He Left Me To Die, Then Begged For My Love I nourished a beast-hybrid bodyguard with my very lifeblood. For six years, I cherished him, poured out my entire heart, only to receive a single cold declaration in return: “Don’t ever think you can tame me.” During the Great Beast Uprising, he shielded another girl, letting me be trampled underfoot. He was *my* bodyguard, for crying out loud. Yet he always, *always* abandoned me. He even coiled his scorpion tail tightly around my throat, forcing me to use my precious blood to revive that girl. He didn’t know that every drop of blood I shed meant a piece of my life force withered away. He didn’t know this was my final breath, my last remaining lifespan. “Aurora, I swear I’ll make it up to you, I’ll be everything you want. Please, save her.” The arrogant beast-hybrid, who had always scorned submission, finally knelt before me, acknowledging me as his master. My fingers were fading, turning translucent against the light. “But… there was no ‘us’ anymore. No future.”
Ryder’s scorpion tail thrashed wildly, his eyes glazed over, consumed by pure bestial rage. He was in a frenzy. “Ivy…” Even then, with me bleeding out, he still whispered *her* name. I let him bite into my arm. Only when my blood flowed down his throat did he slowly calm. “Thank you…” I didn’t whine or complain about the pain like I usually would. Instead, I pushed him away, wiping the remaining blood onto a withered plant. The dry, shriveled leaves instantly burst back to life. Another chunk of my life force had drained away. “I’m moving near the lab. You’re my bodyguard; you have to come with me.” Ryder flinched. “But…” “I feed you my blood every month, Ryder. It’s not so you can run off to deal with Ivy’s wild episodes.” His chest was covered in love bites and hickeys. I forced my gaze away, my eyes burning with unshed tears. The accusation was on the tip of my tongue. But it twisted, becoming a threat instead. “Don’t forget your duty. If anything happens to me, the Federation won’t let any of you off the hook.” The world had ended. The ecosystem was shattered, and food plants were on the brink of extinction. I was the Federation’s only botanist. “Understood.” Ryder lowered his gaze. “I’ll go out first, then.” As he reached the door, I called out to him. “Ryder, what do you think we are to each other?” He stopped. His broad shoulders shrugged. His tanned muscles tensed, and on his waist, the indelible mark of a ‘discarded genetic experiment’ was still visible. If I hadn’t risked half my life to save him back then, he’d be long dead. “Employer and bodyguard. You give me blood; I protect you.” It was the answer I expected. No matter how much I gave, his heart wouldn’t hold even an ounce of space for me. Why force it? He wasn’t Julian. He wouldn’t cherish me, not truly. No matter how much he looked like him, he wasn’t him. Tears blurred my vision. I tried to wipe them away, but my fingertips were already fading, turning translucent. “I might not be able to pay your salary anymore.” **I’m fast disappearing.** Ryder didn’t take it seriously. “Then I’ll just find another employer.” He took long strides and left, leaving the door ajar and me, quietly sobbing. I always joked with him. But this time, it was real.
I’d just woken up, and Ryder was already standing by the front door, ready to go. “Your clothes are all here. The files are organized too.” His brow was slightly furrowed, and his strong, bony fingers pushed back a stray lock of hair as he meticulously checked the luggage. “The calming incense got a bit damp, so I didn’t bring it. I’ll buy you a new one later.” “I packed your plushie in a separate bag…” “Throw it away.” I said flatly. That plushie, Ryder had given it to me. It was meant for Ivy. She refused it, and then he just passed it on to me. The pathetic thing was, I’d treasured it. Ryder paused, looking stunned. “Why? Didn’t you like it? Just keep it…” This was the first time he hadn’t obeyed my order. “Ryder!” The girl skipped into the small yard, light on her feet, and threw herself into Ryder’s arms. “Thank you so much for yesterday! I came to thank you in person.” Ryder stiffened, his hands hovering awkwardly, unsure where to place them. His ears, unseen by her, burned bright red. His scorpion tail was held high, as if afraid to accidentally hurt her. I glanced at the back of my hand. Last night, his venomous stinger had grazed me, leaving my hand red and swollen, almost breaking the skin. Perhaps I was just used to it, but I barely felt any pain. “Oh! Is this that plushie I didn’t want?” Ivy picked up the beautifully wrapped plushie, examining it. “How did it get here? Did you give it to Aurora?” Ryder glanced at me. He hesitated. “Uh… no.” I turned my face away, my hand hanging by my side unconsciously clenching. He said, “I just forgot to throw it out when I was home. It’s trash, really.” His scorpion tail flicked. The plushie was sent flying into the overflowing trash bin. Its soft, plush face, still plastered with a cheerful smile, rolled into the depths, becoming soaked and soiled. “I knew it! Why would you give my unwanted junk to Aurora?” Ryder’s eyes flickered to my pale face, a tremor running through his pupils before he quickly looked away. I couldn’t tell if it was guilt, or a flicker of pain. He was afraid Ivy would misunderstand. So he chose to hurt me. And, of course, what comparison was there between us? Even gifts, I only got what she didn’t want. I unclenched my hand. My palms were marred with crescent-shaped indentations from my fingernails. “Throw away all my luggage. I’ll buy new things.” “I don’t want any of it anymore.” I looked at Ryder. “And that includes you, Ryder. I don’t want you anymore.”
I applied to the Federation for a new bodyguard. “Are you sure?” The Commander chuckled. “Ryder is the one you risked half your life to save, Miss Aurora. It took half your blood, you know.” “And where you knelt and begged before the Elders, green grass has sprouted. I bet that beast-hybrid doesn’t know that, does he?” “That failed genetic experiment, he wasn’t worth risking your life for.” “Oh, I forgot. He looks just like your childhood sweetheart, Julian. No wonder…” I was determined. I would replace Ryder and never be entangled with him again. The next day. My new bodyguard from the Federation arrived. It was a tiger beast-hybrid, even taller and more imposing than Ryder. His long, snow-white tail curled around my luggage. “Greetings, Miss Aurora.” I cleared out the room I’d prepared for Ryder and let the tiger beast-hybrid move in. I was explaining his duties when the doorbell rang. I didn’t open it. Ryder waited for a while, assuming no one was home, and tried the passkey himself. “Password incorrect.” He thought he’d misheard. He tried again. “Password incorrect.” He began to pound on the door. I was tired of it. I told the tiger beast-hybrid to get rid of him. A thunderous crash shook the entire house. I rushed out to find Ryder and the tiger beast-hybrid locked in a furious brawl, tearing down the very front door in their struggle. “Stop it!” Ryder looked up, his jealousy so thick it felt like it could drip from his eyes. His scorpion tail plunged forcefully into the tiger beast-hybrid’s side. I heard a strangled gasp, and the tiger beast-hybrid crumpled, his skin visibly turning purplish-blue. “Are you insane?!” I slapped Ryder across the face. His head snapped to the side, a few drops of blood flying. Only then did I notice the bloody gouge on the back of his head where the tiger beast-hybrid had clawed him. “Who is he?” Ryder glared, his eyes fixed on the other man. “My new bodyguard.” I helped the tiger beast-hybrid up, swiftly cut my arm, and pressed it to his lips, letting him drink. Ryder’s eyes went crimson. “I’m your bodyguard.” His defiance deflated. He stood there, utterly lost, especially when I offered no response. Even his scorpion tail drooped. “I’m your bodyguard…” “You can’t protect me,” I said coldly. “Get out.” He stood rooted to the spot. Perhaps realizing how terrible he’d been before, his lips trembled, unable to form a single word of protest. “I can…” “I promise I’ll protect you properly from now on, I’ll protect you with my life…” The glass reflected Ryder’s face, his jaw tight, his gaze locked onto me. He didn’t even blink, despite the blood streaming into his eyes. “Give me another chance.” The tiger beast-hybrid stirred. He pushed past me and bolted for the door, terrified of another sting. “Aurora, no one’s better suited for this job than me,” Ryder took a step forward. “I *can* protect you.” I was silent for a long moment. I looked at him. “You said you’d protect me with your life.” Ryder nodded frantically, like a bobblehead. “I promise.” I could feel my life force slipping away. I was inexplicably exhausted, sleeping longer and longer hours. Even the plants in the lab weren’t responding to my touch as they used to. “I’m tired. I’m going home.”
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