I turned around, caught off guard as someone attacked me. The ground rushed up with a loud crack and a splitting headache formed. Liquid as red as fire spread onto the ground. My body remained alert, but my head was in another world.
"And she called you a chicken shit," came the voice of the pendant swinger.
"Silence, Kuronue," my attacker responded.
"Please," the young woman pleaded, "don't kill her. I beg of you."
"Why did you try to force her to take him, Nika?"
"She can give him a wonderful home," she whispered. "She can love him like a real mother."
"That child is also mine," the attacker growled. "I have claim over him as well. If you try to run away from me and give up that child again, you'll be dead quicker than a breath. You understand?"
I started to get up slowly when I was hit in the back of the head. I winced and staggered a bit, but I continued to push myself up.
"Milady," Nika rushed to me.
"Milady?" Kuronue asked.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
Nika looked up at my attacker. I did too. My breath caught in my throat. I was looking into the eyes of Youko Kurama. I had never met him in person until now and I had ever wanted too. Jackie had always told me stories about him when I was young. Like others in my family, Jackie was a fox demon and had grown up hearing about the legendary bandit. I had always imagined he'd be an old, bent over, creepy man, but I was wrong. He was a tall, young looking man who looked to be about eighteen. He had long, gorgeous, silky silver hair, ears, and a tail. His arms were very muscular and his nails were long and sharp. He was absolutely gorgeous.
"This may hurt," Nika told me and a black wave rushed over me. I had been knocked out.
I woke up to a throbbing pain in my head. I opened my eyes and darkness confronted me. My eyes took awhile to adjust and when they did, my heart began to beat faster. I wasn't in my room. I was in a stone room with a bed and a window. It was as plain as plain could get. I shot up, but went back down from nausea and dizziness.
Nika came in with her baby and a basket of roses. She looked at me. "Oh! Thank the gods your up!"
She tried to take my hand, but I edged away from her. He face fell and her eyes were sad.
"Please don't be upset," she pleaded. She had cleaned up from the last time I remembered her and she looked like a princess. I did not. Blood stained my clothes and dried on my skin. My hair was matted and twigs and leaves were twisted in and out throughout my hair. I was covered in dirt, but surprisingly no odor was coming from me.
"I tried to help, but Kurama is just too strong."
"Liar. When I was on the ground, I couldn't see, but I could hear just fine. I tried to save you from thieves, but apparently you were being hunted down because you ran away from your child's father. Then you tried to give me the child. A thief's child! Did you really think that I would've cared for him once he grew up and I found out who and what he was?"
"I'm…sorry, princess, but I just needed to see what else was out there. This child…was a mistake."
"Your mistake not mine, Nika. Stop running from what you did and confront it. Or are thieves as dishonorable as foxes?" I was getting personal, but I didn't care. I would never have anymore freedom because of her. If I wasn't a princess, I would've killed her. I didn't trust her one bit.
She grabbed my hand. I shook her off and slapped her. I was enjoying slapping people. She growled at me and tried to slap me back, but I grabbed her hand. I got up swiftly and went behind her, twisting her arm with me.
She cried out in pain and tried to kick me, but she missed. I kicked her in the back and released her. She went forward and placed the child on the bed.
Nika turned towards me. "I tried to do this the easy way, but you are not making this easy."
"Tell me what's going on or I will kill someone." I meant it too.
"I can't explain it to you with you like this, Milady."
"Then you better get someone who can and don't you ever call me that again. You betrayed my family and me. You would be banned from the kingdom if we were there. Get away from me."
She sighed. "I'm sorry if I have caused you any pain, princess." I highly doubted that.
She got up and left me alone with the baby, but only for awhile. She came back in with a visitor. She came back in with her mate, Youko Kurama.
"Princess of Princesses," he greeted.
"Thief."
He clicked his tongue is dissatisfaction. "I thought they taught you manners, Princess."
"Only to those who are granted the honor," I challenged.
Kurama smiled wickedly. "She is stubborn."
Nika walked over to her child and went to pick him up when the strangest thing happened. He repelled her. His own mother. A force shield surrounded him and burned the skin on her hand. I held back a snicker. Perhaps I wasn't the only one who didn't trust her.
"What's happening?" she asked Youko frantically.
"He seems to have repelled you," he said dreamily.
"Why? How?" she shrieked. "I'm his mother. He can't do that." Nika's true colors were coming forth.
"He's more intelligent than you give him credit for," I said smugly as I walked over to the baby and picked him up. He smiled at me and rested his small hairy head on my shoulder.
Nika screamed and collapsed onto the floor. Kurama walked up to her and lifted her up.
"She stole my child! She stole my child!" Nika screamed, raking her fingers through her hair.
"You did this to yourself, Nika," I said calmly. And to think she had tried to give him up a few hours ago.
"What?" she asked her eyes wild and wide. Kurama glared at me, his eyes glinting with an emotion that I couldn't decide.
"You did this to yourself," I repeated, "This child is intelligent, as would be expected coming from him." I looked at Kurama.
"So?" Nika sniffed.
"He knows you tried to give him away and he knows why. He can't trust his own mother for fear that she will abandon him if given the chance. So, he's protecting himself from the hurt and is cutting you off from contact with him. It is perfectly logical to people who understand the meaning of a family."
"Ironic coming from you," she spat, "Your own mother didn't even raise you!"
That hit me stone cold and bitter. It was the truth and I knew it, but it hurt coming from someone else. She knew it too. That was why she had a smirk on her face and a glint in her eye. Thieves were tricky bastards.
"Even if I didn't have a biological mother when I was young does not mean that I am going to be the same mother as my own mother now. At least my own child didn't abandon me. That is the ultimate pain anyone can endure, I'm sure." I smiled at her.
She looked up at Kurama. "Do something."
He looked at her and then to me. "There is nothing I can do. Like she said, you brought this upon yourself."
Nika screamed in defeat.
"I'll make a deal with you," I started.
"The Princess of Princesses knows how to make a deal," Kurama mocked.
"I have to know so I can talk to people like you," I retorted.
He suddenly pinned me against the wall, anger in his eyes. "Explain to me what people like me are…Princess." He whispered my title in my ear so seductively I almost fell.
I looked at him. His eyes were a deep honey gold with so much mischief and coldness in them I wonder how women could fall in love with him. "People like you are uncivilized creatures who have no self respect what-so-ever."
He pressed himself against me, as much as he could with the baby between us. "And how do you know I am like that?"
I closed my eyes, giving into the seduction game he was playing. "Everyone does. That happens when you are famous."
He pulled back a little and I stared at him. "Am I famous?" A wicked grin spread across his face. He was playing games with me. Oh, the little devil he was.
"If you can't see that, then you are as idiotic as your wife."
His smiled widened. "Dear princess, you hardly know me and yet you insult me. In my own home where I decide your fate. You should be more careful."
I batted his hand away from my face. "No. I am perfectly safe here and you know it." I put my finger to his lips to silence him. "If you kill me then you get no ransom for me which is why you abducted me in the first place. Why go through all the trouble to kill me in the end?"
"You are smarter than most women; I'll give you that princess."
"I am smarter than most men as well."
He backed away and looked at me. Nika came next to him and placed a protective hand on his arm. She was jealous of me! Oh this was too good. The child's tiny gray eyes closed ad he sighed sleepily. Kurama still stared at me when Kuronue came in with two others. Two goat demons entered, one a male and the other a female.
"This is the Princess of Princesses?" the woman sneered, looking at my appearance.
"More like the Princess of Beggars," said the male. Everyone laughed at that, except Kurama.
"Hush! None of you talk negatively about this woman, understand?" he snapped, glaring at everyone.
They all nodded and Nika glared at me. I seemed to be getting a lot of those lately. I sighed softly, but I knew Kurama heard, just by the way his ear twitched.
"So what are we going to do with her?" Kuronue asked.
Kurama grunted and looked at me with interest. "We could inform her family that we have abducted her and want a few things before we return her."
"Or kill her," Nika added.
Kurama jerked his arm away from her and walked up to me. He was only a half a head taller than me, surprisingly, so I did not feel as intimidated by him as others.
"Yepa!"
I winced at the sudden outburst. He smiled and turned his head as a small girl came in. Fear was in her eyes and she shook even though it was quite warm in here.
"Y-yes, my lord?" she stuttered.
"Take the Princess here into one of the rooms of honor. Make sure she gets cleaned up and…presentable."
I lowered my eyes as he turned his direction towards me. "You are to attend dinner with everyone at dusk tonight. Look presentable, princess, for I would not want you to dishonor yourself in front of thieves."
"I find that difficult to do even in this state of appearance," I shot back.
He smiled lightly at me and walked out.
Nika continued to glare at me and followed him out. Kuronue and the two goats soon followed after and I was left alone with Yepa, the child, and myself.
"This way," she said softly and walked out.
I followed her through the stone walls in silence until we entered through the doorway to the foyer. It was grand! It was a warm room decorated with gold, red, black, and blue. Tapestries hung from every wall and displayed elegant work of thieving and battles. Lanterns were placed strategically through the room as wells as tables and chairs. Thieves were coming in and out, talking amongst themselves. As we walked past a group of males, I knew trouble was coming. I felt it.
"Hey, whelp, why don't you come with me and I'll help you undress," one man slurred.
I glared at him and tried to get away, but his buddies surrounded me. "You've got no where to go," another said behind me.
The one that first talked to me smiled. He had blackish blue hair down to his middle back with the same color eyes. A tattoo on his arms proudly showed his honor to this clan, but was disgusting to me. And something seemed off in his eyes, like he didn't want to do this. It boggled my mind.
"You really should go to someone else for your pleasure," I said evenly.
"Why?" he asked and walked closer to me.
I bent down and handed the child over to Yepa. This way she would be safe and I wouldn't have to worry about breaking the child's neck.
I readied myself for a fight which surprised all of them. More thieves had come to see the commotion and were startled to see a woman ready to fight.
"You really wanna fight him?" one asked me in the crowd and others laughed.
I closed my eyes and released my mind and senses. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel and see him. His body heated in anticipation to fight and lust. His breathing was heavy and his footfalls even heavier. This guy was a thief? How pathetic! I opened my eyes to see his fist coming straight for me. I jumped up and kicked him in the head and then punched him in the stomach as I landed. He stumbled backwards into the sounds of horrified men. He wasn't going to back down. I had hurt his pride too much and in front of his comrades. He was going to fight even if it meant death. Thieves were one of a kind.
"You really want to fight me?" I challenged.
He stood up and spit at me. Blood nearly missed my gown. He wiped his mouth and straightened up.
"You sure know how to fight, whelp, I'll give you that much."
I step backwards as he step forwards. I did not like his tone of voice. My body told me to run, but I had no where to go and then I saw an opening in the crowd. He was still talking as I timed myself to see when I should run. Five.
"I'll make sure I won't hurt you too much."
Four.
"And if you lose, I'll just help you get better."
Three.
He laughed along with all the other men.
Two.
"You ready to die?"
One.
I punched him square in the eyes and kicked him in the shin. He went down and I darted for the opening. Everyone jumped away from me as I headed for the doors. He was behind me, running fast and heavy. He really wasn't going to give up. The door was getting closer by the second. Once I was out of here, I would go straight home and tell my father. An attack would be placed on them and possibly a war started because of this. I smiled despite the situation I was in. The door was so close when a whip cracked through the air, wrapped around my waist and I flung sideways. I landed into something hard yet soft and I looked up to see what.
Kurama stared down at me, anger smoldering in his eyes. He was in the middle of Kuronue and the goat man, all of them staring at me.
"What's going on?" Kuronue asked the thief that had chased me.
"She started a fight with me," he lied.
"What? You filthy little liar," I snarled and tried to stand up. Kurama pushed me down by my shoulder.
"Akit," Kuronue said, "are you sure?"
Akit nodded. "Ask them." He motioned to his fellow comrades. They all nodded.
"You son of a bitch," I growled.
Kurama punched me in the cheek. It hurt. I tasted blood in my mouth. He bent down to look at me. I glared at him.
"What happened, princess?"
I breathed slowly for a moment before answering. "He came on to me."
His eyes narrowed in disbelief, no, in anger.
"She lies!" a man yelled coming forward.
Kurama put up his hand in silence. "What did he say, exactly?"
I lowered my eyes to think for a moment. "He said, 'Hey, whelp, why don't you come with me and I'll help you undress.'"
Kurama lifted my face so I would look at him. "And you said what?"
"I said, 'You really should go to someone else for your pleasure'. He asked why and then he punched me. Well, tried to any way. I defended myself and if I gave him some injuries, oh well."
Kurama eyes were wide and filled with a mixture of anger, curiosity, and amusement. A slight smile crossed his lips. "It seems the princess is very aware of her surroundings."
"You believe her?" Nika shrieked. Obviously she hated me now and would do anything to get me killed. I looked at Akit, who had looked to the floor.
Kurama nodded. "She speaks the truth about what happened."
Nika snarled, "You idiot! She's tricking you! Can't you see?"
Kurama went to slap her, but I grabbed his hand. He looked at me, his eyes guarded.
"Nika," I asked, "why are you shocked that Kurama believes me?"
She blinked at me. "Well…um…Kurama-"
"Is it perhaps because you hate me so much that you want me gone already? Or is it because you hate me so much that you don't want Kurama to believe any word that comes out of my mouth?"
"Both," she growled.
"You hate me so much?"
"Yes! You stole my child!"
"You hate me enough that you paid this thief to rape me and hopefully kill me, but make it look like I ran away before the dinner at dusk?"
"You deserve it!" she snarled and the screamed at what she had just admitted to.
I was shocked myself. I had just kept talking, letting my tongue work by itself. I turned around I stared at Kurama. His shock was soon replaced by anger.
"Nika, you tried to bring harm to a guest of honor?"
Nika sank to the floor and shook her head.
"Do not lie to me in front of all these people, fox," he snapped.
"I'm sorry, my lord," she cried at his feet.
He looked at her with disgust. "You have dishonored the clan and me. You should be killed right here."
She looked up, her eyes hopeful. "Thank you."
"Only because you are the mother of my only child."
Her eyes filled with tears. "Kill me. Kill me!"
I took the child from Yepa and a small diamond ring from my finger. Everyone whispered as Kurama thought what to do with Nika. I undid a necklace from my neck and slipped the ring on it. Two rings fell next to each other, one a black onyx stone and the other my white diamond. I put the necklace around the child and kissed him on the head. He cooed and twirled my hair. I walked over to Nika with everyone watching me. Kurama shot me a quick glance and nothing more.
I knelt down and raised Nika's head. She glared at me, again. "What?"
I stood up and she followed. I wiped a few tears from her eyes and smiled softly. She was such a troubled young woman. I placed her child in her arms and smoothed his hair down. He laughed softly and nuzzled against his mother's breast.
She looked at me with wide eyes. "Why? Why is he doing this? Is it to torment my heart? Does he hate me so much to do this?"
I laughed at her questions. "No, Nika. He loves you very much, but in a place like this, he too becomes filled with hate and greed. Sometimes all you need is a little good to even out the bad."
Se held up the necklace. "This is for him?"
I nodded. "It's a necklace of equality. It should help in calming him down. I hope anyway, but if he turns out to get a little too restless, take him somewhere calm and serene. Or you could move away from here and not take the chance altogether. It's your choice."
"You mean send him away like you?"
I stiffened. Was that what it sounded like? It was not how I meant it. I shook my head.
"Then what did you mean?"
"I meant that you and him should go somewhere where the pressures of this life do not affect him in his childhood. I'm not saying to run away like you tried. I'm saying have this one build a house for you and your child so you can raise him. Take some maids or something. I don't know. All I'm saying is that if you want your child to love you and be able to let you hold him, get away from the negativity."
"She's right." Kurama came ext to me. I felt the heat of his body. It stirred something in my stomach. "You will be going to Adeline's Castle tomorrow with the child and however many maids you need," Kurama ordered.
She looked at him. "Are you sure?"
He nodded and touched her lightly on the cheek. The baby cooed and grabbed his father's nail. Youko smiled. Was this hard for him? I wasn't sure what to do. I had never known that thieves had emotion. They were stereotyped as cold, dishonorable people who could care less about one another. But here I was witnessing a family being split apart and I felt sympathy for them I looked down and away.
"Dusk will soon be coming," Kuronue spoke, breaking the silence.
Kurama cleared his throat. "Then let's get ready." He walked past me, my head still down.
"Princess," he spoke softly.
I looked at him.
He was about to say something important. It was in his eyes, but then they became hard and cold. "Get ready."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "As you wish."
"Are you ready yet?" came a sharp voice from the door.
I looked at Yepa to answer it. She seemed even more frightened at this and walked to the door, trembling.
It was the goat woman. "Why aren't you ready?"
I shrugged. "Not going."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "Said who?"
"Myself. I am royalty and do not have to dine with such insolent thieves. It's disgusting the way they talk, so I can't imagine the way they eat. Now you have my answer. Leave."
She glared at me. "Listen, little Miss Princess. Youko may tolerate you for some reason, but not us. We thieves enjoy making people like you suffer, so you better get ready and come and eat or you won't be dining at all. Got it?"
I glared back at her. "Then I'm not eating."
She growled in frustration. "You are so stubborn!"
"Then why deal with me? Leave and forget me because I surely will forget you!"
I knew one day my mouth you get me killed. The woman tackled me and began to punch me in the face. It hurt like hell. I tried to concentrate to expand myself, but it was too hard. Yepa was weeping against the wall and my attacker was yelling cruel words at me. I began to struggle harder and block more of her attacks. She, in turn, attacked me harder and with more ease.
I felt a heat pulsing at my throat and a dark light erupted and blinded the woman. She cried out in pain and I stood up, my other necklace swinging wildly at my neck. It finally settled down and the woman looked at me curiously.
"How did you get that?"
"Get what?" I asked cautiously, gripping my pendant instinctively.
"That. That necklace of yours. How did you get it?"
I looked at my necklace. I had had it ever since could remember. It was a silver pendant with grand foreign designs carved into it delicately. The designs surrounded a grand sapphire that was bluer than anything else in the world. "I've…why do you care?"
"Just tell me before I kill you!"
"Not likely," I snarled.
"You may be a princess, but you act like a thief!"
I stiffened and stared at her. Her words bruised me more than her fists. By the smirk on her ugly thief face she had enjoyed telling me this.
"I'm not the only one who thinks it either. Everyone does, even Youko. That may be why he hasn't killed you yet. Oh well, I'll see you at dinner." She turned around and walked out, patting Yepa's trembling head as she closed the door. Yepa's eyes stared at me with fear and mystery. I felt the room pressing in on me, coming closer and closer and suddenly I was spinning and the ground rushed up to me.
I had fainted.
A very long chapter, I admit, but please review and keep reading! Reviews! Please!
