Never Run

015 ::: Never Hope

Can I cry now? Oh my absolute gosh, this story has made it to over 1,000 reads and I still cannot believe it. Thank you all so much, you have no idea how much it means to me that people enjoy this story. I honestly have the best readers, I know EVERY writer says that, but it's actually only true for me :)

Again, please don't hesitate to comment any errors or inconsistencies you find!

Thank you again and so much love goes out to you all.

This chapter is dedicated to RaptorRN for being an awesome reader and commenter on my stories!

Enjoy! :) <3

I don't think he ever left.

When I wake up, I notice Xaler's body sitting right next to me in a light brown chair. His chin rests upon his clasped hands, staring at me, watching every single little move I make. I breathe in and his eyes follow my chest as it raises up and then all over again when I exhale. It's beyond annoying. I narrow my eyes and try to shift myself into a sitting position, but I am forced back down, my wrists still bound to the bed in the pristine white holsters, preventing me from moving myself upwards.

Huffing I throw my head into my pillow in frustration. Being this confined was not something I was used to, unless I count the time when Xaler chained me to the bed, but at least then I still had some radius of movement. But now all I could do was lay in my bed and fume silently, internally at the person sitting next to me.

Xaler leans forward and slips his hand into mine, entwining our fingers together and I recoil at the physical contact. When I try to pull my hand from his, he grips tighter, "Please, don't," Xaler whispers, his voice broken.

"I will do whatever, just please don't move away from me. Please don't leave me again."

I furrowed my eyebrows together in confusion. Was he begging me for something? Was he asking for my forgiveness? My submission? I truly didn't understand what was going on, but I knew I didn't trust him. There was an agenda. There was always an agenda when it came to these beasts and I didn't want to be stupid enough to fall into whatever mental trap he was trying to set.

Continuing to stare at him, I tried to figure out what it was that was held in his eyes. The emotion made me feel uneasy. It made my stomach flip, just once, just slightly, but it was a slip nonetheless. And for the briefest second, I felt a pang of guilt for putting him through the horror of almost losing me.

I hardened my face and grit my teeth, forcing the emotion from my body, upset with myself for feeling any sort of remorse towards the monster that has put me through hell for the last month or so. For the man that took my freedom long before the day of my execution. The man that still contributes to the oppression of my people. The man that made me try to take my own life. The man that would be my undoing.

"Just tell me why," he inquired quietly.

My eyes widened in a mix of anger and surprise, "Tell you why? What do you mean 'why'? You're going to sit there and honestly tell me you don't know?" I scoffed and shook my head, trying once again to pry my hand from his.