Isaldora's heart was pounding so violently against her ribs that it felt almost painful.
She rubbed her palm over her chest but the frantic beating didn't slow. Her skin was clammy, yet a feverish heat burned beneath the surface.
'You are the only woman I have ever been madly in love with.'
Kaelith's awfully sincere words had been ringing in her head on a relentless loop from the moment he'd gently laid her on her bed, given her one last, unreadable look, and quietly left the room. The quiet after his departure was heavy, filled only by the echo of that sentence and the pounding in her ears. They weren't just words; they were a key, turning a lock deep within her, opening a floodgate of feelings she'd thought were long gone.
He meant it. Every single word. She felt the truth in them— a stark contrast to the supernatural pull of the mate bond. The bond was like gravity—it just existed. But what he said felt like a conscious choice. It felt like he truly meant it.
But wait, the mate bond is supposed to create these feelings, isn't it? Isn't that the whole deal of the bond. It's just the bond talking for him. The logical part of her mind piped up, trying to convince herself. Then why haven't you felt anything close to this from the bond alone? A more insistent voice within her countered and she squinted her eyes. That's right. Because, to her, the bond had always felt like a chain, not a gift. Something she wantedto get rid off but hadn't been successful.
Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair. She was slowly losing her grip on her defenses against the bond, against Kaelith, beginning to get on verge of giving in. And the most terrifying part was that she wasn't fighting it very hard anymore. The walls she had spent years building, shutting out emotions, were now crumbling, and a part of her was just watching .… them fall.
I'm being ridiculous. She schooled herself. He's a flirt. I'm sure he must've said that to countless women he slept with. She scoffed at herself, shaking her head slightly, moving it as if debating a serious matter. Isaldora you're just fixated on it because no one has ever gotten the opportunity to say that to you. You know because of the deathly presence you always pressed on people to simply back them off.
And that was true. Isaldora had always managed to attract attention of the crowd wherever she stepped foot, turning heads. But she always backed that attention off. Many boys had tried to hit on her, the list was...long long. However she never entertained the attetnion, always scaring them away. And now the situation had turned different with Kaelith.
Does he actually love me? The question returned making her wonder, and the thought sent another wave down her body making her heart skyrocket again. It was thrilling and frightening.
Of course he does. Can't you see it? The way he has eyes only for you, the way he tries to understand you, even when you push him away being a bitch. And didn't he stood up against his own father for you back at the infirmary? The voice inside her head said persistently reasoning with her.
A faint, wry smile touched Isaldora's lips remembering that. She heard every word of that argument in the infirmary. She heard him stand up for her with an intensity.
The truth was, she had been perfectly awake the whole time, pretending to be unconscious from the very moment she felt a Kaelith and his men arriving to rescue her.
It was all part of her plan. She knew he would find her in no time, following the trail left by the blood contract. So she used the time she had carefully and she was done in time just before he arrived.
Though, her smile faded thinking about King Klaevan. She still couldn't figure out why he disliked her so much. It wasn't that she was dying for his approval or something... Pfft no, that was absurd. But his behavior was noticeably annoying. He was the only one in Kaelith's family who so clearly had showed his disapproval but the man had never once spoken directly to her. Showing no interest in his son's mate unlike Lysendra who always had shown warmth towards Isaldora.
Klaevan either ignored her presence, or when he did consider to look her way, it was with a cold, calculating look, that felt more like a scrutinizing challenge, as if he were trying to solve a puzzle. He was a problem she hadn't quite figured out yet.
Her mind then soon drifted back to Kaelith. She thought about the way his steel grey eyes always lit up the second he saw her. The way he teased her, the low rumble of his laugh, and that infuriatingly attractive smug smirk that she'd somehow gotten used to.
She remembered seeing his perfectly toned body, mentally tracing the lines of his form—the powerful sweep of his shoulders, the defined muscles of his abdomen that flexed when he trained. And his lips… the lips she had only felt against hers once. The surprising softness of of them, the firm pressure, the fleeting warmth that had sent a jolt straight to her core.
Isaldora's fingers instinctively rose to touch her own lips, as if she could still feel the ghost of his touch there. That had been her very first kiss. She closed her eyes and let out a choked sigh.
When she opened her eyes again, they were glistening with unshed tears. Her eyes stung, but she refused to let the tears fall. She felt a pain in her chest that was deep and sharp. It was the same feeling that had hollowed her out the day her family was torn from her—a feeling of her heart breaking all over again. But this time, it wasn't from loss.
No, I can't afford feeling. I don't deserve it. Seriously you just got enthralled by few words, Izzy? She asked herself, scoffing lightly. Plus, he's an enemy. The thought was a cold splash of reality. Even though it isn't proven yet. I can't get swayed by him. And these feelings... they're just the mate bond acting up. Nothing else. She added right away before that insistent part of her mind could counter back.
Isaldora stood from the bed and looked at her reflection on the mirror. Her eyes were no longer the glamoured, ordinary green. They had shifted back to their true, natural color—a striking silver-violet, like rare moonstone gems.
"I have only one quest and I need to focus on it. I have come so far, so close." She muttered to herself like a mantra, her head hanging low her hands on the dresser.
"What quest are you talking about?" A voice interrupted her thoughts.
———
The sharp click of footsteps echoed through the shadowy corridors of the Valemount palace. Prince Adrien moved with a predator's grace, his dark hair perfectly messed up as if he'd just rolled out of someone's bed but looked effortlessly attractive. Just as he was about to round a corner, a hand shot out from the shadows, wrapping firmly around his arm and yanking him into the deep shadows.
He stumbled back against the cold stone wall, and a familiar, perfumed body pressed against him. "Long time no see, Your Highness," the woman purred, her voice a low, seductive whisper. She leaned in, her lips brushing his jaw as her hands slid up his chest. "I've missed you, Adrien. "I've been so lonely without your... company."
Adrien smirked as he made no move to push her away, instead he let his hands rest lightly on her hips. "Viviana," he said, his tone teasing. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Surely you haven't been waiting around for me."
"But I have," she pouted, tracing a finger down the center of his chest. "You've been so busy. I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me." She pressed herself against him. "Don't you miss me?"
"I have been quite... busy." he murmured, his fingers tightening slightly on her hips. "A man in my position has… obligations. You know business and duty, leaving me stressed and tired."
She grinded on him as she leaned in to kiss him but in an instant, Adrein flipped their positions, pinning her against the wall where he had just been. He put some distance between them. A frustrated gasp escaped her.
"Adrien, please," she whispered, her voice cracking with need.
"You look so desperate, Viviana." he murmured, his voice dripping with false sympathy. His thumb roughly stroked her lower lip. "However, you look apetizing tonight," he said, as his eyes roamed over her, the silk clinging loosely, barely covering her fair skin. Viviana sighed, shuddeing by his touch.
"Tell me what you want," he commanded, his voice dropping to a dominant whisper.
"Y-you," Viviana gasped, "I want you, to help you relieve your stress." Viviana begged, her voice shaky. She grabbed his hand, kissing it sloppily before shoving it inside the cleavage of her neckline, pressing his palm hard against her breast. "Use me,"
A slow, arrogant smirk spread across Adrien's face. He could feel her frantic heartbeat and smell her arousal. He gave her mound a rough squeeze, making her gasp. "And will it help me?" he mocked.
She whimpered and tried to grind against him.
"Please, Adrien..."
Hjs grip tightened, "YOUR. HIGHNESS."
"Your highness, please!" she cried out, trembling. "I need you. I'll do anything."
"Patience," he drawled, stepping back a little. "I've got more important matters to attend to than this." He motioned toward the lounge, enjoying the way her face twisted in frustration.
"No please—"
"But on second thought," he cut her off, his eyes glinting with playfulness, "I suppose I can spare a minute. After all, I'm not a heartless man to leave a woman in such a state."
Then, in one swift move, he fisted his hand in her hair, yanking her head back. He crashed his lips on hers in a brutal kiss. His other hand slid down her body, cupping her between her legs right through the thin silk. She moaned in his mouth.
He broke the kiss, and spinned her around to face the wall. He pressed his hardness, digging against her back. "You want me to use you?" he growled in her ear, his hand hiking up her dress. "Then be quiet and take it."
He entered her and Viviana gasped but it choked off as he bit down on her neck, her eyes rolling out. The mix of pain and pleasure, made her knees give away, but he held her up, his pace relentless.
When he finished, he stayed still for a moment, both of them breathing heavily. Pulling back he turned her around. Her face was streked with tears.
"Thank you for your service," he whispered, his voice rough. He lifted her chin. Her eyes were glazed over. "But I'm not finished with you." He leaned closer to her ear. "Go to my room. Strip and wait patiently for me."