"Jasmine... Jasmine... Wake up! Come on, you're stronger than this... JASMINE!" Soft fingers tapped insistently on her back.
Jasmine groaned and cuddled into the heat source in front of her. She tried to stretch her arms, but found that she couldn't move them.
Startled, Jasmine's eyes fluttered open, only to discover that her face was centimeters away from Lief.
His blue eyes were overflowing with concern. Black smudges under his eyes hinted that Lief had had little to no sleep for awhile. An ugly black and blue bruise spanned across his left eye and part of his face.
Jasmine took note of their current position. It appeared that her and Lief's legs were tied tightly together. Lief's hands were tied together, and his arms were looped around her shoulders. Jasmine was in the same situation, except her head was resting on his shoulder.
After taking a quick glance at the knots that bound them together, Jasmine concluded that there was no way to untie them. They were stuck.
"Thank God, you're alright." Lief sighed and closed his eyes in relief. "Do you have any idea how we got here?"
Jasmine flinched and her beautiful forest green eyes filled tears once again. She started to shake as the memories of their ordeal flooded her mind. The touch of the Guard in charge was imprinted on her body, his horrid voice in her mind.
Jasmine felt her chest heaving as her throat closed up. Her panicked expression must have showed, because Lief automatically began to comfort her.
"It's okay, Jasmine. It's okay. I've got you. You're safe with me. Nothing's going to hurt you while I'm around." His hands rubbed soothing circles on her back and Lief moved so her head was on his shoulder. "You need to calm down. Breathe, that's it! Just calm down, I've got you."
Jasmine's mind pushed out the poisonous memories as she focused on Lief's words. She began to cry, her sobs racked through her frail body.
"Lief," she sobbed. "It was horrible. They- I-" Her eyes widened in fear when Jerry yelled at her to shut up.
To say Lief was concerned was an understatement. Never in his life had he seen anyone this scared, and this was Jasmine. She's lived her entire life in the Forests of Silence, and the majority of it was spent alone. Something terrible must have happened to Jasmine, and Lief was already feeling his blood boil.
"Jasmine, I want to help you, but I have to know what happened. Can you tell me what happened after we left the Inn." Jasmine nodded. "Good. Start from the beginning."
Jasmine stared into Lief's eyes, and after finding concern and another, unknown emotion residing in them, she took a deep breath and started her account of the tale.
Lief listened attentively, and he definitely didn't like what he heard. When Jasmine finally explained what happened when the Grey Guards discovered her, Lief was ready to commit homicide.
"It was horrible Lief. Then, he- he-" Jasmine buried her head into his chest. Lief's arms tightened around Jasmine, and she winced.
"Jasmine, did they hurt you?" Lief's mouth quirked into a frown when Jasmine didn't respond. "Hey! Hey... I know this is hard, but I have to know if the Guards hurt you."
"Yes," Jasmine whispered.
Life cocked his head. "What?"
"Damn it Lief! I said yes! They hurt me a lot."
"Jasmine... What exactly did they do to you?" Jasmine whimpered and squeezed Lief's waist. He sighed. "You have to tell me if you want help."
Jasmine didn't respond. Lief took Jasmine's chin in his hand and gently lifted it so she was looking at him. "Please."
"The one in charge. He kicked my stomach, my arm, and my head. Then he- he," Jasmine took a deep breath. "He told me he was going to rape me when we made it out of the forest."
"What?" Lief's eyes darkened in rage. He pulled Jasmine even closer to him, desperately trying to comfort her. How dare anyone touch, let alone harm his Jasmine.
Lief couldn't deny that he harbors strong feelings for Jasmine. It started as a minor attraction, which had gradually escalated into something more.
Looking at her now, crippled and broken, Lief swore to protect Jasmine with his life. Even if it meant he would have to put his life on the line.
'I love her.' The thought surprised Lief, even though he knew it was inevitable.
"Jasmine," Lief sighed and gently rested his chin on top of her head, "I want you to know that those bastards will never hurt you ever again, especially if I have a say in it. You're saf-"
"How do you know that Lief? Last time I checked, we're both tied up in this sack, completely defenseless, Barda is goodness knows where, and neither of us are armed. How could I possibly be safe?"
Lief smiled fondly. 'She's still her realistic self, even in a situation like this one.'
"I honestly don't know, but I can guarantee you that as long as I'm breathing I'll protect you with my life. Jasmine, you're such a special person, and I love you way to much to allow any harm to come to you." Jasmine's head jerked up, crashing into his chin. Her forest green eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Wha-what did you say?"
'Shit! Did I really say that out loud? Nice timing Lief, you should win a fucking award.'
"I said that, that Iloveyou."
"What? Slow down."
"Fine! I said that I... love..." Lief gulped. "I love you Jasmine. I know that this is the worst possible time to say something like this, but I can't hold it in anymore! You're way too close to my heart, if anything happened to you, I would die.
I haven't even known you for a year, and yet, you still managed to worm your way straight to my heart. I know you're probably disgusted with me- I mean, after all that's happened to you today, I totally understand if you don't return my feelin-"
"Shut up you sap," Jasmine whispered. "I love you too Lief! More than you'll ever know."
Lief was acutely aware of how close his and Jasmine's faces were. Their lips were centimeters apart from each other. Jasmine's eyes flicked down to Lief's lips.
He licked his lips and leaned in. Jasmine smiled and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was gentle and a bit hesitant, but he look in Jasmine's eyes reassured Lief that she was completely okay with the kiss.
They parted to breathe before leaning back in. This time, the kiss lasted longer, and was more passionate. Lief was sure of himself, and Jasmine seemed content to go with the flow.
"I told you that nothing would happen to you as long as I was breathing. Jasmine, the truth is, I can't make that promise to you, but I sure as hell can try."
"Lief..."
He silenced her with another kiss, this one a quick peck to the cheek. "Don't say anything. I know, somehow I've always known. We'll be okay Jasmine, we'll be just fine, as long as we have each other."
Jasmine knew that Lief's words were pure. She smiled and nodded, then buried her head into his chest. His arms tightened their iron grip around her waist, and in that moment, Jasmine knew that everything would truly be okay.
As long as they had each other, Jasmine and Lief would continue on with their lives. No matter what the Shadowlord threw at them, no matter what obstacles they would face, they would rise above them. For love is the strongest force in nature, and it will always prevail above all.
Their relationship will lead into something more, something stronger than ever. Deltora would survive the Shadowlord, and eventually the king will have his queen.
