If Lori was a non-majborne of the Goldwyrm family, he dreaded to think what her sister and father were capable of. He had never needed to speak with Raxx more urgently.
The faerie stirred in his arms, interrupting his thoughts.
“Lephas?” she asked groggily.
“Yes, Sweet?” He glanced down at her. The faerie still had her eyes closed.
“I want to go home.”
“Back to Awrelwood?” he asked, surprised.
“No... To your home,” Lori mumbled sleepily. “I miss real beds.”
“Me too, Princess. Me too.” Lephas laughed softly, trying not to jostle her too much. She sighed heavily as sleep enveloped her once more.
That was a pleasant thought. Lephas closed his eyes and tried to envision the small bedroom he rented at an inn back in Banesteppe.
He could almost see her there. Her beautiful face resting peacefully on the pillow next to his as the sun streamed through a crack in the curtains, lighting her golden hair like a lantern.
If he'd had any doubts, the ache of desire in his chest put them to rest. He so badly wanted to see Lori there beside him.
A lump formed in his throat. Their future happiness all depended on one person – King Zelrus.
∞∞∞
Lori shivered and woke abruptly. Her head was aching again, her mouth was dry and her bladder was full. It was a recipe for discomfort.
She squirmed, attempting to get comfortable and tried to ignore her body's requests. The faerie glanced across at the sleeping demon and smiled softly.
He twitched gently, deep in sleep. She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and earnt herself a string of half-mumbled gibberish. He looked so carefree and innocent when he was asleep.
Lori huffed as the need to pee grew almost unbearable. It was no good, she would have to get up… She glanced back to Lephas. Should she wake him?
No, she was loath to disturb him when he was looking so peaceful. Besides, he had already seen her peeing once that day and that was enough for anyone. Lori chuckled and rolled away before carefully easing herself up.
Although her legs shook, they held beneath her. She was recovering steadily - just as the commander had promised.
After pausing for a few moments to ensure she wasn't going to fall, Lori took a few wobbly steps. She sighed with relief. She was almost back to normal.
A good meal and she was sure she would be all set on the road to recovery. Even her appetite had begun to return to her, her stomach growled loudly.
Lori didn’t dare go too far into the forest alone. Though the moonlight shone brightly against the snow and illuminated the dark forest, it also cast eerie looking shadows. She swore they were moving in her peripheral vision but whenever she turned to look, they were still. The faerie shivered and wrapped her armsaround her body.
She would just need to get far enough away that she could pee in privacy and then she would make her way back, as quickly as possible. She felt exposed and vulnerable without her demon protector. The faerie found a suitably thick shrubbery and hastily began to unbutton her trousers.
“Lori...” A voice whispered to her through the night.
A cold chill danced down Lori’s spine causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. She halted her fingers.
“Hello?” she called out into the darkness. Her heart began to thump in her chest.
There was no response. An owl hooted in the distance and the wind rustled gently through the pines. That was strange... She could have sworn–
A flash of movement caught her eye and Lori span around quickly with a startled yelp, leaping backwards. A figure! She was sure she had seen someone right there... She stared into the shadows, transfixed with terror.
“Hello?!” she called out again. “Who's there?”
The princess felt horror grip her and her eyes grew wide with fear. She was not alone out here. She needed to get away -now.
