My Brob GF Ch 18: The One I Want To Protect, A Vow Of Revenge

(HARPER)

I had him, he was in my hands—Ethan...

The urge to scream his name, to cover him in kisses, and cry like a baby overwhelmed me. But I couldn't, not with him so vulnerable, so fragile in my grasp. I struggled to keep my hand steady as a wave of happiness and a sense of peace settled deep within me. Yet, those feelings were soon interrupted as my eyes drifted to the other presence within the broken rubble in my palm.

I brought my face closer, inspecting the other person. Whoever it was, they were obviously larger than Ethan, who was nothing more than a speck walking on my skin.

"A Gulliverian..." I muttered, my voice a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

The woman began to stand, her movements shaky, her eyes wide with fear as she looked up at me. That look—fear—didn't sit right with me.

I glanced around the small base, careful not to cause more destruction than I already had. There seemed to have been some kind of altercation among the Gulliverians. My thoughts narrowed down to a single question as I looked back at the woman in my hand: whose side was she on?

"Huh?" I blinked in confusion as the Gulliverian suddenly rushed toward Ethan. Panic surged through me, my heart skipping a beat as I instinctively moved my free hand to intercept her. "Don't!" I yelled, just barely managing to grab her by the foot.

I lifted her up towards my face, glaring at her as she struggled between my fingers. Anger boiled within me, making it difficult not to crush her leg in my grip. But then, a voice in my earpiece cut through my fury, turning it into something else—shock.

"What are you doing here?"

I looked down at my palm, the voice I heard wasn't Dwayne's. It was...

"Ethan?" I whispered, disbelief mingling with relief.

***

(ETHAN)

I looked up at her, the woman who, for days, I couldn't get out of my mind.

Standing in her massive palm, I felt safe for the first time since I got to this place. But what did I say? "What are you doing here?" It was a stupid question, and as she looked down at me, I could tell she was shocked that I'd said such a thing.

She'd just saved my life—Elisa, that Gulliverian woman, was literally about to kill me. Harper saved me with blinding speed.

"Ethan..." Harper's voice was quiet, almost fragile.

"I didn't ask you to come here, so why?" I yelled, which was probably not the best idea. "You and me are over, so you can go back home and leave me alone!" The words left my mouth, but they weren't what I wanted to say. Not at all.

"Ethan, you idiot!!!"

My head was forced down as something hit me from above.

"Ah! What the?!" I yelled, looking up at the last person I expected to see. "Dwayne!" I shouted, utterly shocked. "What are you doing here!?"

"Are you still asking that question?" Dwayne snapped, hitting me again.

"Ah!" I protested. "Knock it off!"

Dwayne stood tall, looking down at me with anger in his eyes. "We came to help you, ya idiot."

I straightened up, trying to make sense of it all. "Y-you mean you brought her here?"

"Well, of course, you moron. Who else?" Dwayne said, sounding way too casual about it.

"Dude!" I yelled, exasperated. "Do you know how much trouble you guys are both in for being here? This place is supposed to be a secret! How did you even find it?"

"Well..." Dwayne trailed off, looking away, which never meant anything good.

"Well, what?" I demanded, irritation boiling over.

"I kinda hacked your computer."

"You what!" I couldn't believe it.

"Ethan..." Harper's voice cut through my thoughts. It was quieter, but it held a power that made me freeze.

"You and me are going to talk. Make no mistake about that." Her eyes were filled with anger, and I gulped, feeling like a bug under a magnifying glass.

"Okay..." I nodded, my voice barely a whisper.

Dwayne, with a laugh, glanced at me and said, "Looks like someone's in trouble."

"Shut up!" I yelled, my face burning with embarrassment.

Then Dwayne's expression turned serious, and he asked, "You didn't tell Harper about your real job. Why?"

I looked up at Harper, her massive eyes still locked on me, but now, they held more than just anger. They were searching for something.

"Because of all of this," I said in a low voice. "I wanted to protect her."

Dwayne's laughter echoed around me, his voice like a hammer to my pride. "You, a Lilli, trying to protect a Brob? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day!" He doubled over, practically gasping for breath between fits of laughter.

"Damn it, man! I didn't know she was a Brob at the time!" I snapped back, the frustration boiling over. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, anger mixing with the embarrassment that was quickly swallowing me whole.

Dwayne finally managed to stand up straight, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh, that's rich, Ethan. Real rich."

"Damn him," I muttered under my breath, fists clenched so tight my knuckles turned white. "Damn him to hell." I wanted to lash out, to say something that would wipe that stupid grin off his face, but I knew it wouldn't help. It wasn't his fault, after all. It was mine.

***

(HARPER)

He wanted to protect me.

The words hit me like a wave, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Did he really say that? I could feel warmth spreading through me, and for a moment, I worried that my face might be betraying how much those words affected me. I really hoped I wasn't making an embarrassing face in front of them, especially in front of Dwayne. But as I looked down at the tiny speck I knew was Ethan, my anger began to melt away, replaced by something softer.

I'd have to talk to him, and when I did, I'd remember to go a little easier on this little idiot. But that conversation could wait. Right now, there was something I needed to take care of.

I turned my attention back to the Gulliverian woman dangling between my fingers. She was so small, so fragile compared to me. And yet, she had been ready to hurt Ethan. That alone stoked the embers of my anger again, but I kept it in check, tightening my grip just enough to make sure she knew she wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't appreciate you trying to hurt my friends," I said, bringing the woman closer to my face. I wanted her to feel my breath on her, to see the power in my eyes. "I don't know who you are, but know this—now that I'm here, you won't be able to do anything." I hoped my voice carried the threat I intended, that she understood just how serious I was.

But before I could say more, I heard a shout from below. My eyes shifted downward, and I saw another Gulliverian woman, standing defiantly on the ground. Her long red hair blew in the wind, and a black eyepatch covered one of her eyes, giving her a fierce, almost pirate-like look.

"Let her go!" the red-haired woman demanded, her voice cutting through the tension.

The woman in my fingers squirmed, her voice rising in panic. "Leave me!" she shouted, but her tone had lost some of its earlier bravado.

I was ready to respond, to tell this new woman exactly what I thought of her demand, but then I noticed something—an uneasy glint in the eyes of the woman I was holding. Before I could react, she made a sudden move, her hand darting toward her mouth. My heart lurched as I realized what she was doing.

"No!" I wanted to stop her, but i couldn’t, i had no hand free. The Gulliverian woman bit down on something, and a moment later, her body went limp in my grasp. I stared at her, shocked, as the realization sank in—she had taken something maybe a cyanide pill. Just like that, she was gone.

"Silvershade!" Ethan's voice broke through the chaos, filled with rage. I could feel the tension in his voice. He wasn't looking at me, but at the woman down below.

Silvershade. The name echoed in my mind, and I understood that this was the one they had been after. The one who had nearly ended Ethan's life.

Silvershade's single eye glared up at me, filled with a cold fury. "This isn't over, Brob," she spat. "I'll have my revenge on you and that Lilliputian scum. You can count on it."

She was so small and yet still I felt a chill run through me as she turned and walked away, heading through the doorway with a determined stride. She didn't look back. She didn't need to. The promise of her return hung in the air like a dark cloud.

"Dammit!" Ethan shouted, his voice shaking with frustration. "She got away..."

I looked down at him, i wanted to know his story. This is certainly wasn't how I had wanted things to go. I wanted to protect him, to keep him safe, but I had failed. And now, I had a feeling that things were going to get worse.