Thatdemon clearly wasn't too concerned about celibacy...
Lephas caught the exchange between them and quickly man-handled his demon friend out into the corridor.
Lori grinned and turned her attention back to the strange fruit in her hands.
So, Lephas wasn't a one-off. Haros was also nothing like the pictures she had seen of demons. Clearly her father's books were either very out of date or he had deliberately given his daughters false information. Her smile dimmed – she had a feeling the latter was more likely.
Anger simmered in her stomach as she ate in quiet contemplation. What exactly had her father hoped to achieve by lying to them? How many other things had he lied about under the pretence of 'keeping them safe'? Had he thought to frighten them into submission? To make them terrified of the monsters that lurked outside the castle walls?
The door creaked as Lephas returned. He had a dark scowl plastered on his face. Clearly the conversation with Haros hadn't been a good one.
“So, Commander, hm?”
“Uh, yeah,” Lephas replied as he sat back down next to his satchel.
“You're the boss around here then?” Finishing her fruit, she picked up a biscuit curiously.
“Well, I wouldn't go as far as–” Lephas looked up at her and stopped. A wide grin fought its way onto his face. He looked away, clearly trying not to laugh.
“What?” Lori narrowed her eyes at him.
Lephas coughed and looked down at his lap, still smirking. When he raised his eyes to meet hers again he laughed aloud, unable to contain it.
“What?!” Lori whined.
“You've got blood berry juice all over your face.” He laughed, getting to his knees and shuffling closer to her.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, hands flying to her face. A rush of hot blood flooded her cheeks.
“Here, here...” Lephas leant across to grab the wet rag he had been washing her wound with. “You need to get that shit off before it stains. Can't exactly have you going around looking like some kind of wild animal that's just been head-deep in a carcass!”
Fuck, fuck, fuck!Lori screamed internally, hastily scrubbing at her face.
Her stomach churned with embarrassment and she glanced up from the rag. Lephas was still chuckling quietly to himself. He sure was sexy when he smiled.
“Eating blood berries without getting messy is a real art form, don't worry. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it.” His dark eyes glinted with mirth.
“Have... Have I got it all?” Lori asked, still blushing furiously.
“Yeah, you look...” Lephas trailed off, searching for the right word. “Fine.”
Brilliant, he thought she looked fine. Lori huffed quietly. Of all the words he could have chosen, he went with ‘fine’?!
She frowned. Clearly this attraction was going to be a one-way street. It was no surprise, really – he had made his disdain for faeries very clear and had now seen her face covered with bloodandfood, all in one day. She wouldn't have been attracted to her either, if she were him.
“So why are you being so considerate?” Lori asked, quickly trying to change the subject. “I wasn't expecting food and a warm bed for the night when you picked me up earlier, that's for sure.”
“You can thank King Zelrus for that. Unlike your father, our king wants peace between our factions. What better place to start than showing kindness towards the offspring of his enemy? He's set on proving we're better than the hideous beasts your people have clearly painted us as.” Lephas's tone suddenly grew serious.
Many times, Lori had wished to be someone else, to be free to live her life as just another nameless face in the endless crowd of life. She had never beenembarrassedof who she was before. Not until now.
“You are still a prisoner of war, Princess, but you'll be looked after. Perhaps not the treatment you're used to on a day-to-day basis–” he gave her a half smile. “–but you won't be cold or hungry whilst you're under my supervision.”
Lori stared at him, unsure what to say. She knew all too well what her father's men would have done if they had come across a runaway demon princess... She shuddered.
Yet these people were supposed to be the monsters? Another of her father's elaborate lies, perhaps?
“That's... Reassuring.” She nodded, placing the half-eaten food parcel to the side, her appetite suddenly absent.
