Dream of Me by Magenta Phoenix

primitive because you are human . I know all too well how your people think. You are a silly and inferior people that believe anything different from you must be destroyed or bent to your will.”

    Elena couldn’t find the words to combat his accusing tone. It was hard to tell whether he truly held grudges against humans — as he referred or if he was simply trying to force a reaction from her. Taking a gamble that is was the latter, she changed the subject.

    “What’s your name?” Her question utterly baffled him and almost had her laughing at his look of bewilderment.

    “What?” he asked leaning forward in his thrown. His eyes searched hers with an abundance of confusion.

    “What’s your name? You do have a name, right? Or are you simply known as Gu’an?” Taking a step closer to the platform she held out a hand in greeting, “I’m Elena.” The Gu’an simply stared at her hand warily. He tilted his head side to side, surveying her hand from every angle as if she concealed a weapon.

    “What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

    “It’s called an introduction. It’s a human thing. Does your kind have no understanding of polite manners?” she smirked as his brows lowered further at her jibe.

    “I am called Cian.”

    When he made no move to shake her hand, she dropped it while taking a step back. “Well, now that’s out of the way. Why am I here?”

    Bracing his elbow on the arm of his thrown, Cian leaned back against cool stone. “ Li’r believes that you have information as to why the Kelithians from last evening attacked you.”

    Scrunching her brow with confusion she ran a nervous hand through the length of her hair. “That was last night? What time is it anyway and why is it still dark out? And who is Lee-r?”

    Cian’s lips curled into a soft smile as he chuckled at her rush of questions, “You are a very strange female, Lady Elena. It is mid day and it is always this dark here. Our world possesses no sun like your world does. Li’r is our term for the leader of the warriors — the people that keep Garmoria safe. I believe you met him last night after the attack. He is also known as Arlen.”

    The image of the terrifying man that bore spiked coverings on his hands suddenly rose from her memory. That was the general of their army? His bloodcurdling appearance suddenly made sense to her. And like the king, the general seemed to dislike her on sight.

    “Why did those men try to take me last night?”

    Slowly rising from his thrown, Cian stepped off the platform while watching her. “I was about to ask the same thing. Why would Zyaid have such an interest in you?”

    She shook her head in confusion. What was he talking about? “Who the hell is Zyaid ? Look; Kieran explained to me that your people and the Kelithians — or whatever, are at war. However, I have nothing to do with that. There is no reason why anyone would want to kidnap me.”

    “And yet two Kelithian warriors risked death by crossing the Greenwood and coming onto our land to kidnap a human woman that had been here for barely a few hours. Never have they been this foolhardy and something tells me that it has to do with you ,” he said, pointing an accusing finger at her.

    “It wasn’t my choice to come here, you know,” she pointed out, resting a hand on her hip.

    Shaking his head, a tired sigh escaped from between his lips. “Regardless, as Gu’an it is my responsibility to protect the interests of my people. The priestess has informed me that you are Kieran’s sou’tali and as such you are entitled to my protection as well. If the Kelithians try to take you again they will see this old feud coming to an end very quickly. I won’t abide anymore senseless bloodshed.” Scratching at the back of his scalp, Elena didn’t miss how his large bicep tightened with eye-catching movement.

    Jerking her eyes away from the tempting sight she tried to focus back on what Cian was saying.