” No, Abbey, pls don’t kill my child.’ The young lady said crying while trying to get in front of her little boy. ‘ please he is the only one left, I beg of you pls spare us.” She sobbed and went on her knees, begging the wolves to let them be. Ignoring her plea, one of the wolves dragged her, pushing into the hands of another.
” We don’t take pleas from perverts, instead we kill them.” The husky male voice said with an hint of mockery. They were wolves and they were the law.
He watched as the huge wolf dig into the heart of the small boy, causing him to scream his mother’s name out of fear. The mother averted her eyes, she couldn’t bear to watch her son die.
” No Abbey.’ She screamed and bit the hand of the one holding her down in an attempt to run free. ‘ Kill me too.” She screamed and jumped into the arms of the one whom murdered her family.
” Get away Woman.” He said and hit her on her cheek.
” Monsters, you all are monsters. I hate you all, I hate you so much.” She sobbed and knelt beside her son’s corpse, scooping his warm body into her hands.
” Well we don’t like your kind either.” He mocked.
He watched her wail out of pain, they had killed all of her kind and soon she would meet same fate.
Run, run Woman.
He wanted to scream but deep down he knew no amount of running would save her.
She jumped into his little arms.
” Save me please.’ She whispered, ‘ I don’t want to die.” She pleaded. He couldn’t do anything, as much as he wanted to save her, he couldn’t betray his kind. They dragged her out of his face and the last thing he heard was her scream. He couldn’t bear to look but he did and he saw her laying in her own pool of blood.
He wriggled on the bed, clutching onto the bedsheet in his hands. He was letting out deep sighs as he turned. The sighs woke Anny up, that was the third time in a row he would have terrible nightmares. She was starting to wonder what he kept seeing that terrified him.
Well no peace for the wicked and he sure was the wicked.
She sighed and moved closer to him to wake him up, she knew better than to climb on the bed to do that. She was scared of him wrapping her in his arms, she couldn’t predict what he would do next.
” Wake up Master.” She said and shakes him slightly.
He woke up all sweaty, the nightmares were back. Nightmares of his deeds, ones he wish he never did. Joining the army was clearly a good idea but the memories still tormented him day and night. He saw Anny there, her puppy eyes staring at him. He wanted badly to draw her in his arms, maybe it would send away this feeling he had inside.
” Are you okay, Master.” She asked worried.
” I think I am, will you pass me the glass of water.” He said and pointed to the glass of water laying on the table few inches away from his bed.
” Here it is Master.” She placed it in his outstretched palm. She had never seen him this Master this vulnerable, she knew whatever he had seen must have shaken him up. He gulped it down and felt a bit at ease. This was one of his minor nightmares, almost every night he had them.
” I saw it happen pet, I saw it all and I couldn’t stop it. Every night I would hear their screams, screams of the innocent soul. I was just a child, an unfortunate one to have witnessed it all. I saw it all, saw as he dived the knife into his throat, watched them kill them. I saw it all happen.” He broke down in tears. He was only ten when he witnessed it, witnessed the kind of man his father was. For years he tried so hard to push the memories behind him but every time he saw his Father, all he saw was a monster and a murderer, a man who killed innocent ones.
Anny watched him cry helplessly and crawled onto the bed, sitting beside him. That was the first time she witnessed her Master’s vulnerability. The first time she saw a part of him she never knew existed.
He placed his head on her shoulder while she patted his back. She knew she might get scolded in the morning for getting this close to him but still did. She needed to be there for him, if not as a friend or an human but as a pet. Freedom, her pet back home would have done the same.
” I just wish I never witnessed it, I was just a kid.” He said and grabbed her palms, placing them in between his. She stared down in shock, shocked of how close they were getting.
Her throat in her mouth.
Her heart beating so fast.
The room becoming hot.
She wanted to break the moment but another part of her wanted to stay like that. Comforting him comforted her too, comforted her of the pains and sadness she felt.
He brought his head up, his eyes looking into hers and all he saw was Aliya, his one and only true love. The only one whom knew how to bring a smile on his face.
” Aliya.” He whispered and cupped her face in his palms, bringing her lips on hers.
It all happened so quick and came as a shock to Anny. He had his lips on hers.
He kissed her, his pet.
Funny enough her body responded, sucking on his lip gently the same way she had done with Mackie.
Mackie? She had Mackie. Was she cheating on someone else’s groom?.
She thought and broke the kiss, snatching her lips back to its rightful place, on her face.
How was she supposed to face Mackie after this? How was she supposed to explain that she kissed someone else? and that someone else was his cousin and brother?.
” I am so sorry Annabel.” He said, the moment she took her lips off his. He had mistaken her for Aliya, now he felt like he had taken advantage of her.
How was he going to face her after this?.
He turned to the other side of the bed and signaled her to leave with a wave of his hand.
For the first time, he called her Annabel and it felt akward to her.
Masters are not supposed to kiss their pets.
She told herself.
While pets are not supposed to return the kisses.
The voice reminded her.
Guess it was right, she did return the kiss. She climbed down and crawled to her space.
If only she had never gone there.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He laid there, he couldn’t bring himself to get up and go about his daily job. He was starting to wish he could skip breakfast but his Uncle would definitely get angry.
How was he supposed to look at his pet and act like nothing happened?.
They had kissed.
Thinking about it now made it more awkward, he knew she was also awake, laying on her usual spot.
What was he supposed to say first? A “good morning” or a “I am sorry”?
Weird enough she brought out that part of him he ever thought would escape. She made a bad man wanna turn good.
Well he had to get up at a point, the sooner the better.
He caught her staring at him and looked away the moment their eyes locked.
She knew he had caught her but why was she feeling guilt when he had made the first move? Maybe because she had responded well. The words were stuck in her throat, she had no idea on what to say first cause the silence was starting to get awkward.
” Good morning. ” They said at the same time and stopped.
Now things got more awkward.
Anny thought.
” You go first.” Alac said. He knew he should said something else the moment the words came out.
Say something Alac, say ” I am sorry ” maybe.
He wanted to break the silence but felt too shy to.
Why was he being shy to talk after a brief kiss when he had clearly done more with Aliya? He was no longer the school boy he used to be, he was a man now.
” I am sorry about last night.” He finally said and watched her look away. He could see her cheek all heat up.
Wait, she was shy? Was that maybe her first kiss? Oh no! Did he just steal her first kiss?.
He thought and felt more guilty.
Should he ask?.
Thousand thoughts ran through his mind and he was starting to go crazy. He had no answers to the and would never know if he doesn’t ask.
” Humm Anny, hummm. Was last night your first kiss?.” He said and watched the look of shock on her face. Her red cheeks were gone, all she had on was an angry face.
Oops! Now he made things more awkward and difficult.
Did she just hear him right? Was he not guilty of taking advantage of her? What more of a monster could he be? A disgusting monster maybe.
The question replayed in her head and her cheeks turned red from the memories she had with Mackie. She had to clear his doubt, had to prove to him that she was anything but a virgin and he wasn’t her first kiss.
” Hummmm no, of course not. I have…. hummm… kissed a lot… I mean in the past… with… my.. hummm… boyfriend… I better stop talking.”
Boyfriends? She never had boyfriends? Not even one. The only male she had ever known was Mackie and she doubted she could can that a relationship talk more of him being her boyfriend.
Did she have a fling then?.
Her eyes widened at the realization that she never really categorized their feelings.
Why then did she feel he was hers? Why did she feel she had to be with him when clearly all he did was confess his feelings and nothing more.
She was confused but more embarrassed at what she had said. Embarrassed at how foolish it sounded. She didn’t wait to see or read his face and walked into the bathroom to avoid the talk.
That was a foolish one there Anny.
The voice reprimanded her, the moment she got under the shower.
She crawled behind him as they made way to the table. They had not said a word to each other since the shower. She saw Mackie sitting opposite Master Malburt and tried avoiding his eyes.
She cheated on him, she felt like someone had threw up on her. She felt disgusted with herself.
Calm down Anny, he cheated too. He is getting married to someone else who is not you. You can never say what they did together.
The voice said.
” Mackie, hope you are getting well prepared for your new journey. Now I feel like I need to teach you how to be a family man and fend for your family. How to protect them when needed and how to hunt enemies down. You have a whole lot to learn my son.” Master Malburt said, out of joy.
” Okay Father.” He said softly, his eyes on his food. He had learned to accept his fate or more still deal with it.
” I got this from my Father whom got it from his and I will love to pass it down to you as my first son to get married.” He said and handed Mackie a small dagger with flowers imprinted on it.