Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 161: I’ve Missed You, Alton

With the brute finally still, Delphi dropped to her knees in the dirt, digging the combat knife into the ground to hold herself upright as she started to shake.

"Holy fuck," Niko mumbled from where he still lay after his dive to save his General. "I’ve never had a fight like that in my life, and I hope I never another one. That move of yours, General, what the hell? You killed him with my broken blade? What are you, superhuman or something?"

"Go back and get yourself bandaged up by Indy, Lieutenant," said Alton, looking at the man’s shoulder. "That looks like it needs stitches. Thanks for the save there by the way."

Niko pushed himself to his feet. "I don’t think you needed it honestly, but it was just instinct at the end there when we were fighting to stay alive."

Alton gestured for Niko to leave him alone with Delphi, who knelt, shaking, before the felled savage.

Alton rested his sword up against a tree and approached her from behind, softly placing his hands on her shoulders.

She jumped and let out a cry of surprise or fear, or both...

"Hey, hey," he soothed her, "it’s just me, it’s just me. You’re safe now. That fucker’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. No one can survive a blade to the heart, not even that monster."

He felt how much her shoulders were shaking and wondered if she might be going into shock.

"Come here baby," he scooped her up into his arms in a princess carry, grabbed his sword and left the clearing where she’d been attacked.

He figured it was better to put some space between her and the dead man.

She tucked her head against his chest and tried to stop shivering, but the harder she tried the more she seemed to shake, until her teeth were chattering.

When he reached a small hill overlooking the lake, Alton sat down with her, still in his arms.

He hugged her tightly, trying to warm her and stop the shaking, though he knew it was more due to the trauma than the falling temperature.

"Hey sweetheart, you’re okay now. You’re safe. He’s dead."

Despite her best efforts not to cry, tears started to fall down her cheeks.

Alton brushed them aside. "Don’t let that beast make you cry babygirl. I’ve never seen you cry before. Not even once. Don’t let him get to you."

"I... I was so scared," her voice broke pitifully.

"Shh, shh," Alton kissed her forehead. "Of course you were. Anyone would have been terrified. He was the most enormous man and skilled sword fighter I’ve ever come across. And you can bet your bottom dollar there’s a reason he’s been posted up here to the bad lands. This is a remote posting for a criminal who’s narrowly avoided prison."

"I thought I could get myself out of any sticky situation, but he just wanted to hurt me. I think he would have kept going even if I was barely alive. His eyes were dead. It’s like there was nobody behind them," she shivered again, remembering those soulless eyes.

"Yes. He was more cunning animal than man."

Thank God we got there when we did, Alton thought with an enormous sense of relief. Who knows what would have happened if they’d arrived even a few minutes later.

He knew Delphi would have fought the man to the point the brute would have had to disable her somehow. It didn’t bear thinking about; how close the whole thing had come to being...

"Thank you for saving me. I miscalculated, not screaming when I was still at the beach. He threatened to slit my throat with that knife, but now, I don’t think he would have done it, and I should have screamed earlier."

"But a man like that could just as easily have done what he threatened. He was acting on pure instinct, not making calculated decisions like a rational being. It was the only call you could make in the circumstances."

"Thank you for saying that," she gave him a tiny smile through her tears. "How did you know something was wrong? I’d barely been gone for any time at all. I didn’t think you’d come after me for at least another half-an-hour..." She shuddered thinking about what would have happened to her in that length of time. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"I know you well enough by now," he gave her a tender smile, touching the tip of her nose with his finger. "I asked Arrie exactly what you said, and she said you were just washing your hair. I know exactly how long it takes you to wash your hair, and that was far too long."

"You know how long it takes me to wash my hair?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yes, woman. I know every damn little thing there is to know about you. You plague my thoughts night and day. You don’t think I’ve catalogued your little habits?"

"Why do I plague your thoughts? Do you dislike me that much? It wasn’t always like that between us, was it?" she sniffled.

"Dislike you?" he raised his eyebrows. "What hare-brained thoughts go on in that pretty little head of yours?" he tapped her on the forehead with his knuckles. "Use your brain, woman."

"But you’ve been angry with me and ignoring me ever since Brenner trapped me in that bathroom."

"Hah!" he laughed, "and you think that’s because I dislike you? It’s clearly because I am ridiculously angry with jealousy! My rage boils over every time I imagine what went on in that bathroom between the two of you. Even now I can barely contain myself. He kissed you, Delphi! Probably more!" he tried to calm himself.

This definitely wasn’t the time to have a flaming row with her when she was so traumatised.

"But you never let me explain what happened that day," she said sadly. "I even have a video, which I never got the chance to show you."

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry," he soothed. "I admit I’ve been a jerk. You make me feel so out of control; it was the only way I could stop myself from acting crazy. Especially after I gave Brenner that black eye. I knew I just needed some space to cool down."

"How much space do you need? You haven’t spoken to me for weeks!"

"Well you’re the cause of it. This crazy obsession," he muttered, dragging at his whiskers and looking to the sky for help that he knew wasn’t coming.

"I’ve missed you," she said softly.

He gazed into her eyes, fire flickering in his eyes. "I’ve missed you too... More than you know," the last words were whispered more to himself than to her.

"Can we be friends again?" she whispered into his intense stare.

He shook his head slowly.

"No?" she asked with dismay. "But why not?" her lower lip quivered again.

"I can’t be friends with you Delphine. I want more than that. I need more than that," he ran his fingers through his dark hair with frustration.

"If you don’t want to be friends with me, what do you want from me then?"

"Everything..."