Heated Hearts

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Leiah paced her room back and forth, jagged breathes coming out quick as she relieved the moment Hallow asked her to marry him. She pinched herself several times, wondering if she was asleep or just hallucinating the whole scenario.

She didn't know why her heart pounded like an angry drum, after all it was impossible to feel something like this for someone she had just met. It wasn't love, no, how could she possible love Hallow if he was still a mystery to her? Was it admiration, respect, compassion, gratitude?

Leiah groaned, falling face first on her bed as she thought hard about what to do with the situation she had suddenly been tossed in. Tyrell's voice echoed in her mind, and how he said Hallow wasn't human- as if that was the reason she was worried about her feelings.

No, it wasn't his lack of human skin that made her feel strange. She just felt like there was a connection between her and Hallow, and now with him proposing to her she felt like that connection was only getting stronger. It terrified her, because she had never felt something so peculiar before.

What would her mother tell her if she were alive? She would most likely advise her to think about it, and to think of the future alongside Hallow. Think of the positive, the negative, and then decide if he was the one.

If Leiah rejected him, her father was sure to bring a suitor from a distant land to take her hand, just so Hallow wouldn't try asking her again. Somehow, that was something that brought her absolute dread. The idea of sleeping next to a stranger from another kingdom made her sick to her stomach. With Hallow, she felt different though, like she had known him for a long time.

A few heavy knocks bounced off the other end of her door, and Leiah grabbed a pillow to place over her head. She would pretend she wasn't inside and prayed that whoever had come to bother her would leave.

After a few minutes of silence, she heard scuffling outside her window, and suddenly two firm knocks radiated from the glass. Leiah tossed the pillow aside, her fingers flying to her teeth as she stood up and walked over to her window, staring with a frozen face at the spirit before her.

Hallow grinned wide and pushed open the glass, poking his head inside her room, "Were you sleeping, your highness?"

"No. I was merely thinking that's all."

"May I come in?"

Leiah couldn't say no, and she stepped aside to allow him room to crawl in and make himself comfortable.

"These walls are absolutely disgraceful! My, we will have to make the ceiling higher after our wedding."

Leiah flinched at the last word and whirled away, clutching the hem of her dress as her shoulders began to tremble. She was glad that Hallow was too busy complaining to notice her unease, but once he fell silent and a sensation of two eyes boring deep into her back arose, the young woman slowly looked behind her with a forged smile.

"I suppose you're here for my response. I'm sorry I left so quick. It was unexpected."

"Nonsense, my sweet apple. None of that matters now, as we are here. You and I. Alone." Hallow emphasized the word 'alone' and sat down on the wooden floor, waving his silver claws in the air, "You might be wondering why I have made such a rash decision, especially since I told your father I was uninterested in romance and the sort. Truth be told, I lied to your old man."

"You did? Um, why did you choose me?"

"Isn't it obvious? You and I were born to rule this kingdom side by side! You love my celebration, therefore you love me. And I, the doting, kind wretch that I am- cannot help but feel a strong affection for those who express their feelings so openly."

Leiah didn't know how to respond, and she immediately looked down as the heat threatened to climb up into her cheeks once again. "I n-never said I love you...ah, not that I don't. No- I mean like a friend. I-I-I don't even know anything about you yet. We're both so different." She mentally slapped herself, but before she could apologize and excuse herself out of her own room, Hallow suddenly patted his thighs. She stared at him confused, until he curled his finger- motioning for her to come closer towards him.

"Sit on my lap, princess."

Leiah was sure her head would have exploded on the spot. She felt like a petrified rat, staring right at the face of an alluring cat. Part of her wanted to obey, but the other more civilized side of her told her to stay put and not act like the women down at the inn.

"Come now, there's nothing wrong with sitting on me." Hallow grabbed her hands and led her towards him, plopping her right on his legs. Leiah felt like a little girl slouched on her father's lap.

"Why are you so rigid? Isn't this what two humans who have an interest in one other do?"

Leiah turned to Hallow without a word, but he only continued.

"And then they whisper sweet nothings into the others ears, like so...," he bent closer towards her ear, and she couldnt tell if it was his fire or her blood making her face warm.

"Red, hard, candy coated apples," Hallow's deep voice slipped into her skull, causing Leiah's hand to fly right up to her mouth.

"Why are you laughing?"

The seriousness in his tone only made the girl's laughter burst free. She placed a hand on her chest, trying to apologize and stop herself from crying. "No no, that's just an expression. Sweet nothing means, sweet, endearing words." Hallow's fire seemed to dim as he stayed quiet for a moment. Leiah would have bet 10 coins that he was embarrased.

"Is that not what I did?" He pouted like a small boy, grumbling under his breathe.

"Not exactly. Whispering sweet nothings would be something like, 'I'm glad you're here with me' or 'I want you'."

"So I need to speak seductive words to make a woman melt in my hands, like caramel."

Leiah felt a bit awkward having a conversation like this with Hallow, but she nodded and said nothing else.

"And did I not seduce you with my talk of treats? Or must I resort to more graphic, pleasurable details on how I make a mean chocolate cake?"

The door to Leiah's room suddenly flew open before she could even get a word in. There, panting and sweating on the other side of the entrance was Tyrell. Hallow rolled his carved eyes at the unwanted man intruding upon his quiet time with the princess.

"Why on earth are you dripping like a pig? The dining room is quite literally down the hall."

"I need to talk to the princess." Tyrell ignored the king, which only made him furious.

"The princess is sitting on my lap if your tiny, abnormal eyes cannot tell. Now either you spill your guts here, or you keep them inside and go pester someone else."

Tyrell pursed his lips together, hating the fact that Leiah was perched on Hallow's legs like they were already romantically involved. Who knew what went down when he was off helping his king.

"It's your father, Leiah. He's not feeling well."

The girl quickly stood on her two feet, panic sweeping over her face as she raced towards her guard, "What's wrong with him? Is he okay? Where is he?"

"He's in his room sleeping. I just wanted to let you know that he passed out again and might have hit his head a bit too hard."

Leiah couldn't stay put any longer. She apologized to Hallow and started to run down the hall towards her father's bedroom. Hallow, on the other hand, grabbed Tyrell's shoulder before the man could trail after her.

"Let me go."

"I dont think you're in a position to give commands. Let us stroll through the garden while my future wife visits that miserable old fool."

Tyrell shoved his shoulder away as he stared up at the annoyed creature with a fierce glare, "That is my king you are talking about. I demand that you respect him, his kingdom, and his daughters."

Hallow's claw immediately flew towards an unsuspecting Tyrell's face. He squeezed the man's cheeks, digging his curved fingers into the clean flesh. A small bead of blood began to form from the sharp, metal tips, but Tyrell dared not move for fear of his jaw tearing clean off.

"How dare you demand anything of me, filth. I'll rip that pretty little skull apart and eat your brains while you're still breathing. As for that weak, pathetic waste of space...you know full well he lost his crown the minute I stepped into your sickening world. He is nothing and will die nothing, just like the rest of you."

Tyrell swallowed hard, his lips pushed out like a fish. Despite the awkward, hurtful position, he managed to mumble out the next few words, "And what about Leiah?"

Hallow returned to his usual mood and let go off the man, grinning wide like nothing had happened. "Once we get married, I will do what I must do."

Tyrell was about to spit out something nasty, but he reminded himself who was in charge. It took everything he could muster to not do something that would end up in him being dinner. Forcing a rough smile, he spoke through tightly gritted teeth, "Let's move to the garden, shall we?"

"We shall."

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