Heart Thief

Chapter 7: Accelerant

When Caleb lifted his eyes from his slumber, Ire was still buried in his chest, his arms around her. She hadn't woken up that night and disturbed him as she usually did. Something was different with her. She was sleeping peacefully and even when he shifted in the bed, she remained that way.

Though, there was another figure in the room, staring curiously at the two. He had short brown hair and golden eyes that were full of interest. At the same time, he looked like he was pouting. Caleb turned his head to the boy, raising an eyebrow at his presence. In response, the young boy gave a little yelp and backed up until he hit the wall, proceeding to cry as the redhead continued to stare at him.

At this point, Ire rubbed her eyes and buried herself further into the older male's chest, gripping at his shirt. Caleb gave a relaxed sigh and placed his hand on her head, combing his fingers through her hair as a soothing comfort for her. Strangely enough, he quite liked the feeling of it. Her hair wasn't the softest and every now and then, he'd find little tangles that he would try to brush through.

"What do you want, kid?" Caleb asked, making sure to sound intimidating to the child.

He began to shake in fear, his lip even quivering as if he was hiding back cries. When he couldn't take it anymore, he jumped into the bed and clung onto Ire, making her bolt up and reach for her daggers. Doing so made her feel incredibly dizzy and she coughed up blood, looking at it blankly.

"Sorry," the boy said remorsefully, pushing the tips of his fingers together as he looked down at the ground.

"Arthur?" Ire asked, rubbing her eyes, "What are you doing here?"

The boy clung onto the girl and hid behind her as Caleb stared him down. At least, it seemed like that to the child when in actuality, he was just looking at him, trying to figure out what he was. Then the pieces clicked in his mind.

"You're the snobby asshole's little brother, aren't you?" he asked, pointing at the kid.

"Don't call him that," Ire sighed, flicking the redhead's temple, "I haven't told you what an idiot you are, yet, have I? Both of you are at fault."

"It's his fault for being a - "

"Watch your language around this one," she stated before continuing with her explanation, "He could've been a lot more accommodating and you could have been a lot less aggressive. Both of you are at fault."

Caleb rolled his eyes and focused them on the kid who was still cowering behind the girl, making his whimper. He was clearly not the person his older brother was, considering his fearful tendencies. Then again, perhaps it was only because he was a child.

"Liam feels bad," Arthur spoke, directing his comment to Ire, "He wants to eat breakfast with you. There's pancakes!"

Ire's eyes lit up at the thought of eating such a delicacy and sprinted out of the room, making the kid cry from being alone with Caleb. He began to rush out of the room, after her, while the older male remained there, wondering what was happening. Sure, that first day he'd met her as she stole pancakes from him, but she displayed actual emotion at the mention of the food.

Hesitantly, he made his way through the halls, getting lost more than a few times. When he finally found the dining room, he found Ire smiling. He tilted his head, unaware she would or could display such a joy. The older prince was sitting next to her, a large grin present on his face as he watched her eat.

"I do so adore your smile," he chuckled, "And yet you only show it when you're eating sugar. How torturous."

"Caleb!" Ire yelled out, turning to meet his gaze, "Eat! It's delicious!"