Red

Ivar didn't relax until we were in the forest again and despite going for an almost twenty-minute run, he seemed even more wound up than ever. His behavior reminded me of when he was a young colt as he jumped at everything as we strolled through the wooded path.

The scenery was the same, including the animals that filled the environment around us. The usual bunnies, deer, birds, etc... Ivar found a reason to jump at every one of them. He was less jumpy as we got back into town, however, his head was high and he continued with his periodical snorts of anxiety. We rode past many people, though none of them took a particular interest in us.

Everywhere I looked people averted their eyes, but for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. That feeling still hadn't disappeared even after I put Ivar in his stall. I was not afraid of whatever was stalking me, however, I was unnerved by its ability to stay out of sight. It was usually I who had the impressive ability to disappear in shadows and move within them. I was not pleased with being on the other side of that coin.

"Sorry boy," I apologized to him before leaving. As much as I wanted to stay with him through the night, I really needed to sleep in my own bed. After all, I had spent nearly a week curled up in the corner of his stall and I probably smelled something fierce.

I pulled my cloak down as I entered through the back door of the manor. Almost immediately after entering, I felt the constant feeling of being watched disappear. Strange.

Then, after a quick mental battle, I decided to make a quick stop in the kitchen where I was not surprised to see Rye and Sye had left me out a meal which was wrapped in a sack and had 'Red' written on it with messy hand-writing. Something about that threatened to thaw my frozen heart.

Even though it was late - nearly an hour past the middle of the night - there was still a low buzz of activity throughout the manor. Tenderfoots trained, fucked, and talked throughout the hallowed halls of the Shadowed Manor, hoping and praying that they would one day get to stay on the top floor with the best. That was the ultimate goal after all. It was the highest honor for an assassin in the capital city.

My footsteps were silent as I climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. That didn't matter though as somebody set their gaze on me almost immediately after I stepped onto the fourth floor. I knew where the stare was coming from though and from whom. I turned to my right and was not surprised to see Zeke leaning against the wall to his study. His green gaze was angry as he simply jerked his chin in the direction of his office.

There was no question of what that action meant and I couldn't help but wonder what I had done this time.

"Shut the door," Ezekiel hissed as he sat behind his desk, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

I guided the door shut with one hand while refusing to turn my back towards him. That would be a rookie mistake. Then - before he could command me to - I took a seat in one of his overstuffed, ridiculously expensive, armchairs. For the sake of appearances, I crossed one leg over the other and sat straight-spined. He was not looking for Red - The Royal Assassin - so I did not give him her. I was sitting proper and watched diligently as he collected himself.

"Have you gathered any news?" He inquired as he sat back in his chair and looked me over. With most, that scan would've been intimidating. Typically because he would be sizing up his opponent and gathering as much about them as he can. But with me, it was an almost caring action. He did that when he was looking me over for injuries or my general appearance. Ezekiel missed nothing with his green gaze, he was by far the most perceptive male I have ever known.

"No," I said quietly, though I knew he heard me.

"Where have you been?" He questioned calmly, though the slight twitch of his finger told me he was excited that I had vocally answered.

I shrugged and didn't miss the grind of his jaw at my silence. It was no secret that he hated how quiet I was. But I didn't care. I enjoyed not talking, it left things up for interpretation and could tell you a lot about someone especially by the conclusions that they jump to. It was also safer not to talk, it is hard to incriminate yourself when nobody has ever heard you talk let alone brag about what you do for a living. Not talking also made relationships a hell of a lot easier, as it was nearly impossible to form a relationship when you never talked.

It was easier that I didn't talk, it kept everything I cared about safer.

"Would you like to explain where you have been eating for two days?" Zeke asked as he leaned forward in his chair, the move displaying a predator's grace and radiating dominance. "The cooks told me you haven't collected food for two days," he accused.

The rats. It was my turn to grind my jaw. Zeke wouldn't allow me to forget to care for myself, he was always ensuring my safety and health were well. If the cooks were reporting to him when I did and didn't pick up their packages for me, then I was sure to be in for a lecture.

What can I say? It was easy for me to forget mundane things like eating and bandaging every little cut I get.

The glint of anger in his bright green eyes was intimidating. Zeke could be sending me on suicidal Errands one second and then scolding me for getting a bruise the next second. It was confusing and hard to keep up with him at times.

His gaze drifted to the sack in my lap before back up to my eyes. "I expect you to at least eat twice a day," He insisted. "If you were to just drop dead because I forgot to remind you then I would-" He cut himself off suddenly as if shocked by his own words. "Never mind," He shook his head, causing his blonde hair to lay messily on top of his head.

That was when I noticed it. The tired look in his eyes and his messy hair. He looked as if he had been restless. When was the last time he slept? Had he been waiting for me to come home?

I found that thought impossible and immediately vanquished it. There was no way he cared that much. Not for me anyways.

"Please, just eat - if not for me then your horse," Ezekiel practically begged as he leaned back in his chair, one arm dangling over the side displaying how exhausted he was.

I gave him a nod and slowly stood up, testing to see how he would react. When he didn't snap at me, I took that as my queue to leave.

"Oh and Red," He called to me as I stood in the doorway. "Please take a shower, you smell like your horse," He added, a hint of humor lacing his voice.

I shook my head then, a small smile playing on my lips.

Once in my room, I wasted no time stripping out of my clothes. Although Zeke had called for a shower, I felt like a bath. So I turned the knob and watched as water flooded into the tub. What a miracle running water was. I thought for the millionth time since Ezekiel had announced that builders would be installing it.

Even though the men that had installed it were human, I could've sworn they used magic to build it. Especially when the water came out and it wasn't freezing cold but somewhere between hot and cold.

When the tub was filled, I submerged my body into it while also scarfing down the food that had been laid aside for me. I relaxed long enough for the tension of the day to leave my body before getting up and quickly rinsing off under the shower.

Out of all things I expected to see on my bed when I walked out of my bathroom, it was not a giant feline. And when I say giant, I mean giant. I had heard tales of felines the size of hounds that often hunted in more southern continents, however, I was never given the pleasure to witness one in real life.

The feline laid stretched out on the bottom of my bed, its lazy eyes swiping over my body. Despite the only light source being a candle, I could still make out its black fur and even blacker spots. The strangest thing about the giant feline was that, unlike its smaller counterpart, it had nearly black eyes. They almost carried a dark navy blue shade to them. I was completely enraptured with the creature, that was until I realized I was naked.

I quickly dressed in a nightgown and felt the stare of the feline the entire time. The worst part about the whole encounter was that I was too tired to question why it was here. Mostly because it was an animal and it wouldn't respond to me. So instead of fighting with it, I simply just walked past it and threw back the covers on my bed.

My bed was big enough that the feline was able to lay at the end of my bed and my feet didn't touch it. The feline didn't seem to mind me at all, so after deciding that it was tomorrow's problem, I laid back in my bed and pulled my covers over me. A soft purr shook the bed and threatened to sing me to sleep.

However, my night wasn't over yet as the door to my room silently crept open. I was not the least bit surprised when a particular blonde male climbed into bed with me meer minutes later. Apparently he was not able to wait until I fell asleep before crawling in bed with me like he usually did.

He didn't acknowledge the animal at the end of my bed and instead just pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I didn't fight sleep as it quickly captured me and I was sucked into a cocoon of comfort and promises of safety.

~~~~~~

Thank you for reading Chapter 11! As I said, I've been feeling this story lately, so I hope you liked this chapter. Comments and feedback make me happy!