In Love With The Enemy

In love with the enemy ~ Kiska breathed in the morning air as she walked out into the little village; some of the vendors and merchants already setting up shop for the day to come. She pulled her hood up and shrugged her shoulders over, blending in with the villagers. She wasn't supposed to be down in the village. Her father had warned her of the attacked that had been happening closer and closer to them. An army had invaded the country, and it seemed every time someone turned around there was another attack deeper into the heart of the land. She knew about these attacks. She knew how brutal the army was to the people. They would take the women and kill the men… the men having the grace death. The women were taken back to the main army and put into tents, men would line up out side of the tents, waiting for their turn to have their way with her. Or so the roomers foretold. However Kiska never believed they would reach her village; especially since it was so close to the center of the land, where the King dwelled. Even if they did make it all the way through she doubted that they would attack a lone village when the key to the kingdom was not even a fifteen minuet horse ride there. Kiska sighed as she heaved the strap of her sack from one shoulder to the other, giving her left shoulder a break from the heavy food. She walked through her usually passage and gave a piece of bread to Guss, the first on her mental list of the men and women that were now homeless because of the kings taxes. "How are you doing today, Guss?" "OH! Bless your heart, Kiska! He greeted as he readily took the bread. He took a big bite of the bread before answering her question. "Mmm… Good!" He said looking at the bread, clasped in his thin hands. Then he quickly looked back up at her and smiled a toothless smile. "Good! Thank you!" "I'm glad to hear it." She said smiling as his eyes turned hungrily back to his breakfast. She turned from him and started to move down the street. She spent her whole morning going to the poor. When she was finished with the last of her list she found that the market place was unusually busy, people milling around, buying and selling, causing a multitude of noise. Kiska sighed as she looked at the crowded street, she flopped her sack over her shoulder and decided it was about time she started to head home. Her father wasn't going to be pleased with her. First, that she was down in the village again; and second, because she had taken most of the kitchens supplies for the day. But why shouldn't she share her wealth with some of those that needed it? Her thoughts were interrupted as bell tower started to ring in warning. The packed streets of the afternoon suddenly turned to chaos as the bell ringed loudly over the multitude of people. Men and women bumped into her and within minuets the street was clear of people, the bell stopped ringing and the sudden silence came eerily to her overwhelmed ears. Kiska looked down the main street as she heard horse hooves beating across the cobble stones. She quickly moved back into the alley she had just come out of. She turned and found a couple wooden boards strewn across the wall. She quickly etched her self between the wall and the boards, hiding herself. Kiska's heart felt like thunder in her chest as she heard the horses approach her ally and slow. She heard the creaking of leather as the men dismounted. They were all dressed in dark blue uniforms, black boots and black belts, holding axes and swords at the ready. They walked to the closed doors of the houses, jiggling the handles, looking through the windows.

"Must have known we were coming." One said as he suddenly kicked in a door, a scream of fright erupting out from the house. Five men went in, Kiska could her the shrill of a woman's scream and minuets later they and came out with three struggling women and two beaten men. That was only one house. Soon men were all over the place, bashing in doors and seizing the men and women, bringing them to the center of the village. Kiska shivered in fear as she watched the multitude of soldiers bring out the men and women. When only half of the villagers were found they started to cut throats. Brutal, and quick. But only the men, the women were left screaming and wailing, trying to fight back, but quickly over powered by the men. Kiska couldn't see how many men there were, her vision blocked by the alley walls. Kiska knew as she saw the blood being spilt to the cobble stoned ground that she needed to do something. She turned her head a little, her eyes wide in fright, taking in every little detail. She saw a lone bow and quiver, leaning against the side of the wall opposite her. Kiska shook her head. She couldn't fight them all. She needed help. However before she could move a muscle her head spun around as she heard a woman scream again, a man was over her, her dress already ripped down her body, his trouser pants hanging around his ankles, ready to force his way with her right on the street! Kiska's body moved with out her knowledge. She didn't have time to think, she just reacted. Her hands were on the bow and quiver, bringing back the bow to her lip, leveling the arrow at her target. She let it fly and had another in her hand before the arrow hit the back of the rapist's head. She let another fly toward a man running at her. He fell to the ground with a thud as she pulled another arrow. She took a step out of the alley, her bow pointing toward another target. However she faltered as her eyes focused on the man in the unified blue uniform. He was still on his horse, his face grave, his eyes hollow and empty as he looked back at her. He wasn't like the rest, he didn't enjoy this, he didn't want this. It was there, plain as day in his eyes. However before she could point the bow anywhere else a man had come up behind her and wrapped his arms around her trying to capture her. However his mistake in that was leaving his sword bare for her to take from his belt. With out hesitating she quickly dropped the bow and pulled the sword free from his belt, she swung around, freeing herself from the man and cleaving him in two. She twisted back to the main street as more men started to gather, watching her with hungry, greedy, threatening eyes. Fear clenched her heart as she starred back, ready for the next who would attack. However the more she starred the more men emerged from the buildings. Hundreds. Thousands. They swarmed suddenly around her, all at the ready to attack her. Why weren't they? Why were they just standing there? Her eyes caught the man upon the horse, his arm was up, holding the men in a silent command. His eyes captured her's, but they weren't hollow anymore. They were curious, and that scarred her more than the thousand men that starred at her lewdly. He urged his horse slowly over to her. He jumped down from his horse, coming up close to her. She brought up the sword. He didn't even look at the sharp steal as he approached her. Kiska's heart thudded in her chest with every slow step he took toward her. Try as she might she couldn't attack him, his eyes locked with her's. She felt his strong, large hand come over her's on the hilt of the sword. He easily slipped the sword from her grasp, taking the heavy metal. He stood in front of her a moment, studying her eyes as she starred back. Another man suddenly came up behind her, putting a knife to her throat. Kiska's body went tense as she felt the cold steel pressed against her skin.

"Get on the horse or I'll kill you!" The man said in her ear. Kiska looked to the man in front of her, he was focused on the man behind her, a frown over his face. "I'll take her." He spoke up, his eyes coming back to her's. "You sure you can handle her, Anex?" "Of course… Get on the horse." His voice was quiet but commanding. Kiska didn't feel the steel on her neck lift. But then she felt the man behind her push her toward the horse. She walked slowly toward it. The man named Anex walked a head of her and jumped up on the horse, however he scooted back on the saddle, making room for her. She stopped when she came to the horse, Anex lowered his hand to help her up onto the horse. She looked at it, her heart beating in conflicted fear. Could she get away if she was up on a horse? Could she defend herself if he tried to kill her? However before she could answer her own questions the knife at her neck pushed harder against her skin. "Get on." The man behind her said viscously. She gritted her teeth then took the hand held out for her and climbed up in front of Anex. She jumped when he yelled out to his men. "MOVE OUT!" He swiftly turned his horse to run back down the cobbled street of the village. They had left the village quickly and then they all slowed to a walk, pushing forward slowly, hours passed in silence as she felt the horse move under her and the man behind her. It was late at night when Kiska had closed her tired eyes for a moment, but that was all it took for her mind to drone out everything else but sleep.

Anex felt the girl he was ridding with slump against him, she was asleep. Anex's head spun as he thought of the woman in front of him. Who was she? There was some thing different about her. She was certainly beautiful, her sharp hazel eyes didn't hide the intelligence she held, but there was some thing else. She could shoot and certainly swing a sword… Where did she learn her skill? Who would teach a woman? Had she known the two of the three men she killed were commanders? And if she did know exactly who to kill, why didn't she kill him, the last commander of the segment sent out to attack the village. Perhaps she had meant to, perhaps she still meant to and was just looking for the right time to strike. But what was a better time than having her arrow aimed right at his chest? She had been ready to kill him but she decided not to. Why? So many questions swung around his head as he road along with the other men. They road through the night, most men letting their horse's guide them as they slept. Anex couldn't sleep his eyes on the woods and roads around them, as well as the sleeping beauty in front of him. Anex looked down at her sleeping form; she seemed too innocent for all the thoughts swarming his mind. "Anex!" Anex's head shot up out of this thoughts to see Jordon riding over on his horse. "What's wrong with you?" Jordon asked. "Nothing. Why?" Anex looked to his friend then back down to the girl as she squirmed gently against him. The sun was just starting to rise after the long tantalizing night of thoughts. "You haven't said a word since we left." "Oh…" He shrugged it off. He didn't look back at his friend as he kept looking down at the girl making sure she was still asleep and that the talking didn't wake her up. She sighed lightly still in sleep. Suddenly Jordon broke down into laughter. "What?" Anex asked, his attention being drawn from the girl for a moment. Jordon continued to laugh. "What is it? Tell me!" Anex said to him, looking at him confused. "It's her isn't it?" Jordon asked pointing to the girl that was asleep. "What? No, NO!" Jordon laughed all the harder. "Sure… Hey look! We've made it back!" Jordon pointed to the encampment that enshrouded the field ahead of them. General said we would be staying a little while here! "You have fun with her tonight, you deserve it." Jordon said as he smiled back at Anex. "Come on, you know I'm not like that." Anex yelled after him. "Some day you'll give in." "Right, well I was raised to respect woman, you were raised to have sex with them." Jordon nodded, as he heard Anex's speech yet another time. "Just don’t get attached to her, you know that once we get back home to the army she'll be put with all the rest, and I personally will visit her." Jordon laughed as he looked up and down her sleeping form, licking his lips like he was studying a well cooked roast. Jordon then moved his horse forward to get to the camp, eager to get rested for the day ahead. Anex looked down at the girl, a frown plastered over his face. The girl was lucky for the time being just because she was with him. He was the only one in the scout camp that didn't have any one in his tent at night; usually. He wondered if this girl knew what

the men did at night. Anex got to where the rest of the regiment was setting up camp. Anex carefully shook the girl awake. "Hey, wake up." He said in her ear as he leaned over so his head rested close to her shoulder. "Wake up. Hey, girl, wake up." She groaned and then all of a sudden whipped her hand up and hit him in the face. "Ah!" He yelled from surprise, leaning away from her. She instantly twisted around and looked at him just as shocked. "Oh! I am so sorry!" She tried to twist around to see him, her body suddenly unbalanced. She whirled her arms to try and get back the needed balance but it was too late she started to fall back. Anex saw that she was off balance as soon as she had twisted around to see if he was okay. He stuck his arm out around her catching her klutzy movements, he pulled her back up into her seat easily. As soon as she was up she twisted right back around, keeping her balance this time, to look at him. "I'm so sorry." She said her eyes wide with shock that she had hit someone. "I'm fine, just get off the horse." He said gruffly and she quickly lifted up her leg over the horses neck and jumped down, he jumped down after her. "I'm sorry." She said again looking at him as he patted his horse down. He didn't answer as he started to take off the pack that he had been assigned to carry. After he undid the strap he turned back around and shoved it in her arms. "Here." He said simply, handing her the pack. "Take it over there." He pointed to where all the packs were being piled. "I'm going to set up the shelter." Anex saw her tense up, she eyes growing wider with fear. She knew what they did. Anex didn't try and reassure her of anything, she would find out soon enough. There was nothing he could do to stop her fate. She would be in a tent with a line of men waiting for her body soon enough. She would have a grace period with him for maybe a day but then after that there was nothing he could do to help her.

Kiska looked down at the pack, trying to rid her mind of the sudden nightmares rising in her thoughts. She looked to where Anex had pointed and started to walk across the busy clearing to the pile. She took in the massive camp as she walked, men bustled around everywhere setting up tents and starting fires for the day ahead. She surveyed the guards that were posted every ten feet, watching out the field for any sign of attack or disturbance. She wasn't going to escape today. Kiska sighed as she got to the pile and set down the pack she turned on her heal to walk back to Anex when she nearly bumped into a man right behind her, his arms crossed staring down at her lewdly. Kiska looked up at him then swiveled her head around to see that three men other men had started to close in on her as well. All their eyes traveled up and down her body. Fear caught in her throat, blocking the scream of help that wanted to come up. She looked back to the massive man standing in her way to walk back to Anex. Kiska took a step back only to bump into another man. Her head turned around her only to view an additional two men had joined the group that were closing in on her all too quickly. Kiska turned left to try and escape but a muscular arm shot out and stopped her. She tried to turn right but was stopped by yet another man. She was trapped. Panic raced through her, she didn't have a weapon, she didn't have any thing. She had her fists, but she was never really good at hand combat. Even if she was, she was sure she would never be able to take down four men. She froze, and they all closed in, forming a tight circle around her. One man grabbed her and also slapped one of his hands on her butt as she finally screamed out in anger. That was when she tried to fight back, she had no method, just pure terror, clawing at any man that touched her, kicking and screaming as her mind filled with terror and fright. One man wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from thrashing about. She screamed in rage as he lifted her off the ground. She kicked at another man that tried to pull at her skirts. The man holding her tightened his grip forcing the air out of her lungs. She squirmed even more, trying to bring in a small breath into her lungs. Another man approached her and she used the last of her remaining strength to kick at him, forcing him back. An other man quickly came up and back handed her, the force of his blow bringing blotchy lights to her sight. "Who do you think you are?" He yelled as he hit her again and again. She felt the man holding her suddenly let her go. With out him holding her up her legs couldn't hold her and she fell to the ground. He kicked her in the side when she weakly turned to get away. She was picked up and smacked again. "Stupid girl, we own you! You're nothing!" The man yelled as he smacked her again, he smirked as she let out a small scream of pain. He took her face roughly in his hand and forced a kiss on her lips. She bared her teeth and bit his lip, drawing blood quickly. He retracted back screaming in anger and pain, then he let his hand fly again and backhanded her. "I think this piece of meat needs to know who owns her!" He screamed as he spat out blood. He pulled a knife from his belt as another man wrapped his arms around Kiska. Her eye's caught the knife as it came tantalizingly closer to her. He grabbed her arm and twisted it around to the palm of her hand was face up. He pressed the blade down into the skin, blood rose to the surface as he cut and she screamed, struggling all the harder.

Anex heard a scream and instantly turned from his unpacking to look up. His heart thudded unbearably fast as he took in her fragile form being held by a massive man. Anex was running before he knew he had dropped the canvas for the tent. He screamed at Jordon as he passed his friends shelter. Anex reached the circle in a flying leap, breaking through the wall of men. He punched the man holding the woman then forced the knife from Lain's hand. Lain was the only man that contested Anex, he was the only other commander as well; not to mention Anex hated the man. He spun the knife out into the dirt before Jordon even made it to the group. Anex saw the girl fall to the ground and he was afraid he might have been too late. Jordon slammed his fist in to a man, making his entrance into the small struggle. Lain sputtered as he got up and sneered at Anex then Jordon. Anex starred him down, knowing he could easily take him down in one on one combat. Lain spat at their feet then grudgingly walked away. The others went with him, following their commander. After they backed off Anex bent down to the girl, pulling her hair back out of her face. She was still alive. He picked her swiftly up off the ground, cradling her in his arms. She fought him, thinking he was one of the men that had attacked her, but she quickly settled, too weak to keep up her struggle. "I'm sorry." She whispered, her eyes shut in torment. Anex sighed as he walked back across the clearing, cursing himself for not watching over her. He laid her down on a blanket as he quickly set up the last finishing touches of his shelter. When Anex turned back to her, she was curled up in a ball. He walked over to her and picked her up again. He walked into the shelter and set her back down, she had woken up the second time he lifted her into his arms. She struggled against him, trying to get away. So when he did set her down to the ground she crawled to the farthest corner, glairing at him like he had been the one that hit her. "I won't hurt you, you can count on that." He said as he crouched down and went to take her hand to look at the cut Lain had severed into her skin. She whipped her arm away from him viciously, huddling herself away from him. He stood up, abandoning his efforts to help her. "I won't hurt you." He said again and turned from her, walking over to set up his bed. "I think you'll be going back on your word when the sun falls." Anex paused as he heard her silk voice but he didn't answer her as he pulled the fur blanket up and over the padding that he had assembled for his bed. "You can think as you wish." He said back pulling on another blanket then turned back to her. "But what happens at night still happens." He nodded and then walked a little closer to her, crouching down. "I need to look at your hand. It could get infected." She held it closer to her body. "If Lain dipped it in poison you won't last the hour." He said to her and her eyes shifted down to her hand. She looked back to him then slowly extended her hand to him. He gently took it, examining the wound. He pulled his pack toward him, opening up the inner pocket to pull out the antidote for the poison they used. "This is going to sting." He said then smeared a little of the serum into her hand, pressing it into the wound. She squirmed and whimpered as the serum worked. He quickly took out a clean scrap of cloth and rapped it around her hand, tying it off in a knot. "There." He said and backed off after he tied it. She retreated from him, examining her hand. He watched as her long auburn hair fell in front of her eyes. She had fair skin, a big hazel eyes that swallowed him up

when ever she looked back at him, her body was slim, but well worked. She had probably been a simple village girl… nothing in her life ever wrong or tainted… at least till he took her away. Anex sighed then reached over to a platter of food, he extended it out to her. "Eat." He said as he took a piece of bread from it, eating it slowly, watching as she didn't move; looking from the platter to him. She etched away, sinking deeper into herself, her eyes cowering to the ground. "What's your name?" He asked, she didn't answer. "Well if you wont answer that then why were you sorry?" "Sorry?" Her head tilted in a confused frown. "When I picked you up off the ground you said that you were sorry." Kiska's mind twirled around his question. "Oh, I thought I was talking to my father… I wasn't supposed to be in the village." "Where did you learn to use a sword?" She looked up at him surprised. "I uh…" Kiska paused, she couldn't tell him that her father was a rich merchant, that he wanted her to learn to protect herself incase any one came after her to get to his money. "My father was a black smith, and his father was a soldier, he knew every thing his father knew, and he taught it to me." She said quickly, not believing her own lie." "Did you know the men you killed were commanders?" "Commanders? No… I didn't." Anex looked down his head twirling her answers around his mind. Then he settled on one question and he knew he had to ask it while he got the chance. "Why didn't you kill me?" His eyes were fixed to her's as she looked up at him. "You…" She started then paused and looked down. "I didn't have a good enough shot." She said quietly. Anex knew automatically that she was lying. "Do you know that I'm a commander?" She looked up wide eyed. "If you’re a commander, you must've been friends with the men I killed… Why am I still alive? I mean… why aren’t you mad at me?" "What's your name?" Anex dogged the question as she looked up at him. The truth was he wasn’t friends with them, he wasn't friends with any one except Jordon. Kiska pursed her lips then looked down frowning. "Why don’t you tell me you name?" He asked again and she shrugged. "Why should I? I don’t know any thing about you." "Alright… what do you want to know?" Anex leaned back on his hands, watching as she looked up with curious eyes. "Where were you trained?" "Originally I was trained in a city, far south from here, by a trainer." "Who were you're mother and father?" "I never knew either; I grew up in an orphanage. Raised by woman and men, they were good teachers." She looked up surprised. "Have you ever found you're parents?" "My mother died giving birth to me, and my father… I was told was killed in a war." "You don’t think that's what happened?" "No, he might be alive, but its just better to believe that he's dead. I'd rather have a parent that loved me but died, then have a parent that didn't love me at all. I know that’s sounds childish, but that’s what I think."

"It's not childish." She said quietly, looking down as she twisted her fingers. Anex smiled. He sighed after a moment of silence then stood up from where he had sat on the ground across from her. Anex took off his armor that he had been wearing since the raid. He saw her watching him as he took it off, watched as her eyes traced the hills and valleys of his well muscled body. Anex turned from her and grabbed his tunic, pulling it over his shoulders, covering himself from her eyes. When he looked back at her, her head was tilted away from him, a red tint to her cheeks. He held back a laugh and then walked back over to her. "You should eat." He said and took a piece of apple from the platter and ate it, then walked out of the shelter.

Kiska's heart thudded in her ears as she watched Anex walked from the shelter. What was wrong with her? When she saw his body it was like every part of her wanted to jump him. To scatter kisses across that perfect skin. Kiska shook her head. He was nothing but a brute. Maybe a brute with a nice body, but a brute none the less, she knew with out a doubt that once the sun went down he wouldn't be any better than those group of men that attacked her. Kiska had to get out. She looked out of the opening of the tent, watching as he spoke with another soldier. Kiska's eyes were riveted on his every move as she scooted closer to the platter. Her eyes flickered to the knife that was there for cutting the meat, she struck her hand out and quickly snatched it. Kiska looked back to Anex, seeing that he was still faced the other way, not noticing her. Kiska scooted back to the canvas of the tent. She pressed the blade up to it, poking it through the tight, held down material. The sound was like thunder to her ears. She snapped her head back to Anex to see he hadn't heard, hadn't even moved. Kiska smiled a small smile then quickly cut herself a hole to crawl through. She looked back at Anex and paused her mind spinning. Was she doing the right thing? Would Anex get in trouble for her escape? Kiska bit her lip as she thought. Why should it matter? He was nothing to her; a rapist ready to ravage her at any moment. If she didn't get away now when she had the chance she might severely regret her decision later. Kiska looked at Anex then turned away from him, forcing her tiny body through the little hole. Kiska pressed herself against the fabric of the tent, looking around herself to make sure no one had seen her escape. Her eyes settled on the grasslands that were ahead of her, then beyond to the forest. She could make it. Kiska started to creep away from the camp, keeping her body hunched over in the grass so no one would see her. She made it to the forest quicker than she had anticipated. She threw her self into a full out run, not caring if her foot fell on a twig or if she made a sound ruffling through the leaves that scattered the forest floor, Kiska just ran. Her heart started to run rampant in her chest as her eyes traveled from one tree to the next, they all looked the same, she had no idea if she was running away from the camp now or if she had some how turned and was now running toward them. Kiska cursed her self for falling asleep when he had taken her, she should have watched the road, watched her surroundings, how far they traveled, where they traveled. Kiska's lungs screamed at her as she started to panic. Kiska came to a stop, breathing hard and bending over, holding her ribs. She looked around herself, trying to see anything that would lead to a road or a path. Kiska whimpered as the trees whipped around her in the wind, making her shiver. She bit her lip as her hand started to throb. What if there was still poison in her hand? What if she died out here and no one ever knew! Kiska's eyes started to tear up as fear and uncertainty gripped her. "Well, what have we here." Kiska went ridged as she heard a voice from behind her. It was a voice that was all too familiar. Kiska turned around already knowing who it was, the man that had cut her hand sat up upon a horse, looking down at her smugly. "Ah… you’re the girl Anex was ridding with, let me guess, you got away?" He got down off of his horse, walking toward her smoothly. She backed away from him, her eyes frantically searching for help. "Well I better return you shouldn't I?" He paused and then stopped walking toward you in thought. "But Anex was never the one to give a finders fee… Maybe I should take it now and then give you back to him after." She kept backing away from him. "Now where are you going?" He raised his hands out circling himself around. "There's no one here but me and you! You don’t have to pretend anymore."

"Pretend?" She said as she kept taking steady steps back. "Yes… You know as much as I do that you want to feel me inside you." He said crudely. Kiska gritted her teeth against the panic rising up in her. "No." "No? And why not? I am handsome am I not?" "Your crewed and evil and you don’t care if I say no or not… you're probably going to take what you want anyway." He smirked at her. "Well now that you mention it… yes." He suddenly pounced toward her, grabbing her wrist. "Did you know that the more spirited a woman is the more it is enjoyable for the man?" He said smirking at her and looking her up and down. Fear and panic raced through her blood as images went through her mind on what he would do to her if he won the struggle. She wretched against his hold on her, whipping her wrist from his strong grasp and she did the only thing she could do. She ran. Tree branches whipped her face, causing her to scream and curse, pushing her arms out to try to ward off the branches as she ran deeper into the forest. She knew that the man was right behind her, and just as she was about to turn left he pushed her and knocked her off her feet from behind, the two of them rolled down the sudden hill leading to a river bank. She stopped herself before falling into the rocky water. She quickly pushed herself up, feeling as her hands sunk into the damp ground. The man suddenly grabbed her feet and pulled, making her collapse back onto her stomach. He got quickly up as she rolled over, he looked down at her a smug, triumphant look on his face. Her father's voice suddenly rang through her ears. 'When you're on the ground, and he's standing over you, you need to be calm.' Kiska breathed in and then out, calming her self as best she could. 'Swing your leg up, push against the back of his leg, use his weakness'. Kiska quickly forced her leg up and caught him in the back of the leg, making him buckle and fall to the ground. 'get up, and keep him down, you have the advantage, keep it.' She whipped up and found her self kicking him, over and over, her body heaving from adrenalin. Kiska stopped kicking as he stopped trying to get up. She watched his still body, her head pounding as she watched. He was dead. Stone still. Kiska quickly bent down to him, pulling him over on to his back to help him when suddenly his hand shot up to her. Kiska felt the sharp steel slide into her stomach. "AHH!" She screamed as she forced herself away from him, she grasped the dagger and pulled it out, watching as her blood dripped down from the metal. The man got up smiling smugly. Kiska looked up at him as he started to reach for her. She forced him back into a tree then slammed the dagger down through his hand and into the tree, breaking off the handle with a scream. She watched as he screamed with her, anger and pain course through him. Kiska stepped back, making sure he was unable to attack her again. Then she turned from him and walked up the hill. She saw his horse and barely pulled herself up onto it. She hunched over as the pain became too much. Kiska kicked up her heals into the horse, making him run. It wasn't long before she weakly saw the grass land ahead of her. The horse marched back to its home, as her eyes captured Anex. He quickly ran over to her, the confusion and shock on his face quickly turned to anger as he realized she had tried to escape. But then he saw the blood and Kiska didn't know if she was hallucinating out of blood loss or if he really had looked worried. Kiska felt his

strong grasp pull her gently down from the horse into his warm arms. He quickly carried her back to the shelter and laid her down on his bed. She was till clutching her side where the wound was. His voice came to her ears from far away, his movements blurred as she looked up to him. Her thoughts were clouded as the pain coursed through her body. "No! Stay with me! You have to fight the poison!" He screamed, but to Kiska it felt like he was barely whispering in her ear. She was hardly aware of Anex ripping her shirt open to get access to the wound. She drifted down further, feeling as though she were falling through the ground, deeper into the unknown. "Fight it! You have to fight it!" Suddenly searing pain rushed through the already sharp pain in her side. It coursed through her body faster than the darkness sinking into her mind. Her closed eyes opened in shock as she screamed. She squeezed down on some ones hand that had some how been wrapped around her own. Sweat soaked her body as she laid back down, the sudden searing pain dulling down to a low ache. "Jordon! Get the doc!" She heard Anex's panicked voice call out. She opened her heavy eyes too look up at him. "Hey, hold on. You'll be okay." He said soothingly, brushing back her sweat slicked hair. "Just hold on."

The doctor rushed into his shelter and saw what was wrong. "You have to help her!" Anex yelled as the older man bent down over Kiska. "You countered the poison?" "Yes." The doctor prodded her wound and Kiska couldn't help but whimper as the dull pain pulled sharper. "All I can do it stitch her up… If the poison was dealt with fast enough then she should recover." Anex watched as the doctor worked, the girl moaned in pain every once in a while as the doctor pulled on the stitches. When the skilled man was finally done he wrapped it up and then looked up at Anex. "This wound was from a double sided blade. Who ever did this is most likely still out there." Anex nodded. "She wasn't supposed to be out there any way." The doc nodded and then turned away from him. "The mixture you put in her wound to counter the poison will help it heal, but she'll have to take it very easy. I know that you don’t take women to your bed, but if you have the urge, don’t take her. She will be too week to take any kind of jostling. She'll needs to rest but in the end it depends on her strength" Anex nodded and looked over at her. "Anex?" "Yea?" "Why did you call me? You know that if a woman hurts her self like that she has to deal with the consequences." "She didn't hurt her self, some one else did." Anex countered. "Still." The doc shrugged his shoulders. "Don’t get attached Anex, you know you cant change what will happen when we get to the main camp." "I know, I won't get attached." "That's what you said last time." The doctor mumbled, looking from the girl to Anex. "I know, but last time… it was just a child, she wasn't even five." "But you still received the punishment, regardless of her age." "I know. I won't get attached." The doc gave him a skeptical look. "I won't." "Sure." The doc said then walked out of the shelter leaving Anex with the sleeping girl. He walked over to her and watched her sleep. The steady sound of her breath flowing in and out through her lungs slowly lulled him to sleep. When Anex woke the next morning his thoughts instantly jumped to the girl. He swiftly jumped up from where he was slumped down and saw all too quickly that she still slept in the same place he had left her last night. She looked better, refreshed. Her skin wasn't as pale, and sweat didn't cling to her like it used to. Anex reached over to her torn shirt, he fingered the bandage, about to unwrap it to check her wound when her hand came up and settled on his. He looked up to her face surprised, but her eyes were still closed. She slowly opened them, her eyes fixed on him. "I just need to check the wound." He said softly. She didn't move her hand from over his. "You're going to be okay." He said frowning as she continued to stare up at him. "You're so warm." She said faintly, her hand pressing more into him. "Are you cold?" Anex went to get another blanket but stopped when he felt her hand tighten around his. "Don’t leave me." She whispered, fear in her half closed eyes. Anex was taken back as she closed her heavy eyes.

"I wont." Anex whispered as he settled down beside her. Anex watched as she tilted her head toward him, breathing a small sigh. He watched as the sun glinted off of her auburn hair and her eyes shifting beneath her eye lids as she was already asleep. Anex subconsciously stroked his thumb across the smooth skin of her hand. He found himself smiling lightly as he looked down at her. "How is she doing?" Jordon's sudden voice made Anex jerk suddenly away from the girl, his hand leaving hers to fall tense at his side. "She's uh… resting." Anex said slowly as he walked over to his friend. "They found Lain out in the woods, his hand attached to a tree by his own blade." "Lain!? It was him?" Jordon looked to the girl then back to Anex. "He boasted about stabbing her. She had bent down to help him when he stabbed her." Jordon said quietly, watching as Anex's anger started to rise. "He's really beaten up, a broken rib and come cuts and bruises. She worked him over before he got the chance to stab her." Anex's hand fisted as heaved a sigh to try and calm himself down. "Anex… Quince wants to kill her." "WHAT?!" "Lain told Quince she attacked him. You know the rules… any slave, man or woman that rebels will be dealt with swiftly." "But she didn't attack him!" "No, she was trying to escape… which is the same consequence; death." "You don’t know that she tried to escape." "Anex." Jordon said softly scolding as he motioned his head back into the shelter where the cut in the canvas was all too visible. Anex lowered his head, sighing out. "You've gotten attached again haven't you?" "What am I going to do?" Anex whispered as he looked back to her small form laid down on his bed. "The only chance to save her life is to talk with Quince." Quince. He was the leader, the one man that held the wrath of a monstrous army. The one man that Anex truly feared; his father.

Anex breathed in deeply, he had put off seeing Quince for two days now, he couldn't put it off any more. The girl's execution was scheduled for today, he couldn't stall anymore. Anex looked back at the girl still laying on his bed, it seemed the lest two days all she had done was sleep, too weak to do anything else. Anex opened the flap to his shelter and quickly walked out. His head was lowered in thought as he walked across the encampment to Quince's shelter. He stopped in front of the massive tents, connected as one. Anex paused before he walked into the massive shelter. He sighed then forced his feet forward, he moved aside the heavy blanket used as a door and walked into the large area covered in fur and blankets. "Quince?" Anex called out as he saw the commander hunched over his desk, studying a map. He didn't look up but just motioned with his hand for Anex to come in. "I'm here to ask you to spare the life of the girl." Quince didn't move an inch, his eyes studying the map. "She didn't attack Lain… he attacked her. She was only protecting herself." "That may be true, but why was she in the forest in the first place?" Quince still didn't look up as he spoke. "I sent her out." Quince raised his eyes from the map to look at Anex. "You're a horrid liar Anex." "I wanted her to get herbs for the antidote…" Anex held firm to his excuse. "There are men that can do that for you." "They never get the right plants. She knew what I was looking for…" Anex paused. "If you don’t want the antidote made just tell me and I can stop making it." Anex said smoothly knowing that the antidote had saved his fathers life once before. "She must be a beautiful girl for you to lie for her." Quince said as he looked back down to his map, nonchalantly. Anex closed his eyes sighing. "So tell me, is she as innocent as the one before her? Is she deserving of your pain? Anex, you know what will happen if she some how escapes… like the last one." Quince quickly rolled up the map as he talked, setting it down on the desk beside him. "That's not what this is about." "Its not?" "No. This is about a misunderstanding. She didn't do anything wrong. She doesn't deserve to die." Quince folded his arms across his chest, sighing. "Well what am I to do then?" "Renounce her death sentence." "Alright. Renounced." "What?" Anex couldn't believe what Quince had just said. "She's free to live." Quince lifted his hand, waving off the matter as if it were nothing. "Oh… But… i-" "You don’t have to lie to me Anex. I may be your commander and chief but I am still you're father." Anex looked down frowning. "You were never my father, Quince. You were recruiting from my orphanage, going through the records when you saw my mother's name and even after that you didn't do a thing. You didn't talk to me or tell me that you were my father. In fact I don’t think you even looked at me till you figured out that my mother had left the instructions of how to make the antidote with me. I have no father, so don’t pretend to be one." Anex paused

as he looked down at his commander. "Thank you for sparing her life." He said quickly then turned and walked from the shelter. Jordon ran up to him as soon as he had walked out of the large tents. "So what did he say?" "He's not going to kill her." "Now I need to know how you get what you want from that man! Any time I approach him he won't even look at me! What's your secret?" Anex lowered his head. He hadn't told any one that Quince was his father, not even Jordon. "No secret. I just explained what happened and he accepted it." Anex replied. Jordon shook his head and smiled. "Only Quince will listen to you, you know. If I even ask him for an apple he questions and quizzes me on it. He has to know why I need the apple, or why I should have it… and that’s if he even acknowledges me. He trusts you Anex." Anex shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. "Well I guess I should thank you huh? Now that you've saved her life maybe I'll get the chance to get between those sleek legs of that beauty!" "Who?" Anex asked looking over at him, frowning. "The beauty in your shelter! Have you taken her yet?" Anex looked down as a sinking feeling settled in his gut. He didn't want any one to touch her. "You know I don’t do that." Anex mumbled. "Man, I don’t understand how you can resist her!" "It's hard. Believe me… some times I want to. But I'm just not like you, I can't. She is really beautiful but it's so much more than that… you should hear her talk. Her voice is like silk against your skin. Her every movement is just captivating, like she's moving in water, smooth and graceful but then she knows how to shoot and fight! She's amazing!" He said to Jordon, and he hadn't even realized that they had stopped walking. Jordon was looking at him, a shocked look on his face. "What?" Anex said looking over to his friend. "I can't believe it!" Jordon's face broke in to a smile. "What?" "Captain Anex actually has a penis! He's a man! He's attracted to a girl! FOR THE FIRST TIME!" Jordon yelled and instantly Anex pelted him. "Shut up." He said with a smile on his face. "You're attracted to her! You wanna throw her down on your bed and-" "No, I don’t!" "Then why are you smiling?" Anex lowered his head and sighed a small laugh as Jordon danced around him, teasing him. Anex reached out and snatched Jordon, pushing his shirt up over his head, and then under his belt so he was stuck like that, then Anex took the long sleeves of his shirt and tugged them down. He pulled Jordon's arms swiftly behind him then tied the sleeves together. "Ah, come on Anex, don’t do this! I was only joking!" Anex laughed as Jordon struggled. Anex quickly picked up Jordon threw him into a water trough. "Here, Jordon, why don’t you have a bath?" He said as he dropped him in. "Ah!" Jordon splashed around in the trough. He got his feet from under him, and stood up, still blind and armless. He flopped out of the trough, wet and disoriented.

"There you go Jordon, all clean!" Anex slapped him on the back and then started to walk back to his shelter. "Anex! Anex! Get back here! Jerk!" He yelled as he tried to get untied. Anex walked away and Jordon's grumblings drifted off. Anex was almost to his shelter when the girl pushed aside the carpet of a door and looked out. "Wha! You're up!" She looked pale and tired as she looked out into the sunny day. "What's going on?" She said weakly. "Oh nothing, Jordon is just being stupid… You should get back to bed, you don’t want to push your body!" "I'll… I'll be fine." Her eyes turned from looking at him to looking behind him. "Why he's coming after you with a bucket of water?" She asked, as she pointed behind him. Anex turned just as Jordon dumped the bucket of cold water on to him. Shivers ran through him as the water sunk into his cloths, making them stick to his body. "Oh! You are so dead!" He yelled as he tried to catch Jordon however Anex quickly gave up as Jordon ran from him. Anex laughed as he turned back to the girl. "You really shouldn't be up." His smile fell as he saw the tried, exhausted look in her eyes. "Dose he usually dump water on you?" She asked avoiding the comment of concern. "Not if I can help it." Anex laughed under his breath as he walked into the shelter, pulling off his soaked shirt as he went passed her. Kiska avoided her eyes as heat already started to flood her face in a deep red blush. She quickly moved from where she was standing, letting the carpet of a door fall into place. However the sudden movement caused a sharp pain to flare through out her body, making her knees too week to sustain her weight. She saw through pained eyes the floor coming dangerously close before she squeezed her eyes shut, ready for the painful impact. "I told you, you need to rest." His soft voice reached out to her and she opened her eyes to see him close to her, holding her unsteady body against his. She felt his chest rise and fall with each breath he took under her hands, and in that moment her knees grew even weaker, however it wasn't because of her injury. He supported her body against his. "Are you alright?" She must have nodded because relief settled over him, his tence shoulders becoming level and relaxed as he breathed out. Anex shifted quickly and brought her up into his strong grasp, carrying her to the bed. The pain in her side reared at the unexpected movement and you couldn't help but wince. "Still hurts?" He asked as he slowly lowered her down onto the bed. She nodded as she held her breath in, trying to keep the rampant pain at bay. After a moment she couldn't sustain it, allowing the pain to dwindle down into a dull ache. She looked back up to him, his body still towering over her's protectively. His face was clear, his eyes at peace, and a slight smile rested on his lips. He blinked then a courious look passed over him before he spoke. "What's you're name?" Kiska looked swiftly away from him, her eyes darting about, till then rested on her nervious hands, wrapped around each other. Would he know who she was? Would he kill her? Would he ask for a ransom? And now that she had shown him she was recovering was he going to take her body by force? Would he make her scream like the women she had heard last night? Would he kill her if she tried to fight him off?

"I wont hurt you." His voice cut through her, as if he knew what she was thinking. "Why do you keep saying that?" Her voice sounded weak, even to her. "Because its true. I wont hurt you." He said again, as if voicing the words would make them true. "What did you do Anex!" Lain yelled as he suddenly burst into the shelter, shouting as he came, making Kiska jump in surprise. Anex turned to see a red faced Lain stand in the entrance way to his tent. "What do you want Lain?" "I want to know what you said to Quince to change his mind. She should be dead! You know it! I know it! Everyone knows it! Except Quince! What do you have over him?!" "Nothing." "There is no way Quince would back out on his decision with out you to say something." "Maybe he had a change of heart." Anex rested his hand comfortably on his sword. "No! I'll kill her my self if I have to! A slave can not get away with attached her master!" "She's not your slave, Lain. And as she tells it you attacked her." Anex crossed his arms, standing firmly between the girl and Lain. "She stabbed me!" Lain pointed to the girl who was silent as stone behind him, letting the two of them argue it out. "A woman? Well I would suggest on sharpening your combat skills. We cant have woman beating up one of our captains." Anex smirked as Lain's face grew a deeper red. "I may have to talk to Quince about that. Perhaps ban you from the raids on the villages… you're just too much of a liability." "What?!" "Well we cant be saving you all the time. All the village women would tare you apart before we had a chance to save you." Anex smirked down at Lain. Lain looked to the girl behind Anex then stuck his large, pointed nose up in the air. "She got lucky is all. She seduced me then turned on me. If it hadn't been for my excellent combat skills she would have gotten away, unhurt, I might add. At least I wounded the bitch." Anex's knife was at Lain's throat before he ever knew he had pulled it from his belt. "Get out." Lain smirked back at Anex. "Or perhaps you are the one being seduced… perhaps that is why you saved her life. Be careful Anex, she'll turn on you as well." "Get. Out." Anex said quietly yet fiercely. Lain stepped away from Anex then slunk out of the shelter. Anex sighed as he slipped his knife back into his belt. His eyes moved to the girls face, astonishment evident in her eyes. "Did you speak on my behalf, to save my life?" Anex looked down, he didn't want her to get her hopes up, didn't want her to trust him. He wouldn't have a choice when they reached the main encampment. She would be sent to the tents just like every other woman, just because he defended her now would not make her fate any different. "Get some rest." He said quickly then turned from her, not answering her question.

Anex walked back into the shelter after an hour of speaking with his men, there was going to be another raid. Tomorrow his men and him along with half of the men in the encampment would head out to take the last village before taking the castle and kingdom. "Where you?" Anex's head shot up as he saw her silhouette in the dark. "I was speaking with my men." "Is every thing alright?" "Yes… everything is fine. You should be resting." "I couldn't sleep… Anex about-" "No. Just stop what you're thinking, alright? I'm not a good man, when we get to the main encampment it won't matter that I saved your life now." Anex paused, shifting his footing, looking down and away from her. "In fact you'll probably be cursing me when that time comes." "Anex-" She went to speak again and just the sound of her voice wanted him to cave in his desires. "Stop! Don’t… please." He held up his hand, holding it out, taking a step back. "I'm going on a raid tomorrow and the day after that we will be moving out to the main encampment… there's nothing I can do for you after that." "Why?" "Its my orders… I have to." "No! You don’t. You say that you're not a good man but in the short time that I've known you, you have saved my life three times now! Once back in the village, once when I got hurt and once speaking with your commander on my behalf. The act of saving a life makes you a good man Anex, and no matter what your mouth speaks, or you thoughts persist on, you are deep down honest and caring! I saw it the first time I saw you! It was killing you to be on that raid in the village. I know it, I saw it in your eyes! Why do you do it? Why do you keep with this monstrous army? Why are you trying to become the monster when you are the savior?" "I am not a savior… I am the monster. You just haven't seen it." "Anex-" His eyes shot toward her, making her stone still in silence. Kiska made her self sit up in the bed, she moved her legs out to the side. She pushed herself shakily up onto her feet. Anex looked away from her, turning his back to her, his arms cross over his chest, his head lowered. "Anex look at me." He didn't move. "Look at me!" She said sharper. He slowly turned toward her, his head raising as he went. The tendons in her neck stood out as she stood tense before him. "Listen." Faint screams came through the silence. "I'm not screaming Anex. I'm not freighted; I'm not in the presence of a monster." With every reason she gave she took a step toward him, till she was face to face with him. His breath came sharp as she stood so close to him. He couldn't help himself from leaning down, his lips brushed her's. The softness of her skin barely pressed against his. "No." Anex forced himself to step away from her. "I know almost next to nothing about you. I don’t even know your name!" He paused as her head turned downward, her arms dropping to her sides. "What is it about you? You know how to fight, you're smart, and beautiful yes, but there's something else." Her eyes shot back up to him, a scared frown settled into her eyes. "There is, isn't there?" Kiska clamped her jaw shut and closed

her eyes, turning away from him. "Why don't you just tell me! I've already given my word that I wouldn't hurt you." "Its not me I'm afraid you would hurt." She whispered out, her eyes down cast again. There was silence as her words twirled around in his head.

Anex road on his horse, his head hadn't cleared even a little from the night before. He starred down as the saddle, absently watching as the sunlight kept cutting in and out as they walked by tall towering trees. What had she meant? Who would he hurt if she told him her name? Why would he hurt them? Who is she? Why wouldn't she tell him her name? It's just a name, what was a name to her… or to anyone, for that matter? What if she was hiding a resistance? A force of men ready to strike the encampment… but if that were true why hide her name? It wouldn't matter if he knew her name, the strike would still fall into place. Perhaps she was just scared of him, she had every reason to be. Even if he didn't take her to his bed, he was still part of the army that was ravaging her home land. Or perhaps she still believed that she would be able to escape, and because he didn't know her name he couldn't come after her. That had to be it. It was the only explanation that made sense. Anex was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the bell tower ring out in warning. They had been spotted. Anex pulled his sword and urged his horse into a run. The village was smaller than the others, it would be an easy concur. His men followed him with out hesitation, he could almost feel their greed and lust against his skin. He urged his horse fast, wanting to be free of the feeling, his men took it as eagerness and followed swiftly after him, as they entered the village screams erupted from the men as they attacked the villagers. Anex slowed his horse, watching over it all, the blood ran down the street he was on, staining the dirt red. After what seemed a life time they were ready to leave, the screams and cries of the women surrounded them as they marched out of the village and back to the encampment. Anex felt the feelings rush over him, guilt, regret, anger, pain, he took it all in like he always did. Not letting anything show, becoming numb within himself. An hour later the screams and cries had died down, the women sleeping as the night came. It would probably be the only night of rest they would get in a long time. Anex let his mind sink in to a numbing state as he road his horse back to the life he never wished for. He didn't remember closing his eyes, didn't remember the visions taking over his conscious state till the memories were all too real to stop. He was back in the orphanage, his back up against the stone wall with all the rest of the boys, quivering as the large men towered over them. That was the first time he ever saw his father. Dark hair at the time shagged over his eyes and down passed his ears, and his cloths had been messed up like he hadn't slept all night. He hadn't looked at any of the other boys when he came into view, his eyes instantly found Anex. The others cowered away from their comrade, afraid of the burly men that had dragged them from their beds to stand in a line on the outside wall of the orphanage. It seemed they had stood there for hours, just waiting. Waiting at least till this one man entered the room, every one's tension rose as he walked into view. "How many, master?" "All of them." "Master?" "All of them." He said as he kept staring at Anex, tracing the features of his face like he was memorizing them. "NO! AHH!" One of the men that had raised Anex as well as the other boys suddenly lunged toward the massive commander. He grabbed a sword from the soldier beside him and swung the sword shakily down. The commander raise his arm to protect

himself, the sharpened sword easily slashing into the flesh and muscle. The man didn't even scream as he wrapped the neck of the small man in his hand. He lifted him off the ground, letting the man struggle and kick for freedom. Anex had watched with wide horror driven eyes as the mans body slowly went limp and still. The commander let the body fall to the ground before suddenly the commanders body went to the ground as well. "The poison!" A guard said in shock as he watched his leader fall. Every guard rushed to the commanders side, knowing that there was nothing they could do. Once a poisoned arrow or sword even nicked the skin the person's life was as good as finished. There had once been a woman who came up with the antidote, the commander had loved her fiercely, but when his seed grew inside of her as a child she ran in fear that he would do what was expected. It was law that if a woman became pregnant she would surrender the child to the army as soon as the child was able, she couldn't bare to have her child forced into the same life she had been forced into. So she ran, taking knowledge and traces of the antidote with her. The commander now gripped his shoulder, feeling the poison seep into his system. "AHH!" He screamed in pain. No one saw the little boy move from his post in the line. No one saw him remove the small little pouch in his tiny belt, however every one saw him when he calmly knelt by the commanders side, spreading the cream into the man's arm, letting the sting of the antidote override the sting of the poison. It wasn't even five minuets before the commander had sat up and looked into the boys eyes. "You." It was all he said as he stared with shock into the boy's eyes. His son's eyes. Anex had kept the secret of making the antidote closer to him then his own life, knowing that it was his only bargaining chip. "Anex? Anex!" Anex opened his eyes, shaking the dream from his mind. "What?" He said as he turned toward Jordon. "We're almost home." He said as he pointed to the fires just coming into view over the hill. "Seems like just in time too." Jordon said as he looked up into the night sky. Anex looked up with him, and even in the dark of night you could see the rolling thunder clouds ready to dump their heavy load of water onto the land. "Good, I hate riding in the rain." "LET'S HURRY IT UP BOYS! RAIN'S COMING DOWN!" Jordon yelled to the rest of the group of men. They had barely gotten into the camp when the heavens opened and let the rain fall. Lightning streaked across the sky as Anex jumped down off of his horse. He ran to the post and tied his horse up firmly then turned to go to his tent. He lifted his head to see a stroke of lighting light up the night for a split second. In that split second he saw the girl standing in the door way of the shelter, looking out at the caravan of men coming back from their raid. Even from across the camp he could see the scowl on her face.

"How could you?!" She yelled as soon as he walked into the shelter. His shoulders and back hurt from slumping down in sleep on his horse. He wanted to sleep and relax. Anex took one look at the girl and knew he wouldn't be relaxing for a while. Her jaw was set in determination and her brow was furrowed in anger, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed, her hand on her hips as she waited for the answer he wasn't going to give her. "I'm tired." "I'm sure you are! You just destroyed over fifty peoples lives in one day! How could you Anex? Why are you doing this to your self? And to them?" "I have no choice." "You always have a choice! You're not like the rest of them Anex, your not a dog doing anything for the bone from his master." Anex sighed as he sat down, he really didn't want to argue. "You don’t know who I am or what I've done. Now be quiet so I can sleep." Anex laid down in his bed, smelling her sent on the covers. His heavy mind laid to rest the concern of her still needing the bed to recover as her splitting voice cut through him again. "WHAT!?" He didn't look over at her as he just rolled over, his back facing her. "Anex! ANEX!" She said more harshly, but he didn't answer. The truth was there were no words that she could say that could make him feel any worse than he did now. Every time he went out on a raid it got a little worse, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew she was right, that all of it was wrong, that he should fight it, but why? What did he had a reason for fighting it? There was no reason, he had no life to escape to if he defied his orders, there was nothing he had to why did it matter? The woman huffed as she turned from him and sat her self down on the floor, glaring into his back. Every few seconds she huffed again in her fury. Slowly Anex pushed her sounds away from him and he let his mind slowly drift back into sleep. His mind was awake and aware of what she was doing. Anex stopped himself from smiling, she really was a fighter. When he felt the blade press against his skin he wasn't surprised. He had been awake since she had pulled the dagger from his belt. He didn't open his eyes as he heard her harsh breathing over him and when he spoke she nearly jumped right off of him then in surprise. "Do it. You have every reason to." There was a pause as she stayed silent above him. He opened his eyes to see her hovered over him, her hand white knuckled with the pressure she held the blade. "You'll attack more villages if I don’t." She said it as a statement, trying to rectify her reasoning to her self rather than to him. He answered regardless. "I will be ordered to." "You'll take me to the main encampment where I'll be…" "I will be ordered to." He said again as her voice drifted into fear. "You'll capture more women and kill more men." "I'll be ordered to." The girl paused, her mind racing with his answers. She didn't really want to kill him. "Do it." He reached up and pressed the blade more firmly to his throat, yet she didn't move, she didn't take the strike. "You have every reason to kill me." He whispered, pushing her. "Not every reason." She paused but didn't pull away. Her eyes flickered from his down to his lips. Anex took the knife from her suddenly weak grasp and threw it down on

the floor away from them, clunking loudly as it skidded across the ground. She breathed in sharply before his lips took her's. She reacted to his move, and deepened the unexpected, yet wanting, kiss. Anex felt her body relax against his, her weight settling comfortably over him. He wrapped his arms around her, flipping her around so she was suddenly beneath him. She didn't pause as her lips attacked his. Anex felt his blood rising as she moved her hand downs his back. He pulled away from her, his mind ringing with caution, he couldn't do this. This went against everything he stood for. He didn't even know her name! Or who she was! He couldn't do this, as much as he really wanted to, he knew he couldn't. Anex felt her hands trying to pull his shirt up over his head. He stopped her hands, his will quickly diminishing as he looked down at her flushed body. He had to do this fast before he changed his mind. She frowned up at him, confused and hurt. "Not until you tell me who you are." She froze as she heard his words. He instantly regretted them as he saw the pain and hurt pass over her face. She quickly shifted under him, looking for an escape. He let her flee from him, walking swiftly out of the tent and into the rain. Anex followed after her, the rain beat down hard and angry as she faced away from him. "Why don’t you just tell me who you are?" He shouted over the rain to her. She walked further away from him, hunching her shoulders, then she suddenly whipped around, her arms flailing as she went. "Why can't you just drop it!" "Because its your name! I'm not asking you to had over the kingdom! Just your name!" She lowered her head, letting her already soaked hair fall down over her face. He stepped toward her, lifting her hair away from her face. "I don’t understand you Anex." She said as she raised her head, blinking back the rain that felling into her eyes. "You shouldn’t even care that I have a name, let alone what it is! You should be making me scream like all the other women! You should be hurting me! Why aren't you hurting me?!" She screamed at him, her eyes confused and scarred. "Because-" "Why do you go on the raids when you hate it?! Why do you capture women and kill men?! Why did you save my life? Why do you keep saving my life?! Why Anex? WHY?!" "I love you." "AND-… what?" She was about to scream another question when his words hit her full force. He swiftly moved toward her and kissed her wet lips. Her shocked body didn't move as he pressed himself against her. Then as he felt her stiff body beneath him he quickly pulled away. "Shit." He said under his breath as he saw her eyes. He shouldn't have done that, she may have wanted him before but he was still her enemy. He quickly turned from her, knowing what her reaction could be. Knowing what it should be. Hatred, he deserved nothing more than that from her. He curse himself silently as he took another step away from her, he had promised himself, sworn, that he wouldn't get attached, and here he was pledging his love for her. He couldn't do this. He was her enemy! She should hate him! Why had he kissed her? It didn't seem wrong when she kissed him, because it was her choice, but now that he had kissed her, he felt the sickening sludge of knowing he was just like the others, he was evil. Anex was so enthralled in his self-loathing that he almost didn't hear her soft voice over the rain.

"Kiska." "What?" He almost whispered, turning back to her. "My name is Kiska." "Kiska… wait, the Kiska, the illegitimate daughter-" "Of the King. Yes." She said finishing his sentence, her eyes were filled with fear, yet she didn't look away from him as his mind rolled. He had heard stories of this adultery all of his life! The king having an affair with the wife of his own brother! She gave birth to a girl, there was speculation that it could simply be her husbands, with no evidence of adultery, however when the child was born with the auburn hair of the king, all questions were dismissed. The fact the king had produced this daughter before any of his own through the kingdom into an uproar, civil war almost broke out and if it hadn't been for the queen suddenly getting pregnant, the kingdom would have crumbled at the feet of a baby. The prince, the king's brother, still accepted the child and named her after her mother, who had died shortly after giving birth. Anex took a step back away from her, shocked. She lowered her head slightly, biting her bottom lip as her body trembled. Her lineage was why her father had taught her to fight, to protect herself incase anyone came after her to kill her. "Uh… wow…" He stuttered, his eyes still wide in shock. "I'm guessing you don’t love me anymore, and that you're going to turn me over to your commander." Her voice trembled as she kept looking down. He took two steps toward her then swiftly pulled her up into his arms, the force of his lips on her's shocked her. His need pressed through all else till it consumed her fears. She pressed back against him, feeling the heat of his skin seep into her. Anex groaned as he felt her react to his kiss. He kissed her like she was life its self, like he needed her, and in that moment she needed him just a badly. He felt her knees grow week against him and he groaned as he pulled away from her, starring back into her passion glazed eyes. "I will always love you." He whispered as he quickly swung her up into his arms and took her back to their shelter, out of the rain.

"Wait…" he pushed her gently away. Her body reluctantly following his actions. They were going too fast, their lust had taken all form of sensibility. She couldn't possibly love him, he was her enemy! She had to hate him! However as Anex looked down at her flushed face he knew she was anything but his enemy. But before he could get his lips back on her silk skin, and rectify his absence, she pulled away from him. "I'm sorry… I understand… You can't love a bastard child, even one of the king. I can't expect that from you. I shouldn't have thought that-" "Kiska." Her head snapped toward him, hurt and rejection once again in those beautiful eyes. He slowed the small space that had grown between them. "I love you Kiska. The only that’s keeping from throwing you down on my bed and having my way with you is the fact that I know you don’t want that. But regardless, I love you. I loved you before I knew your name, before I knew who you were, and just because I have that knowledge now it doesn't change anything. I still love you! I know I shouldn't, but I can't help myself. And I understand if you don’t feel the same way about me, and if you don’t want this, all you have to say is no and I'll stop. No matter how hard it will be to keep from kissing you or touching you. I promise- no I swear- if you don’t want this I will honor your decision… I wont force you..." He starred into her shocked, overwhelmed eyes before looking down away from her. He instantly felt the palm of her hand on his cheek, urging his face up to look at her. He cautiously starred back at her. She inched closer to him and with wide eyes she felt her way along his covered chest. Letting her hands feel the hills and valleys of his body. Her fingers grasped the hem of his soaked shirt pulling it up and over his head. He stood numb as she took in his body, then slowly let her eyes travel up to his face, taking in his vulnerable stare. Her heart was beating furiously as she lowered her head. She slowly pressed her lips gently to his skin, feeling the muscles contract under her touch. He breathed in sharply as she placed feathered kisses over his chest. She slowly moved around him, letting her hands guide her to his powerful back. She kissed his shoulder then seductively moved down further. Her fingers felt the healed flesh; long streaking scars, mangled the flesh on his back. Yet the scars only seemed to enhance the power in him. She came to his lower back then moved slowly back up, watching as he shivered at her touch. He gently took her hand, making her stop to look up into his passionate eyes. Her body was to his side and she let her other hand graze over his shoulder before she kissed him there as well. Her eyes still completely capturing his. She let her thumb graze over the place where she had kissed his shoulder. She broke their stare to look at her small hand resting against his smooth skin. "Anex…" She whispered and he turned so swiftly toward her that she didn't have time to react. His lips were on her and her mind couldn't hold on as he pressed his firm body against her. Thunder boomed loudly over them as he kissed her hungrily. His hands grasped her wet dress, tugging it off of her milky shoulders, then down over the swell of her hips till it slopped to the floor. Kiska pressed against him, needing to feel his skin against her's. She felt his fingers rake through her long hair, holding her firmly to him in raged need. Kiska

felt the heat boil up within her, pooling to a secret place she never knew existed before now. She felt the bed bump into the back of her knees. She fell back onto the cushions, pulling Anex with her. She felt his weight upon her before he pushed himself up to straddle her hips. She felt his lips leave her's, moving down to her neck, leaving spots of ecstasy as he worked his way over her chest. She wrapped her fingers in his hair as she arched against him. He kissed down between her breasts to the flat of her stomach. When he stopped Kiska could have screamed at him. "You have to know that I don’t do this." He said softly. "What?" Kiska frowned in confusion and frustration that he wasn't kissing her. "I don’t take women to my bed… I ugh…" He sighed loudly and leaned his head down on her flat stomach. "Anex?" She let a hand gently muse his hair, urging him to say what he wanted to say. "I've never taken a woman." Kiska sat up on her elbows, trying to grasp his words. "What do you mean?" "I mean I have never had a woman under me. I've never had a woman in my bed. Never made her scream. Never-" "Okay… okay." Kiska said quickly to stop him. "But you're with this army." "I know but I don’t do that." Kiska looked at him frozen. She never expected that he was still pure. She thought maybe he just didn't take women often, or he had his heart hurt. She never thought… "I've ugh… never… I'm pure as well." She said wording it a little more delicately. "We don’t have to do this." He said as he heard her words. "I've heard it's painful for the woman the first time." She gently urged him up to her lips to kiss him softly. "I wouldn't stop this night from going through if lightning struck this shelter into nothing." She whispered out at him, relishing in the feel of his breath against her lips as she spoke. "I love you." She closed the small gap between them, forcing her lips onto his with vigor. He shifted on top of her, moving slightly so he could undo his belt. Kiska's hands were there as well, pulling at the leather with him. Eventually the leather gave way and he squirmed from the wool pants, letting them drop to the floor. He looked for some kind of shock or fear to pass over her features, but she only pulled him back to her, her lips attacking his once again. He positioned himself above her, hesitating for only a moment before he drove into her slick center. He saw the pain pass over her face as he

broke the seal of her purity. And before he could react to his actions her whole body contracted in pain. "KISKA! Oh God! I'm so sorry! I shouldn'-" "Just keep moving." She gasped out, her nails digging into the cushions of the bed in pain. Anex's watched with horrified eyes as he slowly inched out of her slick center. The slow movements reared passion in his own body, his blood felt on fire as he tried to focus on her wellbeing. When a soft moan escaped her lips he had stop, he was hurting her too much, he had to stop this, no matter how amazing he felt being inside of her, she was clearly in pain, and he couldn't live with hurting her anymore than he already had. However as soon as he stopped moving and was about to pull out of her, her legs wrapped around him, and her body arched toward him. "Don’t stop." She nearly screamed out at him. Her body was flushed and Anex, only then, realized that she wasn't in pain, she was in ecstasy. It wasn't till he heard another soft moan of pleasure that he really let himself feel the overwhelming sensations she was bring to him. That night one more scream was added to all the others, but this one was of pleasure and not pain.

Anex watched Kiska as she blissfully slept, the morning light cascading down on her through a slit on the canvas. He wrapped himself gently closer to her, relishing in the natural heat and smell of her. When the bright sun of the day suddenly crashed into their sanctuary he twisted around carefully to see Jordon enter the room and stop instantly, seeing an expanse of Kiska's bare back on his bed. Jordon only smirked and nodded toward Anex then stepped back out of the shelter. Anex sighed then breathed in one last deep breath of her sent before he pushed himself from her tempting form. He quickly got dressed, then with another fleeting look at her sleeping body he stepped out into the day. "Jordon." He called out to his friend who had started to walk away, thinking Anex wasn't going to leave his shelter. "What is it?" Jordon turned to Anex, the smirk still plastered on his face, but then as if being reminded of the news he carried his face fell. "We're moving out to the encampment." Jordon said after he had walked back to Anex. "What?" "Quince announced it this morning." Jordon lowered his head, hating to bring the news to his friend, knowing what it meant. Anex instantly twisted back, just in time to here Kiska's scream of fright. Anex instinctively pounced at the sound. However Jordon help him back. "You know the penalty of with holding a woman. You cant do this Anex! You already have one strike over your head!" Anex didn't hear his friends word of caution as he saw Kiska dragged from the tent, she was desperately trying to hold on to a blanket to cover herself. "NO!" Anex screamed as he pushed passed Jordon. Three men suddenly stepped up and blocked his path. Anex's mind suddenly jumped back as he saw the unfamiliar soldiers. He quickly glanced around him to see his father not three feet from him, watching intently as guards stood tense around him. Quince was just waiting, watching to see if his son would push the limits again, if he would go against the rules again. Anex looked to Kiska as she screamed out his name. He wanted to rush to her, to beat the other men away from her, but he couldn't not when he knew the consequence of such an act would be. Anex fisted his hands, and forced himself to turn around. He gritted his mouth shut and walked away, hearing Kiska's screams for help every step. Anex walked back to Jordon, whose eyes were wide as he watched the furious Anex approach him. "Find out where she's going to be taken." Anex bit out the command quietly so only Jordon could hear his words. Jordon only turned with Anex and walked away from the crowd. After they got out of sight Jordon quickly broke off from Anex and casually walked toward the tents that had been set up for the women. Anex glanced behind him to see the same three guards that had blocked him before following him. He wasn't trusted. Not after the last time this had happened… Anex forced his thoughts there, taking in a dark memory to counter the horrid situation that was weighing down on him now.

He had been much younger, much more naive in what he had been forced into. She was just a child, not much older than four or five. Bright blue eyes with beautiful blond ringlets. She clung to him like he could have been her father, and after only a few short days even he thought much to the same thing. He was the only one that took care of her, that cared for her. His army had killed her family, and now he, her enemy was her family. He never thought they would expect him to give her up when they reached the main encampment, to consider a woman was absurd! So when the two men came to take her away he was shocked into anger. Those two men were the only men he had ever killed with his bare hands. They had sneered as his child like she was meat and they were dogs. His anger and ferocity overcame him and before he knew it she was screaming and two men were laying at his feet. Even now, recalling the few minuets it felt like it wasn't him, like he wasn't the one that had just ripped out the throat of a man, or had snapped the neck of the other. It was over so fast, he remembered the fear and energy pressing through his veins. He had scooped Sarah up in his arms and ran. He was foolish, his mind hadn't been clear, he had been young and scared, he was caught all too quickly. He watched her burn at the stake. Even five and a half years later he still remembered her shrilling screams. The enormity of her pain had masked over his; he didn't feel it while they whipped him over and over. Anex could see Sarah's face through the flames, and in one flash Anex was suddenly on his knees. Kiska. He saw her perfect face tear strained with flames licking up around her to consume her life. Anex couldn't breath as his body shook at the unbearable vision. "Anex!" Jordon's voice cut through the vision, bring him back to the real world. "Where is she?!" Anex gasped out quietly as he drew breath back into his deprived lungs, trying to rid his eyes from the disturbing picture. "She's close. But Anex, you cant do this. You were warned before, if you ever got attached again you would be put on the stake with her." "I have to save her." Anex pushed himself back up onto his feet, Jordon coming up with him skittishly. "Anex… No… please… She's just a girl." Jordon pleaded with him. Anex didn't look at his close friend as her stared straight a head. "I love her and I know death would be a grace considered to the fate she would have if we lived." "But Anex." "No, Jordon. I can't… I have to save her." Jordon paused as he watched his friend. "I'm sorry Anex, but I can't be in this… I wont say anything, but I cant-"

"I understand." Anex paused looking down. "Jordon… thank you, for being a friend to me…" "Just try and stay alive." Jordon whispered as he pat Anex on his back gravely then leaned a little closer and whispered low in Anex's ear. "Tent closest to the stables. I think it’s a sign. Stable guards switch shifts at midday. Good luck." With that Jordon swiftly walked away from his friend, his hands sheepishly in his pockets, his head lowered. "I'm gonna need it." Anex mumbled to himself as he eyed his three followers that were standing a few feet away. "A lot of it."

Kiska screamed for Anex as two men dragged her out into the clearing. Her eyes found him, but he didn't come to her, he didn't come save her from her fate. She screamed for him even when he turned his back to her, walking from her struggles, ignoring her cries for help. When she was forced into a tent of weeping girls, Kiska new it was useless to believe that Anex would ever come and save her. Kiska pulled the sheet tighter around herself as her eyes adjusted to the dark of the tent. Women were closely huddled in the center of the tent. Three men guarded them, eyes watching every small movement with hungry eyes. Kiska quickly shrunk to the ground as one man laid his eyes on her. Kiska surveyed the other women, and watched as the guards shifted from foot to foot, as if tired of standing. After an hour one guard went to the flap of the tent and pulled it back, looking out into the bright day. "They should have been here by now." He mumbled as he gruffly snorted then spat on the ground beside one of the women that shrunk away from him. Kiska watched the spit soak into the ground. She heard a grunt and by the time she looked up the first and the second man was already down, the third falling as her head snapped to the scream that was cut short. Her eyes found the source of the disruption. Anex. That’s when the women started to scream. They scattered from the tent, running panicked. Kiska ran toward Anex and he quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We have to go." "Okay." She said dumbly, looking up at her savior and he cut a slit in the tent and quickly ducked out into the day. Anex led her to the stables, pulling out a horse swiftly. He heaved her up on it then was about to pump up himself when a commanding voice stopped him. "Anex." Anex froze then slowly turned toward the voice. Kiska twisted around to see the large man. His strong set jar stood out at he clenched his jaw tight, his steal eyes gazed at Anex, not taking a moment to look at her. However the more Kiska starred at the large man the more she saw Anex. This man was undeniably Anex's father, Kiska looked down to Anex, her eyes growing wide as she saw his stiff frame, his sword pulled defensively. "I love her." Anex spoke harshly. "Anex, I told you not to get attached." With a twitch of his hand twenty men moved in on the stable, their steps forceful yet cautious. "I honestly thought that you had learned your lesson last time." "ANEX!" Anex's head snapped to the familiar voice. Jordon was standing at the end of the stables, holding the large door open. Anex instantly slapped the horses rear, sending the horse into a sudden gallop. Kiska instinctively grasped the horse, holding on. It was only when the horse galloped passed Jordon that Kiska started to react, Anex wasn't with her! "NO! ANEX! NO!" She tried to restrain the horse, to slow its movements, however when she had passed Jordan he had given another slap to the horses rear with the flat blade of his sword, sending the horse into a full gallop and nothing Kiska did would stop the horses powerful muscles from taking her away from Anex. Kiska managed a quick look back, men surrounded Anex and Jordon. That was the last fleeting look she got before the horse took to the woods. It was like a nightmare, one she couldn't

wake from. She couldn't stop the horse, couldn't move, couldn't breath. And then like all nightmares something happened that make the whole dream that much worse. Five men on horses were riding after her. Now instead of trying to stop the horse she was suddenly urging it forward. They twisted in and out of site, jumping over fallen trees to try and creep closer to her. Kiska twisted her head back, watching as they gained more and more ground on her. She whimpered to herself and pressed closer to the horse, hoping for her life that it would go faster. The horse broke into a sudden clearing, allowing his footfalls to land more surely. He ran faster with the beat of Kiska's heart, beating so fast she thought it would pound its self out of her chest. She was halfway across the clearing when she saw it. It was so fast it was only a black blur, but it scared her horse enough to come to a skidding halt and rear onto his hind legs, forcing her off of his back, then he quickly bolted back across the clearing, back the way they had come. Kiska quickly twisted around from being on her back and looked with terrified eyes, expecting to see the five men on their horses approach her, however the site that visited her eyes was anything she would have ever expected. Only three men were left, the other two had disappeared. All three men were dead. There heads twisted at sickening angles. But what really captured her eyes was the one figure that was alive. He was hunched over one of the men, his mouth attached to the mans throat. Kiska felt the blood drain from her face as her terrified eyes watched this creature feed off her enemies. Kiska couldn't move, her eyes riveted on the figure. It suddenly stilled, and let the man's neck drop from its mouth. Kiska's eyes flashed to the dead man then back to the creature that smoothly stood. Every muscle in her body was ridged in fear as it slowly approached her. However it wasn't an it, it was a man. But it couldn't be a man, the way he moved was like water across rocks, smooth. But it wasn't just his movements his face was perfect, pale with death, but perfect none the less. Black eyes stared out at her as he stopped a foot from her. She looked up at his tall frame. It was only then that her lungs connected with her brain for breath. She had been holding her breath, watching him the whole time, and now it was too late, her body couldn't last. She saw the black blot out the image of the perfect creature bending down toward her. Then there was nothing, just sweet blackness that prevented her from thinking of anything or anyone. Even Anex.

Drip… echo… Drip… echo… It was the only sound as Kiska slowly came to. When she finally opened her eyes it was so dark she couldn't tell one darkness from the other. She blinked trying to make some color or light come into sight. However it was so dark that she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face. Drip… echo… drip echo… Kiska forced herself to think. Why was she here? Where was here? Her memory flooded back . Anex! Then the escape. Then the monster… The man. Kiska pushed herself back against the cold stone wall. Was he here? Was he watching her? Drip… Echo. She pushed herself up off the wall, letting one hand trail across the stone wall as her other hand held the other out in front of her so she didn't walk into anything. Drip… echo… Kiska's ears perked, trying to hear anything other than the constant drip and its following echo, but there was nothing. Drip… echo… She reached a corner of the room, she followed the next wall, her hand still out in front of her. When her hand made contact with something other than air she squeaked in surprise and quickly stepped back. She reached out slowly again, letting her mind take in what she was feeling. Fur. Coarse. Matted. Wet. Drip… echo… Suddenly a door burst open from the other side of the room, light suddenly burning her eyes. She closed them out of reflex, letting her arm come up to block out the sudden blaze. She slowly squinted out, trying to see anything past the burning. It came in a blur, but all too quickly it became clear. A bear. Huge, towering over her small body. Dead. Drip… Its blood dripped down to a pool on the floor… echo… Kiska covered her mouth with her one clean hand while the other frantically rushed to her pants to wipe off the creatures blood. A soft footstep made her head jerk. Her eyes captured the torch he held out into the darkness. The flame casting shadows against his stone face. His eyes were steadfast on her, and she couldn't help but feel the hunger pour out of them. The thought occurred to her that he was much more dangerous than any creature she had ever encountered, he was stronger than the once powerful creature hanging beside her. One wrong word, one wrong move and she would end up dripping on the floor as well. Kiska tried to calm her racing heart, tried to slow the panic pumping through her blood. "Why were those men chasing you?" His voice made her jump in fright, and she gasped from it, stepping away from him. "What's your name?" He asked, not letting her answer his first question. His voice was pure steal, cold and void of any emotion. A true killer. Kiska shivered with fear. "Who are you?" His voice was commanding, but she couldn't make her voice bow to her command… or rather his. "Tell me!" Kiska felt her mouth

open, her mind trying to force something out, anything out. Nothing came, she moved her jaw slightly trying to form any words while only one thought ran through her head. She was going to die. All of Anex's efforts, everything he sacrificed to saved her, it was for nothing. Her fate would have been better if she had just stayed with the army. Anex would be alive she would be with him… and five hundred men, but she would be with him. She should have sacrificed for him. "Fine." His harsh voice cut into her destructive thoughts. Her eyes snapped from her thoughts and watched as he started to walk back to the door. "Don’t leave me here!" The words were out of her mouth before she realized she had said them. "You'd rather come with me?" He asked, the first kind of emotion she had seen yet passed over his features. Surprise. "I'd rather not be down here." Kiska said quietly, flicking her eyes to the bear then back to him. "Am… am I your prisoner?" Kiska's voice shook as she tried to control her rising fear. "For now." He said quietly back. Kiska's mind spun at his words, trying to find the hidden meaning. Her eyes grew wide as she remembered the way he had quickly killed the five men that had been after her. "You're going to kill me?" "Eventually, I'm sure." "Why not now?" Kiska lowered her head, watching as the blood of the animal cross over the floor. "You're so eager to die?" Kiska head twirled with his words as she thought of Anex. Could he have survived? Was he looking for her? Was he dead? Had they killed him because of her? Was her life worth living with out him? Would this man take her life before she knew for sure? "I didn't think so." He said cutting into her thoughts. "Who are you?" She said quickly as he started to turn from her again. "Who are you?" He asked right back. Kiska hesitated for only a moment. What did it matter? He was probably going to kill her. She was a bastard child, yes, but she still had blood. He wouldn't care. "Kiska." "Denton." He said quickly back with out pause. His face was stone as he looked back at her. He didn't know. Or perhaps he did, and just as she suspected he didn't care. Kiska looked down, away from his penetrating eyes, a shiver running through her. The creature may have a name, but he was still a creature. Still a dangerous creature.

Kiska watched as he walked with grace down the vast empty hall way. The whole building was so quiet, so dead. The small sound of her footsteps sounded so out of place, so unwelcome in the quiet. As he led her down another hall and another hall thoughts spun around in Kiska's head of this creature before her. Was there no one else he shared his life with? Hundreds of rooms littered the place yet not a single person accompanied the vast emptiness. She kept in pace with him, walking only a few steps behind him. It was then that they came to a stop. He turned toward her, his face as ever, stone. Not quiet a scowl, but just stone, no emotion, blank. "Your room." He said coldly, his arm extended out beside him pointing to a door. "A room?" "You would rather like the dungeon?" His voice was harsh and Kiska jerked back, lowering her head, shaking it slightly. "Then accept the offer with out comment." He bit, then watched as she slowly raised her head and looked to the closed door. "Dinner will be served in one hour. You will attend." His voice was even harsher and after seeing her cower he softened his voice, but the cold lack of emotion couldn't be mistaken. "The lands around here are dangerous so don’t attempt to leave." "Is there any one else here?" "No… nor should you need any one else… I will provide anything you may need." His voice was soft and distant. He turned from her and walked away, leaving her at the door to her new room. She didn't go in. She stood there for a moment, letting her ears try and catch any sound that may belie his whereabouts. She looked down the hall behind her then quickly took off down the hall, running as quietly as she could, looking for a way out. The monster was wrong she did need some one else, Anex. She longed for him now more than ever, his sure thoughts, his strong, protective grasp. She needed him as much as she needed air. He had captured her heart and soul, and there was no one, not even her new captor, that could keep her from him. She skidded to a halt as her frantic eyes found the large double doors, natural light peaking through. She didn't pause to look around as she automatically ran for her way out. The door swung open easily, and she ran out into the yard. Enormous trees and bushes mangled the ground, they wrapped around, twisting in death and devastation. Only one path was cut through, leading to a black wire fence and after that… freedom. A whole forest of freedom. Kiska didn't look back as she ran for the gateway. At first she was filled with elation. A sudden bounce was to her run, and a triumphant smile was spread over her face. She was free! That’s when the wolves howled. Kiska came to a halt, her breath coming in large grasps, half because she had been running, half because of the sudden fear that gripped her. She turned around expecting to see the castle she had run from, however only trees greeted her site. She tried to walk back the way she had come but the forest had devoured her whole, leaving only the sudden fear to accompany her. Kiska was suddenly aware of the mist that covered the ground and seeped deeper into the forest, making everything murky and gray. Then as if from a nightmare they appeared through the mist, sharp, hungry eyes shinning in the gloom of the forest. Four. Five… Six… Seven. Seven wolves materialized out of the forest. They were attacking before Kiska could even start to run. She screamed and turned as quickly as she could,

fleeing from the hungry predators. She could hear them behind her, snapping, snarling, getting closer with each fleeting, frantic step. One of them snapped at her ankle, making her trip and fall to the ground. One was on top of her before she could take another breath in. The weight of the animal pushed her into the ground, rocks cut into her flesh and she cried out in pain and fright. In that one scream he came. The wolf was suddenly off of her, flung across the small clearing into a tree, a whine of pain echoing out of its body in a small whimper. The others however didn't take notice of their brother beast, instead lunged at her savior. She screamed out, reaching her hand out as if to stop the scene from progressing, knowing what was to happen. However the beasts of the forest could not match the strength of this one man. He shed the animals from him, shaking them off as if they were pesky bugs to squabble and destroy. The pack all too quickly realized his strength and fled back from where they came. His back was to her as he watched them flee, then he slowly turned to her quivering form, still collapsed on the ground. His anger and rage still coursing through him till it literally shook his hands. Kiska's eyes flew from his hands to his horrid eyes. If his eyes could kill, she would have been torn apart. Kiska sunk back to the ground as he towered over her, not saying a word, only scowling down at her fragile frame. When he bent down toward her Kiska squeaked in surprise and fear, expecting he would kill her right there. However he simply scooped her up in his strong, stable grasp and started walking back through the forest. It wasn't uncomfortable in his arms, just stiff and cold. He was still silently fuming when they made it back to his home. It was the first time that she really saw the enormity of it. A huge castle, black and dark in the night, but the dim light of the moon let her see the vastness of his empty empire. When he made it to the gate he set her gently down then closed the black wire entrance. He paused, his hands resting on the metal, his back still turned toward her. He breathed in, his whole body expanding then deflating as he let out his breath. She thought he would turn and yell at her but he didn't do anything. And when a minuet passed over in silence she felt like she had to say something. "Are you alright?" He jumped as if out of thought then quickly turned toward her. "I told you not to leave." He scowled down at her. "I… I have to find out…" Kiska stopped her plea short, realizing it would fall on deaf ears. He didn't care what was important to her, so why should she waist her breath. "What?" He urged roughly. "Nothing." She said quietly. His scowl slowly turned to a frown then he snapped his head up and sideways, his jaw suddenly clenched tight, followed by the rest of his body. "What is it?" "They're burning a human." "What?" "The camp that you're from… they are burning a human… and from the sounds of it… alive." His name was out of her mouth before she could help herself. "Anex." She felt the blood leave her face, as her body collapsed to the ground.

Anex felt his anger course through him as he watched from a hill top the wisps of smoke float off into the night sky, the smell of burnt flesh still fresh in his senses. Jordon, his best friend had been taken. Anex closed his eyes as he remembered the fateful night. Anex and Jordon had held them off as long as they could. Anex told Jordon to run, to get away while he could. However Jordon didn't listen, he crashed into the man Anex had been fighting then after killing the man pushed Anex away, screaming at him to get away. "RUN ANEX! YOU NEED TO LIVE FOR HER!" Jordon turned from Anex and ran, swinging his sword, into the men coming after them. Anex's sight had been a blur after that, he watched as his friend fought and screamed. At some point Anex took his moment and ran from the battle, he didn't know where Jordon was when he ran. Now sitting on top of the hill over looking the camp Anex wished he had done more, that he had tried harder to free his lost friend. Anex clenched his jaw tight trying to hold back his pain. He turned from the large encampment and walked into the dark forest, knowing the rumors and stories that revolved around it, yet also knowing Kiska had gone into the forest, so he would as well. He would do anything for her. He sighed as he walked into the dark dank forest, the smell of trees and rotting wood crept into him as he walked. However after a few short minuets he smelled another sickly smell, this one not so pleasant. Decaying flesh. Anex pushed through the intertwined trees harder. Images of Kiska's dead body flooded his mind. Anex was running toward the deathly stench before he realized what he was doing, hoping that the images in his head were not to become a sickening reality. When he stumbled through a barrier of vines he recoiled back instantly as the smell hit him full force. His hand flew to his face, covering his mouth and nose, trying to keep out the stench. He looked down at the five bodies. All were crawling with bugs and rodents, that for a moment Anex's panic riled up with in him, making his stomach turn and his jaw ache in that sickening feeling of bile riding up his throat. He turned and emptied his stomach. He was folded in half as his body retched from seeing the sickening sight. When he could finally turn back to the bodies Anex had to force himself to do so. He had to know for sure. He had to see if his love had become the feast of rodents. With a hand over his mouth and nose he forced himself to look again. After only a moment the glorious revelation came to him. All of the bodies were much too big and all of the bodies had armor and extensive weapons on them. Kiska wasn't one of the bodies! "These were the men that had been sent after her…" Anex whispered to himself. The joy of learning that Kiska could still be alive passed as he considered what could have killed the five men before him. These men had been extensive fighters, even if Kiska had training with a weapon she wouldn't have been a match against all five men. No, it was something else. Or perhaps someone else. Who or what ever killed the five men must have her, unless she got away some how. But seeing 5 once strong warriors as rodent meat, made Anex think other wise. He had to hurry before what happened to the five warriors happened to her. His stomach turned at even the thought. He wouldn't let her die, even if it cost him his own life to get her safe, he wouldn't let her die like that. Anex walked a little ways out into the clearing, looking for any sign of a track. He saw horse hooves running then stop and turn back the way it had come. But beside the horse tracks was a imprint of a small persons body, scrunched up. Two footprints were distinguishable beside the form, but then nothing else. No dragging tracks, no foot prints, nothing. It was like the man that had made the tracks flew from the place he stood, not

leaving a trace behind of his direction. Anex sighed in frustration then turned to deeper in the forest. He figured that who ever belonged to those tracks had to be deeper in the forest. Kiska had to be deeper in the forest. And even if this man could fly, there was nothing that was going to stop Anex from getting back Kiska.

Kiska watched through dead eyes as he laid the platter of cooked food before her. "You need to eat." Kiska didn't say anything as she looked up from the food to his eyes. He looked away, breathing a sigh out as he stepped away. Kiska felt sick as the smell of the food drifted to her. She wasn't hungry. She wasn't thirsty. She wasn't tired. She wasn't happy. She wasn't anything. She felt dead. Felt as if her life was gone and that some how some one was still keeping her here on this earth as a sick joke to torment her. "Kiska." She raised her head to look at Denton. However he didn't say anything as he stared down at her. After a moment she gave up on what ever he was going to say and pushed herself up from the chair. "I'm going back to bed." "I know it's hard." His voice cracked as he spoke out to her. She froze, knowing that he was trying to comfort her, trying to open up. But at the moment she just didn't care. "You don’t know anything." "But I do. I know how hard it can be to loose some one you care about." His words seemed to echo off the walls as much as they echoed inside her head. She didn't want it to be true. Anex had to be alive, he was coming for her, she knew he was. They were meant to be together, he had to be alive. "Kiska?" His voice cut into her. She didn't want to hear his voice, she wanted to hear Anex's voice. She didn't answer. "If there's anything I can do… Just name it." Kiska nodded then continued up to her sad sanctuary.

It had been a week. 7 days. 168 hours. 10080 minuets. All of that time had been like a second. Kiska still remained the same. Denton had tried everything he knew to try and make her eat, every time giving up bitterly when she refused him. He didn't know why he wanted her to live. He shouldn't care about a mortal that way. He shouldn't care at all. He was on the brink of killing her when she came out of her room. He had stopped dead in his tracks in the hall way, watching as she stood before him. She was in a simple white dress, her hair was a mess, and her eyes still looked dead but even just her presence standing before him reminded him of the painful loneliness that consumed him every day. And for a second he felt free looking upon her. In that second he would have given anything to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything was alright, tell her that he was going to protect her. She forced a small smile to her lips as she looked down the hall at him. "I'm sorry… I haven't been a very good guest." Denton wanted to laugh, but he just starred, not wanting to ever move again. "Thank you Denton, for all you've done… I know it must not be easy." She tilted her head to the side then moved her hair off of her exposed neck. His light mood suddenly shifted as he realized what she was doing. "You said once that I was your prisoner. That you would kill me one day. I need that day to be today. I wore this dress just because I wanted something nice to die in… I guess it doesn't really matter, dead is dead, huh?" "Kiska." "No, please… Don’t say anything… just do it." Denton felt her sweet sent creep over his senses. She didn't know how much she was tempting him right now. Denton searched through his heightened senses, looking for anything to flee to, to distract him. And just as he was about to give up and give in he heard the distinctive heart beat of another human. The rush of their blood flowing through their veins. Their soft footsteps falling on the stone of the path leading up to his home. Then the very familiar sound of steal against steal as the man pulled his sword. "Some one's here." He said quickly, focusing on the sounds. "Its one of them, isn't it? One of the men from the army." "Could be." Denton looking down to her fragile, beautiful frame. He watched as her face turned dark and angry. Rage like he hadn't seen in a very long time passed over her features. Her face was flushed was anger as she quickly strode up to him, her moves swift and sure as she quickly drew the sword that Denton had at his hip. "Kiska… you can't do this." He stopped her, holding her shoulders securely. "I have to! They killed him, Denton. They burnt him alive! I loved him! I still do love him! I cant just sit here and… I cant…" Tears started to roll down her angelic face. Denton's hand traveled down her smooth arm to the sword she held limply in her hand. "Let me." He whispered as he took the weapon from her grasp. Kiska drew in a shaky breath. And in one swift move Denton sped away from her, leaving her in the hall. It was easy tracking the human down. Every breath echoed in his ears, every step burned through him till Denton was standing behind the man. The human still hadn't realized he was there. Stupid human. Denton raised the sword, ready to strike. Suddenly the man spun around and clashed swords with Denton. "WHERE IS SHE!?!" The man screamed. He was hunched over, breathing heavily, anger and worry in his eyes. Denton dropped the sword, suddenly wanting a more personal contact with the savage that dared to harm Kiska.

"You'll never touch her!" Denton growled out as he sped through the thick air to the human, smashing him against the wall, Denton's hand wrapped around the man's throat. It was going to be easy. One squeeze and it would be all over. "NO!" Kiska's scream cut into Denton's concentration, his head snapped toward her. She looked down on the two men from the balcony. That one distraction was all the savage needed to take his strike. He brought up the sword and swiftly stabbed it into Denton's flesh. "AHH!" Denton roared as he pushed the human away from him and pulled out the sword. Before the wound could even heal Denton threw the sword like a spear into the human's chest, the force of the throw propelling his body back onto a wall, where the sword finally stopped. He hung dead by the sword lodged in the wall. "ANEEEX!" Her scream filled the room as Denton stood shakily, feeling his wound pull back together and heal completely. "NOOO!" Kiska had already started down the stairs, but when she saw Anex on the wall, killed by Denton her body gave up on her and she fell to her knees. Her eyes were frozen on his body. Her jaw was slack, unable to even draw breath as shock rolled through her. "Kiska… its alright, he's dead. No one will ever hurt you. I promise." He was by her side, his strong arms wrapped around her trembling body. "No… Anex." She whispered out, her breath shaky, tears running freely from her wide eyes. She hadn't taken her stare off of the dead body. Denton looked back at the man she was staring at. It was then that it came together. "Oh God!" Denton cursed as he realized what he had done. He sped quickly away from her to the dead body of the man she had loved. He swiftly pulled the sword free, catching the dead weight of the man when he fell. Denton forced his hearing sharper, searching for that pulse that had once been so intrusive. Silence. The man was dead. Denton looked back up to Kiska, she was still on her knees, her head in her hands, tears rolling down her face to pool and spill to the old carpeted stairs. He quickly sped back to her, wrapping her up in his arms. "I'm so sorry… I didn't know… I didn't know." Denton didn't know how long she wept in his arms. He didn't know how long she sobbed and screamed, he didn't know how long her shaking fists held onto his shirt. But when she managed to stop crying she looked up to him. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks tear stained, but it was the way that she looked at him. The way her eyes were dead. That one look would haunt him for eternity. "Denton." "I'm so sorry." He quickly interrupted her, knowing how much she would hate him. Instead she lifted her hand and pressed two fingers across his mouth. "Shhh. Denton… You said before… if I needed anything, to just ask." She drew in a shaky breath. "Denton… I'm nothing without Anex. I will waste away with out him. Denton… I need you to kill me." Denton was already shaking his head, moving away from her. "No." "Denton. I need you to stop this pain." Her face contorted again as she tried to control herself. "I can't live with it. If you don’t. I will. Please do this one last thing for me… Please Denton." She shakily pulled her hair off her neck. "Please." She snaked her

arm around his neck, pulling him to her. He hated himself as he felt her blood call out to him. He felt her soft skin under his lips as he first kissed her neck. "I'm sorry Kiska." He felt his blood lust fly over his senses. When Denton regained his sense of mind it was too late. He had granted her one last wish. She was with Anex now. Denton's pain roiled with in him. He hated himself. He hated was he was. What he had done. He screamed out into the silence, cursing himself. After months of not feeding Denton pulled himself down into the basement. He pushed the stone lid off of the coffin, the pulled himself in. He inched the stone back into place and let his mind fall into darkness.