Chapter 23: Save Me
Her pupils slowly constricted as she stared straight into his eyes, as mesmerizing and seductive as they looked, she wasn’t going to let herself fall stupidly into his antics.
“Why? Could it be.... you’ve fallen for me already?” She teasingly inquired, “or do I look so good that you can’t wait to claim me?”
She knew how horrible of a state she was at the moment, dirty, drenched, a bit sticky and wasn’t entirely oblivious to that, so this was just a way of indirectly telling him he had a very low taste.
To her surprise, his lips curled slightly into an unreadable smirk, unable to seal the bitterness hidden within them. He was tempted to grab her neck and squeeze every living breath out of her tiny lungs, that way, she wouldn’t even be alive to dare him to this extent.
But he couldn’t do it, despite being so compelled by his rage, he found it difficult to lay a hand on her.
Just as he was about to spit another venom, he abruptly paused like someone who had been controlled by a remote, noticing the daring woman was staring at him, not in the same hateful way but it looked simple, almost like she was trying to see through him and the darkness evolving around his circles.
He felt strange the more he gazed into her big brown eyes, he sensed her emotion’s and couldn’t ignore the familiarity of all of it.
.....
Her eyes, her name, her annoying attitude.
“Have we met before?” She suddenly popped the question that has been rampaging in his mind as well, bringing him back to the present as he met her simple, yet questionable gaze.
“What?”
Annalise finally blinked, thinking over the question she had accidentally slipped from her mouth and a wave of embarrassment filled her whole.
‘How could she have asked something like that?’
It was too impossible, here he was trying to frighten her and she’s basically asking an irrelevant question that has nothing to do with it.
“It’s nothing.” She hesitantly averted her gaze before he noticed the colors painting her cheeks, wanting to move away but when she couldn’t move, it finally dawned on her that he still had her trapped against the wall.
“Let me go, I need to freshen up, we should be grateful that the kind woman gave us extra clothings else we would be stuck on this.” She thoughtfully pointed out.
As much as she kept trying to hold it in, her eyes were bound to turn her sooner or later so before that, she’d rather make use of her precious time than waste it on a completely immoral being who goes by the name Roshan.
Even his name sounds evil to her ears, or so she thought.
Roshan couldn’t help but contemplate on her words and even if he hated to admit it, she was right. He equally had a lot of important things to focus on as well so why waste it on an annoying stranger?
It actually felt like he was finding it difficult to stop himself from reacting whenever she spoke which was clearly unlike him.
Releasing his hold on her before she made him lose his mind, he reached for the outfit which was neatly laid on the bed for both of them.
“You wait here, I’ll take the first bath.” He wasn’t suggesting, he was making it clear to her and that only stirred her mood once again, doesn’t he know how to talk politely without making it sound like an order?
“And if I refuse?” She asked with folded arms but he barely reacted as he stood at the doorway of the bathroom, adjacent to the barely spacious room.
“You might as well join me.” He shrugged, knowing she wouldn’t even dare to do something like that and as expected, her feisty demeanor slowly faded as her hands dropped.
“You_”
He went into the bathroom without giving her a chance to rant about how ‘immoral’ his words were, slamming the door in her face and leaving her stupefied by his actions.
She gaped at the door for a few unblinking seconds before masking her expression with a look of anger and disgust.
Her hands balled into a tight fist by her side, if she hadn’t brought the idea of taking a bath in the first place, she doubts he would be so enigmatic about it.
Later that night, Anna sat down on the cool floor while resting her back against the wall, staring into space while Roshan leaned against the wall opposite where Anna was staying.
They had both freshened up and changed into warmer clothes, and with no further arguments taking place, the room became awkwardly quiet and only the sounds of crickets chirping their disturbing noises could be heard.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” Roshan proceeded to break the uncomfortable silence, folding his arms above his chest while staring at the talkative who had grown unusually quiet.
Another empty silence fell in the room, making things more complicated for Roshan and just when he was about to give up, he saw her move, adjusting her sitting position into a more comfortable one before meeting his gaze.
“What were you fighting at the forest?” She had been meaning to ask this question because he wouldn’t be able to deceive her that he fought nothing.
She heard the fierce clashing of swords and she sensed its presence, but he had refused to let her see what he was fighting.
“A storm Demon.”
His response jolted her out of her deep thinking and she met his gaze. Roshan had expected her to ask that particular question sooner or later and he had no intention of hiding it in the first place, he just didn’t want her to see it.
“A storm Demon?”
He nodded, but it only added to her worry at the thoughts of Demon lurking around Euphrasia, her brows knitted into contemplation as she remembered the words of the woman who took them in. A look of exclamation crossed her face, that means she was right! Demon’s are really lurking around the paths of Euphrasia!
Could they also be the ones responsible for the death of those people at the river bank??
Roshan, who stood against the wall looking like a handsome devil, didn’t fail to notice the multiple expressions crossing her face as she went mute again. What was she seriously thinking about?
“Storm Demon’s..... do they have anything to do with the weather as well?” She asked again, thinking back to the incident which occured when she was a child that led to the death of not just her mother, but a lot of people who were on that ship.
Not only that, the rain also calmed after Roshan fought with the demon.
“Possibly.” He casually responded and to his unexpected surprise, he noticed a look of pain flash before her watery eyes.
Demons! She silently cursed with hatred in her head, how could she not have guessed that those unforgiving, heartless creatures were behind it??
Slowly getting up to her feet when the floor was starting to feel less comfortable and wanting to keep her resolve, her dizziness which she had been trying so hard to tame finally struck her with a much greater force this time around, causing her to stagger back once again and it didn’t miss the sight of Roshan.
He didn’t utter a word but his eyes dilated slightly at the unexpected behavior, why was she feeling constantly dizzy all the time??
“Are you alright?”
Annalise, who had her back against the wall frantically felt the birthmark on her forehead, she looked up to see Roshan heading her way but he looked vague. Her vision had become too blurry, extremely blurry and her knees suddenly gave in.
“Anna!”
Just like in the temple, she felt herself fall in the arms of someone instead of finding herself on the cold floor. Her eyelids grew heavier by each passing second and when she looked at the hazy figure who had her in his arms. She remembered when he was the only one capable of helping her and getting her out of the forest.
When he called her name, why did it feel like it wasn’t the first time hearing him call her in that manner?
A tiny smile formed on her lips, she must be hallucinating due to the effects of her birthmark but it kept draining her energy and causing the speed of her heart to negatively deteriorate.
According to the old physician, the more she goes unconscious, the slower her heartbeat becomes and the it’ll keep deteriorating until they eventually stop permanently.
She didn’t want to die, at least not yet and being in his arms, it brought an unknown feeling like he was the one capable of getting rid of her pain.
“Roshan.” She whispered, leaving the confused being who was clueless on what to do look at the face of the lady he had in his arms and he noticed how pale her face had suddenly become.
“S_save me.” Those sensitive words escaped from her lips in a very weak whisper, but it sounded like a desperate call for help before she got enveloped by the darkness which had been pulling her in, causing her to pass out right in his arms.
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