Love Hurts ((ON HOLD))

Chapter XI

Instinctually, Malisa shielded her eyes using the closest thing to her, which was Mero's shoulder. Blinking her eyes open, she realized at some time between the flash of light and the end of it, Mero had gathered her up into his arms and begun to carry her as they began to fall...

No. They were flying.

Both Mero and Otho had spread their wings and were gliding through the open air towards nothing short of a palace on a mountainside in the distance.

Daring to take in her surroundings, Malisa glanced over her other shoulder to see nothing but sky and pink clouds beneath her. No land was in sight as they soared through the sky, no sign of the sanctuary where she left her mother behind while the wind whipped her hair from her braid as she peered into the early dawn hues surrounding her.

The sun, however, was nowhere to be seen. No beams of warm light permeated through the sky or the clouds— they just were. And neither Otho nor Mero paid them any notice as they soared towards the distant palace. The clouds at its base were so thick, she could not see where its mountain began, making it seem like it was truly a castle in the sky.

"If your nails dig in any deeper, you're going to make me think you enjoy that sort of thing."

Malisa whipped her head towards Mero, who gave her a devious smirk as he held her aloft. Looking at her hands, her nails had indeed embedded themselves into the skin at his shoulder and neck not protected by the chainmail armor he wore. She loosened her grip just enough to remove her nails from his skin, and would have let go completely if she didn't think he'd drop her the moment he had the chance.

"If I didn't know any better, you do," she snapped back, turning away to hide the flush on her cheeks at the insinuation of what she may or may not enjoy in the bedroom.

"I never said I didn't," he purred, his breath warm against the exposed skin of her neck. "It's too bad you'll never know for yourself."

She forced herself to breathe through the sensations his warmth was sending through her, this u known general to a god who was her father. "If you hadn't heard, I'm cursed and you'd end up dead anyway."

"If you hadn't heard, I'm immortal and can't die."

Slowly she turned back towards him. There was nothing kind in his gaze. Nothing sensual or flirtatious to match the tone he took with her— it was purely primal, almost hedonistic, and dangerous.

And challenging.

She held that terrifying gaze a moment longer before looking elsewhere— towards where Otho flew in the distance towards the glistening sky castle. When her mother told her to be careful and to trust no one, it was becoming apparent she specifically meant people like Mero.

Thankfully, Mero remained silent as they continued their flight to the cloud palace. As it drew closer, the details of the architecture became more prominent, and the white stone seemed to glow with a light source all its own. Above the clouds were levels and levels of archways and windows and balconies and hanging gardens and waterfalls. As they flew around towards the back of the palace, she saw a large glass-paned arboretum, leading out to an open yard of gardens and marble fountains.

It was in that yard that they landed, Otho first and Mero carrying Malisa behind them. The landing was gentle as if it had been done time and time again, but as the ground grew closer, she did hold Mero tighter, closing her eyes and gripping his shoulder until they stopped moving.

She expected him to drop her onto the ground, and chances are he would have if Otho wasn't watching them both like an assigned chaperone. Maybe that's why they came together— clearly she didn't need two generals to accompany her? What harm could she alone cause? Or perhaps it was because Otho was far more diplomatic than Mero, and had a smoother sense about him when it came to words first rather than actions.