Chapter 6

LILY POV

Slowly coming to, I opened my eyes, only to immediately slam them closed again. My head was pounding something fierce, and the light made it twenty times worse.

Why on earth do I have a headache? I tenderly feel around my head and discover a massive bump in the back. What the hell? I don't remember doing anything to get this kind of bump.

It was at that moment I noticed that I was way too comfortable and warm. Where ever I was, they sure knew how to pick out a bed. It seriously felt like I was sleeping on a cloud. I couldn't remember the last time that I had slept on a bed like this. I was use to sleeping on the floor, grass, or if I was lucky I could find a place to crash that had an actual bed. This was not very common and I was lucky enough to have had that in my last home.

Deciding that I really need to stop procrastinating and find out where I am, I slowly open my eyes again causing my headache to immediately rear its head. Blinking back the pain, I take in my surroundings. The bedroom I’m currently occupying is very masculine. Everything is black and blue. Black silk sheets, blue pillows, black and blue blankets and curtains. There’s a huge TV bolted to the ceiling and there’s two doors. One I’m assuming is the bathroom the other the closet or an exit. Speaking of exit, I really need to make mine.

My body feels a bit sore as I stand up, so do a bit of light stretches to attempt to ease the tightness. Once I'm somewhat able to move with out wincing on every step, I make my way to door. So far I’ve been lucky and nobody has come to check up on me, so I use that small miracle and make my escape. I tip toe down the hall and stairs and do a silent fist pump when I don't run into anybody and make it almost to the front door. When I peek around the corner I can see my salvation waiting for me only a mere few feet away. Excited at the prospect of making it out of here so easily, I forget to do the most important thing. Check my surroundings. As I turn the last corner I run smack into somebody. Looking up, I see that same wolf I ran into during my first escape.

Deja vu much?

Seeing him triggers my memories from the past few hours, and they all come flooding back at once causing me to narrow my eyes at him. Everything from running into the vampire and what he told me, to the two werewolves intervening and killing the vampire before I could get any more information out of him. But I especially remember being hit in the back of the head hard enough to cause me to pass out, and apparently have temporary memory loss.

“Where are you going? You should still be resting from the bump on your head. I know you must still have a massive headache. Here let me put you back to bed and I will bring you some water and something for the pain.” He actually has the nerve to try to guide me back towards bed and sound concerned!

Yanking myself away from him I whip around and glare at him, “I wonder where I got that bump from. Hmm. . . . Did you really have to nail me with a freaking rock? You couldn’t have just said “hey, you, hang on a sec,” you know like a normal sane person would have done,” I seethe.

He rubs the back of his neck as his face brightens a bit and he sheepishly replies. “Err yeah. I guess I could’ve done that. In my defense though, all I was thinking was that my mate was running from me, again might I add, and I had to stop you. I glanced down and the rock was the first thing that popped in my head.”

“Dude are you freaking serious, that was the first thing that came to mind? You also felt it necessary to throw it hard enough to knock me clean out and then follow that up with a healthy dose of kidnapping? Yeah, I would for sure say you're off to an amazing start." I growl looking around. "Where am I by the way? Also, I’m just gonna throw this out there so that there is complete transparency for you. There’s something wrong with you. Like I mean something deep deep down in your brain is just completely messed up. Who does that, this, all of this as a matter of fact. Any ways, I really have to. . . .” I stop mid-sentence when what he said dawns on me.

“Wait..Mate?” I gulp and take a step back in shock, which was apparently the wrong thing to do.

He reached out quicker than I could blink and pulled me tight into his arms. The instant his fingers touched my skin it felt like I was on fire. Not the burning alive kind of fire, but like I was warming up from the inside out. It felt like sitting close to a cozy fire on a chilly night. Every inch of my body was humming with warmth, and my stomach erupted with butterflies. Well, butterflies wouldn’t give this feeling any justice; it was more like millions of bats on crack. Unable to handle these feelings at the moment, I quickly yank myself away from him, anxious to put some distance between us. I knew what was happening. My parents explained to me what that feeling was all about. It means I found my Amato, our word for mate.

He looks disappointed at the distance I managed to put between us, and it also looks as though he is holding himself back from grabbing me again. I can see him straining to pull himself together and get a handle on himself.

“Yes, mate. As far as where you are, I figured you would recognize the place you tried to steal from. You’re back at the royal castle. I brought you back here after you passed out. I’m Andraste by the way,” He introduces himself with an award winning smile.

“You mean after you knocked me out,” I grumble at him, then remember the reason I tried to leave. “Well it’s been nice chatting with you and all, but I’ve got things to do, people to see, and places to be. So when can I leave?”

Taken aback, he physically takes a step back and gapes at me. “Did you not just hear me say we’re mates?”

“Oh, I heard you. I also felt it for myself, but I just can’t stay here.” I truthfully and regretfully tell him.

Again, this must have been the wrong thing to say because he changes right before my eyes. He went from the easygoing guy to absolutely furious. I take another step back because that look he’s giving me right now is intense and, to be honest, scary as hell. He notices my move away and narrows his eyes. Before I can take so much as a half a step farther, I’m being thrown over his shoulder.

“Put me down! Now!” I immediately start pounding on his back as hard as I can.

“Are you going to stay?” He questions.

I try to lie and say yes, but each time I tried to say yes I just ended up choking on the word. Dumb Fae rules, they always hold me back in my times of need.

He just smacks my ass and laughs. “You shouldn’t try to lie, sweet cheeks.”

“Yeah, yeah. Not like I can anyways.” I grumble, accepting that I wasn't getting out of his arms no matter how hard I tried. I finally start taking in my surroundings and notice that we’re headed back upstairs.

He brings me back into, what I’m assuming to be, his room and lays me on the bed. His eyes rake down my body, taking in every inch making me squirm a little. As he’s doing that I find myself reciprocating the gesture and checking him out as well. I must say the man is the definition of perfection. When he makes it to my eyes we lock gazes. There is a look of pure desire in his eyes that I’m sure mine are mirroring. Trapped in his gaze the sound of chains rattling is what brings me out of my desire induced state. I hear a snap and feel cool metal on my wrists.

Did he. . . ? He wouldn't.

Did he really just handcuff me to his bed? It was my own fault. I had nobody else to blame. I let myself be distracted by his sexy body and allowed him the perfect chance. Typically I'm never that zoned out, but this freaking bond is already doing strange things to me.

“Why did you handcuff me to the bed?” I angrily ask him yanking on the chains trying to get my hands out.

“Simple. You want to leave, but I can’t allow that to happen. You're meant to be here with me, and I won't have it any other way.” He says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Which I suppose for most people it is, but I have something extremely important to do. I can't have my Amato with me because there is a good chance that this will be dangerous, and I am unwilling to put him in harm's way. Otherwise, I would be more than happy to stay here with him.

“You don’t even know my name, yet you want me to stay. You haven’t even heard me out as to why I have to leave.” I’m fuming right now. He’s really going to keep me here against my will! What kind of Amato did I get stuck with?

He pulls up a chair and faces it toward me. “Luckily we have happen to have some free time on hands. That’s what we can use this time for right now.”

“Until you let me out of these handcuffs I’m not telling you a damn thing.” I stubbornly turn my head the other way, and hear him sigh.

“Okay then, I’ll start by telling you a little about myself. As I said my name is Andraste. I go by Andy or Andre. I’m a prince, second in line for king. I have two brothers. My older brother’s name is Duke, who obviously is the next king, and my younger brother is Cade, the blonde wolf that was with me. Hmm. What else is there?” He rubs his chin while thinking.

“Well there is one thing, but I’m pretty sure it’ll make you mad. At the same time, I think it’d be best if you heard it from me though,” He seems to be thinking out loud before he sighs and continues. “I used to be a pretty big player.” Before I even have the chance to respond he’s quickly going on. “Now before you get really angry you should know that I’m not interested in other women. I'm a changed man.”

Surprisingly he’s right, that does make me really angry. I whip my head around to glare at him. “How recent is ‘used to be’?”

He winces and scoots back a few inches. Giving me the feeling that I’m not going to like his answer. “You know that day you broke in? Well that morning. . . Speaking of, why would you think it was a good idea to break into the royal castle?”

It was a lame attempt at changing the subject, but I’ll let it slide for a second.

“Umm because you guys have a ton of food, and wouldn’t miss it. Whereas everyone else is tight with food. So I stole from somebody who has plenty, rather than take from somebody who has nothing,” I tell him like it’s obvious, which it is. “So the day you met me huh? That wasn’t too long ago, and how do you know you’re a changed man? For all I know you could just be saying that to get in my pants.”

“No, I don’t want to get in your pants. Well, yes, I do, but not right this second. Well yeah, I do right this second, but you know what I mean. I want to, but I won’t. Anyways, where was I going with this again?”

I just stare at him dumbfounded. I honestly didn’t know what to say, he got so far off track I’m not sure how to bring him back.

“Ah yes. I know I’m a changed man because the second I saw you no other woman could ever interest me. The mere thought of doing anything that could risk you leaving me causes my heart a feeling of immense pain. I don’t even want to think about it.” He shudders, and I actually felt a little giddy at his confession. It seems like he really takes the bond seriously.

Of course, my stomach chooses that moment to growl. Embarrassed I wrap my arms around it in an attempt to muffle the sound. “Could I possibly get something to eat?”

“Of course, babe. I’ll go make you a sandwich.” He grins before he hops up and heads down the stairs.

I decide to use this time wisely and use it as a chance to escape. Looking around the room I notice he has a mini-tree a few feet away. I flip my hand over and use it to summon a branch over to the handcuff. It goes into the lock and wiggles around. A few minutes later the lock finally clicks open. Right when the branch gets into the other lock the door flings open.

“I wasn’t sure what you like so I got you. . .” He trails off as soon as he sees my free hand and the branch hanging out of the other one. I quickly send the branch back and sit up. Unfortunately, I only got the one hand free, so I’m still bound to the bed.

“You were trying to escape?” He growls at me. The sound surprised me so I looked up to see his livid face. Man, I’m really not good at this whole mate/Amato thing. I’ve made him mad more than any other emotion.

“Yes, I told you I have things to do.” If only I could tell him and make him understand that I have no choice.

He stomps over and unlatches my other hand. Throwing me over his shoulder again as we make our way downstairs.

“Where are you taking me now?” I ask exasperated.

He doesn’t even bother to reply, just keeps walking down the stairs to the basement. He walks past several cells, and it finally clicks. He’s about to lock me in a cell! I start thrashing in his arms and punching him as hard as I can, but nothing is working. He’s acting like he doesn’t feel a thing, not one tiny little flinch.

He opens the last cell and throws me on the cot. “When you decide that you want to stay with me, and stop trying to escape, I’ll let you out. Until then I’ll bring you down your meals.” He turns around and walks out locking me in here.

“You can’t leave me in here! I’m supposed to be your mate! You can’t treat me like this! Do you know who I am?” I yell at the top of my lungs.

He continues walking out, but turns around right before he closes the door. “No I don’t know who you are since you refuse to talk to me. And yes, you are my mate, but until you start acting like my mate and stop trying to run, I’ll leave you in here. It’s for your own safety, really; who knows what trouble you could get into out there alone.” With that he walks out and shuts the door behind him.

I cannot believe he did this. I can’t help but think that same sentence over and over, as I pace the floor trying to come up with a way out of here.

I continue my pacing for several hours before I get tired and have to sit down. Plopping down on the bed I feel something poke my butt cheek. Confused, I reach back and feel something sharp. My dagger! I completely forgot I stashed it in my waistband. Walking over to the lock and I quickly pick it open. Thank you to my annoying younger brother for teaching me how to pick a lock.