Into the Azure: A Fantasy Bad Boy Romance by Kylie Silverstone

trouble on earth, now who knows what it was going to do to us here. The last I had seen her, she was getting dragged off by her hair by one of these things, they took her beyond the castle walls and….Oh god, what had they done to her? I thought to myself.
         Tears had begun to roll freely down my face and I clenched the guards’ massive waist tighter and drew him closer into me, wanting to be held.
        “She’s dead,” I whispered to myself so soft that only I can hear it.
         “She’s dead and it’s all my fault,” I moaned as my voice broke.
         My shoulders began to heave with the weight of my crying when I felt the guard pull away from me. He cupped my chin in his hand and seemed to smile.
         “It is all going to be ok,” he said, stroking my hair, “I will protect you, you not be frightened,”
         I gasped and jumped up in shock.
         “You speak my language?!” I yelled, making him chuckle.
         He put his arms around me again and drew me in, placing his head on mine. He inhaled with his nose, taking in the scent of my hair and held me tighter.
         “Little bit, not as well as others, but little bit,” He whispered into my hair, his breath warming my scalp.
         “Where am I?” I dared ask, my voice quivering.
         “You are with me in Azure, I take care of you,” he whispered, his voice firm as masculine. “You no cry no more.” His hands made their way to my eyes and pushed away a tear.
         I wanted to keep asking him questions; What the hell is the Azure? How are you going to keep me safe? How did we get here? Who are you.
         I decided to hold my tongue and just be happy for what had in that moment. If I were to ask to anymore questions I might have risked insulting him. He seemed like such a proud, masculine creature, I dared not even consider questioning him further.
         I had begun to shiver in the cold stone room, he pulled away from me and walk towards the door, his boot heels kicking up dust and making me cough. He opened the heavy wooden door and stuck his head out into the hallway.
         “ETINAS MARITA!!,” He bellowed into the hallway his voice echoing.
         He stood back and four human girls came rushing in like frightened field mice, their hair tied up into messy buns, their skin pale with fear, their shivering bodies dressed long, tan, linen dresses. Their eyes darted around the room, obviously terrified. They looked around trying not to look at the guard or me. They trembled and ran their dirty fingers up and down their bodies, as if they were trying to protect themselves, trying to shield themselves from something.
         The guard sauntered over to a large chest which sat underneath the window and took out two towels.
         “You must bathe,” He said handing them to me, smiling. “Then, you work, I come tell you what to do,” He stroked my face with his large hand and looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes.
        Oh my god, I thought, a bath. If there was anything in the world I wanted in that moment it was to get the dirt off of my body.               I wanted to be baptized in it, have warm water wash away my sins of the day. I wanted to soak in warm, hot water, the way I used to do after a bad shift at the diner back home. When I would come stumbling through the door of my shitty apartment and immediately rush into the bathroom and start the warm water. I would have my shoes and clothing off before the water even got hot. I would make it scorching, almost painfully hot, so that when the tub was full I almost had to ease my aching joints into the bubbly water.
         “AMAS!” He screams at the girls, who all nearly fell over in fear.
          One of them took me gently by the arm, her hand quivering. I look over at the guard, who reclined himself in a wooden chair and nodded at me approvingly.
         The one girl began to lead me out into the