Twice Cursed [Goblin] [M]

[Juno]

"I only meant that it was perfect because it is isolated," Conrey chuckled, amused that she thought such a beautiful place boring when there were already endless possibilities to what she could get up to compared to city life.

"And of course I can," he scoffed, looking down to watch the fish and study where they were going.

"I'd advise you not look at me, Yasmine," he warned her, letting go of her hand and tugging his tunic up over his head as he stalked along the shore at his own, quicker pace. He didn't want to hear any of her complaining if she saw something she didn't like after a fair warning. Once he'd observed the fish moving through a particularly shallow section of the water he quickly hopped out of his trousers as well before shifting to his wolf and pouncing immediately.

He crashed through the water but was already well ahead of the panicked school that he'd herded towards the shallows with his commotion. One by one he picked them off and tossed them to the bank before emerging from the water with the last firmly secured between his teeth.

Setting the fish down he pushed them all closer together by his snout before shaking out his coat and returning to his clothes. He worked quickly out of necessity of the cold more than for her benefit to dress himself again once he'd returned to his human form. "Now we just need a fire," he prompted her, pointing out towards the trees. "Think you could gather some firewood? Or would you rather gut these?" he asked, moving his hand to gesture instead at the small pile of fish. He didn't intend to spoil her by doing everything, but he knew his willpower would be quite weak if she was insistent upon it.

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine had but a moment to look at Conrey in confusion before he was shimmying out of his clothes, causing a great squeak to escape her as she whipped around to offer him her back. The sound of his splashing into the water had her taking a peek over her shoulder and much to her relief finding a furry beast rather than a nude man. She watched with delight as he corralled and chased the fish about, clapping her hands in delight as she danced up and down the shore, following where he and the fish went. Each fish caught and tossed onto the bank made her squeal and cheer before she was pointing out another one he could catch, whether he was paying attention to her or not.

Her cheeks were flushed by the time the werewolf was dragging himself out of the shallows and back onto the sodden shore where the fish still flopped about in a demand to be returned home. His shaking fur that sprayed water in every which way though was enough to cause her to retreat, covering her face with her arms to avoid the water and thereby also missing his transformation back.

"You should be careful where you do that," the young woman chided as she uncovered her face once more to notice that he was a clothed man again. It gave her a moment to pause and blink at him before she too was shaking her head. Mention of gutting made her cringe in disgust before taking off into the treeline. "I'll get the wood!" she shouted over her shoulder, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the preparing of the fish. Never in her life had she seen anything killed until she had become a monster that did the killing. It was not a sight she relished and she was so eager to escape it that she did not even realize she had been given an order and a task to complete until she was far enough away in her opinion.

By the time she did realize it though, it was already too late as she had agreed. With a heavy sigh and a few kicks in the brush, Yasmine began scooping up what she considered to be sizable amounts of wood. In reality however, the noblewoman was collecting twigs and thin, flimsy branches. She soon returned to the river and declared in a triumphant manner, "finished" as she came into sight carrying two small handfuls of sticks and the largest grin of pride the world had ever seen.

[Juno]

Conrey watched her go with a lopsided smile. He chuckled to himself for her eagerness to be away as he set to his own task of swift killing and gutting of each of the fish. Setting them aside, he cleared an area for a fire nearby for when she would return but aside from that there was little else for him to do. He was beginning to think he might actually have an easier time of looking after her that day than the previous ones.

When Yasmine returned from the trees, though, he looked up at her expectantly. His eyes searched her hands, arms, and all around as his face twisted to a look of pure confusion at the lack of firewood that he'd asked for.

"Finished? With...? That's all you got?" Conrey couldn't hide the disappointment from his voice now, his shoulders slumping visibly as he gestured at the area he'd cleared. "Set those there. We can use it for...starting wood," he added slowly as he thought it over. He didn't want to tell her that she was entirely wrong when it was not true.

"Stay here, please," he commanded, turning to look out at the woods between the manor and their riverside spot. "I'll be back soon."

He was off and picking his way through the brush until he found the remains of a long-dead and fallen tree. A good portion of it was exposed and looked to be in relatively good condition so the werewolf took to pulling off chunks of it as well as a few branches so they could keep a fire going long enough to enjoy a meal and a bit of warmth outside of the house.

Returning with his arms stacked with the stuff Conrey swiftly dumped it all nearby so that he could set to sparking the actual starting flame with her more modest offerings. He was quiet as he got it going and added piece by piece to build it up to a small roar.

Casting an understanding smile to her once that was done he patiently stuck the fish in a haphazard row along the sharpest stick he'd found. Settling to sit down beside the fire he turned them over this way and that to monitor their cooking progress. "Might take a while," he murmured apologetically, patting the ground beside him to welcome her if she wished to join him.

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine's bright smile faltered as she caught his tone. There was no mistaking the disappointment that laced it when it was a sound she had heard all her life in the voices of servants, tutors, and even her parents on occasion. She tossed down her sticks where directed before wilting down to sit beside them like a kicked puppy. She did not even bother whining or complaining that he was leaving her alone or that she had nowhere to wander off to. She just say there, her chin on her palm and sulked.

She sulked and sulked that is until he returned with an impressive amount of wood in his arms. Then, her eyes nearly popped right out of her skull in shear shock and surprise. "Where did you find all that? How did you even carry all that?" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and rushing over to him.  "You're so strong, Mister Conrey! How come you didn't just get the wood yourself? I never could have carried that much," she added, feeling low once more.

[Juno]

He watched her from the corner of his eye, highly amused by her sudden look of wonder and amazement. "Because I can't have you being a lazy lady, Yasmine. Not when we're left to fend for ourselves out here," he teased gently. "And why not? Have you tried since you...? Well, you know."

Conrey feared actually saying the word. For all he knew she would cry, yell, storm off...or all of them, really. He didn't want that when they'd just settled down for a nice riverside meal. "Perhaps you just need to build your strength," he suggested.

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine scowled at his comments. "Ladies aren't lazy or strong. A lady is busy but gentle. The rest is men's work. Besides, what man would want to marry a woman that can lug around half a tree all on her own? She'd probably scare the poor man off with antics like that. It's simply distasteful, it is!" She looked at him curiously but unhappily. "And what does that have to do with anything?" referring to the life even they were both skirting about. "There's not point in trying when I'm no different than I was. I'm a nobleman's daughter, trained since birth to be soft and genteel."

[Juno]

Conrey scowled at her comments. It took nearly all of his willpower to not turn and glare and growl at her directly for all her ridiculous words that just oozed with how spoiled she was.

"I'm your guard and protector. I will give you a comfortable life but I will not be your personal little servant," the werewolf warned. "There are some things you'll need to learn to do on your own with me. I don't really care what your suitors think of you dragging firewood. Especially when they aren't here to see it."

He readjusted his legs and turned the fish some but his mood was already pretty soured by her attitude as he glared at them instead. He wasn't really about to keep the bite from his tone any longer. "The only person you inconvenience with that shit is me. And yes, I'm paid to take care of you and teach you. That doesn't mean I play slave to a nobleman's daughter," he growled, mocking the way she'd said it.

[GoblinFae]

She physically wilted at his words as she slid into a slumped heap upon the ground. Yasmine did not understand what had caused him to suddenly become so cruel when just a moment prior they had seemed to be in better spirits. She had no words for him, nothing more to say now that he seemed to truly despise and hate her so much. Instead the young woman retreated in on herself, mentally berating herself for being so useless and so weak. She did not believe she was treating him like a slave and she certainly knew that she did not view him as one. Yasmine did not think she deserved his ire for not knowing how to do certain things when she also knew there were many things she knew how to do and that he probably did not know, not of course that he had even bothered to ask her.

[Juno]

Conrey noticed immediately the way she shrunk down within herself. Part of him felt she deserved it. It was their reality as far as he could see it and it was time the young vampire saw it for what it was.

He busied himself with the fish until they were fully cooked and drew them away from the fire to cool. He felt a bit of shame in what he'd done. Lashing out at her was certainly not what he was being paid for. Surely if her parents had seen what he'd done they would have fired him and separated them immediately.

As the flare of his temper cooled he breathed a shuddering sigh and looked to her with regret. "My apologies, Miss Fairchild. Please forgive me, that was rude and presumptuous of me," he murmured as he transferred some fish for her to a smaller stick. Holding it out in offering he kept his head down, wary of the backlash he expected from her as the one truly in a position of power between them.

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine deflated further with his apologies. She had noticed his referral to her in a more formal manner and it just seemed to add more insult to injury. He was like everyone else in her eyes, just someone passing through her life and with no intention to remain very long. Her hopes of finding a friend at last in the only person able to remain in her presence had quickly just dived off the nearest cliff with his words.

She accepted the food with a weak nod, avoiding his eyes as she mumbled her thanks. The young woman picked at the meat having lost her appetite in lieu of the massive migraine that was building up behind her eyes and at the bridge of her delicate nose. She felt weak and lethargic the longer she was outside and when she felt that Conrey was not watching her Yasmine would rub at her head and eyes in hopes of relieving some of the uncomfortable pressure. It was no use though as it just became worse and worse until she found herself curling in on herself, her head bowed almost entirely into her lap and her stick of fish forgotten limply in her hand.

[Juno]

He barely waited for her to start eating first, or at least as close to eating as she seemed to want all of a sudden. It unnerved him, knowing she'd seemed so very hungry and yet she didn't seem interested in some of the only food she'd been willing to eat.

Digging in, he was done in a matter of minutes and left cleaning up bones as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. The odd, gradual slumping caught his attention, as did the eye-rubbing.

When she finally looked about ready to pass out he turned to her with a sharp growl and threw down his stick. "What's wrong?" he demanded, grabbing her shoulder and giving her a short, firm shake. "Why aren't you eating?"

[GoblinFae]

She instantly snapped to attention and attempted to recoil at his seemingly hostile attitude. Yasmine stared at him with wide, scared eyes before allowing her gaze to drop to her uneaten fish. Hurriedly she broke off a piece of meat and popped it into her mouth to chew quickly. "I'm fine! I'm eating!" the young woman protested. "See, see!" She huffed and shook her head. "No need to be grumpy."

[Juno]

He flinched and gave an involuntary growl for the way she retreated from him, not realizing she'd mistaken his gruff concern as aggression. As she ate he watched through narrowed slits, eyes flickering to give her an accusing once over as well. "You look.... Tired?" he decided, though that confused him as well. She'd been so full of energy before and the sun was still out. Had their river trip really been so exhausting for the pampered noblewoman?

"Is it no good?" he guessed, wondering if she was just trying to avoid insulting his cooking. That would be just like her, he assumed, to ask for fish and then turn her nose up at it because it wasn't fine enough being cooked by her dirty servant werewolf. At least that was what he assumed she would do as someone of her status. He'd never been asked to cook for anyone in his charge before.

[GoblinFae]

His growling and fierce expression served only to set her more on edge. Yasmine hunched further over her food, her head bowed close to her meal as if doing so would allow her to escape such intense scrutiny. "It is good!" the noblewoman hurried to tell him, peeking up through her lashes at him briefly. "I'm eating it after all, aren't I?"

Though Yasmine did not say it though she was tired. Her head was truly beginning to throb in earnest now. Her very skin felt achy as if she had come down with a bad case of the flu. The young woman's stomach turned at the idea of swallowing another mouthful and she felt it stick in her throat before she was able to force it down like a mouthful of sawdust.

She opened her mouth to tell Conrey that she was feeling fine and to thank him for the meal but when she looked up her vision swam violently as her stomach somersaulted and the world faded to black. Her eyes rolled back into her skull moments before she was suddenly falling backwards off the log.

[Juno]

Conrey huffed, watching her closely and still not entirely believing her. Leaning closer to her he sniffed, trying to see if he could scent out the problem. Maybe she was lying and her portion really was undercooked or had something wrong with it.

“Eating doesn’t mean anything if you don’t enjoy it,” he pointed out gently, his brow furrowed in concern as he just couldn’t pinpoint the issue. It was slowly beginning to drive him mad.

But suddenly Yasmine looked...weird. His charge suddenly had such a...vacant and weak look about her and he frowned deeply in concern. What was wrong with her? “Yasmine?”

And then she was teetering. Or falling, he wasn’t sure which but she was rapidly becoming non-upright and the werewolf grumbled his concern as he reached out quickly to catch her before she hit her head.

She was so limp in his arms and he couldn’t help the pang of alarm that seized his heart at that realization. “Yasmine, are you alright?” he asked, trying to keep panic from his voice as he gently shook her by her shoulders.

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine moaned in pain, her body flailing weakly with Conrey's shaking but remained otherwise unconscious. Distantly she thought she could hear his voice though it felt like he was speaking from miles and miles away in a thick fog.

Eventually, the young noble felt herself being moved. She opened her eyes, catching glimpses of blurred green and brown ringed in an encroaching black. Her vision continued to go in and out and from time to time she thought she may have heard a voice, but Yasmine could no longer focus on it nor determine what was real and what was just her imagination.

"So hot," she attempted to say, her tongue feeling heavy and thick in her mouth. Yasmine did not even know if her words made sense but her arms flailed in failed tries at tugging her clothes down from her heated skin. "Hurts," the young woman slurred before finally giving up and becoming limp once more.

[Juno]

Hot? Hurts? Conrey frowned deeply with concern, looking her over again as if he'd missed some obvious sign of pain or illness, but...there was nothing. Though she clawed at her clothing nothing seemed amiss. At least until he adjusted her in his arms and lifted a hand to her face, feeling her forehead and then her cheek in disbelief. She must have been burning up to feel so warm. It was a little alarming that a vampire could come down with fever so quickly, but he didn't really know the first thing about illness for them or what had caused her to suddenly become so weak.

"I'm taking you home," he decided, hopeful that a bit of rest would fix her up because a trip out to find a healer for a vampire would certainly be an ordeal.

Gathering her up carefully he settled her against his chest before he stood, cradling her against him as he kicked out the fire and set out for their temporary home. He didn't mind abandoning their dinner, certain some scavenger would come along for the rest.

He navigated rocks and fallen branches, distractedly following the path they'd come through before. It seemed like every few moments he was checking to make sure she was even alive, relieved every time he felt the gentle movement of her breathing.

Once he broke through to the clearing that held their new home he hurried inside, ignoring the tiny feline that appeared at his heels as he took the stairs two at a time. "We're here, Yasmine," he announced softly, uncertain if she was conscious but feeling it necessary to tell her anyway.

Setting her down atop her bed finally he hovered nervously, uncertain if she would appreciate blankets but deciding against them considering her earlier complaints. Instead he pulled up a chair to her bedside, ready and watching for signs that she was getting worse and she needed help.

[GoblinFae]

She was in and out of consciousness as they traveled. It was both a blessing and a curse. For the moments she was conscious the speed with which they were moving was enough to turn her stomach. It was therefore a massive relief when all the movement finally ended and she was placed upon cool sheets in her own bed.

Her breathing was labored and she kept her eyes closed but already she could begin to feel the headache receding. The problem though was Yasmine was rapidly beginning to feel ravenous. Her stomach gurgled as her fingers sought out Conrey. She could hear his heartbeat in the room and despite her human heart wanting nothing to do with feeding on blood, her creature mind was starving for fuel.

[Juno]

A small sense of relief washed over him to see her moving of her own accord and seemingly beginning to come to at last. Conrey reached out to clasp her smaller hand between both of his own, quickly up out of his chair and leaning over her to scrutinize the young vampire for signs of discomfort while being none the wiser to her growing hunger.

"You scared me out there," he sighed, shaking his head slightly with a thoughtful frown, his panicked heartbeat beginning to settle to a steadier rhythm at last. "Didn't have to force yourself if it tasted that bad."

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine latched onto his shoulders once he was within range and pulled herself up close against him. A pained whine escaped her mouth as she nosed against his shoulder. She could smell it now. The tangy, metal taste was so close and he was so deliciously warm. Despite his heart rate beginning to settle, the vampire had already located the thing that she now desired above all else, food.

The young woman wrapped her arms around his shoulders to embrace him close as she placed a chaste kiss to his pulse point. The act was incredibly sweet and gentle in comparison to the sudden hunger-fueled strength she found within her to crush him close and violently sink her teeth into his neck. His blood would be hers and she was not about to let her prey escape her no matter who or what he was. In that moment he was no longer Conrey the Werewolf Bodyguard. He was simply her favorite meal served at last.