Alyssa had had a rough time during the period when Rocky had been assumed dead. Even rougher than the immense dangers she had faced in the spiritual race land. She had turned into a completely different person in that period, and all was just for a man.
The same man who was suddenly right in front of her after all she had had to endure. There had been no warnings, nothing to help prepare her for this moment, making it very hard for her to accept.
Her initial instinct should have been to lash out at him in anger. Essentially, he had fooled her for all this time, playing dead and tormenting her in the process. However, seeing him in front of her, hale and hearty, none of her anger would stir to life. Instead, an overwhelming sense of pleasant surprise overcame her.
All of a sudden, she wasn't sure how to face Rocky. As happy as she was to see him, a part of her was still seething at the fact that he had faked his own death. The sane part of her mind knew she couldn't just kill Rocky or do anything to punish him. After all, he held the only clue to help remove the curse on her.
The other part, well, it couldn't help but be elated to be able to see Rocky again. She blinked her lashes rapidly over her eyes, trying to obscure the complex feelings hiding behind them but failed.
"Have you looked your fill? It has only been a little over a month since we last saw one another. Did you really miss me that much?" Rocky teased Alyssa who was now staring at him blankly. Seeing Alyssa so lost in thought appealed to him. It reminded him of a girl in her youth, longing for her lover. Once she was back to her senses, she slid back to her now-familiar arrogance.
She snorted derisively, staring poin
ed at her strange reaction to him while stroking his jaw.
"Woods? When did you see him?" Alyssa perked up her ears hearing her brother's name.
"A few days ago." Rocky smiled.
"He knew! He knew you were still alive, yet he didn't tell me." Her face darkened in fury.
"I told him not to tell you. I think he was also worried about what you would do to me if you found out. Anyhow, I saved his life." With a smile still drawn on his face, Rocky attempted to defend Woods.
"Well, he doesn't know that you are..." Alyssa stopped before accidentally letting out the secret she had been keeping.
Noticing that Alyssa was trying to hide something from him, Rocky frowned. He asked, "Where are you taking me?"
The question gave her a pause. She hadn't really thought of where she was taking him, only that she wanted to get him out of here. Her body had been acting of its own volition in an instinct so she hadn't had the time to analyze. Alyssa knew that this was nothing like her, and this wasn't how she normally handled things. It didn't take a genius to realize that it was Rocky's effect on her that was making her act this way.