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Kiran's fangs were sharp, sinking into the skin of her neck. Her back was flat against the cage rods, her teeth clenched together. It was more painful that any marking process should have been.

Then, the dungeon doors swung open.

"Niva!" Alpha Alderic thundered. Guards swarmed in behind him, their weapons, drawn and ready.

Kiran lifted his lip as he felt her freeze in his grip. His lips curving into a small smile as he felt a warm sensation flood with veins.

He was strong again.

His grey eyes met Alderic's blue ones. He moved away from Niva, but stood in front of her.

"Just in time to witness your daughter's commitment to our new partnership."

Instinctively Niva's clasped her hand around her stained neck. To cover the mark before her father saw it. But it was too late, for her father had already seen it.

His eyes burned with rage.

"You traitorous fool, do you know what you have done?!"

He made a move to charge at Kiran.

"Father please, listen to me"

Kiran looked down in amusement as Niva stood in front of him. Spreading her arms out as if to block her father from harming him.

Or wait......,

Could it be that she trying to stop him from harming her father instead.

"He knows what this thing is, we have a chance at-"

"I give you three seconds to move out of the way or else I will have the guards seize you and lock you up in your room, awaiting elder's trial."

"Father can't you see, can't you see that we are at the last straw. This is the only way that I can save us."

"Shut up child, so you want to play heroine and bring shame to the throne?!"

Niva was infuriated.

What fucking throne would she even have the chance of sitting on if everyone was dead.

Kiran liked this, he was liking this entertainment very much. And it irked the hell out of Alpha Alderic who immediately drew his sword. His men, following in his actions.

Niva drew out hers. No matter what happened, she wasn't going to let her father's men seize her.

And Kiran, oh boy.......he hadn't revelled in the raw smell of torn flesh for quite a while. His eyes held the spark of a child's, expecting a sweet and savoury treat.

"Do whatever you can to get us out of here." Kiran nodded, mapping an escape plan in his head. "But do not, and I repeat, do not kill anyone."

And there went his excitement.

••••••

She slammed the hilt of her sword against his chest. They were blotches of red all over him.

"Why do you seem mad?" Kiran asked "I didn't touch Alderic, and I got us out of there even if it was raining arrows, without killing anyone."

"Instead of knocking them out like a normal person you smashed skulls and tore skin" Her mind flashed back to the unnatural way he bent their limbs. "Was your goal to permanently impair them?"

Gosh, even the sound of her chatter was annoying.

"Well you said, do not kill anyone and I honoured that. Let's say the injuries maim them, atleast they're alive. Atleast I got us out, alive."

"You got us out alive?, you stand there and talk like I didn't contribute."

"You fought, accepted. But while you were having your daddy issues. I was the one covering your six."

She let out a grunt and pushed him backwards, aggressively. He caught her wrist and slapped it away.

"You are lucky that mark on your neck is keeping me from hurting you."

"Oh shut it, do you think it was easy for me back there. Swinging a sword at my own father?"

Kiran laughed, a brief and dull throated laughter.

"Daddy's girl has defied her daddy, boo hoo. Should I raise a flag to celebrate you or something?"

Niva closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Trying to reel in the calm and collected spirit. He wanted a reaction from her, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing that.

"What? Are you about to enter the spirit world?" Kiran mused.

She opened her eyes but didn't respond, pushing back the sword into it's coverage.

"Let's get moving, it's getting darker."

"Where are we headed?"

"To a cottage, it's around here, a little deeper into the forest."

Kiran raised his palm making her halt.

"What?"

"You're taking us to a cottage in the forest, not even near the premises of town?"

"Well, we need a roof over our heads for the night and it's the only thing that I can think of."

He raised his head to see that the clouds had begun to thicken. A storm was set upon them.

"We need somewhere in town where we can get fresh food, a bath, new pairs of clothes and where to stay the night" His eyes started mapping out a route. "Luckily, I know a place."

"It's been a while since I've been to town. I'm not comfortable with going there." Niva pointed to an opposite path.

"Maybe we should go to the cottage. We could dig around and probably find few resourc-."

*Hey!, what the-. Put me down!"

He took her swiftly from the ground and positioned her across his shoulder like cargo. Her arms dangling to his back and her rump beside his face.

"You're lighter than I expected." He briefly glanced at her bum positioned near his face. "Release gas, and I'll drop you on the cold ground."

"Ew, I am a decent woman. I know when to control my body work." She sniffed his back and grimaced, covering her palm over her nose.

"You on the other hand reek of......ugh I don't even want to know what these smells are."

He rolled his eyes. It's not as if she was the one that was locked in a cage located in an underground dungeon for five irritating years.

"Then better hope we find an inn with good water supply, because you don't smell so good either."

Niva paused and sniffed herself, secretly grimacing.

"What do you think I am, a witch?, of course i wouldn't smell like roses and sunshine."

She had ran through muddy water, rolled on dirtied grass and leaked a lot of sweat.

"Speaking of sunshine......."

Kiran lifted his eyes up. Angry storms gathering above them and big rain drops falling from the clouds.