Chapter 15. Too Personal

Estelle

I hadn’t ever been in a battle like this before, and I quickly realised Leighton could tell. I waited for his anger but it didn’t come, he simply attaches himself to me like glue.

It was more than frustrating not to help, but his moves were so practised and focused he clearly knew what he was doing so for once I found myself obeying him. That was until I felt the power surge of a dark witch.

I had to reach onto reserves I hadn’t used yet to get us out of there. Creating the whirlwind nearly caused me to pass out but I needed to keep awake long enough for Leighton to get us away. I felt Raine lending me all the strength she had to stay awake but soon the trees that passed were blurry and I could feel my grip lesson.

I felt myself fall into a soft bed of flowers, Lucia giggling as she lay beside me.

“Get up sleepy, we have important work to do.” She said , just like she had woke me every morning since she understood the role of a future Queen and crown Princess.

“Kingdoms don’t run themselves.” She giggled, throwing flowers in the air.

“GET UP.” Lucia’s face became Leighton mud splattered face as he dragged me to my feet. “We aren’t far enough way away yet.”

I couldn’t get my legs to work and didn’t even have the energy to hold on so he picked me up bridal style and continued to run through the forest, avoiding the road.

“Just a little further princess, there is a cave nearby, I can let you rest a little there.

He held me against his chest, which was as hard as board, hell even his muscles had muscles, but I was too exhausted to protest and despite his coaxing my eyelids kept closing.

I don’t know how long it was before I woke up. My head was pounding and my shoulder ached. I could feel my top sticking to a wound on my shoulder with dried blood, pulling as I tried to move and I felt the blood start to trickle down my arm.

I whimpered as I tried to move my arm, and liking around for Leighton I realised he had left me.

Where had he gone ? I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. He wouldn’t leave me, he would be getting help or something. My jacket was missing and I shivered on the cold floor. It was liking more like he was gone.

I needed to think up a plan. If my memory serves me correctly Jackson’s pack was the closest one but still quite far considering I couldn’t shift. I didn’t know how far Leighton got me.

I probably didn’t have any time to waste I should get moving. If I was right about my bearings I needed to go south and I should eventually hit them.

Walking towards the cave entrance was painful, I wasn’t looking forward to this. I heard a noise at the entrance and o quickly backed up against the wall trying to hide in the shadows. Breathing out a sign of relief when it was Leighton.

He looked confused and surprised to see me awake and came rushing over.

“I thought you left me.” I blurted out.

“I thought you would sleep longer, where were you going?”

“South” I admitted.

“I was laying a false trial in case we were followed, we should be okay now. And just for the record I won’t leave you princess.”

He sounded sad when he said those words and he was looking at me strangely. It was in the tip of my tongue to explain to him that I wouldn’t be holding him to that because I had already learned that I couldn’t rely on anyone.

He didn’t say anymore but went to the back of the cave.

“We will just rest a little then head on again. Okay.” He settled himself where he had left me sleeping.

I didn’t know what to do, my shoulder was aching and because my top was sticking to the wound every time I moved it pulled. It was also freezing now and the walls and floor where stone cold.

Maybe I should look at my shoulder. I started to peel the top back but I had to stop as the wound opened up and started to bleed again. Okay best leave that alone I would just have to wait to deal with this.

“Whats wrong?” Leighton demanded from the corner.

“Nothing.” I lied, trying to pretend my shoulder was fine. His wolf had healed all his wounds already.

He sighed and got up. “Let me see.” He pointed at my shoulder.

“Honestly it will be fine.” I could bear to try and move it again.”

“Let…Me…See.” He repeated, and when I just looked at him he lifted my sleeve up causing me to bite down on my cheek to stop from screaming.

“S***, you should have said.” He assessed my wound a bit more. “I need to go get something to dress this, stay here.”

Just as he left the cave he shouted back. “I promise I’ll be back.”

Leighton

Her head wound didn’t look too bad but her shoulder was a mess, because she hasn’t complained I hadn’t even thought to check it . I needed to get some herbs to treat it before it got infected.

I also still couldn’t believe that she thought I left her and she was just going to carry on alone. Most young wolves would have fallen apart. If I needed anymore evidence that she would be a great queen I had it here.

She was waiting for my return and didn’t complain while I re assessed the wound. Alpha salvia is known for its healing properties and while I wasn’t an alpha I had an alpha wolf so it was probably worth trying as I hadn’t found maybe around here to help.

“You shoulder is a… mess if I’m honest. There is something that might help…but you might not like it too much.”

“Is it any worse that what you just did?”

I had heard her grinding her teeth as I tried to pull the stick fabric out.

“Less sore but a bit more …personal.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I trust you. Do what you think is best.”

I was a little taken aback, she didn’t appear to trust anyone

. “Okay then, salvia might help it heal faster so we can move. So I’m just going to em lick your wound my ..”

“Your an alpha?”

“I’m the son of an alpha and I have an alpha wolf but I think it will still work.”

“Okay.” She looked away and with her good arm she held her hair out of the way. Her slender neck was now on display as I tried to concentrate on what I was doing.

I had never done this before, and it felt oddly personal. Crouching down beside her I hovered over her wound, wondering how to start. I gently swiped my tongue over the bottom of the wound, pausing when she hissed. Her eyes were tightly closed in pain, which was helpful as I was finding this far too erotic.

Expecting the metallic sting of blood I was surprised at how sweet she tasted. I ran my tongue the length of her wound, almost having to stop myself from just tasting her bare skin as well. Once I had covered the whole wound in saliva I placed a kiss on her shoulder beside the wound. Forcing myself to pull away before I got carried away.

Her eyes were still tightly closed and when I asked if that was okay she replied in a strangled voice that told me otherwise.

“I’m going to place these herbs over the top. Hopefully it will stop bleeding now.”

I felt her tremble as I touched her and I fought to keep my shaking hands under control.

Once I had finished dressing the wound the best I could I got myself comfortable beside her. I wrapped one arm around her so she could lean on my chest.

“Sleep Princess, we have a long way still to go.”

She snuggled her good side into me and I felt her relax.

“Leighton.” She whispered after a moment.

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

I didn’t reply but it felt better than it should to do something nice for her. It was also more comfortable than it should be lying on a cold hard floor and I wondered if it was anything to do with the company. The sooner this princess went home the better, especially as she was growing on me.

I woke her up an hour later so we could move before it got light. I had been awake for a little while but I couldn’t quite bring myself to wake her straight away. She looked so young and innocent. Even in this state nothing could distract from her beauty.

Like a true princess she didn’t complain as I helped her up onto Titan’s back once again and we set off.

We ran until I could feel her grip start to lesson then I stopped for a rest. Her mood falling the further we ran.

“How you feeling ?” I asked.

“Fine.” She said. “Sorry you are having to do, well everything.”

I chuckled. “You know for a princess with god knows how many people at her beck and call you don’t like asking for help do you.”

She didn’t bite. “You don’t really know anything about me.”

“Let me check you shoulder.” I took the dressings of, it certainly didn’t look any worse, my saliva had definitely helped and it had stopped bleeding.

“Okay then tell me something about you.”

She threw me a look.

“I’m serious princess tell me something that your fiancée doesn’t know about you.”

She hadn’t mentioned her engagement once and I was more than intrigued.

She snorted. “That would be literally anything.”

“It didn’t seem that way back at your school.” I had tried very hard to banish the image of her naked body from my mind but it was imprinted there and I couldn’t forget it.

“Duncan ? You thought I was engaged to him.” Then she did laugh. “If the prince had a sense of humour, he might laugh at mix up.”

“He would most certainly not be laughing if he knew what his fiancée was up too, with someone who isn’t him.”

“Well maybe if he had bothered to actually propose instead of just sending a ring to my father I might actually care.”

He did what? I guess I probably should have assumed hers might be an arranged engagement. I kept my surprise in check.

“So you don’t love your Prince?”

I tried to sound casual.

“Love him? I barely know him, I’ve not seen him since I was 16. Sure he was kind enough when we were kids but he is a couple of years older and it’s not like we saw much of each other.”

The initial excitement I felt at her words damped slightly I was older than her as well.

“So why did you agree?” She didn’t seem the type to do things that she didn’t want to.

“I don’t have a choice, it was decided long ago.”

“Bulls***, you don’t strike me as the type to be told what to do, as I’m dealing with the repercussions of.”

“I wish it were that simple. I was promised to him before I was even born. It would take a war to free me, what sort of Queen would I be if I allowed that?”

“Well for your sake princess I hope the prince turns out to be your mate ?”

“Why?”

“Because if he is not, then I’m pretty sure your mate will start a war for you.”

She looked away, like she didn’t want to think about it.

“I love watching the stars. They make me feel.. safe. …I can walk for a bit to give Titan a rest.”

We walked for a bit in silence, once again I was learning that there was a lot more to this princess than met the eye and the more I learned the more I wanted to know about her.