince crossed his arms, shaking his head. "You can't be here; I have anxiety. I won't be able to let go if you stand there. I'm not going anywhere." My hands were on my hips with my ankle resting in the air behind me. It was a sight to see, that's for sure.

Prince Charming's nose flared, and he turned around. That won't do either.

The Vampires had a single bucket in each cage. Being around my fellow humans, I didn't mind it because it was dark anyway. It was always dark. I felt covered in the darkness, so I did without question when I needed to do something. Now I was in the light with Prince Charming and his broodiness. What if I accidentally farted or worse?

I bit my lip, thinking of the worst.

"You have to walk away a bit," I whispered. Angering Princy Poo was not on my to-do list, but he had been compliant so far. He hadn't been rough with me at all; he was the nicest person I'd met in six months. Prince Charming turned around with a heavy sigh. He pointed to the ground and at me.

"I swear, I won't move," I promised. Prince walked away a good twenty paces before I could relieve myself. This was better than peeing in a bucket. I'll give you that.

Before I could stand back up, Prince Charming already had me in his arms, taking me back to the cave. "Easy there. Did you miss me?" I joked; his chest began to strum that mighty gravely noise in his chest again. "That cannot be normal," I muttered, moving my ear to his chest. It almost hummed its own song.

Chapter Eight

Odessa

AsifIwouldbreak, Prince Charming gently put me back on the fluffy bed of furry blankets. He was relatively gentle for a big guy, covered in scars, tattoos, worked hands, and meaty muscles. The fear of being eaten was long gone once he put the blanket over my legs.

His oversized tunic shirt was thin yet thick enough for me to feel well covered. More so than anything I wore with the Vampires.

"Um, Prince Charming?" He shook his head; he tried to smile. Each time he tried to laugh, a slight curl of his lip would go a millimeter higher. One day I'd like to see him with a full smile. "Thank you for taking care of me." My voice cracked. It was the first time I felt cared for in a while. Dad would constantly baby me when I was sick, even when I was a grown adult living in his house. "I don't have a way to repay you. I don't have money, but I can do chores around your house, cave. Once I'm better, I can earn some money working for someone and…." Prince Charming stood in front of me faster than I could blink. He wasn't human, he was indeed something else, but I wasn't sure what.

The dark shadows loomed over his face in the barely lit cave, making his appearance dark and sinister. It didn't scare me, though, not how he was rubbing the top of my hand. He shook his head and patted my hands. "I have to repay you," I repeated. "You've done a lot for me, and, in fact, you have done too much. I need…" my eyes darted away from him and down the dark passageway. My heartbeat was violent in my chest. I wasn't afraid of the dark, just the things that lurked in the darkness. Vampires were quiet, and stealthy; they lived in the shadows hunting their prey.

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