Princess of the Damned by Dahlia Lu Page B

out there!”
    Sayan pulled away from her and charged at the beast. The blade indented the ground, but the beast was not under it. The beast turned around and aimed its fangs toward him. Sayan used the blade to block the attack. The width of the blade was forced into the beast’s mouth. The momentum of the beast’s speed sent him back first onto the ground. The beast pressed forward while Sayan tried to keep it from reaching his face.
    The beast pressed a paw on his chest. Its claws pierced him and forced him to choke out blood.
    “ Sayan!” Nala screamed out.
    “ My Prince!”
    Sayan let out a low angry growl from the back of his throat and kicked the beast forward. The beast landed on its paws. It hunched down and growled back at him. General Malin and a few other brave soldiers charged at the beast. It roared at them. The intensity of the volume was deafening, sending them rolling onto the ground while covering their ears.
    The beast’s golden eyes set on Sayan. It had found its target.
    The beast jumped at Sayan and he swung his blade. A handful of black fur scattered into the air. The beast turned around and attacked again. Sayan ducked to the ground and swung his blade upward. The blade cut down the length of beast’s neck. The collar on its neck severed and fell onto the ground.
    It turned away from him and ran toward Nala.
    “ Damn it!” Sayan cursed as he chased after the beast. “Get out of the way, Nala!”
    The beast stood an arm’s length from Nala and quietly stared at her. When Sayan swung his blade at it, the beast jumped and fled away.
    Sayan pulled her toward him and held her tight in his arms. “Thank the gods! I thought it was going to attack you.”
    “ Please keep your distance from me!” She pushed him back. He bent forward, holding to the pain on his chest. The blood had soaked through the lower part of his armor. “I’m sorry…I forgot…”
     
    Sayan stared at her while she bandaged his wounds. Her eyes were on her hands, on the corners of the tent, on every other object around them but his eyes. She was acting strange and it irritated him.
    He caught her hand and she pulled away immediately.
    So he wasn’t just imagining it. She pulled away as if his touch repulsed her. He lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. She jerked away. Nala had never acted like this before.
    Sayan pulled her toward him in a fluid motion and kissed her. He just wanted to test his theory, but found the taste of her lips surprisingly sweet. She flinched and pushed and jerked away. Her pale green eyes were shocked.
    “ So that’s it, isn’t it?” He folded his arms in front of his chest. “You are attracted to me. Is that why you have been acting strange toward me?”
    “ So what if I am?” It was like she was half admitting it. “I warn you Sayan, keep a distance from me.”
    “ Why?”
    “ What do you mean why? A man and a woman keep their distance, that’s why!”
    “ Didn’t I tell you before that I will never see you as a woman?”
    She was speechless as though she was hurt by his words.
    “ Don’t let something so trivial change anything between us,” he added. “Get out! I will have someone finish the rest!”
    She threw the clean bandages in her hand into the hot water basin and rushed out of the tent. She brushed by General Malin as he was coming in. The general eyes’ followed her out and then turned around to face Sayan.
    “ Your lady looks upset.” General Malin pointed out. “May I ask why?”
    “ Stay out of my personal affairs.”
    “ You did say there is nothing romantic about the two of you, correct?”
    “ And there will never be.” Sayan quickly changed the subject. “How many men did we lose today?”
    “ I was relieved that it was less than a hundred. It was a good thing you chased the beast away. That weapon is truly a force of its own.”
    Sayan ran his fingers down the length of the blade on his side. It had saved him a countless number of times. “It