Chapter 194 TEIGEN XVIII
It was wrong to stare so intently, to see the addictive smile that graced her red tainted lips, lips he so badly wished to kiss. Forbidden fruit she was, an apple that was being dangled right in front of him as if begging, no, pleading with him to touch it.
The music ends, the dimmed lights brighten once more and the whole hall erupts into applause and that was both Elara's and Ryker's que to leave. Elara turned on her heel and began her decent to the back hallway leading to the outdoor exit behind the hall, the front exit was way too crowded for her to slip through so her only option was to leave through the back and hope everyone respected her policy of not wanting to be followed. But that wish was one that did not reach the ears of the goddess because as if like a bad coincidence as Elara made her way hastily through the back passage she heard a male voice call out to her, "Veiled dancer!"
She froze, feeling her heart begin to palpate she cursed under her breath, panting due to her lack of oxygen. The hallway was brightly lit and the male was walking closer and closer, she knew if she turned he would be able to make out some of her prominent features through her silk veil, so she turned around and kept walking to create some distance.
"Hey! I am speaking to you!" He increased his paste, walking up to her. Elara did not want to turn back out of fear of being recognised but she soon regretted not running faster as she felt a pull on her wrist.
He tugs her to himself, wanting to see her face. Elara turns away, keeping her face away from his sight even though his tight grip oh her wrist refused her from moving away.
"Come on darling, your dance is so beautiful and enticing. I just want to know the face behind the veil, I will not tell a wolf. I swear"
Elara tried to pull her hand away but he tightened his grip, causing her to wince. Fear began to settle in her chest and squeeze hard, making tears gather in her eyes.
"Please let me go" she tried to distort her voice a bit, still not facing this intrusive stranger. He turned around, pulling Elara with him he began to walk towards the hall. Elara began to sob, trying to tug herself away, pleading profusely.
"Since you do not want to give me a private dance then I will just have to complain to the hostess and everyone els-"Suddenly Ryker appears in front of them, startling the stranger to a halt.
Elara recognized his voice but could not put a name to it. Ryker gazed at her direction, realising her plight.
"Hey you, move. She's mine for the night, she owes me a private dance" he waves Ryker off, trying to bypass him. "You can have a turn when I'm finished"
Elara felt sick, like she could throw up at any second. The man's grip felt vile, she was physically repulsed by him. Ryker took hold of the man's wrist, the same hand he used to hold Elara.
"Hands off" Ryker warned, glaring daggers at the man. His once calm violet orbs sparked with something dangerous in them, like burning amethysts, alit with anger and possessiveness
"Step aside-" before he could finish Ryker yanked the man away, shoving him against the wall, his elbow to his throat and his whole weight pressed against the intruder. All the air in his lungs was knocked out, causing him to wheeze, the pressure on his windpipes doing nothing to help.
He winced, groaning in pain, "Ughh"
"I warned you" with that Ryker drives his fist into the intruders nose, punching so hard he begins to bleed and visibly loose his stability. Ryker lets him drop to the floor, his eyes drifting open and closed. Elara stared wide eyed from the intruders bloody nose to Ryker's bloody fist, feeling immensely grateful that he came just in time.
She does not get to see when he falls unconscious because Ryker comes up to her, blocking her vision from the man lying on the ground. He cups her cheeks, forcing her gaze to his he looks her over, "Are you okay, milady?" He asks, his voice deep with suppressed anger and laced with concern.
It melted Elara's heart to hear the clear tone of care in his voice, she forgot to answer him. This was the first time in a long time she had heard his voice, and oh how much it sent shivers down her spine. She closed her eyes, reliving the feeling before snapping out of it once she heard him ask again, this time more frantic, "Y-yes, I am alright" she gulps down nervously, trying to ignore the strange feeling in her stomach at the realisation of their close proximity.
His warm, minty breath fanned against her face, his gorgeous eyes landed on her red bruised wrist and he took them gently in his hand, observing it with regret saddening his gaze.
"I am truly sorry for not being here sooner. Come, we must leave now" he does not wait for her response, unknown to him Elara was too stunned to speak. She followed him wordlessly to the carriage waiting out the back, all her attention on their intertwined hands as he gently pulls her along.
Ever since that night he stayed with her, something had sparked inside Elara towards her bodyguard. She began to look forward even more to seeing him, unconsciously she began to put in extra effort into her dressing every single day, hoping that his eyes would linger on her form a little longer than they already did. She started getting Augustine to braid her hair into different styles, hoping that Ryker would one day find courage to touch them, with how much he stared at them with so much fascination.
Maybe he just needed some encouragement, a silent nudge to tell him she would not object to his affections. She would never be so bold as to walk up to him and tell him that he had begun to occupy her every thought, begun to show up in her dreams, begun to disturb her every imagination. She was not so bold as to just kiss him, taste his pink plum lips, even though she had imagined so many times how they would taste against hers. Such shameless thoughts crowded her mind every day and it helped not that he was around her every hour of every day, watching her. Even while she danced, with the hundreds of eyes on her, only the thought of a peculiar pair of violet orbs boring into her skin made her shiver with excitement.
Such forbidden desires would surely get her married off if her father found out, but she could care less about it at the moment.