Chapter Nine
A Failed Embrace
Phobos made his way to the nearby lake, letting the little frog go in a shallow area. It hopped in the water, glowing a content blue as it swam, disappearing into the underbrush. Not expecting the frog the leave that easily, Phobos decided he would spend the rest of the morning at the lake, until Elyon summoned him again in a panic. He walked along the lake, the shore a mixed of pebbles and thick grass.
The lake wasn't as big as he remembered. That made sense, as he hadn't seen this place since he was in his early teens, back before Weira refused to let him leave the castle.
The water was clear, with tiny rocky islands scattered across it, barely big enough for two people to stand.
An odd shape attracted his attention. There was something different at the center, some type of wing creature, huddled in a ball with huge iridescent wings curled around it.
Curious about what it was, he lifted a pebble and skipped it across the surface, hoping to scare it into flight.
"Ow!" came a shocked cry as the wings fluttered open, revealing a woman with shimmering red hair. She glanced towards him, one eye obscured by hair, and she locked eye with him.
His bonds flared to life, stopping any advancement once he realized who she was.
This was her new guardian form, he mused, seeing her stand, bodysuit hugging her curves, sleeves split open and dragging at her elbow, black finger-less gloves on her forearms. On her chest was the symbol of her power, the yin-yang of quintessence. Her massive wings moved more like a bat than a pixy. She extended them and flapped down, water rippling from the force.
In an instant, the Keeper was before him, body floating in the air, face staring down at him, light shimmering through her wings, one brilliant brown eye peeking from behind vivid red.
Chosen by a goddess indeed.
She narrowed her visible eye, annoyed. "Did you just hit me with a rock?" she demanded with a hard expression.
"I did not know it was you," he answered. If he knew, he would have been compelled to stay unnoticed.
"So you're out here just hurling rock at random shit?" she asked, moving to hover over the water, arms folded.
"You tell me, since you obviously followed me, again," he said, annoyed. The words of the maids still stung. He was a toy to her, after all.
She looked to the side, face turning red. "No, I just needed to get away this morning. The Heart led me here."
"Pray tell why you expect me to believe that?"
To his surprise, her shoulder sagged, still not looking at him.
"I really don't expect… anything… from anybody," she said, one arm folded across her chest, hand on her elbow. "I'm sorry. I'll find somewhere else."
His command was to stay away. Physically he couldn't step closer, but he could still say, "Wait." As she drifted back. The Keeper stopped, glancing at him in surprise. "You seem… more troubled than normal. You have forced me to listen to your ramblings before. At least this seems more… substantial."
He turned and walked back, sitting on a large rock. He couldn't direct her to him, but she understood and sat next to him. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. She rested her chin on her knees.
The Keeper stared at the lake for a long time, eyes almost completely hidden by her hair.
"I'm sorry," she eventually said. "About yesterday, pulling you in the water without asking you. Then almost getting you killed. And putting you in… that situation. It was wrong of me."
Phobos glanced at her, eyes drifting to her full, pink lips.
"I stand by what I said, you are appealing, and that experience was agreeable." He looked away from her lips, remembering the maids' gossip. "I am no one's toy."
She pulled herself into a tighter ball.
"And I stand by what I said; I enjoy your company." She bit her lower lip, drawing his eyes to them again as she worried the tender flesh. "But I'm being stupid. I… just broke up with Matt. And I thought he understood that… but he kissed me and I…" she lowered her face to her knees, face flushed with color. "I just felt so empty. I don't understand. We were together for so long. But him kissing me… I just couldn't stand it." She looked at him, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It felt like I was betraying myself. I know he's good for me, but its like something in me has… changed."
"I… see," Phobos said, feeling a flare of anger at someone else embracing her, someone else having what was forbidden to him. But there was also something else that stirred. An unpleasantness at someone giving her such distress. At someone taking away her playful smile and witty tongue. "I will not pretend to understand what you see in him. He is beneath you."
She raised her head and leveled a weak glare at him. He held up a hand to stop her protest.
"That is a fact, given your birthright. It is your decision who warms your bed, who you embrace. If that has changed, then make that clear. If he truly cares, he will relent, even if it pains him. You do not owe someone affection because of memories of the past."
His charm to speak kindly was aimed at staff, so it confused Phobos why he spoke so comforting. Why did her distress bother him?
Ah, damn.
She was kissing him.
One hand holding his face to hers, the other steadying herself on his shoulder, tight body in his lap, breast pressed to his chest. Sunlight filtered through wings extended against the sky.
What they exchanged underwater was nothing compared to the sensation on land. Lips hot and plump, sending electricity down his spine and pooling heat in his groin. The feeling of her hot, wet breath. How tears fell from her clenched eyes and streaked down his skin.
Breathtakingly addicting.
Without his bonds, he would have indulged her desperate wants. Would have shown her he was the superior choice and erased all traces of any other from her skin.
Damn, he had thought he would have figured a way around his bonds before this moment. He just didn't expect her to be so vulnerable, so open. For it to make him ache.
So, maybe it was best he was held back while she was so defenseless.
Yet, rejection was painful and, as he couldn't embrace her, that is all she found. His lips were hard, unmoving, against her tongue. His hands balled to his side, back straight.
This was going to hurt her.
And that made his heart twist.
At his lack of response, she froze. Slowly, she pulled away, brown eyes searching his, wings trembling, and he looked away as her confusion turned to pained acceptance.
"Shit, sorry, just, sorry," she rushed away, body leaving his, as she looked lost, tears falling freely now. "I'm such an idiot."
And she was gone in a flash of light.
He sat there, staring at the spot he had found her, wishing he had let her be.
Phobos returned to the estate, not wanting to have another audience with his sister after all. He went back to his room. Once in the shared sitting room, he noticed the two guards were back.
"It's back," one growled, the large Galhot, as he rushed over and grabbed Phobos by his collar, slamming him back to a wall.
Phobos grinned as he asked, voice light and unbothered, "Ah, my devoted guards have once again graced me with their presence. To what do I owe this honor?"
The other one, a half-breed with an elongated face and pointed ears, snapped out, "You got us in deep shit yesterday."
The one holding him pulled him forward to slam him back again. "And you pulled that shit again today? This is the best gig we've had. Go find a fucking corner and mope like you fucking used to."
The half-breed snorted. "A little attention from the High Witch and it thinks it's free to do as it pleases?"
The Galhot move his hand from his collar to his throat. "Stay put. Would be a shame if the High Witch found you after another tragic attack. Might ruin her day."
Phobos narrowed his eyes, unable to respond, as none of the words that came to him were pleasant.
The hand on his neck tighten as he added, "Stay fucking put." And he tossed him aside, shoulder hitting a wall. The guards sneered at him, the half-breed spitting, and left to their station.
Phobos stood, feeling his shoulder was sore but not displaced, and entered his room. It was properly cleaned and made, making him think someone with Elyon's image in mind came looking for him. Only they saw him missing and room a mess.
He noticed the refilled pitcher and a platter of cheese and meats on a table. He ignored them. Thanks to the Keeper, he had gone fewer days without eating, and was currently only mildly hungry and thirsty.
Rubbing his neck, he checked the room, not finding any surprises, and laid on his bed. He had no interest in the beach today. The sight of the Keeper seemed… daunting. And his sister was just infuriating. Yesterday seemed like a dream. It just didn't fit into his new life's narrative.
Searing pain on his chest woke him. He yanked his tunic down and was met with the sight of a sleeping, glowing frog.
Little bastard came back to feed.
"You clearly do not need more magic," he lectured. The frog was eating magic fresh from the Light of the planet. That had to be fulfilling. "Stop that."
The frog opened its eyes, blinking, before closing them, glowing stopping, and pain vanishing.
Sighing at the bizarre turn of his life, Phobos placed a hand on the green frog and joined it in sleep.
There was a knock on his door that woke him.
Wary of what awaited him, he tucked the frog under his tunic and opened his door.
"Hi!" a short, dark-haired woman was standing at his door. She was in a blue Earth style dress and her long hair was tied back. "I saw you missed breakfast and lunch, so here!" she handed him a warm basket with a napkin over its contents. He took it and just stared at her, confused. "Um, I was wondering have you seen, ah, never mind." She smiled. "Have a good day, Prince Phobos!"
He frowned, looking at the basket, and at her as she turned to walk away.
"You are the Air Guardian," he stated.
She turned and nodded.
"What… is your name?" he asked. Where the Keeper was insulted he did not bother learning the names of those lesser than him, she smiled from ear to ear.
"Hay-Lin!" she said with pride. "Eat well!" and unlike the Keeper, she did not impose her presence, and happily left him to his own devices.
Closing his door, he sat on the bed, uncovering the basket to see bread, meat, fruit, and a corked bottle of juice.
These guardians were odd, to say the least.
He ate and decided to make another trip to the beach. He took the frog and sat it on the window, telling it to busy itself for the day, as salt water wasn't good for it. It hopped away and Phobos ordered for servants to prep his tent and take his clothes, not sure what to expect, but not wanting to stay indoors at the moment.
Making one last decision, he redid his hair, grabbing an item from his bag.
