“Why are you only telling me this now?”
“One thing I will never do, princess, is lie to you. If we are to be married, I don’t think it is fair you are kept in the dark.”
Licking his lips, he stared at me with hunger in his eyes. A flicker of shadows ran across them vanquishing his blue grey eyes
for a brief moment. “Though, there are some things I won’t be able to tell you.”
He leaned forward, closing the space between us. I retreated briefly, a lump rising in my throat. A low, frustrated rumble
from his chest filled the room. I couldn't decide if I was meant to hate him or fall madly in love with him.
All his confessions resurfaced in my mind, only confusing me more. My father and he had made a deal. One that my father
broke? One thing felt certain.
Bringing me here---to his kingdom---it had been plotted.
This was plotted.
“Nicholas,” I said, forcing my voice to remain calm. “Did you really mean it when you said it was an accident when my
brother was hurt?”
His blue grey eyes appeared fully, as if the spell over him vanished. Nicholas leaned back, Lowering his eyes from mine.
He drank the remainder of his drink, likely contemplating his answer.
“No. It was not an accident,” he admitted, causing a cold feeling to rush through my body and my breath to catch. “I meant
to cause him harm, so I could offer you my help.”
“But why? My parents, my father, was planning to give you my hand in marriage. You didn’t have to hurt Norok to get me to
come with you.” My voice broke as I held back the urge to cry. “Did you ever stop to think about that? No, of course not. Me
being forced into that marriage must have been part of the plan all along.”
His eyes darkened, his hand clenching into a fist shattering the glass in his hand. In a sudden rage he turned towards me
with blackened eyes. All the air left my lungs. My fear crippled me, leaving me frozen in place.
“I WOULD NEVER WISH FOR SUCH A THING!” he shouted, the room rumbling beneath my feet.
He forced me back against the chaise, looming over me, so close our noses were nearly touching. I could feel his hot
breath against my skin. The nip of my neck was exposed as the shawl around me fell off. It exposed more of my skin, leaving
me to feel even more vulnerable. The dresses in this kingdom were nothing like the ones back home. My shoulders were
always bare, and the shape of my breasts were put on display.
He dropped his eye line down to my lips, then across my jaw, my neck then down towards my collarbone. I felt the heat
rise in me with the way his eyes danced across every inch of exposed flesh. His gaze felt like a caress, but it set fire to my
skin.
“I will skin every man alive if they dare try and touch you. I promise you that, Ornella.”
