By the time the sun was half to midday we finally reached the small town we were heading towards.
"Food." I sighed as I looked towards the town.
"Agreed." He grumbled.
It turned out that Sebastian wasn't a very pleasant man when he was really hungry. Though I wouldn't imagine many would be when starved for breakfast. Sure I was hungry but that didn't mean getting testy over a simple question such as do horses relieve themselves while they walk? He acted like I slapped his mother and stabbed his favorite pet pig. He then informed me in a rather unseemly way not to talk to him again until he had food in his gut so for the most part I kept silent.
However if I thought he was testy with me it was nothing compared to the stable boy who came up to us and offered to take Shadow to the stables.
"That was uncalled for." I bit out as I watched the boy run off in tears.
He glared down at me. "What did I tell you?" He hissed.
I stared up at him matching his glare and I was beginning to think that that was his favorite facial expression. Though with all that dark hair and matching eyes it was no wonder he made that face so often, it was terrifying. "I am well aware of what you told me but yelling at the poor boy was completely unnecessary." My eyes narrowed even further. "And just know that making that face has no affect on me."
"If you don't close your mouth it will." He dismounted and in the process pulled me off with him.
"Don't you threaten me!" I jabbed a finger in his chest when he set me on my feet.
I have never in my life glared at someone so much as I had him in the last day. What was it about this man that could bring out my rage one time and the very next could have me spilling my deepest secrets to him? I decided that he was a very dangerous man and probably more so than the person who had hired him to buy me.
I only had a quick moment to see his eyes flash deadly from within his hood before he hauled me up and set me back on the saddle. My fear instantly took over causing me to grip the saddle tightly and to go rigid from head to toe.
"That should keep you quiet and out of my hair." He bit out then grabbed the reigns and began leading the horse through the town.
"Get me down!" I ordered through my clenched teeth.
He gave the reigns a hard jerk causing the horse to throw its head back which in turn forced me to tilt backwards. Of course that only terrified me all the more as I used every ounce of strength in my body to hold tight.
"Please." I whispered fearfully.
"Just be silent and sit there." He answered curtly.
I really didn't have much of a choice but to obey unless I wanted to fall to my death.
He led the horse over to the nearest inn and left it standing outside with me atop it while he went inside. How could he just leave me on this beast like that especially knowing how terrified I was?
"Now what do we have here?" A deep voice to my left questioned. "Strange that a cute little lass like yourself would be sitting out here half naked for any man to see." The man ran his hand up my exposed leg.
"Don't touch me." I hissed and wanted to jerk away but the fear that I might fall kept me right where I was.
His hand continued to rub up and down my leg. "If you didn't want me to touch you wouldn't be out here enticing men like this." He purred.
"I'm not a girl!" I growled disgustedly finally getting enough courage to move my leg away from his touch.
I saw him shrug from the corner of my eye and again began to rub my leg. "With legs like yours I could over look a detail or two."
What was it with my legs? This was not the first time in my life a man had pointed out that I had the legs of a woman. I had seen my mother's legs and the legs of the slave girls I was with and I never thought my legs looked anything like theirs.
"Stop touching me!" I again moved my leg but that didn't stop him as he moved his hand up higher reaching my thigh.
"I believe you want me to touch you." He purred. "Look at you sitting there practically naked with your clothes wrapped around your waist. You want it."
"I most certainly do not!" My eyes widened hugely when he ran his hand up my inner thigh getting way too close to something he shouldn't be getting close to. "Do something." I hissed at the horse.
In response Shadow threw his head back, whinnied loudly, and stomped a hoof to the ground.
Before anything more could be said or done Sebastian was standing there behind the man. I couldn't see his face under the hood but I could feel him glaring deadly at the man touching me.
"Is that yours?" He growled causing the man to spin around and stare up at him.
How dare he refer to me as a thing, a piece of property he owned… well I guess in a sense he did own me he did buy me after all. Though it wasn't him that was my actual owner just my transporter to get me to my owner. I was depressing myself all over again and that was the last thing I needed. To be honest being with Sebastian made me forget my situation sometimes and he did make me smile, it was going to be hard parting ways with him I was sure.
"Oh excuse me." The man withered as he stared up at Sebastian. "I didn't know he was with someone already."
"I highly doubt that." Sebastian growled. "Now you have three seconds to get lost or I'll make sure you're lost for the rest of your life."
"Yyes sir." The man stuttered then turned and took off running.
"Not a word." I bit out between clenched teeth when I felt his eyes upon me. "You're the one that left me out here."
He reached up and snatched me off the horse. "You are more troublesome than you are worth." He growled and carried me into the inn with me draped over his arm like I was a sack.
"Hey!" I wiggled in his arm. "It's you're fault not mine!"
"No," he set me on my feet in front of him. "if you weren't such a coward you could have handled it yourself."
"What?" I glared up at him. "What does that have to do with anything?" I could barely see his eyes under his hood and knew without a doubt he was glaring at me.
"You could have defended yourself." He bit out coldly.
"How?" I hissed up at him. "I'm not exactly in any position to do anything to anyone half naked as you keep me."
"That's no excuse," he growled. "you could have kicked him in the face."
"Oh just that easy." I waved a flippant hand through the air. "Just kick him in the face, no problem."
"You are testing my patience."
"And you have used up all of mine." I quickly countered back. "Now get food so you can eat and stop being so mean to everyone." I ordered with a pointed finger towards the kitchen.
"I will punish you." He whispered deadly.
"Do it." I challenged right back.
He stared at me for a long moment before he turned and walked over to the woman running the inn.
"Big baby." I huffed and moved to sit at one of the tables making sure to keep my legs carefully hidden within my blanket. I did not want to draw anymore attention to myself especially with how moody Sebastian was being.
xx
Once Sebastian had eaten his mood improved dramatically and I could do nothing but sigh in relief that he wasn't going to be so temperamental anymore. However that didn't mean he was anymore agreeable than he was before.
"You said you would!" I glared at him.
"No, I said I would think about it." He grabbed me by the arm. "And I decided against it."
"Well what if something happens and I need to run?" I looked up at him wide eyed. "Then what; what will I do?"
"Run carefully." He answered simply then picked me up and set me on Shadow sidesaddle.
I instinctly wrapped my arms around him when he mounted up behind me. "You're just afraid I'm going to run away from you." I growled into his chest.
"Perhaps." He turned Shadow towards the main gate to leave the town. "Your legs look like they could get you real far real fast."
"I do not have girl legs!" I glared up at him.
He smirked back. "No you don't. Yours are much nicer."
He was mocking me I could see it in his eyes if his smirk wasn't already giving him away. "I hate you." I growled and buried my face into his chest.
"We've been through this already," he tightened his arm around me. "you don't hate me."
"No I do." I replied against his chest. "You mock me, you make me ride this beast of a horse, and must I remind you of why I'm with you in the first place?" I nodded. "Yes I do hate you."
"Have you not wondered why I specifically chose you in the first place?"
"Actually I have." I looked up at him. "My guess is either I was the closest to you and it was easier to acquire me or,"
"I liked your legs." He cut me off with a leer.
I sighed deeply through my nose. "I'm not amused."
"I am." He chuckled.
"Well good for you." I hissed coldly. "I'm glad one of us is finding enjoyment in his life."
"I believe I have to especially since you're so depressing." He responded.
"Just stop talking to me." I bit out. "Treat me like the slave I am and leave me alone."
"Are you sure that's what you want?" He questioned as he turned the horse so we were heading north.
I looked up at him and drew my brows deeply. "Why do you ask me that?"
"Well," he reached up, pushed his hood off, and stared down at me. "I did buy you as a pleasure slave therefore," he trailed off and smiled wickedly at me.
"If I had a knife right now I'd stab you." I glared up at him.
"I doubt you would if given the chance." He leaned down and stared deep into my eyes.
"Yes I would." I countered then got caught staring into those black pools which did nothing but cause me to wither inside and out. How could someone have eyes that could so easily weaken another's resolve? He had to be a product of the dark under lord sent here to consume souls just for the sheer pleasure of it.
"Now repeat that." He ordered and leaned a little closer.
"I…" I started but trailed off not knowing what to say. He was too close, too warm, too consuming, and I couldn't think. "I…" I tried again but nothing would come out of my mouth. I was mesmerized with no hope of breaking free of the spell he cast upon me.
"I agree." He whispered darkly.
Before I knew what was happening his warm powerful lips were covering my own to swallow my soul I was sure. Though I couldn't stop it from happening, encouraged it even by opening for the tongue prodding against the seam of my lips.
I was melting into him, becoming a part of him to never break free from his hold and I didn't care. The tongue dancing against my own showed me who truly owned me and it was not who he was delivering me to; it was him.
It all happened so quickly that it was over almost as quickly as it started when he pulled away from me and disappeared back under his midnight cloak. I could do nothing but hold on and stare up at him wide eyed and as confused as ever. What was he doing to me? Why did he kiss me like that? And why does he hide from me now?
I slowly ripped my gaze away from his hidden face and stared at his chest. I wanted to ask him why but I could feel it as sure as I was holding on to him that he wouldn't answer. He didn't want to talk and certainly did not want me to talk to him. I didn't care though because I really couldn't form any words anyway.
xx
It was late afternoon when we finally stopped for a rest near a small stream. My only thought was that I was finally going to get a bath albeit a cold one but clean was clean.
We had traveled the day in silence and even now I still had nothing to say to him. What could I say? Plus I guessed he was as confused as I was by the whole situation.
I muttered a thanks to him when he dismounted taking me with him and set me on my feet before him. Even saying that felt odd and awkward leaving me still unable to look up at him even when he handed me a small washing cloth. I didn't know if it was because he kissed me or because it was a HE that kissed me. I knew that until I sorted out the odd feelings within me there was no way I was going to be able to speak to him again.
I was sure he felt the same when he just turned without a word and walked Shadow over to the stream to drink. I sighed deeply and moved down away from him in order to take a quick bath in what little privacy the bushes along the edge would give me.
Laying my blanket over a bush I stepped over to the stream and stuck a toe in to see just how cold of a bath I was going to get. From the feel of the water on my little appendage my bath was going to be down right frigid. I sighed deeply to build my resolve, stripped myself of the large shirt, and laid it atop the blanket on the bush.
It was going to take a lot of nerve to force myself into the just barely thawed from the sun of spring water. "You can do this Ciel." I encouraged myself then quickly and carefully made my way to the deepest part of the stream.
My teeth began chattering almost instantly just from being calf deep in the water. So I hurried and with the little cloth Sebastian had gave me I went to work rubbing myself down from head to toe. I was cold but by hells teeth I was going to be clean.
By the time I was done my jaw ached from trying to prevent my teeth from chattering and my muscle were tense from trying not to shiver. I was a healthy bluish/white color and I had nothing to dry off with. So in all my naked glory I grabbed my blanket and shirt and moved to stand in the afternoon sun. I could feel the rays thawing me out instantly but not near fast enough.
I was shivering all over and decided that an ice cold bath probably wasn't the greatest idea but at least I was mostly clean.