073

073
Draco.
Three long days had passed, yet Draco refused to move an inch away from Isolde. He wanted to be there when she awoke.
Lord Draco rested on the stuffed sofa in Isolde’s chamber, sleeping. His head reclined over the headrest, lips dropped open as he dozed. The sky was already bright, chasing the darkness with the peeking morning sun.
Draco didn’t budge even as he felt the sun prickling his skin; however, the moment he heard the gasp that came from Isolde, he jerked awake.
Completely covered, he hastened to her side, “Isolde,” he called, helping her into a seated position.
Isolde moaned at the movement, accepting his help.
“How do you feel?” He quizzed, brows furrowed as he ran his gaze down her body.
“Draco,” Her voice cracked. She blinked the room into focus and took a sigh. “How did I end up here?”
Draco swallowed down the guilt as he replied, “I should call the healer to check up on you,”
He swiftly detached himself from her bedside and walked regally to the door, commanding the sentinels to call the healers.
Isolde’s gaze followed his gait, unmoving.
“One of the healers would be here soon.” He told her. When Isolde struggled to move, Draco rushed closer and held her by her arm. “You shouldn’t stress yourself now. Your body is still delicate,”
His soft-spoken words, coupled with the way he looked at her with utter concern, shook Isolde. She felt something shift inside her.
She licked her dry lips, blinking up at him, her long hair shaggy.
“I…just…” She trailed, blushing furiously. She didn’t know how to tell Draco what she wanted to do.
The door chose to open at that moment, saving her from the sting of embarrassment. Luckily, it was Roga who came in.
The older female grinned upon whisking her gaze at Isolde. She hastened to her side, saying in one rushed breath, “My lady. You’re awake now,”
Draco silently gave them some space, watching as Roga inspected Isolde. The guilt still ate Draco up so bitterly, leaving no crumbs.
While Isolde was unconscious and he watched her, Draco realized that he wasn’t good for her. She was unique, a force to be reckoned with, and someone like her didn’t deserve to be with him. He was evil. A curse to his kind.
Draco shouldn’t be with her. Isolde deserved better than being stuck with a monster like him.
Once she’s done helping him in passing the eligibility to the ice throne, Draco would set her and her sister free, perhaps before then even.
He was destined to be a monster, but Draco swore never to take Isolde down with him.
His thoughts halted when he saw Roga trying to lift Isolde up. Draco rushed over, barking.
“What are you doing?”
“My lord, uh…my lady…wants to uh…” Roga stuttered, not making any sense to Draco.
Two hard lines creased Draco’s temple as he looked down at Isolde’s reddening cheeks.
“What happened? I told you not to stress yourself…” He began, speaking softly, but Roga blurted, making Isolde wish the ground would open and swallow her whole.
“She wants to pee, my lord.”
At that, the hard lines on Draco’s temple straightened. Now he understood why she had been blushing all along.
She was shy in front of him. Draco’s insides hummed. He stepped forward, shooing Roga away.
“I’ll take her, Roga,”
“What?” Isolde rasped, but Draco didn’t bother about her shyness as he gently lifted her into his covered arms.
Isolde’s arms circled around his neck, the metal of the armor digging into her skin. Their hearts leaped as Draco carried her to the privy.
He refused to go away even as Isolde bustled around with her clothing to urinate. He simply turned his back on her.
“Done?” He asked over his shoulder.
“Y-yes,”
He hauled her carefully back into his arms and walked back to her chambers. All the while, Isolde bored her gaze into his shimmery ones.
It was all Draco could do not to look back down at her. He couldn’t do it. It’d make him feel more, and that was what Draco couldn’t afford.
He needed to keep his distance from her henceforth until it was all over, so he’d set her free.
Isolde couldn’t be his. He was a fool to think she could be his before.
After what happened, Draco realized he didn’t need further conviction.
The healer arrived right on time and began to inspect Isolde, and Draco was there all the while, refusing to leave.
His heart throbbed all the while the healer fussed around Isolde.
“How is she now?” He promptly asked the healer, craning his neck to see with his eyes.
The older male nudged his glasses up the bridge of his nose, grunting out.
“A few more minutes, my lord,”
Isolde watched Draco as he stood restless, and she just couldn’t tell how it made her feel. Was it her hormones or was it her heart that stirred those feelings? It had been acting so strangely since she woke up.
However, as she remembered what happened to her, Isolde deemed it fit to tell the lord once they were alone.
“All done, my lord,” The healer announced, rising up to face the lord.
“She’s okay? No broken bone?” He asked, staring between Isolde and the healer, who shook his head.
“My lady only had a concussion, but with a few more days of rest, she’ll be back on her feet, I assure you.”
“Great, thanks.” Draco’s blaring voice went straight down to Isolde’s core, rumbling her.
She breathed hard as she surveyed the lord, her cheeks flaming.
Gods, what’s happening to me? She asked inwardly, her gaze never leaving Draco while he spoke with the healer.
Her heart wavered in her chest when the healer exited her chamber, leaving just her and Draco.
Silence descended upon them as they both stared longingly at each other. Draco was the first to break the stare, clearing his throat.
“I’m glad you’re safe now. Although you still need to rest. You should have one week of bed rest. Not training, nothing.”
“Thank you.” She said, giving him a wry smile. Draco gauged her from over his lashes. “Were you the one who found me?”
Hearing that, he paused, heart stuttering. “No.” Eyes on her, he added. “Alfos did,”
He slowly gaited to the door but stopped when Isolde blurted out.
“There’s a beastly creature out there, Draco. It’s menacing. Scary. It was what attacked me, Draco.”
Draco took jagged breaths as he listened to Isolde describing him.
“Do you know about this real monster? It could be out there killing your people, my lord. You should hunt it down; your lives are in danger. That beast shouldn’t be allowed to live anywhere here.” Draco didn’t speak, but Isolde continued, “It had been in my chambers before. There was this day I woke up and saw one of its feathers on my bed.“
“My lord, if that beast could harm me, then there’s no guarantee what it’d do to your people. The lives of the young pups you’re breeding are in danger.”
As she ranted with fear wafting from her eyes, Draco turned with heavy shoulders and asked. “I’ve not seen the…creature you’re talking about.”
“I know it sounds clumsy, but I know what I saw, Draco.”
He nodded as if imbibing her words. He exhaled, looking back up at her and asked, “This beastly creature, what do you think we should do to it?”
“Kill it.” She declared, not missing a breath.
TBC.