Loving the Fallen

Chapter eighteen: the hunt

Laelynn's point of view

I was scared, petrified even.

Because of many things.

I was scared for the humans who had to participate in this sick festival. It was wrong in every way possible. Being hunted like deer.

Another thing that scared me was the realization that if I made it to next year as Lord Ries' pet, I would also have to participate in this hunt, whether I liked it or not.

But truly, what undoubtedly scared me the most was Jakob.

That guard was a creep!

The way he always stared at me with malicious intent behind his eyes left me feeling unsettled every time. I was secretly glad when Lord Ries noticed, and he spoke to Orion about it.

I looked into the woods, not seeing anything going on inside. It was dark, and I bet it was cold in there, too. I was warmed up by the big fire in front of me. I looked around, seeing a few other pets watching anxiously. This was not a good evening for any of them. They would be losing some of their friends.

Jillian hasn't been speaking to me as much.  It's because she fought with Amber. Amber was drunk and touchy, excited to meet Jillian. She didn't like that and attacked her.

She's also friends with Kim, and Kim isn't nice to me at all. So I guess I don't really have any friends.

Daniel is there, I guess.

I heard a scream in the forest, meaning that someone had been caught. It's only been two minutes since the hunt started.

"Lord Ries?" I called him to distract myself. He looked away from the trees and hummed like he did last time. I'm sure he felt like I was annoying him, but I didn't have anyone else to speak to. Orion seemed far more invested in the hunt, probably because Jillian was in it.

"What did that female mean when she said the guards can only use their 'gifts'?" I asked. For a while, I've wondered how the Fallen were different from vampires and other similar supernaturals.

"Gifts are the qualities we inherit from our parents. They make us stronger than the rest of the supernaturals." He briefly explained.

"What's your gift?"

He looked at me with a raised brow, "I'm sure you were there when I did it."

I thought for a second before it clicked. "You can cause pain with your mind?"

He laughed, "It sounds pretty boring when you say it like that. I guess that is what I can do, but I can also kill if I do it long enough. It paralyzes my target and burns them from inside out without the fire, however."

That's scary.

I turned to Orion, "What's your gift?"

Orion stared at me, "Hearing."

"I can hear too." I deadpanned.

Lord Ries smiled. "Orion can hear more vividly than any other supernatural. A hundred times more, meaning it can range miles away. He can also hear thoughts and detect lies."

Detect lies?

Hear from a far range?

Does that mean... The day I discussed my escape plan with Jillian...

I looked at him, finding him staring at me knowingly. My mouth fell open. He knew all along!

He probably also knows that Jillian likes him.

"That's an... Interesting gift." I only said. He looked at me for another moment and turned back to the trees. Another scream came. Two out of ten were caught.

"Who has the most powerful gift ever?" I asked Lord Ries.

"I do." He mumbled as if it was common knowledge. "That's why I'm king. I'm the most difficult to defeat."

"That's pretty cool."

"My gift is a mix of my parents' gifts. My father could shoot fire with his hands, and my mother is telepathic. It kind of merged when I was born." He explained to me with a smile. "My father always set stuff around our home on fire by mistake, and my mother would always smack his head."

I laughed at the sweet memory, making Lord Ries smile. I wondered where his family was now. Orion didn't seem to resemble Lord Ries even if they addressed each other as brothers. I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to overstep my boundaries.

"Sounds like you had a fun childhood." I told him. His hand landed on my waist, and he played with the fabric of my dress, squeezing it with his fingers. "It was okay. We had our pleasant and bad moments."

Two screams followed.

"How was your childhood?" He asked me. My smile faded the moment I thought about it. It wasn't the most pleasant, unfortunately. It was hard, if anything, but that's how it was meant to be for humans.

Lord Ries must have noticed my shift in mood because he quickly apologized. "Forgive me, I forget that..." He paused.

"That we didn't have it as easy as you did?" I finished his statement. He frowned, his eyes falling to my dress instead. I sighed and looked back at the forest. We were having such a nice conversation, and it just completely shifted.

I felt a finger under my chin, tilting my head upwards. Lord Ries gently made me look at him, and my eyes widened at how close he was. I could see Orion eyeing us from the corner of my eye, probably curious about what was happening.

"I am unsure of what you had to go through as you were growing up." He said to me, his eyes showing concern. He sounded unnaturally sincere, which was so unlike him.

"I promise that I won't make life difficult for you if you stay with me. I know that I haven't shown you as yet, but I really want you to be happy and comfortable around me."

I had no words.

Mainly because I had no idea that he would say anything like this.

So I just hugged him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself against him tightly. My eyes closed as I buried my face against the crook of his neck. My lips brushed against his warm skin, making his breath hitch. His arms firmly wrapped around my waist, keeping me close to him.

"Eren," I heard Orion whisper.

"I know," Lord Ries responded. I didn't know what that meant, but I didn't care, just wanting to savor whatever moment I was having. I felt much safer than I've ever been, and I was happier too.

I stayed in his arms until the hunt was over, and when I opened my eyes, the guards had started making their way out. A few guards stepped out with two pets struggling against them, trying to break free from their grips. They screamed and wailed, knowing that their time was up. I felt my heart break. No matter how much some of these creatures didn't want to harm us, the rest of them did.

The males all cheered proudly, clapping loudly in congratulations. The remaining pets were escorted out, and Jillian and Kim were two of the survivors. They looked exhausted, which was expected from fighting for your life. Orion grinned, "Another year, Jillian. Very good."

Lord Ries gently lifted me off him and pushed me to Orion. I looked at him in confusion.

"I must congratulate them and reward the male who caught the most pets. After that, I'll be sure to come back. Orion, get her away from here. I don't want her to see any of what happens after."

The killing.

Orion nodded and stood up, holding my hand and leading me back into the house. I looked back, finding two pairs of unsettling eyes looking at me.

Jillian glaring at me.

Jakob smirking at me.

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