Darian called for the frumpy old lady to show me around and she did, though with a scowl deeper than her wrinkles.She was clear to mention the parts of the house that were too good for my presence, such as the kings office, his bedroom, the meeting hall and then she opted to disclose that the attac
I was still in my white dress. My skin was exposed in more ways than one and Mr Bates was watching every inch of it. My heart was beating in my chest and it wasn't until now that I realized I still hadn't eaten.Trixy hadn’t spoken in hours, I could barely feel her presence so it was just me. Me, a
I woke up in the infirmary unable to move at first. The pain running from my head to my knees was keeping me put and the sheets were stained with the blood from my wounds.The first thing I saw was Miss Elise, she sat on a chair reading a book and she looked calm if it wasn't for her foot tapping aw
The doctor had been in here and told me about the internal bleeding, broken rib, and the various wounds I had spread out across my body. He told me to be careful like it was my fault and I had fallen from a cliff or something.Maybe that was the lie he was told but I doubted it. They knew what had h
After a run that felt like it had lasted for a week, I looked back to see how far away from the palace we had gotten but my heart sank when I could spot the tower sticking up behind the trees. How in the world was I supposed to disappear in this place?But we didn't slow down and I forced my steps o
“Please! Please, I'm sorry! No!” The faint sounds of beginning brought me out of my violent slumber and my eyes fluttered open but I saw nothing other than blurry lights and the sounds seemed further away when I was awake.“I’m so sorry!” He cried. He wasn't close, his voice came from down a few ha
It had been hours since Darian told the guard to kill the guy who helped me. His screams stopped, actually no, he begged for his life one last time they took it from him and the sound that followed was a metal door sliding shut with a loud lock clicking into place. They had left it open on purpose,
The water hit my body and felt like lava was washing down on me. I stepped aside for a second and then back again and I repeated that little dance about a hundred times to give myself a pause between the self-inflicting torture of taking a shower.I saw the scratchy loofah hanging on the golden hoo
The young man lifted his finger to his lips and didn't make a sound. Did I just say, 'young man'? How old was I getting in this place? I'm not even nineteen and I’m calling someone else a young man, the shiver that shook my bones was valid.“Could you focus,” Trixy snarled.“I called him a young man
The days passed smoother than I ever remember them doing. There was no nausea or whiplash from sudden events that kicked me to the ground and Darian had been surprisingly well behaved. Gabe took Mathilda into town and showed her around, they went to the Royal Training Facilities where she got to see
Nora took me to a corner of the hallway where a lamp shone, the only lamp above a portrait as far as I could tell. A regal woman sat on top of a throne, it was a humongous throne, the back reached up a good meter above her head, yet she sat there as though she and it were the same size with her arms
We took Mathilda through every level of the castle starting from the bottom and working our way through every single room, many of which I hadn't been in myself so that was fun.The gym, locker rooms, and Royal Guard sleep halls were especially unsettling but we closed those doors fast enough. At fi
HAZEL’S POVNora and I were watching each other, I pressed my lips tighter and felt them shake when I blew out a breath making a rumbling noise on the way.Neither of us said anything and I don't know why she was suddenly quiet but I had my reasons. Having to picture her naked with my mate being one
DARIAN’S POV“You need to calm the fuck down or you’ll scare her again,” Onyx growled. Like I hadn't thought about that myself.Hazel was sticking her chin out, her brows were pointing down when her frown deepened and I knew that laughing wouldn't make the situation any better but she was too fuckin
“How old is she?” I jumped around and saw Gabe barely an inch away, his shoulder brushed up against mine and he was looking at Mathilda and Elisa disappear around a corner.“Thirteen,” I said with a hand over my heart while I steadied my breathing.I remembered her thirteenth birthday, it was a few
To my never-ending surprise, Mrs. Smith walked in with a phone in her hand and a deep scowl on her pouty face. I bet I could fill the creases of her wrinkles with nickels and they would just stay there.“Your Majesty,” she said and handed over the phone before she walked with heavy steps, swaying he
We stood in the doorway for a good minute before either of us attempted to move. The silence even grew awkward, it hadn't done that before but I felt like I wanted someone to come and interrupt us because I had nothing to say to break the awkwardness.It couldn't be just words from him, I had to fee