Once Upon an Ever After

9| The Owners of Hearts

"What do you mean, your heart?" She asked.

Heartless. He called himself once.

"I mean my physical heart, with my magic inside."

"How are you— what are y-"

"How am I alive? The heart remains beating in that chest. I am unable to access my magic without it. I might have many magic tools and objects, but without my heart, I can't perform actual magic myself." He confessed.

"Why would the king keep it? What we he need your magic for?"

"It's complicated."

"You're going to have to explain it to me if you expect me to retrieve it for you." She argued.

The warlock warily considered how to respond as the look of determination on her face was not going to be easy to dissuade.

"You're indebted to me, as we agreed, I needn't explain anything to you."

"And you deceived me, so like it or not, I will do everything in my power to work around your curse." She fought.

"I expect nothing less from you." The warlock muttered sarcastically.

"How did you even know where I was?"

"As I explained before what I used to bind us was something similar to the bond between soulmates. It's a tether that if either of us tug, both of us can feel." He described.

"So you were quite literally 'tugging on my heartstrings'? In a literal sense?" She asked.

"Exactly."

Aria prowled towards the warlock. He watched warily until they were only inches apart.
What was she doing?

She was way too close for comfort.

Once again that feeling returned, the one he began to feel whenever he was close to her. The one that would not let him sleep the night before as they lay on the mat right next to one another.

He had never realized how brightly her honey-colored eyes shined until the moonlight was directly reflected in them.

While he had no heartbeat, he was certain the mere inches that separated them would have made his heart drum rapidly.

Before he could ask her what she was doing, and why she was so close, his question was answered with a jab to his stomach.
Aria struck repetitively on his incredibly firm abdomen which she realized may have hurt her delicate hands more than it did him. Regardless she continued until he grabbed her wrists and pulled her even closer.

"What in the gods' names are you doing?" A bit winded from her repeated punches.

"You must know how much that hurt! I felt as though I was going to die! You stubborn, arrogant mule!" She yelled, trying to hit him again.
He couldn't help but laugh watching her try to squirm her wrists from his grip.

"You think this is funny?!" She began to kick him until he let go.
She managed to escape his grip but it only seemed to increase his laughter.

"Princess, no offense but your lack of knowledge in self-defense is very evident. You might want to give up before you hurt yourself." He smiled, still a little winded.

She let out an angry cry and charged toward him. The warlock didn't expect her to tackle him to the ground until they were already on the forest floor.
She was still angry but froze for a moment when she saw the shock on the warlock's face. She was completely on top of him, and it took no more than a few seconds for the warlock's stunned expression to change into a mischievous grin.