31. Fight your own.

Keith snorted from next to me earning a glare from the council.

"Who's he?" Another council member pointed at Keith with narrowed eyes.

"He's a friend" I replied "He's here to support me"

"On what?" Yet another one asked "That ridiculous claim of yours?"

"Look" I sighed "Let's make it easy for all of us okay? Let me tell you about my plans and you can tell me what you want"

"We are only here on your father's request. He insisted that something could be done to remove whatever spell the predator cast on you" the quiet one said.

"He isn't a witch" I would have enjoyed their stupidity had it not been for the fear gripping my heart "I can assure you he isn't. He has been trying for over a decade you see. Some magical powers would have definitely made things easier for him"

"Amy" My mom said from next to me while dad glared on "That's not how you talk to the elders"

"I'm just making things easier for them"

"A formal summon will be issued once we decide the gravity of the matter" the man said "This issue is bigger than your lust for a predator" his eyes narrowed as he uttered the last words.

I matched his glare with my own "I am in love with him"

"Stop saying that" mom muttered.

"I'll keep saying that until you guys understand what I'm going through"

"You are a respected member of the society" Woman number two said, regarding me with caution "You have contributed immensely to the goodwill of our people. You should understand how bad it is for the society and how the future generation is going to be affected by your choices" At least she kills with kindness.

"I know" I nodded "That is why I am removing myself from the society altogether. I don't want to cause trouble. I was already planning on moving away from the country to live with the humans. And if you are that worried about us causing trouble we can hasten the process. I can leave within this week" I offered.

"Today" Keith said "We can move today"

It was my turn to widen my eyes at him "Today?"

He nodded.

"But...."

"He has been preparing for this day for a while now" He replied "Everything's ready"

Of course he has been doing that. That cocky bastard. He probably started preparing as soon as he felt my emotions for him change.

That's unfair. If he feels my emotions, I should be able to feel his too. That particular gift is especially important to me in the light that he is a pathological liar.

Spirits! I always knew love is overrated. Look at all the trouble it's causing me.

Mom tightened her hold on me "Don't do this Amy. Don't do this to us"

I slumped back into her. Taking her hand between mine, I inhaled her scent "I am sorry"

How am I ever going to forgive myself for doing this to my family? How can I ever be truly happy without them?

"So we take it that you aren't going to change your stance" the woman said "You stand by your claim that you weren't forced into this union?"

"Yes" I nodded "And I'm not going to encourage the future generation into doing anything unnatural, you have my word. So there is really nothing for us to discuss further"

"That's for the council to judge" The first granny said harshly "We will not let you taint our society with your vulgarity"

"Once again, there's no way I am endorsing it. I am admitting to it that this is unnatural and is one of those exceptions to nature's law. I just am tired of fighting it. I am not going to encourage anything. And frankly, even if I endorsed it, there is still the issue of predators wanting only their mates. So our children are safe" I said with a mock smile "And if you still need proof. Harold" I called my little brother who was sitting across the room with his earplugs on.

He looked up with a frown "What?"

"What do you think about predators?" I asked.

"Am I supposed to think about them?"

"What do you think about me spending the rest of my life with a predator?" I rephrased my question.

"You have always been slow in your head" He scrunched his nose "Let her leave" he told mom "She will be back in a week. Predators stink of dead bodies"

"There" I told the council "You have your answer. If I couldn't influence my own brother, I don't think I'll have much luck with the rest of the population"

"We will see about that" The man said as they rose to leave "You will hear from us soon"

They started walking away when the woman who was the only nonviolent member of the four stopped and turned to face me "Our soon doesn't mean today" She said with a hint of smile "We it will take us a couple of days to bring all the members together. Some of them are out of the province at the moment. It will be nice if your parents can change your mind by then" she looked from me to Keith and back.

The older women grunted in agreement "She is right. Getting the council involved officially will only hurt you and your family"

She just threatened me and my family, didn't she? What are they going to do? Boycott them from the society?

"That lady just told us that we could leave before they summon us. she gave us a way out" Keith said after they left. I couldn't focus on him.

This is bad. I can't take my family with me. I can't make all of them suffer because I decided to go ahead and find a forbidden love. Living with the humans by hiding our true nature wouldn't be easy for us. We will have to rein our animals. We can't shift and move around the city like we do here. I can't take away my family's freedom after I fought so hard for mine. I know how valuable that is.

"I am sorry"

"No you are not" Had gritted out "You wouldn't have done it if you knew what you are going to put us through" With that he stormed out after the council shutting the door behind him with a loud thud.

"I am sorry" I repeated to everyone in the room. My dad hates me.

"We are worried about you Amy" mom pulled me into her arms. I buried my face in her chest and cried "It's not about our hardships. It's about how this.....this unnatural thing....I don't know what to say. We are worried about what you are getting yourself into. You must understand that you didn't give us much time to adjust to it. We are still in shock. You will have to give us some time to understand this situation"

"I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean to make you people suffer for me. I wasn't sure about it until last afternoon. I tried"

"Shhh....." she ran her fingers through my hair "If there is one thing we know about you, it is that you tried with everything in you. The situation is what frustrates us, not you. That and the fact that there is a possibility that we might never see you again. I thing the thought of it is driving your father crazy"

"Arthur promised to bring you guys over. He promised" I repeated.

"And you trust him?" she asked quietly.

"With my life" I answered.

"They might decide to take extreme measures" she sighed "The fact that it will misbalance the society's order is a truth. I love you Amy and I am trying to look at it from your perspective but I wouldn't lie and say I understand. I don't. I can't for a moment comprehend how anyone can let their guards down in the presence of a predator. If I, your mother can't understand this bizarre bond that ties you to that.....that predator then it wouldn't be easy for the others to sympathize with you either"

"I know" I breathed her scent trying to capture her scent in my memory "I don't blame you mom. I am not upset with dad either. Honestly, I did consider the extremes. You have been kind to me so far. I don't blame you" I repeated.

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be" I pushed myself away so I could see her face. She was crying "I'll get through this I promise. We will get over this" I took her hands between mine "This isn't the last time you see me. I'm not that easy to get rid of"

"Of course you aren't" Sophie said "And it's not like it's the medieval age. There are modern technologies that will make sure you are in our face all the time"

I chuckled wiping my nose with the back of my hand "There is. And I'm sorry I wouldn't be able to finish sorting office work before I leave"

"Seriously?" She glared at me "You think I'm that heartless?"

I raised a brow.

Mia laughed "Sophie wanted to take you to office so Harvey would stop stalking you. We thought you needed to speak to Mr. Leoline"

Harvey sighed loudly for all of us to hear "Sure. Go ahead and make me the devil here"

I smiled "Thank you so much guys"

"That doesn't mean I'm okay with it" Harvey clarified "I'm still hoping Harold's right and you come back a week later because he stinks. We will move away from here. No one will bother you"

"You do realize it's all over the news right?" I know there's uproar outside even though Keith isn't allowing me to watch any news or contact anyone. He says Arthur will come when he sorts things out. My head's overwhelmed with possibilities of what Arthur might be dealing with. "The other provinces will know about it too. There is no place we could hide. The humans are our safest bet"

Keith's phone rang in the midst of our conversation and he moved away to pick it. All our ears trained to listen to him.

Duel.

The one word stopped my heart for a moment.

"You heard it" He said slowly when he returned. I was frozen in my seat all the while.

"What's going on" Harvey was the first one to recover.

"Well" the bull drawled.

"What happened" I barked out gritting my jaws.

"His family didn't take the news well" he said "To hear about it from the media, his parents weren't happy"'

"How much.... not happy?"

"His father decided trying to break the bond by going ahead with the wedding will be worth the risk" he spoke "Arthur challenged him"

"What's that?"

"They will fight each other" he said "They are fighting each other right now" he corrected himself "Arthur's challenging his father's authority as the head of their clan"

No.

"Calm yourself" mom wrapped her arms around me. I was shaking in fear.

"He has been preparing himself for this day" he repeated for the second time today "You shouldn't worry too much" He sounded unsure himself.

How can I not worry? It's George Leoline. Anyone who met him would worry.

"Will he hurt him?"

"It's their animal fighting" He replied "It all depends on the situation. If one of them surrenders easily, they could go unscratched and if they decide to fight on....."

He could die.

I slumped against my mother.

"What happens if he loses?" Harvey asked.

"If Arthur wins, George wouldn't have the authority to question him and if he loses, Arthur will obey him"

"What happens to my sister then?"

"With the money and power that George Leoline has, he could put it all under the carpet. He could make the media house retract their statement. We are on it currently. Once it's done, the world will forget the reports and the councils both theirs and ours will decide their fate"

"They can silence our council too?" Mia asked.

"As you already saw," he replied "our council's as eager as them to stop this. They will work on it together so this doesn't affect the predator-prey equation"

He could die.

The thought froze every other thought trying to get my attention. He could die fighting for me.

"You will have to have faith in him" Keith hand on my shoulder broke my trance. I looked up at him "Have faith in him" he repeated firmer this time "He has prepared himself for every possible outcome over the years. He has worked on George's weaknesses and strength. He has trained keeping him in mind" He trained to fight his own father? "You will have to trust his desire to protect you. He will fight to protect you. Do you think he will lose and put you at their mercy?"

No. He wouldn't ever do that.

"Will you take me to him?"

"I can't" he said instantly "That place is filled with predators who do not like you at the moment. It's unsafe and it will distract Arthur"

"Wouldn't they be held accountable for that?" Mia asked.

"Not if they declare she got between their duel. There wouldn't be cameras" he answered.

"I....I should go pack my stuffs" I stood up wobbling "If we are leaving today. I should pack" I nodded at them.

"Amy" mom held me steady "Calm down"

"I am calm. He said five hours. It has been more than three hours. He could be here anytime now. I need to start packing. My passport....."

"We have your passport"

"Of course you do" I noted dryly "Stupid lion. Stupid bull" I muttered as mom directed me towards the stairs to my room.

He will make it back. I know he will.

.

Five hours turned to six....seven...... eight...... midnight.....he didn't return and neither did my father.

It was almost dawn when the sound of choppers alerted us followed a little later by incessant knocking on the front door.

I jumped up from where I was sitting on the floor next to my packed belongings and rushed to the door. He's here. He's alive.

What I saw would be embedded in my memory for a long time. He was leaning against the doorframe, hand raised mid-knock. He was in a fresh pair of jeans and t-shirt, his hair dripping droplets of water showing evidence of the shower he took not so long ago. His dark shirt however couldn't hide the even darker stains of fresh blood soaking its material. He tried. He really tried to hide the blood and its stench. The numerous patches all over him indicated the hours of fixing he needed to make him capable of standing at my door in this moment.

"Hey" he smiled and winched immediately.

Talking was hurting him. Standing there was hurting him.

"Hey you" I whispered back moving towards him.

"Ready to go round the world with me?"

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