Devotion (Thorin/OC)

Chapter eight: A Night To Remeber...

Luka POV

Little did I know, this night was going to be one to remember...

I watched as the entire group of dwarves, all 12 of them, raided Bilbo's pantry taking every scrap and morsel they found. It was quite amusing to watch as the distressed hobbit followed each dwarf as they ran off with his food, attempting to save anything he could from the hungry men. Needless to say he failed...repeatedly.

"Those are my plates! Excuse me! Not my wine. Put that back. Put that back! Not the jam, please! ...Excuse me." Bilbo cried, trying in vain to salvage something, his face going red from lack of air. I watched hungrily as a dwarf walk by me towards the kitchen, cut of raw steak in his arms. In a flash, I snatched a particularly bloody piece and ripped into it, savouring the taste of blood on my tongue, before I even realised. I immediately scolded myself and hid the meat away for later. Thankfully no one saw...or so I thought.

"So...what was that about? Last time I saw you, you were in control of...that" Gandalf spoke quietly so no one else would hear, but my eyes still flickered nervously to the merry dwarves around us.

"Yes...well. Things have changed" I snapped, the monster effecting me as it struggled for control. It felt like I was constantly fighting it, never resting mentally. The dwarves pottered around us, carrying plates, chairs and food into the...newly converted dining area. I sighed, I didn't like how dangerous this was for those around me. I wasn't sure if I could contain it. It was as if I had a killer beast on the end of a piece of flimsy string that could snap at any moment.

"It's different, Gandalf. It's like I have this creature , no this...this monster inside me...and it's constantly fighting for control. I don't know how long I'll be able to contain it, but when it gets lose..." I trailed off, letting my words hang in the air. Gandalf opened his mouth to speak, but we were suddenly interrupted by a dwarf.

"Excuse me, Mr. Gandalf, can I tempt you with a nice cup of chamomile tea?" The dwarf had grey hair they was tightly braided to his head. I smelt the aroma of the hot tea and almost purred.

"Oh, no thank you, Dori. A little red wine for me, I think-" Gandalf paused, seeing my face he chuckled "-but I think Luka here would very much appreciate a cup of tea"

I smiled sheepishly at the dwarf and was pleasantly surprised when he smiled back. Gandalf wandered out of the room as the dwarf handed me a cup of tea.

"Thank you " I purred, taking a deep drink of the scolding hot tea and letting it slide down my throat.

"No problem miss Luka-"

"Just Luka please" I insisted, and the dwarf nodded, smiling.

"Dori at your service, m- Luka. Now I better get Gandalf his wine." Dori chuckled before walking away and leaving me with my tea cup. I retreated to a far corner of the room, near the head of the table, and sat on a stool in the corner. Hopefully no one would bother me, and my tea, here. To my alarm, the dwarves started to pile into the room, where the vast feast was laid out. The second they sat, they tucked into the food, eating like toddlers with food streaming down their faces. I watched in awe as they stuffed handful after handful into their maws. I sat quietly, gulping down the rest of my tea and letting it sooth me.

"Bombur, catch!" A dwarf with a furry hat shouted, alarming me. He chucked a piece of meat at a huge dwarf who caught the morsel in his mouth. Shouts and cheers erupted from the table, making me wince. I couldn't help but notice a chair at the head of the table, near me, was empty. I held the tiny cup in my hands, afraid I could brake it if I wasn't careful. I hated that I could destroy something so small, fragile and beautiful in one anger fuelled move. I could kill every one of these merry dwarves in the blink of an eye, death was constantly on my mind. And I hated it. I hated the monster inside me.