Chapter 23
A/N: Please make me happy by clicking that cute little star over there!! Pwease!!!
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Karen's POV
The rest of the week passes with the same routine. The three of us having breakfast in our room and then going to train with Darius and Caspian. I progress quite fast after the first day and my hand to hand combat skills are much better now. Darius is ruthless when it comes to training. I lost count of the times when he picked me up and slammed me to the ground.
But as the days pass, my super strength also keeps increasing, so by the last day of my training, I am stronger than Darius and happily kick his ass numerous times.
Once my training with Darius is over, we plan to switch sides. Now I will train with Caspian and Iris and Kevin will train with Darius. But I was able to survive his intense training with my supernatural strength and I have no idea how Iris and Kevin will.
Currently, I am on the other side of the gym room, where they established the archery and spear throwing section. From this part of the room, we cannot even sense what is happening in the combat section. So technically, there is only me and Caspian in the room.
I and Caspian bonded a lot over the days. The guy speaks rarely but I manage to put some words out of him. But he never jokes around like Kevin or not even like Darius. Instead, he simply minds his own business, talks only when necessary. And the one thing that hasn't changed is him calling me amare or Katarina whenever he sees me.
I am holding a large bow, with a bunch of arrows sling across my shoulders and two targets are placed in front of me. Caspian is in a similar position to mine and is a few feet away from me, dressed in full black, which contrasts with his pale skin tone and the sunlight that shoots through the small window enhances the color of his beautiful golden hair.
"Katarina?" he calls me breaking my brief trance.
"Hmmm?" I hum still looking at him.
There something different about Caspian. He doesn't flirt with me like Darius and he doesn't even talk as much as Darius. But still, I am drawn to him. Like this pull attracts my eyes to him, my body wants to be close to him and my ears want to hear him.
Darius doesn't have this effect on me. But he attracts me in a different way though.
These Eponian lots are so confusing.
Caspian sighs and slings his bow over his shoulder and begins to walk towards me while I keep staring at him because it seems to be impossible to tear my eyes off him. He stops right in front of me and takes my face in his hands. Like with Darius, my face is like a small ball in his hands. These two make me feel small and fragile. Maybe it's due to the way they treat me. Like a delicate doll that they are obliged to protect.
But the place where he touches me, it feels like he is passing an electric current from his fingertips to my body, neutralising the connection between us.
He looks deeply into my eyes.
What's with these Prince Brothers looking this way into my eyes?
"Why are you looking at me?" he asks.
Funny question! I myself don't know the answer to that!
"I don't know, you tell me. Why am I looking at you?" I ask back. The question sounds dumb but it feels apt.
"How can I answer that question, amare?" he whispers.
"Why do you call me that? Amare?" I ask back.
"I think you already know what that means. Iris knows Latin, doesn't she?" he asks.
"Yeah, she does. She told me what it means. Why do you call me that?" I ask him.
"Because I want to..." he trails off. His eyes travel down my face and to my lips. But that's when I notice his lips. The top part is a perfect cupid bow while the bottom is plump and a very nice pinkish-red in color.
"We should practice, amare! Not stare at each other!" he admonishes and pulls his hands off me. I almost whine at the loss of touch.
I sigh and then pull off an arrow from the bunch and try to position it on the bow. Although I try to make it cool as I have seen in movies, to my sheer bad luck or lack of experience, my arrow drifts away from the bow. Caspian chuckles and places his hands on my waist, me shuddering at his touch.
What the hell is happening to me?
"Your position is wrong!" he observes and then twists my body into position with a sharp jerk which causes me to wince and turn my head around to look at him.
"And you have kept your hands the wrong way..." he says and trails his hand along my arm holding the bow, positioning it correctly. Then, he places his hands on my upper arms and pushes my torso upwards. "Raise your shoulders! Pull the arrow..." he pulls back the arrow along with my hand. "Look straight at your target!" he orders and I do as told, feeling his hot breath hit my neck. "Now shoot!" he commands and I let go of the arrow.
The arrow pierces the target a few inches away from the bull's-eye and I sigh in relief. At least, I didn't miss the target. I look back at Caspian who is still resting his hands on my hips.
"Did I do good?" I ask.
"Yeah, you were fine. For a beginner." he compliments and I sigh in relief. "Although, I have to admit, Iris did much better!" he says and I can't help but scowl. The thought of Caspian touching Iris like he touched me is making me feel...I don't know. Angry? Furious? Jealous? I don't think Kevin would have approved.
"I didn't have to fix her position, one time. Her posture was perfect, but I had a hard time fixing Kevin." he chuckles, removing his hands from me. and picking up his bow.
He didn't touch Iris.
"Caspian?" I call out.
"Hmm..." he hums in response. I want to say him something...something else but I can't bring myself to do it.
"Nothing!" I shrug. He sighs, walking over to me and cups my face...again!
"What is it? It's not nothing!" he mumbles.
"I had a doubt, but now is clear! Seriously, it's nothing!" I shrug and look down at my feet. But Caspian doesn't give up. He forces up my head to look at him and his gaze burns holes through my face. His eyes are beautiful. Again, even Darius's is beautiful but this is a different kind of beautiful.
He looks at me as though he can read my mind. Maybe he can. You can never tell what powers they possess.
"I can tell that you are lying," he whispers, his voice deeper than usual. I don't say anything. I don't want to do this training. To be honest, I just wanna sit here and talk with this handsome warrior who happens to barely talk.
"Amare, your training with me won't be as harsh and tiring as when you train with Darius. But it won't be as enjoyable either since I don't joke around as he does. So stop lying, and tell me what is concerning you." he scolds with a big scowl on his face.
"Then you have to stop cupping my face like this, calling me amare and looking into my eyes like you...want me. And I am not lying!" I snap, pulling his hands off me.
"I don't...I don't want you, Katarina! I want to help you since you are our princess-" he begins but I cut him off.
He doesn't want me! And why the hell does that hurt so much?
"Stop helping me, if you really don't want to. I have my friends and Darius who are more than willing to help. If you think you are obliged to do it, then please don't!" I snap again.
"I am not obliged to help you. I want to help you. I want to help that little baby I saw seventeen years ago, earn her true place!" he shouts.
"Well, I am not that little baby anymore. I grew up. This is who I am now!" I say directing my hand towards my body.
"For me, you are still that baby! That baby who I wanted to protect! That baby who I wanted to keep! That baby who I wanted to be mine! I want to see you as that baby!" he fumes.
The baby who he wanted to be his?
"Stop seeing me as a baby! I am not a freaking baby, I am a teen now! I grew up! Snap out of it, Caspian!" I yell.
"Fine! You're a big woman!" he huffs and storms to the chair next to us.
He sits there breathing heavily and frustratingly runs his hands through his golden hair. I want to sob and cry my eyeballs out.
He said doesn't want me. But then he said he wanted me to be his. What the hell does this guy even mean? Why are boys like this? Can't they just be straightforward?
"We have to train," he mutters after a few minutes of pin-drop silence. I don't open my mouth. Not one word comes out of it. I sit there, as far as I can, away from him, forcing myself to not cry in front of him and keep picking my nails to avoid his gaze.
Then, I see his shadow approaching me from the corner of my eyes. I bite the inside of my cheeks to force my tears inside and he kneels beside me. I turn my face away from him. He pissed me off and I don't want to talk to him.
"Amare!" he whispers. For some damn reason, when he calls me that, my whole heart melts. But, I am not the easily forgiving type.
"Go away!" I croak out.
"Amare..." he calls again.
"Don't call me that!" I choke out again and try to push him away from me. But he grabs my wrists, stopping me. When I try to get off his grip, I can't and those darned tears begin to fall.
"We have to train!" he whispers again.
I glare at him. "You seriously want to train? Right now?" I ask him through my tears. He looks down as if he can't bring himself to tell what's next, and takes two deep breaths before he looks at me again.
"Yes, we don't have time to waste," he says, his voice sounding strained. I look up at his face, unable to believe his attitude.
I don't like this Caspian. I want the silent, good, sweet Caspian. The Caspian who lovingly calls me amare. This Caspian sucks!
"I don't want to train. I don't want to train with you!" I sob, trying to push him off me.
"You cannot say that! You have to and you are training with me!" he commands and tries to pull me to stand. I struggle against him , grunting and crying. I take a deep breath and aim one strong push to his chest, praying to finally get out of his grip.
I gasp as he releases his hold on me and flies across the room to land over the targets. The sound of breaking wood and Caspian howling in pain pierces my ears and I sprint over to him, to find the arrow I shot at the target has pierced through his hand, crimson blood gushing from his wound.
"Oh....my...Caspian? Caspian?" I croak out in panic. He is holding his hand and is about to take the arrow out when I stop him. "NO! Don't take the arrow out!" I shout, pulling his other hand away from it.
"Ah....how...how did you...do that?" he groans.
"No, no, no....oh god! I am so sorry! Caspian, I am so sorry!" I sob hysterically trying to help him. He groans and grunts in pain as he struggles to sit.
Good god, please don't make him have any broken bones. Please, please, please!
I crawl behind him to support his upper body as he sits up. I hold his shoulders, careful not to cause him one bit of pain. Tears pour out of my eyes out of pure guilt. This is the second person I've hurt so far due to my goddamn powers.
My heart is literally in my throat and there are clouds in my brain. I can't think, my vision is distorted due to the film of water covering my pupils and I can barely speak. All I manage to make is choking sounds, trying to contain my sobs.
Caspian rests his head on my shoulder, his entire upper body lying on mine. He is panting heavily, his breath coming out in heavy wheezes.
"I'm s-sorry Katarina...I shouldn't have-"
"Shut up! Stop apologizing to me while I should be the one to apologise!" I shout through my sobs.
"Amare, don't cry! It's alright," he whispers.
"Your hand is bleeding like crazy, Caspian! I don't even know what to do!" I sob again.
Good God, I have one more request. Please, help me stop crying!
"It's fine. It's okay..." he grunts, "You are so strong!"
"I am too strong. I don't even feel my strength when I do stuff like this. I hate hurting people. And when it's my best friends, I hate it even more." I cry. To anyone who walks in , we must look like a terrible mess right now, me crying my eyeballs out holding Caspian, and him injured like this.
The arrow looks quite big and uncomfortable on Caspian hand. It must be heavy for him to carry it around pierced on his hand like that. I remember Iris telling me that we shouldn't remove an object pierced into your body since the object stops the blood from flowing out. Therefore, I can't remove the arrow. So I take is injured hand in mine and effortlessly break away the long part of the arrow. He hisses.
"Caspian, I have to call someone. I'll get Darius and Kevin to help." I say but he holds me in place, shaking his head.
"No, stay here! I can't move now. Stay here, amare!" he whispers. I wrap my arm around his chest and hold him close to me.
"Oh god! I feel like shit now for hurting you like this! I am so sorry, Caspian!" I whisper to his ear. He chuckles and reaches his hand back to touch my face and slowly turns his head back to face me.
"It's okay..."
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