Physical contact had never been something that she enjoyed. The last time she had been grabbed by someone, they had greedily sucked the blood from her veins. She was uneasy when the pretty blonde linked their arms together but she swallowed down the bubble of nervousness and prayed that finally she would be helped. Her life was not ideal, it was not the kind of life that anyone wanted, it was not a beautiful tragedy; it was one that she would not wish on her greatest enemy. It was hell.  The cold night air soothed her nerves slightly as she took a deep breath and gently exhaled it. Since that day so many years ago she had learned to fight for her life. If these people were willing to help her to live to see another morning then she would gladly go with them. 

The hunters wanted to exterminate her like a rat hiding in the nooks and crannies of their home. She was not some miracle child that had remained perfectly human. She was a pest just like the prey the hunters chased. As she was passed to another, she looked around at the scene before her. 

The tall man from before caught her attention; he was looking past her at the blonde woman with a darkening expression. He was waiting for the right moment to strike. His muscles were tensed to the point where Andi found herself rubbing her arm as a reaction. "I told you that there were things out at night that could even hurt you."

The voice of the brunette woman caught Roman off guard. His eyes moved from Ophelia for a few seconds to the brunette woman before the sounds of a small scuffle reached his ears. The princess was capable to handling herself but he couldn't help but to react. Roman angrily grabbed one of the hunters by the throat as he went in to ambush the princess from behind. 

This was the side that Roman fought to control, the one that he feared the most. In his younger days he had been involved with an underground gambling ring that pitted people against each other in fist fights. Roman had made a name for himself, the money wasn't bad and he had kept it hidden from the princess for a while. He could explain the bruises and split lips until she had grown suspicious. After a confrontation with Ophelia about his gambling habits he quit and resigned himself to simple card and dice games. 

The wriggling man in Roman's grasp was scratching at his hand with blunted nails. Although his feet were firmly planted on the ground the man was kicking around, determined to get away. His shoes dug into Roman's feet and shins in his attempt to free himself. 

"STOP!" 

A scream made Roman release the man. He crumpled into a wheezing heap on the ground and the tall man turned towards the sound of the voice. It was the dark haired woman. She was shaking and there were tears in her eyes. Why hadn't Drake left with the woman when he was ordered to do so? Why had the woman been allowed to see this? 

Roman delivered a swift kick to the downed man before turning his attention to Ophelia. It was in that instant that another hunter, one that had been tucked away in the shadows like Roman had been, chose to reveal himself. He swung at Roman and it took a few moments for the weapon to register in Roman's mind. It was a dagger. The sharp sting of a fresh cut and welling blood made Roman jump back. His arm was bleeding through the dark coat he chose to wear. He had managed to dodge further injury thanks to the crumpled man on the ground. He had reached out to his comrade for help, only to accidentally trip the man. The wound on Roman's arm wasn't very large or deep, but it was in an area of his arm that made moving it difficult. He wouldn't be able to protect Ophelia with a half working arm. He knew from years of experience that some hunters liked to wound their prey with daggers or swords before moving in with their wooden stakes. 

One of Roman's old gambling buddies met an unfortunate end that way. 

The downed man finally stood up and charged once more at Roman, only to be met with a rock to the side of the face. The blow wasn’t enough to do much beyond stun the man for a few moments.  

The brunette still hadn't left. Anger flared within Roman, Drake was supposed to be at the castle by now with the human in tow. He didn't know why they were standing there instead of running. 

Andi ducked when the rock was chucked back at her. It had been stupid of her to demand to stay but the blonde was the first person in a while to be nice to her. She wanted to help them. Camille flashed in her mind before she took a step back and clenched her hands at her sides to stop their shaking. It had been a lucky hit with the rock and she was sure that she couldn't do it again. 

"Take her and run!" Roman shouted at the dark haired male.