DESTRUCTIVE MYTH

Whipping around he faced the woman climbing down a rock towards his pool, her cloak had been ripped, covered in dirt, her dress ruined, and her hair a tangled mess. But there was no mistaking the violet eyes, there were none other like them.

“What the f..” His words fell short at the sight of her, “How the hell?” He stood up in the water searching the rocks, making sure she was alone, then back to her in disbelief. “Sinira?”

“Didn’t expect to see me again, huh?” She answered a little out of breath.

“What’s going on?” He had gotten no hostile vibe from her, but moved slowly through the water, towards his sword. He couldn’t picture himself hurting a woman, but the thought of her electrifying the water was enough to drive him. She watched him move following the direction to his clothes and sword, taking a step nearer herself.

“You not an easy man to track down.”

“Again, what’s going on?” He asked stopping, watching her eyes judge the distance between him and the sword.

“I had to find you.”

“That explains nothing.” He watched her hands noticing a small dagger, just hidden in her sleeve, “Sinira, why are you here?”

He still couldn’t believe she was standing before him. She looked as though she had gone through hell to track him down, but why? To capture him and take the reward for herself? Up her status in the world for capturing a rogue elf, she had called him such before. He noticed her eyes travel down the length of his wet torso, to the waterline, a pink color tinting her cheeks as she jerked her eyes away back to his clothing, and then back at him. He looked down, his hips were just covered by the water, steam circling around him, making the water blurry enough to hide his lower half.

“See something you like?” He smiled sliding through the water nearer, despite all the confusion, he couldn’t resist teasing her. Her eyes thinned with irritation, ignoring his comment, looking up and noticing for the first time the view. Her face instantly softened watching the skyline, the same view that had captivated him when he first arrived. He took the opportunity to slide closer to her, he was still unsure why she was there or how the hell she had even managed to tracked him down, but she was filthy.

Before she could react, Drathis grabbed her by her legs, pulling her forward into the water. She screamed trying to pull back as she sunk in, still holding her, he twisted her to face him, grabbing her wrists where she was frantically trying to pull the dagger out from, wrestling under the water he pulled her arms apart, yanking the dagger free from her grip. Sinira tried to pull her arm back, but he refused to let go, dragging her to the surface with him, above the water he threw the dagger away from them hearing it cling against a rock. He pulled her against him and she pushed with all her might, fighting till he had wrapped around her, trapping her in his powerful arms, her back stuck against his torso. Both catching their breath, neither said a word for several minutes.

“Are you going to let go of me?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“Because if you fry me you fry with.”

She wiggled trying to pull loose again, and Drathis tightened his grip, but she was persistent, her hands slipped loose and he released her, waiting for her to face him. She did and he grabbed both hands again, pulling her back into him holding them tightly against his chest. Her eyes went large as she breathed unsteadily, trying to keep her eyes on him and not his broad, wet, perfectly tanned skin. She looked up into his deep pools of green, gulping at the way his black, wet hair fell across him, a few strands were draped over his face, touching his succulent lips, and she almost leaned in wanting to touch his hair, run her finger over the soft, perfectly crafted lips. She looked back up into his emerald eyes, they were looking down at her with such intensity, she almost gulped again, he was bloody beautiful.

“Why are you here?”

“You ruined my dress!”

“It was already ruined.”

“I will have nothing to wear.”

“Then take it off to dry.”

“My cloak is,”

“Sinira!” He snapped at her protests, she stilled, looking back up at him trapped in his hands. He knew she was stalling, and it was driving him insane, just as much as having her against him. He had made a mistake by pulling her into the water, somehow, he had forgotten how nude he was when they had gone under, but now holding her hands against his chest, her body so close to his, he could hardly focus on the importance of why she was there, his body just knew she was, and wanted so much more. It didn't make sense to him why he wanted a woman he hardly knew.

“I,” She started falling short on an explanation.

“I have all day,” He winked down at her.

“Frying you is not my only power you know.”

“I didn’t think it was,”

“Let go of me and I promise I won’t zap you.”

“What good is a promise?”

“A promise is a promise!”

“Yet I don’t know you, or what your promises are worth.”

“At least help me out this cloak, it’s too heavy.”

He looked at her, waiting for signs of deceit. But the cloak was thick and pulling on her shoulders. He took a hold of both her hands in his one, working the clips on her shoulders, untying the strings holding it around her neck, their eyes locked and he couldn’t pull away as the cloak finally fell free making her lighter.

“Much better, thank you.”

“No problem,” He ran his hands down her back as a distraction to pull her dress loose next, knowing it would cause her to change direction, “Can I assist with your dress as well?” He smirked pulling the ribbons at the back loose.

“No,” She jerked trying to pull free, he let the ribbons go raising his hand up above the water to her request.

“Start talking or the dress comes off.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Is it working?”

“No.” She said defiantly notching her chin up proudly, he smirked again wrapping his loose arm around her, pulling her near him again he pulled the ribbons loose with force and it unthreaded the back of her dress leaving her back exposed. “Stop,” She gasped trying to pull loose, but her hands were stuck in his death grip. She looked up at him flaring her nostrils with rage, he was certain if she could, his ass would be on fire right now.

“Sinira, you have no horse, which is evident by how badly damaged your boots were, you’re traveling alone, you exhausted, your cloak was ripped and it looks like you haven’t eaten in quite a few days. Usually, if someone tracks me down, they want me dead. You had the dagger on you, but I doubt you actually wanted to use it on me.”

She wiggled again trying to get loose and the front part of her dress fell slightly forward off her one shoulder, she looked down at it.

“You saw me before I spotted you, giving you the advantage to kill me, yet didn’t, which only means you want something from me.” He followed her eyes to her exposed shoulder trying to ignore a part of him twitching with excitement under the water. “I am not a man to ask more than once, you are testing my patience, either you tell me why you wanted to find me so desperately or piss off.” He released her hands pushing her back, she took a few steps back rubbing her wrists before pulling the ruined dress back upon her shoulder. He sunk a little deeper in the water not wanting to frighten her off with his arousal, if he didn’t push her back, he feared he might have tried to kiss her.

“Fine,” She sighed, “I’ll tell you.”

“I’m bloody waiting,” He grumbled crossing his arms over his chest, he was pissed off and turned on making things, harder, than they needed to be with her.

“When we left for Ashleigh’s uncle, I couldn’t help but think about our final words to each other. Granted we had left on bad terms, but I kept running through what you had said when I walked away, I couldn’t understand what you meant, till it hit me. Nail on the head, you’d said.”

“What of it?”

“I had screamed at you, threatening to taint your name as a rogue elf, by placing you as related to the bastard Galalieth. And you, you didn’t even care, didn’t even say fine or whatever, you said, nail on the head.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why?”

He dropped his arms walking towards her, his head slightly tilted to the side as a deep frown crossed his face, “You traveled hundreds of miles to ask me that?”

“Yes.” She stepped back pushing herself against the rocks at the edge of the pool.

“Lier, ask what’s really on your mind.”

She noticed how tense he had gotten, realizing there was no more beating around the bush, she needed to speak her mind, speak her fears.

“You are not related to him, his family died, you have to be a part of another clan, yet you say you his brother, it’s a lie.”

“How sure are you of that.” He whispered, she heard the mocking in his voice, something dark tainting his aura, she stared at him then, taking in his features, he looked so very much like Galaleiath.

“It’s impossible, I watched him die, he had only one younger brother, and he died.”

A cold rush of goosebumps ran over him at the words, a million questions at the tip of his tongue.

“What?” He asked quietly inches away from her.

“You are not Dracaneath, I watched his home go up in flames, his mother had forced Galaleiath to flee, with Drathis, while our fathers fought off the attack, I watched him run back inside the burning home as it collapsed, Galaleiath left alone, Drathis died.” She whispered, a single tear running down her cheek at the memory.

Numb, his hair went on static end, he cupped her face slowly looking deep into her eyes trying to discover who she really was. She had spoken the truth; he recalled his brother saying as much.

During the great war, his brother had run around back to save him, their house had collapsed in a heap of flames and smoke, one of the beams had knocked him unconscious while he had tried to save their pets, but Galaleiath had pulled him free fleeing for safety, their mother had begged them to, Galaleiath had begged her to flee with them, but she had forced them to leave spelling the horse to flee, returning to battle alongside their father. The knock to his head had left him memory with many blank spaces to this day. His brother had often told him the story over and over making sure he would never forget their parents when they were kids. That night had been nothing more than death dancing over all of them with flames of destruction, the humans had overpowered them all with their great numbers, and sadly now he hardly remembered his parents.

She cupped her hands over his, seeming to understand the pain he was experiencing recalling that day.

“Who are you?” He asked moving his hand from her cheeks, running his trembling hands up into her hair, hoping against all hope that his deepest desire was true, silently praying she was not an act, hoping she had the memories as her own. Praying to any god that would hear him for her to be truly one of his kind. He parted her soft hair, revealing tightly constructed braids underneath. He frowned as she pulled his hands away, his heart was racing as her hands slid back under her hair, undoing the braids, placing his hands back to her hair. He gently stroked her hair back and the braids unraveled releasing her ears that had been flattened under them.

They were pointy, real, and just like his. A frightful tremble was still coursing through him as he pulled the hair back further to see tattoos on her neck, the elven birthmarks.

“I’ll be damned.” He swallowed stepping back, covering his mouth with both hands in shock, a cold shiver running over him again. There had not been one memory from his time at Altahim, but seeing her now, her hair all naturally loose, her ears, her exotic eyes.

He knew her!

“Sinira,” He whispered, “It is me.” The memories exploding back.

Against her will she started crying, her defenses breaking, “No, you lying, why won't you tell me who you are?!” She started to raise her voice, the tears streaming down her face. He took her hands holding them against his chest, looking down into her brilliant eyes, willing her to listen, to see him.

“I remember you,” He whispered, he didn’t know how but seeing her tattoo, awoken flashes of random memories he hadn’t known he would be able to ever recall, “You used to,” Despite how tight his chest was, he laughed a little at the memory he was about to describe looking down at her, “You used to sneak attack my brother and I, every chance you got, refusing to be a lady as your mother had demanded, You even caught me in the side of the head with an apple the one morning, and your mother made your apologies.” He took a deep breath swallowing the lump in his throat, “I swore to get you back, but you were always too quick, hiding in the trees in that green dress.” He snorted a laugh clenching his jaw with emotions he did not know how to handle.

Her eyes were huge, her skin paling with shock, “Dracaneath?” She whispered so quietly he almost didn’t hear it.

“Just Drathis.” He smiled sticking his hand out to properly greet her, but she bombarded him, wrapping herself around him in a tight hug, he held her for a moment his mind spinning with disbelief, a childhood friend, now a gorgeous woman wrapped in his arms, and he was bare assed…

Pushing her back gently, he sunk a bit lower into the water, “I’m actually at a loss for words.” He smirked.

“I still can’t believe it’s you, how did you survive?!” She asked trying to hide a blush pulling her dress back up, he cleared his throat, he didn’t regret pulling her ribbons off. Biting his lip, he signed beginning to explain how Galaleiath had saved him before they had fled south.

“What happened though, why didn’t you stick with him, the whole of Relangathian knows of Galaleiath and Queen Dimas, but no one ever mentioned you. According to the world, there were no others, even Galaleiath spoke of his family being dead.”

“I guess I was,”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,”

“Oh no, we are not doing this again!” She pointed at him, “How did you manage to stay alive without there even being the smallest hint of your existence?”

“Never heard about the village Saaria?”

“You mean that small village on the outskirts of the Black Maser? The one that had that tragic fire taking out the entire village and its people?”

“Yip, that’s the one.”

Her eyes went large as she pieced it together, “That’s where you were found? I had heard rumours that Saaria had been home to a small elf family, but when everyone had heard, Saaria was gone, everyone assumed it was a hoax.”

“I bet that’s what Dimas wanted everyone to believe.”

“The queen Dimas?”

His face darkened at the name, “A bitch of a whore, nothing more.” He growled dunking under the water for a refresh.

“What did she do?” Sinira asked softly so sacred he would close up on her again, watching him run a hand through his wet hair, almost hypnotized again by the powerful muscles flexing in his arm, she followed it down his broadside, watching the water flow down the rippling muscles on his rock-hard stomach into the water, just covering his hips. Her mouth went dry wondering just what he would look like if she could see all of him. He was built like a god and had such an addictive way about him that she craved more of, oh this was way, way too good to be true.

“It’s getting late, I need to find shelter.”

“We still have a few hours left of light.” They watched the sun dipping in the sky still warm from the spring pools waters. “What did she do? What happened to you?” She noticed his form tense and his face harden again.

He had been quite so long she almost asked something else, but he pulled his gaze from the sky telling her of how they had been found, and how she had ripped them apart, how he had been imprisoned for life in her dungeon. He avoided the years of torture, the last thing he wanted was pity.

“Oh my, I’m, sorry.” She reached out to touch him stopping, letting her hand fall back to the water, “How long were you imprisoned?”

“More years than I care to think about.”

“And Galaleiath never knew that you were there or alive and imprisoned?”

“I believe he didn’t.”

“But at Zitex?”

“I tried to explain, look, it was the first time I had realized he was still alive as well; I had truly believed he had died that night in Saaria. I tried to explain but my words failed me. Whatever Dimas had done over the years to him had him believing, I was the one who betrayed him, and messed everything else up, I had deserted him, and as much as I tried to explain.” He sighed running a hand through his hair again frustrated, “It doesn’t matter, me leaving him again now sealed his beliefs as everything Dimas had painted me to be, nothing I say now will fix what once was.”

“So that’s why he is so, dark.”

“Yeah well, have that thing talk shit into your ear for a couple generations you would be dark too.”

“But why did you leave after finding him?”

“Dimas already has him in her claws, she wants my heart in her other. I have to keep moving else she gets me, and once she does, well we will cross that bridge when we get there.”

“So those shifters the other night, I was right, they wanted you.”

“Yes, and it's not the first, thing, she has sent to hunt me down.”

“I can’t believe this,” Sinira said working herself up, “If they only knew what she had done, if Galaleiath only knew the truth, we could kill her.”

Drathis raised an eyebrow at her words, “They?”

“Everyone and anyone, if they knew who you were, what you been through, you could,” She fell silent coming to a realization. “You could rule, you are the true heir to the,”

“Stop, my blood may be royal but my brother is older, and even if we were able to rule, from what? A rock atop a pile of rubble that may or may not exist? Don’t get ahead of yourself, I do not wish to lead anyone, I just want to find Altahim.”

“Is that where are you going?”

“No, Talgrim first, I hope to find,” He stopped suddenly his heart skipping a beat at the thought, “Do you remember Altahim?”

“Of course, hard to forget home.”

He grabbed her arms, hope fuelling him. “Do you know where it is, do you remember how to get there?”

“No,” Her face dropped in disappear, “I have been trying to trace its origin since I was able to but I have an idea as to which mountain range it was close to.”

“Why did you never go search for it?”

“I, it’s just been hard to get anywhere alone, keeping who I am hidden. It’s not been easy.”

He blinked releasing her, “I’m sorry,” He said stepping back, “You have been firing me with so many questions, I didn’t even get a chance to ask if you were ok.”

“Oh,” She giggled, looking down at her hands, “I guess I did bomb you with everything, I’m sorry, I was just so scared that if I didn’t ask you might close up again.”

He smiled at her, “I still can’t believe you here, I keep thinking it's some trick, that somehow this is all a lie.”

She blushed at the intensity in his eyes.

“We need to hit the road; I take it you will be joining me?”

“You just assume I’m here to be with you?” She said defiantly a sparkle in her eyes.

“Well, did you travel all this way to confirm who I was just to return to Ashleigh?”

“No,” she smiled sheepishly. “But I don’t want to get in your way.”

He looked at her a long moment trying to decide what to do with her, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, she did things to him that had his chest expanding with emotions he had never experienced. Learning her true identity had sent his desire for her into overdrive.

“Come,” He gave her his hand and she took it, but stopped pulling her hand back, “What’s wrong?” He turned to face her.

“My dress.” She was pulling at it, but it seemed to have been caught on something.

“Hold on.” He dunked under trying to untangle the dress from the sharp rocks only managing in ripping it further, diving deeper he used both hands to rip the fabric free causing it to split up the one side. He came back up inches from her holding her dress.

“I don’t think this will work for you much longer.” He said gesturing at the fabric with a small smile.

“And who’s fault is that?” she returned his smile.

“Perhaps you should just give up on it.” He whispered so close to her, the sun was beginning to set displaying its golden rays and pink hues, it only complimented her wet skin and violet eyes, her wet hair framing her face.

Against his better judgment he leaned forward moving a piece of hair from her cheek running the back of his finger over her cheek down to her chin, her lips parted slightly as he tipped her face up to him, so near he could feel the heat of her lips.

“Remove your dress, I have spare clothes.” He whispered lowly before backing away.