CHAPTER 105: BEAUTIFUL CAPTIVE

{Music Recommendation: Not about angels ~ Birdy}

"Lady Jenna... Jenna."

Jenna groaned, the back of her head throbbed with an unfathomable pain that made her want to curl in a corner and cry. The last time she was awake, she was confronting her father and then darkness descended.

"Are you awake?"

Jenna felt someone push her roughly, she raised her weak hands to her face. She tried to open her eyes, but it was followed by a splitting headache and a loud scream threatening to break the walls of her ears.

"Jenna—"

Jenna hissed, "I’m awake, but your screams will send me back to Hades," she winced, trying to shake the loud noise off, but it only got louder. Jenna tried to raise her teary eyes, "Why is it so loud?" she asked with a tired voice.

Percy cleared his throat, "You should see this," he pointed, letting Jenna follow where his hand led.

Jenna knew she had closed her eyes to a rising tension, not a world raining blood and gore. Rhane wasn’t just killing, he enjoyed every step of it, fighting alongside Kali.

"What in heaven’s name happened here?" Jenna asked in disbelief. She blinked hoping the carnage would vanish.

Rhane had the situation contained earlier, though she felt his anger from his touch, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t control. Or had she thought wrong? Jenna expected a conversation, not counting on her father to listen, but still.

"Rhane won’t let anyone near you except in death," Percy replied, now standing beside Jenna with his hand on his stomach. The bodies were making him sick, how could both siblings kill without batting an eye.

Earlier, when the cavalry with the council had arrived, Rhane made his point by striking the first person to near him, while putting Jenna down to be watched by Kali. Seeing that his brother was surrounded, Kali left Percy to watch Jenna.

The council weren’t going to bow, not to a man with no name. Rhane wasn’t going to kneel either. He had his home and woman on the line. Percy didn’t know what else to do but to wake up the one person that linked the two worlds. If anyone could stop the gore, it was Jenna.

"H... how... why?" Jenna wiped her eyes for the second time. She took a step forward, but Percy held her back.

"My lady, if I let you walk into that line, I’d be dead before the first cock crows." Percy wasn’t joking. He had repeated the threat more than twice not to remember. And Kali, covered in blood, didn’t look like she was jesting.

Jenna stared down at her hand where Percy held, her gaze slowly settling on the young man’s face. "What do you want me to do? Sit back like a woman in distress while they cut him to death?" She turned and pointed at the men that gathered.

"None of them care for Rhane, not one man in that council, nor my father and his friend. Rhane’s life doesn’t matter to them." Jenna muttered under her breath. Her own words thrashed her heart.

To be in a world where nobody worries for you. It was Rhane’s life. His life or death concerned nobody. He was a type that comes more than once in every century. To noble men, a type that fills space but makes up for it by working to their death. A sweat for their existence.

Jenna didn’t want that for him, she didn’t want Rhane to die with no name either.

Wriggling her hand from Percy’s hold, she exhaled softly. "If I can speak to him..." she glanced around the place. The man she saw cutting down soldiers didn’t look like the same Rhane she laughed with at the inn earlier, or the man that got on his knees and won’t stop professing his inner feelings.

The man ahead of her drenched the tip of his blade with blood and his face held no emotions. But Jenna knew she had to try.

"Percy, I need you to go stand over there with my father."

Percy raised his brows, "My lady, you might not be quite aware, but I’ve seen death more times this ni—"

"Percy!" Jenna exclaimed, "This is no time to swing around with words. Take my orders and go over there now!"

Percy never once regretted being Jenna’s servant, but in that moment he had second thoughts as he bowed. "Yes, Lady Jenna," he mumbled, pushing his leg forward before he rushed through the corner.

With his hand over his head, he cawked like a raven. "Spare me! I serve Master Brown’s daughter. Argh!"

Kali, who was engrossed in wielding off an attack, paused for a second. A frown on her face, "I know that— did he leave Jenna alone?" She turned around to find Jenna walking towards their direction.

"Brother, your enemies might be plentiful, but your woman plans to kill you so." Kali shouted loud enough for Rhane to hear.

"Rhane!" Jenna shouted, running with her dress in her hand. "Damn these skirts," she cursed, using sheer strength to tear the layers of her petticoat before she resumed running.

"Rhane!"

With a ticked jaw, Rhane cursed out. "Bloody hell, woman! Have you lost all sense?!"

Brown, who had been hiding behind Nikolai, stepped out at the sound of his daughter’s voice.

"Hold your steel! Don’t strike, my daughter is there." He tapped Nikolai, "Tell your men to hold their blades!" The man’s eyes popped out in fear as he spoke.

Nikolai did as he was told, not out of care but Jenna was the only reason Rhane had. If anything should happen to her, even his own life would be wasted in a blink.

"Don’t harm the lady!" Nikolai bellowed the order.

Rhane clenched his dagger, "Jenna, I swear to heaven I’ll thrash you myself if you come closer!" He spoke firmly, hoping it’d stop Jenna from running. His breathing rough and harsh.

Jenna didn’t stop until she was near Rhane, then she spread her arms and fell in his chest.

All threats laid to waste once Rhane held her again. His firm hands wrapping her head under his chest, while his eyes remained alert for any movement therein.

"Do you not listen at all?" Rhane asked, pushing her even closer to himself. "Good god, save me from this reckless woman."

Jenna would have snickered if the situation wasn’t so dire. Instead, she raised her face and stared back at him. His gaze held her captive for a moment that she forgot the reason why she had jumped in headfirst into fire.

That was what Rhane did to her. He muted the noise, he stilled the troubling seas. He shielded her from the harsh reality. Be it his touch or his eyes. It just worked with Rhane and now, her savior needed her.

"Whose blood is this?" Jenna sniffled, using her hand to wipe it from his face. It shattered her heart to see Rhane covered in blood and rage. She’d expected for them to be covered in many things tonight. His release or hers, but never the blood of soldiers who came to steal her away.

"Rhane," Jenna wiped her eyes, the tears had slipped before she even noticed. "Hold your dagger to my neck."

Rhane tched, pushing Jenna away from him. "You have lost your senses." His gaze bewildered.

If Jenna could scoop her own eyes out and look at herself she’d have same expression as Rhane. She didn’t know what made her say it but who thinks straight in chaos. This was the only way she could think of.

"Use me as your captive! Do it now!" Jenna grabbed his dagger and raised it.

Rhane was going to forcefully pull it back, but he risked cutting Jenna. His voice lowered, so did his grip around her waist.

"Get away from me, Jenna,"

"Threaten my father with my life! Make me your captive now! It is the only way you can live..." Jenna glanced at her father that was now standing with Percy.

"I hate to do it too, but please Rhane... listen to me. If you fight all night, they’ll lay here to waste. Your efforts and everything." Jenna pushed the blade tip to her neck.

"Make a pact with them using me as your slave." Her eyes glistened as she spoke.

Rhane’s gaze didn’t shift, the darkness remained with a shade of softness for one woman. "If you think I’ll release you after some pact, you need another knock on your head."

"I won’t... no, you won’t." Jenna corrected herself immediately, shaking her head. "You’ll only be doing things the proper way... making me yours the proper way. I promise." Jenna pressed her lips, her heart drumming noisily againsther chest as she spoke. She hoped Rhane would listen to her.

Rhane stared down at her, then her neck where his blade met. If he was told that he would one day point his dagger at Jenna, he would have stabbed himself to death first.

"After all these, I shall kill you myself." Rhane growled. With ease he twirled Jenna around, holding the dagger to her side while his palm wrapped her neck.

Jenna bit her lower lip, she must have lost her mind to think it was too hot. Rhane’s action and his hand on her body. But her blazing cheeks betrayed her.

"Don’t I make a beautiful captive?" She asked.

Rhane leaned closer, his lips close to her ears. "One so beautiful, I wish to take her right now." His husky voice wrapped in velvet confessed.

"Drop your weapons or she dies."