Forgotten Monsters

Chapter 14- Saved

From behind the assembled crowd a massive sigh was heard. "Honestly, what has he done this time?"

Matthew frowned in confusion as a path cleared and Resa appeared, looking beleaguered as she elbowed her way through the other patrons.

"Is it from being a good for nothing drunk? Or being a lazy scoundrel who can't keep a steady job to support his family? Because believe me I've tried to get him arrested for both but no, apparently I must just get over it." With no fear she shoved the smaller soldier aside and stood in front of Matthew with her hands on her hips. Her hair was swept back into a bun and she had found a very respectable dress that bunched up around the sleeves but otherwise fit her small frame well. She looked nothing like the half mad prisoner he had travelled with the day before.

He couldn't help it, he beamed. She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don't think you can get me to forgive you so easily. After what you pulled yesterday it'll take weeks to get on my good side again."

The soldiers had been so surprised by her appearance that they'd been frozen until that moment. "And who are you?" The short one asked.

Somehow despite being much shorter than them, Resa managed to stare down her nose at the duo. "I'm his wife. Who are you?"

"We're the ones arresting him for aiding the escape of two highly dangerous prisoners."

Matthew thought he saw Resa puff up with pride at being called dangerous. Then she snorted. "Saints if only. He's far too lazy to pull off something like that. I can hardly get him to collect my washing, which is how we put food on the table, there's no way he could plan an escape like that. Not to mention stupid, like I'm stuck with him but the man can hardly remember his own name."

Ok, Matthew thought, Resa was taking this a little far.

"Uh," the taller soldier seemed lost.

Resa spun back to face Matthew. "I should have married your brother. Saints what a bore but you don't see his wife rescuing him from soldiers at the crack of dawn."

"He is mighty pretty though." The serving girl offered.

"It's always the pretty ones who think they don't need to work hard in life," Resa said conspiratorially. At this the crowd nodded solemnly. Resa looked on the verge of laughing. Matthew decided to bite back.

"You weren't asking for my brother last night though were you honey?"

"What do you?" Resa realized what he meant midsentence and a crimson flush colored her cheeks as her mouth dropped open. The soldiers guffawed and the serving girl looked as though she may faint. Matthew grinned at Resa, finding it fascinating the way he could almost see the ideas flashing across her mind. He felt he could almost see when she decided on what to do.

Which is why he almost fell out of his chair when she leapt for him. He grabbed her hands, pinning them to her sides in an effort to avoid her claws. He'd seen her fight yesterday so he knew she was barely trying, something he appreciated. Slowly she stopped fighting, both of them realizing she was straddling his chair. "What now?" he whispered. She was out of breath, from fighting him or something else.

"This." She said with a wink. And then they were kissing. His hands released their grip on her and found the small of her back, drawing her closer. Her fingers threaded through the hair at the nape of his neck, sending shivers across his shoulders and down his spine.

"Maybe this was a misunderstanding," one of the soldiers said.

"You're probably right," said the other.