The Devil's Creature

Winter studied the face of Thamus, waiting to be told why he had hurt her.

But the silence remained in the room, and she felt more uncomfortable the time he kept silent.

"Well?" asked Winter, keeping his eyes fixed upon his face.

"Have you heard folklore sing about the wolfman?" Thamus then asks while he wrapped a bandage around Winters' hand. Winter felt her heart beat faster, and Thamus face stayed emotionless.

She could feel his energy shift around, and she became guarded.

"Of course I have," said Winter, frowning, "but they are only fables," she went on, and Thamus sighed.

"They are quite real," Thamus responded, making Winter feel even more confused.

"No, a man cannot become a wolf, and if so, he would be the creature of the devil," Winter mumbled, and she could see Thamus' eyes twinkling with darkness.

"Are you calling me the devil?" Thamus uttered coldly.

Winter got up and backed away, fearful of Thamus sudden mood change.

"No? I'm not calling you anything," Winter shuddered with a racing heart.

Thamus stuck her with his dark eyes, bringing Winter up to the wall.

He went toward her with slow but powerful steps, and his eyes were fixed on her.

"I didn't want to offend anyone, please," Winter stammered watching Thamus come forward. "I'm the Wolf Man, Princess... And the king of the Brigads," Thamus spoke coldly, and Winter saw his eyes turn black as black fur appeared on his face.

Winter was scared, but something about this was fascinating for her as well.

The years locked up in the kingdom were killing her soul slowly, and even if she was a prisoner to Thamus, she still found herself longing for an escape from her old self.

Their eyes locked on each other, and Thamus was breathing harshly. The tension gripped them, but Winter did not want to show her fear of him.

Winter extended her trembling hand and placed it on Thamus's cheek, but as soon as she touched him, he turned around and left the room.

Thamus left the chamber and locked up before he passed through the castle with quick steps. He had no clue why Winter did what she did? He could feel that she was afraid, but then he felt that little flutter inside of her, searching for something...

Why does he even care? She's nothing to him.

Winter was disturbed and distressed that Thamus left her again, and she heard the door lock. What the hell is she supposed to do locked up in a chamber?

Winter went into the bedroom and took an apple of the brick and took a bite as her mind wandered everywhere. What about her family? Did they make it out of the castle? Are they protected by the Kelton kingdom?

Winter shuddered when she relived her mother's harsh words and slap across the face. Not in a million years would she have believed that this is how her 20 years of life would unfold. She was detained captive by a savage, a wolfman, not knowing the result of all this.

"King Thamus?" Argon called when Thamus exited the castle, "Yes?" Thamus answered, but he kept walking.

"It had come to my attention that you have the royal princess captive?" Argon shouted as he tried to keep up with Thamus.

"This does not concern you," Thamus coldly murmured.

"Of course not, I was just wondering why she's still alive?" Argon keeps going, making Thamus very angry.

"I suggest you keep your nose out of my decisions, Argon." Thamus said coldly, "This decision is not about you, or any other man."

Argon nodded and then withdrew while Thamus continued walking in the village outside the castle where his warriors and citizens lived.

"King Thamus!" his right-hand man Ashton shouted from behind.

"Ah, Ashton. Can you shed any light on last night's damage?" Thamus asked when Ashton came to him.

"It doesn't look good... Almost 60 men lost their lives and hundreds were injured." Ashton replied, "I see. Burn the bodies. Anything else?" Ashton glanced around them before leaning over Thamus, "I heard you took the princess prisoner? What is the status there, what do you foresee?" He mutters.

"For the time being, it is not anybody's business. However, there was one more thing: Did the men murder the girl who was with the princess in the castle?"

"I don't know, I can look around. Which men had her?" Ashton answered,

"Cullen and the duo," Thamus replies, and Ashton acquiesced, "I'll check this out, would you like me to send her your way if she's alive?" Ashton asked, "Yes. You know where to find me." Thamus answered, and headed back to the castle in a hurry.

Winter was in no place used to dressing and cleaning without a girl helping her, and she needed a bath. She was dirty from traveling with Thamus and she didn't have any clean dress to wear.

She looked around the room and quickly realized that this must be the former king's master bedroom. Winter marched through the large room and into the adjacent attachment and found a large dressing room.

Robes and other garments were hanging on the walls, and Winter guessed that they belonged to the former leaders.

She brought clothes and went into the bathroom to heat the tub, which was already filled with clean water. A few moments later, the water warmed and she took her clothes off and climbed inside.

Thamus had a meeting with Sadon about the next steps and battles and was delayed for a while before he went back to his room. He entered the room and looked around for the Winter, but she was not there.

But as he walked across the room, he saw a crack in the bathroom door and noticed that Winter was bathing. He saw her back naked with her hair falling down.