A male of few words, cannot say I’m surprised.Silence settles in as I take another sip of wine.Perhaps that was too forward a question to start out with.Before I can try again, Baezal tears off another piece of bread and hands it to me.My heart begins to race as a flush erupts all over my body.
I take it with shaking hands.My fingers graze his, and I have to swallow my moan.I’ve been starved of another’s touch—my desire for it is making me lose sense of what’s most important.My freedom.
“How did you come to be here?”he asks.
I take a bite of bread, chewing and swallowing before deciding how to answer.There is no point in lying to him.If I want to gain his trust, then unfiltered honesty will surely be the best way to do that.Taking a sip of wine, I lean against the wooden back of my chair.
“Got in trouble.I was discovered kissing a local boy.Father Knoll was not pleased by my actions.”
Baezal hums a low growl in his throat.Taking another sip of wine, I press on.
“Before I knew it, I was loaded into a carriage and left here to contemplate my sins.”The wine has done its job, as I am powerless to stop the words slipping from my lips.“Secretly, I believe Father Knoll’s true irritation is the fact that someone other than him touched me.Vile man.He’s been planning something for me—I know it.Therefore, I cannot say that I’m too upset at being here and away from him.Away from all of them.”
Baezal’s eyes give nothing away.He watches me carefully, and I worry, as the silence stretches, that I’ve said too much.I hold my breath, only letting it out once he gives me a simple nod.Hope pumps thickly through my veins.
If anyone was to understand my plight, it would be Baezal.Reaching for the final piece of bread, I chew it slowly, summoning my strength to ask my next question.
“Baezal,” I say carefully, watching his eyes blaze.“I was wondering—well, hoping really—if you could help me escape this place.”
His wings pull tight behind him, the motion causing a swift breeze to disrupt my hair.The scent of crackling wood from the fire turns heavy.His claws curl along the worn table top, gently scraping the surface.
“Where do you wish to go?”
“Anywhere that isn’t here.”
My reply is instant and true.I do not give much care where I end up.Perhaps a place near water, where I can finally see the bright blue sea I’ve read about.Yes, I would like that very much.
Shaking free of my childish fantasy, I lean forward.
“I want to leave the True Faith behind,” I confess.“My only request is that you take me somewhere they won’t find me.Somewhere I can break free from my obligations and live as I’ve always wanted—unburdened.”
Silence fills the room, save for the crackling hearth.Baezal looks at me, and a flurry of emotions crowds his glorious eyes.Something sparks in his irises as if seeing me for the very first time.What must he think of me?A Sister—remanded for her transgression and begging for his help to leave the True Faith behind.
All my prayers and teachings seem hollow.A sharp pain pierces my heart as I realize I never meant any of them.My vows to the Sisterhood were given, not out of devotion but of expectation.I was forced into this role, and that is why my soul is restless.A pious life was never mine to lead.
From this moment on, I will live for myself—taking what I want and doing exactly as my heart commands me.I am no longer owned by the One True Faith.Their rules no longer bind me.The shame once inflicted on me dissipates—who are they to judge me?
Sister Willow is dead—it is only Willow now.
She will be a fearsome thing to behold once fully unleashed.
“I will help you.”Baezal nods thoughtfully.“It will take some time for me to prepare for our journey, but I know just a place to take you.Somewhere they’ll never go looking.I make this vow to you.”
Elation races through me, making my pulse pound.A smile stretches my lips until my cheeks ache.Baezal’s cheeks darken, and he looks away towards the fire.
Freedom is within reach.He will help me—take me someplace where I can start my life over.This is what I dreamed of.So what if my knight happens to have scales and wings?He saved me nonetheless.Baezal is just as valiant as any scarred hero.
Without thinking, I take his hand in mine.His eyes fly towards mine, widening.His palm nearly covers my entire hand.Clasping it between both my palms, I bring it towards my chest.My heart pounds against his rough skin.Baezal sucks in a breath as he stares at our joined hands.
Pale, fleshy pink surrounding rough, scaly gray is quite the sight to behold.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Baezal shivers at my words, his hand tightening against mine ever so slightly.A delicious thrill runs through me as I survey him.His hand could easily snap me in half, yet it holds mine so gently.His massive frame could crush me.Still, every touch has been featherlight.Veins protrude from the thick column of his neck before giving way into the deadly cut of his jaw.Inky black hair falls over his shoulder, and my fingers itch to touch it.
I meant what I said to him.The True Faith’s teachings no longer apply to me.With this new chance at freedom, I leave behind all the vows I once took.I swore to be pious and humble—to be unwavering in my devotion—and above all else to remain pure and chaste.
Chastity is the first tenet I wish to disavow.
