His arms were outstretched, beckoning to her, and Lena happily curled up in Krastos’s lap, burying her head in his neck and breathing deeply, inhaling his familiar smell. They sat like that, under the tree just outside their home at Shadow Watch, for a long while. She let herself relax against his body as he held her close, closing her eyes as her body pressed against his. He was kissing along the ridges of her forehead, smelling her hair. His hands were gentle as he massaged all the tension from her body, holding her close and whispering in Draeneic how much he loved her. She could feel his lips smiling against her skin as he told her how much he needed her, and she nodded slightly, making a pleased sound in the back of her throat. He lifted a hand and traced a finger underneath the collar he fastened around her neck so long ago, tapping the Argussian crystal gently. She smiled and burrowed against him. ”My little Lena…” he whispered, “I will always be with you, my love.”
She lifted her head a little and looked at him curiously, struggling to focus her eyes on his face. She was in his lap. Why did he seem so far away? He stroked her cheek and smiled, but why did he look so sad? What happened to his rough hands? She lifted her own hand and tried to grasp his, but somehow missed. Peering at him again, she frowned as he seemed even further away. Her body felt suddenly colder, shivering in confusion. He seemed to be drifting away, and she searched for his hand again, but it was out of reach. She tried to call out, but her voice refused to work, and tears slid from her eyes as her mate’s visage seemed to dissipate.
–
She was thrown back against the wall, the jolt bringing her back to reality. The humans sneered down at her body, already battered and bruised. The woman who tried to remove her collar glared and spit on the draenei. A dagger was suddenly at her throat and they were talking to her, threatening her, looking for information, but Lena couldn’t make out any words for her terror and the pain coursing through each limb. She was nearly unconscious, and her eyelids drooped. She tried again to reach out for Krastos’s mind, but she was tired and in too much pain to make the connection. When she didn’t answer the humans, she received a swift kick to the side of her head, her vision turning red, then grey, before clearing. Something in her mouth was dangerously close to choking her, and she turned her head and spat out several teeth, her jaw throbbing in protest.
“She probably don’t even know anything,” one of the men drawled. Lena’s unfocused eyes swiveled toward his boots. ”So?” said another. ”We gotta send a message,” and another boot stomped her ribs. ”The other one won’t be worth it, cause he’s, y’know, dead.”
That got her attention, and she struggled to pull herself upright. Kras… dead? A sob escaped her throat, drawing her assailants’ attention. Another kick to the gut and she gasped for breath. Kras, my love… Oh, Kras…don’t leave me…Tears unwillingly streamed down her cheeks and she curled up around herself and sobbed. One of the more brutish men grabbed the back of her collar and pulled her up to her knees, nearly choking her in the process. As she wheezed and cried, the female human took a swing at her face, and Lena felt the bone and cartilage in her nose crumble under the fist. If Kras was dead, why did she have to hold on? She could hardly bear imagining a world without him, let alone trying to live in it.
As if on cue, the vision returned, and she felt the touch of her mate caressing her cheek. Kras would have wanted her to fight. To at least escape this. Her body sagged as she realized the hopelessness of the situation. But she could almost hear Kras’s rough voice whispering in her ear. My little Lena… she is so much stronger than this...
Lena’s watery azure orbs grew darker as she glared at the human, spitting at her. Wiping the saliva and blood from her cheek, the woman lunged, the dagger she held in her right hand plunged deep into Lena’s left eye socket. The men in the room cheered as Lena screamed, writhing and trying to get away from the man who held her by the collar.
She was a fighter. And she was not going to let Kras be disappointed in her.
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