The Beastkeeper's Redemption

Thirteen

Thirteen 
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

Oh, God.

This was bad. Bad, bad, bad...

In hindsight, Izzy mused as invisible bands thrust against her chest, lurching her body backwards, she could have approached this better. She probably, definitely, shouldn't have tried to escape or evade his pursuit.

Her back collided with the surface of the desk, scattering the debris that remained atop it and sending items skittering across the stones, winding her with a groan. Pain lanced through her shoulders, yet she squirmed in a futile attempt to free herself. Whatever magic had her imprisoned against the mahogany table was invisible and felt as if she had ricocheted against a brick wall, contrived by the infuriated Draëllian advancing upon her with a predatory sway to his broad shoulders.

Damn it, if he didn't look so damn frightening... but she had become spooked, and unbelievably scared at the look of betrayal and rage on Kaede's normally boyish and charming face. Whatever she had witnessed on his visage had bode so ominously the air in the chamber seemed to palpitate with the fury of his emotions.

She had put that there, she realised forlornly, and it was evident he found her deception appalling.

Izzy twisted, attempting to wriggle free, but he was on her within seconds, pinning her wrists above her head in his own strong hands, using his body to trap her in place.

He was so much larger than her, muscles rippling across his torso with unrestricted power, pressing against her as he held her in place, even when she began to thrash against him, bucking her hips and twisting her elbows. But it was useless- he was too powerful.

Kaede merely stilled her by pressing his chest down into hers, by grinding his pelvis into hers, effectively pinning her to the desk and successfully quelling any further resistance in his dominating position.

"If you had any wisdom left in that pretty head of yours," Kaede hissed, bringing his face close to hers until their noses were a mere centimetre apart, "you'd realise that running from me could be very, very bad for you."

"Please-"

A vicious glare slashed across his mien but then he had released one of her wrists to free his hand, securing her easily with just one of his, before he was stuffing her mouth full of cotton- a handkerchief from one of his pockets. "Save your words," he growled, "for the magistrate, who will no doubt be hard-pressed to find any truth of your innocence, for someone who isn't sick of listening to your lies."

Innocence? What exactly was she guilty of that warranted the involvement of the law?

For some reason, that made Izzy indignant, even as alarm and panic shot through her. This idiot male thought to incarcerate her over this? Without allowing her an explanation, or the courtesy to defend herself?

Suddenly, Kaede was rearing backwards, throwing himself off her body and dragging her along with him. She glowered up at him, her chest flush against his as he yanked her arms behind her back. Something firm banded around her wrists and she could only assume that he had used some sort of enchantment to bind her, but it was effective enough as she could scarcely move her fingers.

Before he could react, she had tongued out the scrap of cotton until the material lay between them. She had mere seconds, knowing he'd stifle her as soon as he was able, and she spat out, "You're making a mistake-"

But it was all she managed before she was muted once more, and this time he wasn't gentle when he stuffed the cotton gag back in her mouth, securing her lips closed with another unseeable band that rendered her incapable of moving them.