Chapter 12
TWELVE
Rorrick
“Should I check on her?”
Seven’s dark eyes narrow on me and I wish I hadn’ said anything at all. The mess of Christian’s sister and our far too alluring prisoner are all screwing with my head.
“I just mean, Christian mentioned we should get her some food. Human’s need food more oft’n than we do.”
That annoyin’ look keeps picking me apart and I hate how easy it is for him to fuckin’ make me overthink every goddamn word I say.
“Never mind.”
I walk away from the Prince’s study and the shitty smirk on Seven’s lips.
Deep down, it’s the guilt that gets between us.
I didn’t own him. I didn’t abuse him. He was a slave that was given to me when I was a stupid kid.
What the hell was I supposed to do with him except befriend him the best I could?
We’ll never truly be friends though. He’ll always see me as a means to his imprisonment. The enemy.
And that’s just fuckin’ fine by me.
The moment I turn the corner of the empty hall, I shift.
The world spins around me, seemingly growing larger as I grow smaller.
I land on four padded paws and it’s honestly the most freeing feeling in the world.
I’m overlooked when I’m in this form. No one glares at a small black cat.
No one whispers about the tattered scars that line a such a fragile creature’s body. I’m no longer a hideous monster.
And I fuckin’ love it.
On quick steps, I scurry around the cold, drafty corridors. I pass a few maids and they even ooo and aww at my little cute ass. Did I mention I fuckin’ love it?
Up ahead the King is making the tedious trek down the hall toward his bed chambers. I pass him by with minimal effort, a casual pace. The slow, pudgy fuck.
I weave between his thick ankles, making sure to flick my tail across his legs before I scurry on out.
His curses echo down the hall after me, his stumbling heard loud and clear, but no heavy fall ever comes.
Unfortunately.
I have the lead though and that will give me just enough time to padder on into his rooms and piss in his loafers before he catches up. A hard day’s work is never done.
I turn swiftly down the north hall, happily prancing and swooshing my cat tail…
And then I see her.
What the hell is she doing?
She closes the door quietly behind her. The girl’s attention scans the hall, her wild red hair swishing around her shoulders as she sneaks from the shadows and stealthily creeps out.
Right in the direction of our King.
Fuck.
“Meow,” I say in my cutest, most distracting tone.
She ignores me. Doesn’t even look my fuckin’ way. I’m fuckin’ adorable. Notice me!
“ Meowww ?”
Nothing. She is not interested at all. Because she’s ready to escape. And if she keeps heading down this hall, she’ll find the very opposite of freedom.
Closer and closer she gets to the turn up ahead. She’s about to walk face first into the one man who has little self control and absolutely no moral compass.
STOP!
I call out to her, piercing through her mind, violating her thoughts. Her shoulders stiffen hard as she stops dead in her tracks. Her head lifts, looking this way and that. A mixture of fear and curiosity lights up her big green eyes. I know she heard me.
Do not turn that corner.
Her gaze searches the shadows. And then, she spots me. The pink of her tongue slips over her lips and I can see her weighing her options.
Will she run?
“Seven said if I saw an overfed house cat it was you,” she whispers.
Overfed ? What the fuck? Skinny bastard!
The frustrated fury burns through me so wildly my magic spins around without thought. The room shifts as I grow. The walls press in on me little by little until, I’m standing six and a half feet taller and my bulky frame fully fills the narrow hall.
“I’m not fuckin’ overfed.” My teeth grind slightly as she smiles softly. Her gaze trails down my chest. Slowly.
No one’s ever looked at me like that…
But then logic slips in and reminds me what awaits us in the very near future.
“Come here.” My palm grips around her lower arm, my fingers wrapping fully around her wrist.
Holy starlight. Her ribs are hard beneath the softness of her body. We definitely should be feeding her more.
Uneven footfalls call out to me, pricking at my senses and sending me into action.
I jerk her toward me, twirling her around and hearing the most enticing gasp slip from her lips.
But I don’t have time to enjoy the sound before I’m pulling open the closest door, and shoving her inside.
I step in as well, my chest pressing into hers and finding hard walls and too many brooms bumping into us on all sides.
“Fuck,” I hiss as I realize I crammed us into what’s apparently the Kingdom’s smallest closet.
My biceps brush the brick on both sides. No light sneaks in. My sight gives me subtle hints of her. A faint glow around her tells me she’s looking up at me. I can’t see her fully, not nearly as much as I’d like.
“I—”
“Shhh.”
My hand covers her mouth and I press my weight down on her until her back hits the wall.
Small hands grip over mine and I hate that I’m handling her like this.
I’d gladly flip her around this way and that if our situations were different.
Flashes of fantasies flicker through my mind with the thought of how good it’d feel to grip her hips hard and angle her just right: sink my cock into her tight pussy while I sink my fangs into her soft flesh.
Why the fuck am I thinkin’ like this? What is wrong with me? I swallow hard as voices grow louder just outside the door.
He’s coming. Don’t speak.
My body fully covers hers. A tremble shakes through her small frame and I lean my head down until my temple brushes hers. I lower my hand slowly away from her mouth. Her fingers still cover my knuckles. Even as I lower my hands, and skim my palms over her hips…
It’ll be okay.
She nods to me. She nods like she trusts me and I have no idea why that spreads the weirdest warmth through my chest. Her breath picks up as the King’s voice is heard very clearly now.
“Do you smell that?” he asks.
“W—what?” A female voice quakes and though I don’t know which one, I know it’s a Promise he has with him.
I sniff slowly and a flowery scent lingers in her hair but she just doesn’t smell like fae. She doesn’t hold their heavy scent of earthy magic like I thought she would.
“Smells like—“ The sound of his lips smacking curls my stomach.
Her breath shakes out across my shoulder.
My fingers dip into her curves and she steps into me then.
Her breasts press against me as she lowers her head to the center of my chest. She hides there, in the span of my arms wrapping around her small frame.
“Smells like young cunt,” the King grunts out.
The tremor that consumes her body has me holding her tighter. Her breaths are silenced, her exhales disappearing into my chest as she smothers herself harder against me.
I’ll never let that fucker touch her.
“M—me?” the female stutters.
“No! I said young , Bethany!” A loud snort of a breath sniffs the air just outside the closet door.
If he finds us in here, he’ll kill me. But not until he shows me what isn’t mine. He’ll teach me a lesson for being found alone with one of his Promises. And she’ll get the brunt of his twisted anger.
My hands shift, pushing up the span of her back before I hold her head in my hand. Thick hair tangles through my fingers and it’s only then that I realize I’m fully hugging this girl now.
“Come on. Inside.” Hinges squeal, sending my nerves on edge and my body tensing to lash out with bloody violence at any moment.
But it isn’t our door he’s opened.
It’s his.
A heavy thud of the solid door shakes the brooms around us. Silence settles in.
Neither of us move for several seconds. In the safety of the dark, the beautiful girl lets me hold her.
And I know then that I’ve fucked up. I did the one thing everyone always tells me not to do:
I fuckin’ care.