Stealing Calista

::10::

She nearly cried in relief but then horror fills he brings at what the soldiers are doing. They are burning the village.

"Stop!" Calista yells. She looks around trying to find a familiar face. "Stop!"

She pushes her way through the tide of bodies and grabs onto one of the soldiers holding the torch. "I order you to-"

He turns around and swats her hard against the face. Calista falls to the ground, her face stinging. Her cheek throbbing she looks up. Realization seems to hit him and the guard frantically helps her up. "I'm so sorry, my Queen."

He blabbers on and on but Calista seems to drown everything out as she watch the soldiers start to cut down the villagers.

Their swords are superior to their handcrafted spears. They fall quickly. She suddenly feels sick again.

The soldier leads me through the chaos and the jungle and she suddenly snaps out of her stupor when her bare feet hit the sand. Black smoke billows up to the sky and tears start to stream down Calista's face.

The soldiers lead Calista with gentle hands her face still throbbing. The screams are too far away to hear on the beach. They help her on a small boat and looking up she sees a huge ship off in the distance.

::::

When they get her on the ship she feels Jasper before she sees him. He wraps his arms around her protectively. His familiar smell surrounds her and she starts crying.

Calista looks up at him with tear filled eyes and she gasps.

Jasper has dark circles under his eyes and he hasn't shaved in who knows how long. He looks like he hasn't slept in a week.

He heart thuds when he cups her face and bring her body flush against him. "I thought you were dead."

She remembers how his soldiers cut down the villagers. How they are burning them to the ground this very minute.

And something hardens inside her. She takes a strap back from him. "I wish I was. I never wanted you to find me." She lies. Her heart hurts for the innocent people slaughtered on his command.

He looks as if he's been slapped. And it shatters her but she remains stone faced. "Your men are painting the island red with innocent blood, your Highness." I say. "Do you want to be responsible for the extinction of the Quaridians?"

He grabs her arm. "What's wrong, Calista?"

Her fiery gaze snaps up to his pleading eyes, and she almost gives in. Almost.

"Everything!" She spits, yanking her arm out his grasp. "You are killing innocents!"

"They were keeping me from you!" He shouts. "We tried for days to enter the jungle from the north side of the island but they drove us out! I had no choice!"

Milani hasn't told her this. Calista doesn't speak. So he continues. "I tried to negotiate but they were killing my men. They wouldn't let me search the island, so I had to use force."

Calista swipes at a tear angrily and he inches closer. "I had to find you. You don't understand." She does.

But when he bends down to kiss her she offers him her cheek. "Calista." He growls.

"Please," She whispers. "I need time to think."

The King steps away from her. "Then I will leave you with your thoughts." He says. Calista could tell he was angry and hurt but so was she.

Her life is not worth all that bloodshed. Jasper might think so but it's not right.

She ends up going down to her cabin to get some sleep when she feels nauseous again. Calista barely makes it to a bucket in time to empty her stomachs contents.

Wiping her mouth, she stumbles to her quarters and flops onto the bed. Not a second later she is out.

::::

When she awakens it is night time. The moons glow drifts through the windows pothole, and gleams off Jasper's bare muscled back.

She doesn't remember him coming to bed and her heart aches that he didn't wrap himself around her. He nearly wiped out a whole race of people.

Calista's hand drifts down to her stomach and her throat goes dry. He wouldn't accept that she was lost at sea. He was nearly driven mad.

Calista's fingers stroke her belly button, knowing now that she is carrying his baby. No one would go to such lengths to find someone as much as he did. It's almost as if he was in love.

She sits up in the bed and looks down at Jasper's sleeping form. Could she love such a beast? He did take her from home and forced her into marriage. But he protected her and kept her safe in his castle.

And he searched the sea until he found her again. Calista gently placed her hand on his shoulder to wake him up.

Jasper grumbles and his eyelids flutter open. Once he notices it's her he snaps them shut again. "Jasper." She says.

He doesn't answer. "Jasper, please." Calista gently rubs his shoulder. "Why are you not answering me? I know you are awake."

Rejecting hits her hard in the chest. She closes her eyes, holding back the tears. She deserves this.

Leaning down she is close enough to whisper in his ear. Kissing his earlobe gently she says, "I'm pregnant." Once the words were said there was no taking it back.

He jerks up and she lays back down on the bed. Jasper straddles her and she smiles sheepishly at his huge grin. "Are you sure?"

"I thought you weren't speaking to me." She states.

"Answer me."

She reaches up and tugs him to her. Calista feels a surge of hope in her chest and she kisses him. She breaks away before things get too intimate. "Promise me something."

His hands grip her hips and he kisses down her neck. "Of course. Anything."

"Promise you won't shed anymore innocent blood for me." Jasper stiffens and she reaches up to run her fingers through his hair. "Please."

"Calista..." He starts.

"I'm not worth it, Jasper." It's the first time she said his name aloud. "You have to understand that people have families and loved ones too."

His head buried into her neck. "Okay." He grits out. "I promise."

Jasper kisses Calista's neck. "You're going to fucking kill me someday, princess." He says. "I didn't sleep for weeks."

She feels something prodding her and blushes. His smell surrounds her and she feels calm for the first time in a really long time.