SCREAMING IN THE DARK, I HOWL WHEN WE'RE APART
The water is still dripping from her whiskers when she gasps. Her eyes, so stark and blue against her monochrome face, widen. Her ears twitch several times before settling back against her nape. Úna's nostrils quiver as she takes in his scent. So familiar. She knows who he is. She remembers. The worst day of her life. It is such a visceral and clear memory. Her father met him, the tiger of the desert, with tooth and claw. Úna remembers the blood and the way it stained the ground. She remembers falling to her knees in the shallows and calling for her mother until her voice went hoarse. She remembers the way she could no longer look at her father as he watched them swim away.
"I remember you," her voice doesn't quiver. The fear that turned to recognition has transformed again to a mask. Her face is blank as if the words he'd spoken hadn't registered. She stares at him before finally picking her head up. She's terrified, but she doesn't let it show. Her mother had gone with grace.
"My mother was not your toy, just as I am not." She spits, far more venom than she had ever wielded before. It surprises her, the sound unfamiliar to her own ears and her eyes widen slightly. Even without Bluebird at her side, Úna feels a confidence she had not known before. She arches her neck, attempting to appear taller and perhaps more formidable as she fixes him with her gaze. "I will not be going anywhere with you."
She is shaking but she doesn't let the fear reach her eyes. Her heart hammers against her ribs like a caged bird and she's afraid he might be able to hear it. It's all she hears. It's loud in her ears and she takes a deep breath. Úna flicks her tail as she takes a step back and away from Rafe. Laws be damned, she was not going anywhere with him. Or so she thought.
Or so she hoped. |
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