Whatever Happened to Just Saying No?

[Iriah Caitrak]

A small smirk played over Ira’s lips as she watched her kick connect with Malagen’s knee bringing him down before her, but it quickly died on a jolt when instead of slicing through the man’s chest Ira hit nothing but air and in return received his fingers tightly wrapping around her wrist. There was no time for a reaction and in the next second Ira had her arm pinned painfully into her back, so she did the first thing that came to mind. She attempted to elbow him in the face, only his caught her arm and wrist easily there and pinned that against her back as well.

Anger rose up within her as she struggled against him, only serving to send shocks of pain from her left shoulder down her arm. She clenched her teeth and tried to ignore it and hold back the whimper in the back of her throat. Her shoulder had yet to completely recover from its injury during the Fallien civil war, an injury that only reared its ugly head whenever it was put in an awkward position, like right now for example. Still, that didn’t deter her, when Malagen came in closer to her, his breath fanning across her neck, she ignore her body’s initial response to enjoy the feeling, she stamped it down under her anger instead and struggled even harder against him, only causing more pain to herself. His words, a response to her caustic remark earlier—one she wished she hadn’t made now—left a trail of worry in her mind and when his lips pressed against her neck something opposite to his desired effect took over.

Fear.

It was an instinctual thing. She’d been attacked by a vampire and well remembered the pain of that woman’s teeth sinking into the flesh of her neck. And that was what she expected to feel once again and for a brief moment she did. Her entire body tensed and froze, her face paled considerably and her eyes clenched shut. But then she realized there was no pain; it was just her imagination reminding her of another time. Yet she could take no pleasure in his caress, she couldn’t trust him near her neck and she wanted him off her now.

Panic was beginning to take a hold of her. She controlled it for the moment, taking deep breaths, keeping herself as calm as possible. Then she felt his hand, fingers splayed as they searched down her side, edging closer to the one part of her anatomy he’d had a certain fixation on since the beginning of this battle.

Panic died and Ira narrowed her eyes. Just as his hand found its target, fingers kneading her backside, Ira’s head snapped back and her skull collided with some part of Malagen’s skull. Pain exploded along the base of her head but she ignored it, she knew it was coming and her attack did precisely what she wanted it to. His fingers loosened their grip and she easily slipped her wrists from his hold, his other hand completely leaving his backside and as he went to step away from her, she hooked her foot around his leg and tripped him, sending him sprawling into the grass.

Not wasting a second, Ira dropped her half swallows and spun around, forming a straight blade in her hand as she did so. She leapt onto the downed form of Malagen, effectively pinning him to the ground, or so she hoped. Her thighs on either side of his hips and her free hand pushing down some of her weight onto his chest, a chest with smooth, warm skin and hard, taunt muscle beneath it. She couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling under her palm for a brief moment, running her hand further down to the hard muscles of his stomach, but the moment of enjoyment was brief. She didn’t want to give Malagen the chance to recover and so without a second though, Ira plunged the dagger towards Malagen’s heart.

Nobody ever touches her like that and gets away with it.