She’d almost been taken from me… She had stayed here for him but had almost been taken to be eaten, to die a horrible death. And he would have missed her, ached for her! She is mine. I want her to be my bride. He didn’t want another human. He wanted Reia, his little doe, his brave human who gave him hope in her strength and her desire.
I shouldn’t have left!
“Yeah, I kind of figured that out today.” She gestured one of her hands behind her to the Mavka. “I was training with my sword when he came to speak with me. While we were talking, a flying Demon grabbed me. I would have been out here anyway and would have been swooped away if it wasn’t for him. You should be thanking him, not hurting him.”
Her bottom lip stuck out further into a small pout. He loosened his grip enough but continued to hold him.
“Is it true?” he asked him.
“Yes.”
Orpheus eyed the injures he had that were older than the ones he’d delivered. Then his sight fell to the Demons who were persistently calling to Reia like a piece of meat, hissing and howling.
He remained to heal. He looked over him again. This has only happened a few hours ago.
“Orpheus…” Reia said to him with a deep tone of warning he’d never heard from her before. “If you hurt him further, I’ll be really upset with you. I won’t forgive you.”
With a growl, he tossed him back swiftly at her words, watching as he crumpled to the ground at the sudden force.
The outside of his vision was still red. He yanked her closer, folding his arms around her to hold her as well as shield her if the Mavka tried to retaliate against Orpheus by harming Reia.
“Don’t be upset with me,” he pleaded. “There. I have let him go.”
He didn’t know what would happen if she was upset with him, but he knew it wouldn’t be good. She lets me touch her. She might stop. That would pain him.
“Why are you outside with him while he is injured? You have seen me when I am hurt.”
They tried to attack anything within the direct proximity.
“I was behind the house protections when that happened like I promised if I was in danger.”
Red flared deeper and he clung to her tighter as he watched the Mavka weakly rise to his feet.
“So, he tried?!”
She reached up and cupped his snout again, like her small fragile body was enough to hold him at bay.
“I am safe now, aren’t I?”
He let out a huff of annoyance, then a curt growl when she turned into his arms to face the Mavka and attempted to step closer to him. Orpheus held her back.
“Are you okay?”
He released his own growl before he gave a snort.
“Fine. I will be fine.”
His white orbs flashed red in Orpheus’ direction before going back to their normal green.
Orpheus let his own go to their natural blue, although he was still wary of him. They both began to change from their monstrous forms back to their original ones.
“I’ll get some bandages to help you.” She started to push her way out of his arms. A small laugh escaped her as she mumbled, “I’m going to run out of dresses at this rate.”
“You do not need to bandage him,” Orpheus rebuffed, the idea of her touching another abhorrent to him.
“Of course, I do.” She shook her head, making her pretty hair sway around her shoulders. He had the urge to still the strands from moving so that the other Mavka couldn’t become tantalised by them like he often was. “Since you hurt him, we should care for his wounds.”
“But he will heal.”
Orpheus had never truly needed her help. He would have healed all his injuries within the span of a day regardless.
“It will help for him to heal faster if I stop the bleeding.”
She frowned up at him, and he got the feeling he was upsetting her again.
Orpheus would have to inform her that although the bleeding would stop, Mavka remained injured until a day had passed from their injury, then they healed everything suddenly within the span of a minute. It was both a blessing and a curse.
He stemmed his noise of irritation and released her, watching as she made her way inside. He turned to the Mavka sharply.
“You knew I was not here, and yet you remained to speak with her.”
“Why can I not speak with your human?” He tilted his head in confusion. “I do not intend any harm.”
“Because she is mine!”
She was his human to speak to, to look at, to touch. No one else was allowed to have her, especially not another of his kind.