A Simple Love Story, Part Two: Wish I Had An Angel
“I wish I had an angel,” stated Kara mournfully.
Carus snorted at that and said, “Angel’s don’t exist. You should know that by now - the gods don’t give a damn about us. If they exist at all either.”
“But…you’re…”
“Like I said before,” he snapped, “I’m not an angel.”
Kara, no longer the skinny girl of thirteen he’d dragged out of a burning building, frowned and brushed her auburn hair back out of her eyes. She frowned and sucked in a breath then let it out in an annoyed puff of air as her shoulders slumped slightly. Carus’ eyes darted towards her then, watching the sudden rise and fall of her ample chest with all the pleasure of a male. He didn’t make any attempts at hiding his looking and her scowl told him that she knew it.
“Then why do you have wings?” she asked snappishly.
He shrugged absently, his gaze already moved from her to the streets below their perch atop the Fighter’s Guild.
“How should I know?”
“You should know!”
“Why?” asked Carus, giving her a brief but pointed look.
Kara frowned and replied, “Because they’re attached to you and you should be at least a little bit curious as to why they’re there?”
“Couldn’t care less about the ‘why’. I just know that they’re there and I know how to use them - what else do I need to know?”
She stared at him for a long moment then huffed, crossing her arms as she angrily pouted. The position of her arms did interesting things to her chest and he leered at her until she snapped, “Stop it!”
“Why?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “You’re a good looking woman with all of the bits in just the right places. And I’m a man…shouldn’t I have the right to leer?”
“No,” spat Kara with a fierce glare. She tried to cover her chest with her arms and sniffed, “Its embarrassing.”
Carus snorted at that. “There are girls down there who would kill to have a man take notice of them.”
“Well, I’m not one of them, okay? So can you stop it?”
He took note of the shrill tone in her voice and the spatters of his conscience - the same thing that had made him save her in the first place five years previous - caused him to nod. “Fine,” he grumbled. “Ruin all my fun, why don’t you?”
She sniffed again and he scowled at her, annoyed to find a few tears on her cheeks. If he’d been anyone else, he might’ve moved over and wrapped a comforting arm around her. But he was himself and he wasn’t a damn nice guy. Hell, he wasn’t even remotely a nice guy.
Unless that stupid conscience got in the way.
Sighing, he growled, “Oh, dry your tears, lil’bit. We’ve still got a job to do, y’know.”
Kara sniffed again then dragged a corner of her sleeve across her nose, wiping the tears from her eyes. She smiled at him because of the nickname - which he insisted was short for ‘little bitch’ but she knew that deep down he liked having her around - and murmured, “Okay.”
“Good. There’s our target there.”
“Where?”
“Heading towards the Sorcerer’s Hall. You see him? The scarlet cloak?”
Kara nodded and asked, “You want me to play the helpless maiden again?”
Carus leered in response.
Her expression hardened and growled, “The prostitute then.”
“Nobleman like that’s got his vices, lil’bit. And the street women are usually the biggest his kind have.”
Kara looked at him for a long moment then nodded and rose, carefully starting the climb down the vine covered side of the Fighter’s Guild. He watched her from above, smirking as she pulled her tunic open and adjusted the shirt underneath to show almost all of her ample chest. His smirk widened as she slid her skirt down to show off a long expanse of tanned skin then half looped her tunic back together. Then he shook his head and growled to himself, “She’s just another woman. Don’t get too attached.”
Too late, grumbled his annoying inner voice.
Squashing it, he rose and half-opened his wings, using the slight lift to propel himself to the next building. He continued bounding across roofs until he came to a stop atop the library right next the Sorcerer’s Hall, poised right above the two figures below him in the alley.
For a moment he considered just sitting down and watching the show, not even bothering to jump down and ambush the noble…then things took a turn. Kara gave a cry of pain as the noble shoved her against a wall, Carus catching with eagle-sharp eyes that the man was fumbling at his waist. The terror in her cry was clear and it rang to something deep within him that demanded he respond.
Now this was not fine by him.
Spreading his wings, he came to his feet and leapt down, angling feathers carefully so he would land right. He came down on the noble’s shoulders, the sharp claws on his tough bare feet digging through cloth, and drove the man straight down to the ground. A ragged scream of pain and breaking bone rang through the alley and Carus crouched down, quickly rummaging through the noble’s cloak and tunic. When he came up with a heavy pouch that clinked when it shifted and an expensive looking medallion with a ruby he jerked from around the noble’s neck, he grabbed Kara’s arm and tugged her further down the alley.
He jerked her into an alcove as guards poured into the space, his wings spreading out and around them. The darkness of the alcove and his inky feathers hid them from sight and Kara shuddered in his arms. It impressed him that she managed to keep quiet the sobs he knew she wanted to utter.
The tense moment of nearness of the guards passed as they called healers and took the noble’s shattered body away. Carus unfolded his wings from around them and they slipped back under his cloak as he stuffed the heavy pouch and necklace into his belt. Then he grabbed Kara’s face in both hands, forcing her to look up at him, and hissed, “Cry, girl.”
She stared at him, tears in her eyes, and he knew the sob was on her lips. But to his surprise she gathered some sort of inner strength and shook her head. He frowned then nodded, drawing her shaking form back against his chest.
Even he wasn’t heartless enough to push away a girl who’d nearly been raped.
“…I have…”
“What?” he asked, not having heard her.
Kara looked up at that, a smile on her face. “I do have an angel. Even if you’re not a very good one.”
Carus snorted and pushed her away with, “Whatever you say, lil’bit.”
“Thank you, Carus.”
Some part of him preened at the praise but he just growled and grabbed her hand, jerking her out the other end of the alley and back towards home. And another knew that after this everything was going to change between them.
Carus snorted at that and said, “Angel’s don’t exist. You should know that by now - the gods don’t give a damn about us. If they exist at all either.”
“But…you’re…”
“Like I said before,” he snapped, “I’m not an angel.”
Kara, no longer the skinny girl of thirteen he’d dragged out of a burning building, frowned and brushed her auburn hair back out of her eyes. She frowned and sucked in a breath then let it out in an annoyed puff of air as her shoulders slumped slightly. Carus’ eyes darted towards her then, watching the sudden rise and fall of her ample chest with all the pleasure of a male. He didn’t make any attempts at hiding his looking and her scowl told him that she knew it.
“Then why do you have wings?” she asked snappishly.
He shrugged absently, his gaze already moved from her to the streets below their perch atop the Fighter’s Guild.
“How should I know?”
“You should know!”
“Why?” asked Carus, giving her a brief but pointed look.
Kara frowned and replied, “Because they’re attached to you and you should be at least a little bit curious as to why they’re there?”
“Couldn’t care less about the ‘why’. I just know that they’re there and I know how to use them - what else do I need to know?”
She stared at him for a long moment then huffed, crossing her arms as she angrily pouted. The position of her arms did interesting things to her chest and he leered at her until she snapped, “Stop it!”
“Why?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “You’re a good looking woman with all of the bits in just the right places. And I’m a man…shouldn’t I have the right to leer?”
“No,” spat Kara with a fierce glare. She tried to cover her chest with her arms and sniffed, “Its embarrassing.”
Carus snorted at that. “There are girls down there who would kill to have a man take notice of them.”
“Well, I’m not one of them, okay? So can you stop it?”
He took note of the shrill tone in her voice and the spatters of his conscience - the same thing that had made him save her in the first place five years previous - caused him to nod. “Fine,” he grumbled. “Ruin all my fun, why don’t you?”
She sniffed again and he scowled at her, annoyed to find a few tears on her cheeks. If he’d been anyone else, he might’ve moved over and wrapped a comforting arm around her. But he was himself and he wasn’t a damn nice guy. Hell, he wasn’t even remotely a nice guy.
Unless that stupid conscience got in the way.
Sighing, he growled, “Oh, dry your tears, lil’bit. We’ve still got a job to do, y’know.”
Kara sniffed again then dragged a corner of her sleeve across her nose, wiping the tears from her eyes. She smiled at him because of the nickname - which he insisted was short for ‘little bitch’ but she knew that deep down he liked having her around - and murmured, “Okay.”
“Good. There’s our target there.”
“Where?”
“Heading towards the Sorcerer’s Hall. You see him? The scarlet cloak?”
Kara nodded and asked, “You want me to play the helpless maiden again?”
Carus leered in response.
Her expression hardened and growled, “The prostitute then.”
“Nobleman like that’s got his vices, lil’bit. And the street women are usually the biggest his kind have.”
Kara looked at him for a long moment then nodded and rose, carefully starting the climb down the vine covered side of the Fighter’s Guild. He watched her from above, smirking as she pulled her tunic open and adjusted the shirt underneath to show almost all of her ample chest. His smirk widened as she slid her skirt down to show off a long expanse of tanned skin then half looped her tunic back together. Then he shook his head and growled to himself, “She’s just another woman. Don’t get too attached.”
Too late, grumbled his annoying inner voice.
Squashing it, he rose and half-opened his wings, using the slight lift to propel himself to the next building. He continued bounding across roofs until he came to a stop atop the library right next the Sorcerer’s Hall, poised right above the two figures below him in the alley.
For a moment he considered just sitting down and watching the show, not even bothering to jump down and ambush the noble…then things took a turn. Kara gave a cry of pain as the noble shoved her against a wall, Carus catching with eagle-sharp eyes that the man was fumbling at his waist. The terror in her cry was clear and it rang to something deep within him that demanded he respond.
Now this was not fine by him.
Spreading his wings, he came to his feet and leapt down, angling feathers carefully so he would land right. He came down on the noble’s shoulders, the sharp claws on his tough bare feet digging through cloth, and drove the man straight down to the ground. A ragged scream of pain and breaking bone rang through the alley and Carus crouched down, quickly rummaging through the noble’s cloak and tunic. When he came up with a heavy pouch that clinked when it shifted and an expensive looking medallion with a ruby he jerked from around the noble’s neck, he grabbed Kara’s arm and tugged her further down the alley.
He jerked her into an alcove as guards poured into the space, his wings spreading out and around them. The darkness of the alcove and his inky feathers hid them from sight and Kara shuddered in his arms. It impressed him that she managed to keep quiet the sobs he knew she wanted to utter.
The tense moment of nearness of the guards passed as they called healers and took the noble’s shattered body away. Carus unfolded his wings from around them and they slipped back under his cloak as he stuffed the heavy pouch and necklace into his belt. Then he grabbed Kara’s face in both hands, forcing her to look up at him, and hissed, “Cry, girl.”
She stared at him, tears in her eyes, and he knew the sob was on her lips. But to his surprise she gathered some sort of inner strength and shook her head. He frowned then nodded, drawing her shaking form back against his chest.
Even he wasn’t heartless enough to push away a girl who’d nearly been raped.
“…I have…”
“What?” he asked, not having heard her.
Kara looked up at that, a smile on her face. “I do have an angel. Even if you’re not a very good one.”
Carus snorted and pushed her away with, “Whatever you say, lil’bit.”
“Thank you, Carus.”
Some part of him preened at the praise but he just growled and grabbed her hand, jerking her out the other end of the alley and back towards home. And another knew that after this everything was going to change between them.