Part 10

"You're so gorgeous," The Prince said breathlessly, his eyes raking over her body. She squirmed at the attention, shyly lifting her head as he beckoned her closer. "Come closer to me."

Javier pressed a hot kiss to her mouth without hesitation and scraped his large fingers across the back of her neck. It is almost too rough, but the desperation crawled through him into her. Celina didn't mind at all that's why she bought her hands up to clutch at the vast expanse of his shoulders.

It's cold outside, but the Prince was warm, his other hand cupping her neck, fingers curling into her hair and gently tilting the maids head up, coaxing a whimper from the back of Celina's throat. She gripped helplessly at Javier's shoulders, trying to hold on as her body went pliant, a frisson of heat forming in her stomach and spreading across the entire body.

When the Prince started moving them backwards, the maid simply followed in a daze, falling into him and trusting him to catch her. And he did, holding onto her close and carefully as if she's a porcelain doll. His thumb pressed into her jaw, rubbing back and forth so tenderly that it made Celina feel even more faint, nails digging into his skin as the maid sagged into his chest, letting out a sound.

They're inside, all of a sudden. She didn't even notice the change of scenery.

They kissed for a long, drawn-out moment. Celina was drunk in the taste of him, the feel and shape of his lips. The Prince tasted heady and hot, like mint and expensive liquor. All in one. A shiver ran down her spine as Javier sank his teeth into the supple flesh of her bottom lip and revealed in the soft grunt he let out.

Celina slid her fingers from his shoulders, scraping her palms across the flexing muscles of arms and down to his waist. His skin was burning beneath the loose cotton fabric of the shirt he was wearing, eyes rolled back as her fingers danced across his body. The young woman couldn't help but smirk at him.

She untucked his shirt, still breathing loudly as Celina began to toy at the top of his buttons. His arm came forward, and he wrapped around her wrist, halting the movement and instead of turning on her. The tension in the air was too much to handle.

A smug smile sat on his lips as his eyes raked over her body. She gulped in a big breath of air — or maybe gasp at the feeling of his thick fingers inching near her clothes. The Prince leaned forward and scraped his teeth down the long tendons of her neck, pressing the cold tip of his nose against her sensitive skin.

Celina threw her head back. "Oh, I've missed this."

As Javier started to nip at her collarbone, she moaned, her fingers clutching on to his soft shirt. He slowly pulled back, bringing his large palms up to frame her face and leaned in close — but not close enough.

"Never again, you understand me?" He murmured, craning down to look her in the eye. The earnestness in his eyes and the bitten red of his lips was enough to keep holding onto him. "I'm not going so long without touching you ever again."

The maid dumbly nodded her head, walking along as he motioned them towards the massive bed in the middle of the room. Once they climbed on top, Celina immediately rushed to get his belt, tugging on it insistently when she finally found it. Javier stopped her, moving the maid closer to press a solid and relatively chaste kiss to her lips before she could say anything or protest.

"I can't do it, mon cheri" The Prince cooed, pulling away, his green eyes boring into hers. "Every single day. I cannot pretend to handle your absence."

She knitted her brows together, placing a hand over his beating heart and breathed. "I'm not going anywhere."

And that certainly brought the Prince's thoughts back to the task at hand. He stepped within the bounds of her reach once more and pressed a line of wet kisses down her neck. Celina, on the other hand, inched towards the tie of his trousers.

The maid slid her hand in and took a firm grip of his hard length, feeling it twitch in her hands. Javier let out a wonderful sound, pressed right up against the junction of her neck and shoulder, like a moan and a growl mixed into one.

Celina turned her head a little, breathing in the lovely scent of the candles around the room.

"Missed you," The Prince muttered into her hair.

Pulling away, Javier lifted his head back and pressed another kiss to her lips — this one clumsy and slightly abrupt. Celina didn't bother, merely fluttering her eyes shut and laying on the bed, waiting to get his hands on her skin.

Just like that, the touch disappeared.

When she opened her eyes, something looked at her, a dragon right in front of her with eyes pitch-black and menacing - as though they were swallowing every bit of light around it. It spread its wings, glittering pale in the dimly lit room. Celina swallowed, heart, thudding in her chest as the creature stepped forward.

The beast looked intrigued by her, turned its head to the side and watched her, nostrils flaring as it seemed to draw in the scent of her. Before she could make a sound, the dragon lifted itself in the air, its wings beating with all the strength.

Gasping for breath, she stuttered backwards, head hitting the headboard behind her.

The dragon charged at her. A roar tore from its maw as it lunged forward, swiping a paw and she sidestepped, scarcely missing it by inches. She exhaled sharply, eyes still wide and face pale. Blood rushed in her ears as she looked around for a weapon. Anything sharp she could use to protect herself.

Curled horns rammed into her stomach, knocking the breath out of her, bashing her head backwards and skull cracking against the bedpost. Blood spluttered out of her mouth, trickling down her chin as the mighty beast hovered over her. She could feel blood sticky in her dark locks and vision starting to get blurry.

That's when she woke up with a gasp, hands immediately flying to her stomach. Celina was shaking, curled in a ball when she blinked her eyes open. Every pulse of her heart felt excruciating, an ache spreading like wildfire, infesting her body and clogging her throat. Suddenly, an urge to cry bubbled in her. And that's what she did.

The maid crumpled, crashing back on the bed, a sob wracking her body. She muffled it into her palms, tears dripping from her eyes and down her cheek, burning her face.

Looking around the maid noticed that the fire was nothing but embers in the fireplace, sizzling weakly. The blankets which were once wrapped tightly around her pooled at the waist, and since she had managed to put only a simple negligee instead of her night pyjamas, her bare arms and legs were exposed to the unforgiving chill in the room.

Unable to hold herself, she looked at the other side of the bed only to find it empty. Of course. The sheets were cool to the touch, crisp just like a few hours ago suggesting that it had been nothing but a dream. A silly, stupid dream because there's no way someone like Javier would even consider sleeping with her.

Celina couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment as she took a long hot shower and dressed, eyes repeatedly flickering towards the empty bed. The maid wondered what it would be like to wake up to a warm, sleepy man, tangled in the sheets while he held her from behind.

Why was she having these thoughts?

Maybe it was the loneliness. It was only her in such a large room, and she had no family or anyone to bother her. Or that the Prince had always been kind towards her, holding a conversation with her unlike what Flora and Avery said.

Much to think about

***

On the way to work, she spotted Javier, perfectly relaxed on the couch with a book in his hand.

"Hello," The Prince arched his brow in her direction, his volume louder, seeming too harsh against the deserted hallway. He closed the book and blinked at her. "Are you alright?"

His voice glided through the line and into her ear like smooth syrup, making the maid shiver.

Wholly and overwhelmingly breathless, Celina only managed to nod her head in response. No responses left her mouth, tongue feeling too heavy in her mouth. The eighteen-year-old stilled on the same spot, dizzy feeling in her chest as she blinked at the walls behind him, wondering just how big of a predicament she's now found herself in.

***