Disclaimer: This story is fiction. All the characters are fictional with borrowed names to comply with the fan fiction genre. They should not be confused with any person living or dead. I am not now nor have I ever been affiliated with any professional wrestler or wrestling company. No disrespect intended.

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Chapter 11

"For years, I wished you would talk, but I never imagined you would say that." Roman turned away and continued packing. "I was offered a good price for this land. I decided to take it."

"You were planning on leaving anyway?"

"I was." He appeared ashamed. "It's just hard to live here now. All I can see is that night and the choice I made. I have never pretended that what happened didn't change everything. It was perfect before that."

"I didn't mean to bring you so much trouble master." She hung her head.
"Don't call me that. Please." In little over an hour he had packed almost everything. Roman had always been simple, owning little more than the necessities. "Better get some sleep. It's a long ride. We'll be spending a lot of nights in the truck."

"You said you got a good price for your land." She questioned.

He chuckled but it was an irritated laugh. "Freedom's changing you already. I'm not wasting money on hotel rooms that could be spent on the new land. You'll just have to rough it princess."

Roman immediately hated himself for what he had said. He hadn't meant it. He was hurt that she didn't want him now that she had a choice.

Mya couldn't sleep that night. She wondered if Roman would tear up Diesel's papers. What if he still wanted to possess her? What if he couldn't let go of his ownership. He was her rightful owner and he had all the documents to prove that. She doubted she would ever get over being someone's slave. Could she successfully live among the humans? Could she pull it off when being someone's property had bene all she had ever known.

She thought about the day. She found out she had a brother. She found out her mother had died and she was set free. It was a lot to take in. Then she had to add the revelations about the man she never had stopped loving. Apparently he couldn't sleep either for he approached her in the middle of the night. She was used to doing as he wanted and she couldn't make herself voice her rights. He straddled her as she laid on the floor. He caressed her body and kissed her. She still felt the desire he provoked. And yet, she still flinched with every movement.

Roman retreated, but not without taking her hand and leading her to the bed. He couldn't sleep unless she was beside him. One side of his bed was positioned against the wall and that's where he wanted her to be. He stayed on the edge. No one would take her again without going through him first.

Despite her fears, Mya slept soundly beside him. She blamed it on the soft mattress and plush pillows. The warmth of Roman's body. Being human was nice. She thought about the bites her brother had given her. She craved that venom when she awoke. She felt different though and she wasn't sure what had changed, but she knew it had happened internally.

"Ready?"

Roman had made her stay well hidden inside while he exchanged the deed to his land for the money with a young stranger and his father outside. Then, he came for her and he loaded the last box in the back of his truck. He stood with his arm about her shoulders and they took one last look around. He was leaving behind all his furniture including the stove and refrigerator. She could tell he was sad. He had worked so hard there and now he had to start all over again.

"That's it." He let out a deep breath and escorted her to his truck. He opened the door for her like a true gentleman but he had always done that. She was nervous driving through town sitting beside him. They had left early and no one else seemed to be stirring. Still, she sunk low in the seat. She didn't want to bring Roman anymore trouble and mostly she didn't want to take a chance of Flair or one of his men seeing that she had escaped death. If she was with anyone but Roman they wouldn't entertain the idea. The foreman had seen her fall to her death. Right?

Soon, they were traveling the open country. Long dirt roads, each one appearing just like the one before and her eyes were wide, soaking in as much as she could as they passed. She had never seen any other part of the island.

"We'll cross the bridge tomorrow." Roman told her in front of a fire that night. He had pulled off to the side of the road and had lit a fire to keep them warm and he cooked on that open fire. Surprising to her, he didn't ask her to cook. He didn't ask her to gather wood or to fetch him anything.

"I'm excited about seeing that." She spoke to him for the first time since the night before.

"I'll stop then. We'll take some pictures." Her curiosity seemed to bring a smile to his face. "Here." He pulled a handbag out of his duffel bag. It was black leather with silver studs. It was a beautiful bag. She had seen it before. Stuffed in the back corner of an armoire. "It was Courtlin's." he shrugged. "I bought it for her, but she never used it. She thought it was a waste of money." He laughed. "The first and the last time I tried with that woman." Roman had always been honest about his relationship with his deceased wife. "Anyway. Most women carry one. There's a matching wallet – Your certificate is inside."

"Thank you." His wife may not have liked the bag, but to her, it was a treasure. The first important item she would own as a human woman. That one item made her feel like a human. It was silly really. It was just a possession, but she had never owned anything before. Even the clothes she had worn she had considered his, not hers. She always knew they could be taken away and replaced with the ugly dress made from burlap like other Ivex wore.

"You're very beautiful, Mya. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a suitable husband."

"Human males don't usually want to marry someone without family." She reminded him.

"Someone will." He insisted. "Trust me."

"You're just trying to give me hope. But it doesn't matter. I'm okay with being an unmarried woman. Just being human and free is enough."

"Mya." He touched her hand. "You're going to have everything you should have always had. I'm not just saying it."

"I don't want to be married and I'm glad I don't have parents that would arrange it for me."

"Why?"

"Because I have scars that I don't want to explain. I don't want to lie to someone I love."

Roman knew he was responsible even though she had had many scars before he had lashed her. Still, he knew that his had hurt the most. Maybe the scars were part of her hesitation, but he had a feeling that his actions made her nervous as well. She had trusted him, perhaps loved him and he had turned on her when he should have taken her hand and ran. He should have become a fugitive for her. The more he thought about what he should have done that night, the more he doubted his own feelings. He couldn't love her that much. If he had, no one, no threat could have made him hurt her. He had to let her go. She deserved better. She always had deserved better.

"This is done." He made them both a plate of gravy and toast that he had made. "I'm going to eat and try to sleep. Ground doesn't look too hard." He laughed. "I just wish we had thicker blankets. Nights out here can get pretty cold even in summer."

We. Everything Roman owned he had always called theirs. Not his.

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