Reign of Fire: Rising from the Ashes

Chapter Six- Dinner, Truths and guests

She had spent the last hour and a half pacing around her room- well moving two steps then turning around and repeating said movement- you get the idea. The up and coming dinner with Creedy was freaking her out- what would they talk about? Holly knew she was being paranoid but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get over it; what is one supposed to think when a gorgeous, Scottish alpha male wants to eat with you? One that is known for having a reputation with the ladies who still collapse in lust induced heaps at each encounter with him and you have the desperate urge to undress with your teeth? For Holly it was more than intimidating; all the encounters she had had with men were bad and the fact she was a walking burns unit under her clothes didn't exactly fill her with confidence.

She paused from her pacing and looked at the little battered clock that Quinn had found for her, she liked him a lot. He was like the brother she had pined for as a child, even if they were not that close. That did not matter to her, his friendly countenance and sub-conscious protective streak something she had only ever dreamt of; she loved her family and those who cared for her as she grew but Holly could not deny the envy she felt at watching the other girls fight with their elder brothers. Holly and Zara never fought, no matter how hard Holly tried to initiate an argument Zara had always ignored attempts. Now Holly recognised all she had lost, all she had taken advantage of because now she had nothing, no one. She blinked slowly, taking in the time until dinner would be, ten minutes.

"Let battle commence, oh God if only it was that easy." She murmured heading towards the door and a meeting with fate.

Creedy stood uncomfortably by the hall door, waiting for Holly's dark figure to appear. Something told him she wouldn't show, she didn't exactly seem thrilled at the invitation and this disappointed him somewhat. Holly was a like a rubix cube to him, alluring and tempting but he was damned if he could work out the blasted things! Sometimes he almost got the feeling that she fancied him, the way she blushed or looked at him with heated eyes, but the next moment she would be cold and stand-offish. He certainly wasn't used to such a dramatic change in a person and it made him uneasy. Creedy decided that that night would be the night he would begin to work out the puzzling creature that was Holly.

It was then that he saw her come around the corner of the corridor, one of the last heading towards dinner. Flashing her a cheeky grin he walked up to her; she seemed slightly flustered but he ignored it- perhaps his charms were finally working. And the fact she was wearing a skirt meant that he couldn't exactly concentrate on anything in particular.

In truth, the reason Holly was feeling flustered was the building pressure of her nerves mixed with her 'feeling' coming back again; though she doubted it was a dragon this time, this feeling was unlike that one in a way- something dangerous but not deadly was coming. She smiled back, hoping to quell everything she felt, maybe he just wanted to learn more about her. Subconsciously she tugged and smoothed down the sides of the skirt Alex had thrust at her moments before. She had just left her room when the blonde accosted her and practically threatened her into the garment; it's amazing how news can spread so quickly and it wasn't even a date. Holly couldn't remember the last time she wore a skirt but was more than grateful that this one hit her a knee level; avoiding any unsightly glimpses of her scarred thighs- she had always wondered how her lower legs had avoided being burnt. Like Zara always said, Thank God for small miracles.

"Good evening lass, I feared you'd leave me high and dry." Creedy greeted.

"Now why would you think that? Don't tell me the great Creedy gets nervous?" Holly mocked, Creedy felt relief flood through him- she was in a playful mood tonight then.

"Not at all but I had a horrible premonition I'd end up eating far too much and get indigestion"

"Oh ha-ha!" Holly said sarcastically. "I get indigestion once from eating too much and use you it against me at every opportunity. One day you'll do something embarrassing and I will get my vengeance," she smiled evilly and followed him into the hall.

"I'm sure you will, but for now, sit. I'll get us some grub." Holly couldn't help but laugh when he said that, somehow him saying 'grub' in his is Scottish brogue just sounded stupid. She sat obediently, slipping off her loose fitting cotton jersey top which she had put on in her room to stop the chill. Holly was always proud to show off her well toned arms, the part of her body that had never suffered from her dangerous lifestyle.

"Ta da!" Creedy placed a plate of steaming leek stew and rice in front on Holly.

"Rice! Where did this come from? Don't tell me Quinn has turned part of the moor into a rice paddy!"

Creedy laughed in response as he sat down opposite Holly, surprised at how easily she could act like nothing was wrong- he didn't know what was troubling her but the last few weeks had proved something was. Both of them heartily dug into the meal and several minutes of silence passed before Creedy broke it cautiously.

"We had some left from a while ago." Creedy paused, searching for a way to ask his question and in the end just coming out with it, "Holly, tell me about Zara." He softly commanded.

Holly looked up at him and swallowed her mouthful of food. His face was serious, a look that didn't happen very often but it did not make her feel uneasy at all; she knew he was a good man and he was only trying to make conversation.

"Zara was, well she was incredible. She was nearly six years older than me but you would never have guessed 'cos she was only 5 foot 4. She looked after me almost single handedly when our parents died, but that didn't last long- everyone else in the community were more than eager to help. She was really beautiful, very feminine looking and had every boy around chasing after her. Mr Collins, he was an artist back before the dragons and had this book about art. Now and then he'd let me look at it and there was this painting by Botticelli, I don't know it's name but there was an angel in it and I swear it looked just like Zara. From the first time I saw it onwards, I called her my Botticelli Angel. It sounds quite stupid now, and you couldn't say it suited her personality. She was so stubborn and the last thing you wanted to do was get her mad- Jesus, it was the scariest thing I have ever encountered. Well no, that's not true, she got sick once. I was thirteen and she got the flu or something. Zara was so ill, we thought she was gonna die; she didn't thank God but she was never as strong as she was before that. Even though she could be terrifying we never fought and most of the time she was so caring and generous. Always putting me before herself, helping everyone in any way she could. She was one of a kind I'm sure."

"She sounds like an amazing woman, if you don't mind me asking- how did she die?"

At that Holly looked slightly pained, as if bad memories were resurfacing. Creedy immediately felt guilty but before he could apologise she spoke.

"The community was in a valley, naturally sparse of vegetation but good enough for farming. We didn't have to worry too much about dragons, for some strange reason they seemed to not detect our presence in the valley. Along one side of the valley was a number of caves cut into a section of cliff face, perfect shelter for us and we also had a number of wooden shacks that were in shadow most of the time. We grew so many different crops and many thought that life could only get better from there. One day a group of men arrived as if from nowhere, they asked for shelter so we sheltered them. For awhile they stayed and then one day they disappeared only to return not long after with more people demanding that we take them in or give them our crop. Frank, the community leader, refused both, we didn't have any more room and a hard winter was coming- we needed what we had. He pleaded with them but they killed him, then others. Killing and pillaging in a style the Vikings would be proud of. They showed no mercy, not even to kids. Zara managed to get us away from the carnage, everything was on fire- it was obvious that any dragons in the area would not hesitate to discover what goodies awaited them. We got cornered but Zara found a place for me to hide whilst she distracted them. There was about five of them, I could see them practically salivating at the sight of her, and well you can guess what happened. When I saved Sarah-Lou my reasons were not completely innocent, at first I did not see her there, it was Zara. When I prevented her 'fate' I did it out of guilt that I could not save Zara." Holly looked remorseful and expected Creedy's face to change from the obvious sorrow to disgust. But it did not.

Creedy had never thought himself so lucky. He had lost everyone he had ever loved to the dragons, he had suffered but his was nothing compared to Holly. The thing that made him truly sorry at that moment was the pain she currently showed.

"Don't, don't feel bad. You still saved her, still brought her home to us. You have no reason to feel guilty."

She smiled up at him, "If only it was that easy."

"Now I have heard rumours that you quite the expert at martial arts." Creedy desperately tried to change the topic.

"I can certainly say that is an exaggeration," Holly blushed. "I know some kick boxing and Tae Kwondo but I'm no expert."

"How did you learn?"

"At the community we had a real variety of people. I was always getting in the way with my abundance of energy. One day everyone got so annoyed with me that Mr Bishop offered to teach me, figuring it would teach me some obedience. He was a martial arts teacher when he was young and we spent hours practising. It must of worked because no one got annoyed with me much any more and soon he was teaching all the kids who wanted to learn. You see it was essential we all knew how to look after ourselves. From a young age we were shown how to hunt, use a gun, blah blah blah. It's not that important really. Actually speaking of taking care of ourselves, have you seen Dog recently?"

Creedy chuckled at that, she certainly could ramble and change topic when she needed to.

"As a matter of fact I have. It seems that pup of yours has become a firm favourite with the kids, in fact I believe he has taken to sleeping in with them now; when he's not God-knows-where chasing some imaginary foe." Holly couldn't help but smile at that, well Dog had certainly settled in. She doubted he would go with her if she did leave.

"Well it's good to know he hasn't disappeared off the face of the earth,"

"How did you come across him anyway?"

"To be honest, he just kind of appeared one day and stuck around. Scout and Dodger I found outside London with an old man, he couldn't take care of them any more and offered them to me seeing as I was leaving. I don't know how they have survived all these years or were even born for that matter, it's one of those odd things that just seems to happen now and then."

Holly had noticed Creedy staring at her legs, though she couldn't for the life of her understand why; which in turn increased her paranoia. Creedy couldn't help himself, the skirt she wore showed off her legs from the knee down in the most appealing way and he found his thoughts trailing to a dangerous area- her thighs. The thought of her soft, creamy skin made him practically drool, and only when he saw her adjust her skirt did he snap his eyes back up to her face- blushing like no man has blushed before.

"So, err, that's a nice tattoo- where did you get it done? I didn't know it was still a practised art." She had to give him credit for each brave attempt he made at moving to another subject, she thought she was the only person who could do that.

"In London actually, I spent some time in league with a gang when I first got there. It's rare these days, to find someone who can do tats so when a guy said it would be a good way commemorate Zara I jumped at the chance- though I don't think I would have been so eager if I knew how much it hurt; but that didn't stop me getting another one." She laughed again, a sound Creedy loved to hear, especially when he provoked it.

"Oh really? How many do you have?"

"Well" she started,"I have this one- my Botticelli Angel" Holly pointed to the black outlined figure on her right upper arm of a delicate and graceful angel seemingly prancing along. It was beautifully done and Creedy had to admit to himself that he found a lady with tattoos rather appealing, even if he had only ever met one. "And I have one other, I got it after my first kill- dragon that is."

"And where is that one?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to now" Creedy's eyes widened and his left eyebrow raised at not only her comment but also the cheeky smirk that she now wore. Hell yes would I like to know! Creedy coughed, keeping his thoughts to himself. She didn't seem the type to appreciate anything too rude.

"Aye?"

"Aye" she confirmed. Holly wasn't sure what was happening- was she... flirting with him? Whatever it was, Holly couldn't resist. Standing, Creedy collected their plates and moved towards the kitchen, Holly still sitting watched him walk away. Abruptly he stopped and turned to her.

"Well, aren't ya coming?"

"What do you need me for? Surely you can walk to the kitchen by yourself."

"That I can but who will do the washing up for me?"

"Oh really? Isn't that slightly presumptuous of you? Why can't I do the drying and you do the washing up, after all you invited me to dinner. Not scared of a little bit of water are we?" She mocked following him into the kitchen.

"Of course not, washing up is women's work." If it hadn't been for the smiling daring to break out on his face she would have thought him serious for a moment.

"Oh is it now? And pray tell, what else is women's work?"

"You know, washing, cleaning, cooking, looking after the children."

"Ah, thank you for informing me, I was wondering where I had been going wrong all these years. And there I was slaying dragons and kicking the backside of many a rebel, protecting those who needed it when I should have been cleaning." Creedy laughed as she splashed him with water.

"Hey that's not fair!" He splashed her back but missed as she lunged behind him.

"Who told you that I play fair?" Holly smirked and picked up the towel, drying plates as quickly as Creedy washed them.

"Are you this unscrupulous when you fight?" Holly nodded in reply.

"I'd like to watch you train sometime, see you in action."

"I think we could work something out, but I will warn you, I get up very early."

"I think I can deal with getting up an hour earlier than normal." Holly snorted, he really had no clue.

"Did you have to fight a lot when you were in London?"

She sighed and looked at him. "Every day was a fight, one way or another. If it wasn't the dragons it was the rebels and if it wasn't the rebels it was the dragons. You have to think on your feet and not think about the consequences of your actions- that'll get you killed. You can't hesitate, can't sleep for more than a few hours at a time, you have to stay alert to everything around you. There is no time for helping others, you have to put yourself first. Because of that I have hurt many others, when you are fighting for your life against a guy twice your size your thankful for the skills you were taught to survive." She looked sincere and remorseful but Creedy couldn't find it in him to blame her, he knew surviving was the number one objective of all.

"You must have seen a lot of action, bet you got the scars to prove it an all" He smiled at her, trying in vain to lighten the mood by complimenting her- even if the compliment was an odd one. Holly paled at this, her paranoia returning ten fold. Creedy noticed her tense up at his words and moved to put his right hand on her left shoulder.

"You alright lass?" He asked, his concern obvious to her once again. Holly smiled weakly (and unconvincingly) before putting the towel down.

"Yeah I'm fine, bit tired is all. Thanks for having dinner with me." She moved out of his reach and headed back to the door her pace quick and awkward.

"Holly wait!" Creedy called, throwing caution to the wind he strode over to her, daring himself to do what he wanted to.

She stopped and turned, sighing. She didn't want a confrontation and that was what she expected. What did happen though threw her entire being into overdrive.

Creedy slowed his pace as he reached her, swooping down an inch or two he placed his large, rough hands on each side of her head and gently covered her lips with his own. Holly didn't react at first, well she couldn't but once her mind got over the initial shock, she found herself tipping her head back to give Creedy more access. Creedy slipped his right hand down to her lower back, his left cradling her head. The kiss stayed soft and cautious while Holly moved her right arm around his neck, leaving her left on his chest. Understanding her silent signal, Creedy traced her lips with his tongue asking entrance. She opened her mouth willingly albeit nervously and allowed Creedy to plunder her so delicately but with such passion. The kiss lasted for what seemed a blissful eternity, both of them only coming up for air when it really became necessary.

"Wow" Creedy panted, still holding onto Holly for dear life, his forehead resting against hers.

"Uh huh" She agreed breathlessly. Pulling away, Holly leant against the table trying to string a sentence together. For a first kiss it was a doozy and the sudden onslaught of sensations that flooded her body was slightly disconcerting.

Creedy rubbed his hand through his hair, attempting to control his body and its reactions to holding her flush against it. He knew she was different and that kiss, well that just proved it. How he wanted to kiss her again but the courage he had found only moments before had already turned tail and run.

"I...uh...wo...uh" Holly attempted.

"Ah, there you two are. Well come on!" Jared called, sliding to a halt in the door way, interrupting the two blushing adults.

"What are you talking about!" Creedy groaned, he was in no moods for games now.

"Eddie saw them on his post coming up the road."

"Who?"

"Refugees!"