Owned

10. Chapter 10- Felix

The woman smells fantastic, and the weight of her in my arms is like balm to my soul. I never thought I would crave it, but I can already tell that I am addicted. I don’t even want to open my eyes. Moving seems like a monumental task I can’t be bothered with today.

Unfortunately, I have to. I have meetings and research that demands my attention. But this creature…I want to research her, delve into her mind, and learn her secrets. She believes she has them well-guarded, but I see them lurking under the surface. She is so close to telling me, even hinting at it last night. But I won’t push her before she is ready.

“Little Thief,” I groan as her ass grinds into my cock when she stretches in her sleep.

As much as I hate she stumbled across the hidden passage, I was even more thrilled watching her climb into my bed wearing nothing more than my shirt. My imagination went crazy with ideas about what I could do to her and what she could do to me, in turn. This, though…this sweet torture was not one of the scenarios.

“Hmmm,” she moans, her voice husky with sleep.

My hand has a mind of its own as it snakes under the sheets and finds her bare thigh. My shirt has ridden up, giving me access to trace the scars that crisscross her pale skin. I want answers to who caused them, but I know I won’t get them, so I don’t bother asking. Instead, my nose finds the delicious spot right below her ear, and I inhale deeply, trying to embed her scent into my senses permanently.

“I could devour you if you let me,” I groan as my cock stirs to life with her little movements and moans. She isn’t even fully aware of what she is doing. It is the only reason I don’t have her under me and buried to the hilt.

“Keep dreaming, Prince,” she seethes.

But she doesn’t move. She doesn’t pull away. And that has hope blooming in my chest. For some unknown reason, since the night she snuck into my room at the inn, I have been drawn to her like an insect to a flame: stupid, na?ve, and unable to turn away from the brilliant beauty despite the inevitability of being destroyed by it.

“I need to prepare for the day.” I trail small kisses along the curve of her neck to her shoulder, not able to help myself. I want to do so much more, but she is allowing this. I will take what I can get.

“I am not stopping you. If I were strong enough, I would push you out of the bed completely. And if I had a dagger…”

“Finish it,” I groan. “Finish that damn sentence.” I pull her more firmly into me, unable to help myself.

She turns in my arms, paralyzing me with the fire burning in her bright blue eyes. My lungs fail me as her small finger trails across my throat and down to pause over my heart.

“If I had a dagger…I would plunge it into your beating heart and watch the light fade from your eyes.” Her smile is sweet, and for a split second, it almost looks like she has fangs. But that can’t be. I chop it up to wishful thinking and smile back, pulling her thigh over my hip to trap her against me.

“I wish you would try, Little Thief. A good hate fuck is the perfect way to start my morning.” Her gaze hardens, and her nails dig into my shoulders as she grabs them. I lean into her and get so close to her ear my lips brush against it as I speak. “Keep doing that, and I will cancel all of my plans for the day in order to keep you in this bed until you forget how to do anything other than scream my name.”

Her eyes widen, and she quickly pulls her hands away from my body. She even tries to pull her thigh away from my hip, but she can’t escape me. To make my point clear, I grab her ass and thrust against her.

“You disgust me,” she says, baring her teeth.

“You will get over it.” I quickly kiss her on the forehead and jump from the bed before she has time to process what happened. If I can keep her on her toes, then I can keep surprising her until she falls for me like I have her. She won’t even know what hit her until it is too late.

Grabbing my glasses off the nightstand, I pass the window and stop at the view before me. The first snow is upon us. Tia probably already knows since she is always awake before the sun, which means she already has things in motion to help the Reckless and Forsaken.

Maybe…maybe I can cancel my meetings for the day. I bet if I give Nyx a tour of the castle, it may help her feel safe enough to let her guard down. Yes, that is an excellent idea. As a bonus, I get to spend more time with her.

A knock reverberates through the room, breaking me from my musings. I look at where Nyx is sitting in the bed, looking absolutely breathtaking. Her black hair is a mess, and her blue eyes narrow for a fight.

“It’s just Tia. She is the only one who comes to my room uninvited and this early in the morning without getting killed.” It was meant to put her at ease, but her shoulders stiffen, and her chin rises. What I wouldn’t give for her to finally fight me. It would be so fucking sexy I would probably cum in my pants from that alone.

I open the door and Tia throws a pile of clothes into the room. “Holy shit! What happened to your shoulder?” she asks.

“I got bit by a hellcat,” I chuckle.

“She bit you?”

“SHE is right here,” Nyx grumbles from the bed.

“Good morning, Nyx. I brought you some clothes,” Tia waves. “Felix, I need to speak to you about something, please.” She grabs me by the shirt and pulls me out on the landing, shutting Nyx in the room by herself. “One night, okay, I get it. But an everyday thing…Felix, she is a Keryth killer! One minute, you’re sleeping, and then you wake up in her ropes!”

“If only!” A vivid image of being bound at Nyx’s mercy has a lazy smile curving my lips. Tia slaps me out of my stupor and I rub the side of my head. “Ouch!”

“I wouldn’t have to slap you if you would use that head of yours!” she chastises.

“I am!”

“Not that one! This one.” She slaps me on the side of the head again, knocking my glasses askew.

“Will you stop that? I am using this one! In fact, I just came up with a brilliant plan.” I smile, crossing my arms with pride.

“Uh- huh…And that plan is…”

“I need you to cancel all of my meetings. I am taking Nyx on a tour of the castle.”

Tia blinks slowly, and one eye twitches. She doesn’t like it. Damn it.

“You want to give her a chance to form an escape plan?”

“She can’t get away, and you know it. This will just help her feel a bit more comfortable.”

“Or make her think you are extremely stupid,” she deadpans.

“She already does.”

“And you don’t see the problem with that?” I stare at her, waiting for her to get to the point. But she shakes her head and starts down the steps. “I’ll take care of the meetings. Just don’t lose her, we need her.”

“I know that!” I roll my eyes and return to my room. “Nyx, we are going out.”

She quickly closes my drawer and stands tall with her hands behind her back. “Where are we going?”

“What were you doing?”

“Looking for a weapon.” She crosses her arms and leans her hip against the dresser.

“There are none. Now, get dressed in something warm. The first snow has fallen.”

Her eyes widen, and she looks toward the window. “It’s early…”

“It is.” I see the uncertainty written all over her face. But why? “Don’t worry, we have enough food,” I offer as a form of comfort, believing that may be the reason for her concern. But I am wrong once again. Her eyes blaze when they land on me, and her jaw clenches repeatedly before she chooses her words.

“I bet you do.” She roughly grabs the pile of clothes Tia brought and storms off to the bathingroom, slamming the door between us before I can say another word.

I run my hands through my hair and groan with frustration. Every time I believe I am getting closer, I end up pushing her farther away. I must find solid ground between us—a way to get my foot in the door.

I open my drawers to find warm clothes and freeze a moment before laughing at the audacity of that little hellcat. She shredded most of my undergarments with her bare hands. I close the drawer, grab the rest of the things I need, and quickly dress.

“Come on, Nyx. We have a lot of ground to cover,” I call out with a smile. I can almost feel her frustration through the door.

“I am going to kill her!” she bellows. “A fucking pink cloak?” Nyx storms out of the bathingroom, her fist clenched, ready for a fight.

“You look beautiful,” I offer, but it only makes her angrier.

“You take that back right now!” She storms up to me and points her slender finger in my face.

I don’t know what comes over me, but I take her finger into my mouth, sucking it gently and running my tongue along it with gentle caresses. My blood thrums with the way her eyes widen and the small gasps that escape her barely parted lips. I fight the urge to throw her on the bed to find out what other noises I can pull from her body. But the knowledge that she isn’t ready for that makes it easy to back away and relish the taste of her lingering on my tongue.

“Ready?”

She nods slowly without taking her eyes off of me.

I motion for her to lead the way. She hesitates, looks me over, then shakes herself and heads for the door. Try as I might, I can’t keep the victorious grin off my face. I affected her. She is not entirely immune to me! There’s a chance!

As we descend the stairs to my office, I mull over all the possibilities. I move in front of her and open the huge door for her to step out into the hall. She huffs as she passes me, and everything in me screams to throw her over my shoulder and bring her back to the bedroom. I feel she acts all tough, but if handled correctly, she would submit to me in the most beautiful way. It would be a gift I would cherish until the day I die.

“This way,” I say, remembering my plan for the day. Stay on track, Felix! She follows me down the long, empty corridors without a word, but her eyes devour everything. “On the bottom level of the castle are the offices, meeting rooms, ballrooms, and public dining rooms. That way, all guests are secluded to one area and can be overseen. The second level is the guest quarters. Not just anyone is permitted to stay. It was mostly offered to visiting dignitaries. But since we no longer get those, it is now for my parents’ guests who stay for the events that last longer than a day.” Frigid air hits us in the face as I unlock and open the door to one of my favorite places in the castle. “This is the garden that no one ever visits. There is —”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” she asks, raising a brow and looking over the courtyard.

“Would you rather not know?” I ask it as a challenge, and just like I knew it would, that stubborn glint in her eyes returns full force.

“I don’t mind knowing. I am weary to WHY you are telling me.”

“Think of it as a peace offering.”

“You are still holding me prisoner. Why would you want to offer me peace?”

I step into her space, ignoring the death in her gaze because everything around here has ears. “Maybe I kidnapped you for a reason that is bigger than all of us.” I step past her and hope she follows me without question or another word about the subject. This conversation needs to happen in private.

“You can’t just walk past me after saying something like that! What is that supposed to mean?”

Desperation to keep her quiet makes me a complete idiot. I grab a handful of snow, bunch it up, and launch it.

Fuck. I flinch as it lands directly into her open mouth. This is going to cost me. As she sputters, doubt that she will want to talk to me ever again seizes my chest. She will probably search for some kind of sharp stick to stab me with. I don’t—

Melting ice and snow slides down my glasses, leaving trails of water distorting the view of her blue eyes dancing with mischief. I quickly remove my glasses and wipe them off so I can see her. But before I can get them clean, more snow hits my head, this time accompanied by the most beautiful giggle I have ever heard in my entire life. It is musical with a slight rasp. And then it happens again as I rub my hand down my face.

An addiction. Having heard it twice, I know I am already addicted to the sound. It may even be more precious to me than her sweet little moans. Both are pleasing and affect my body, but her laughter… It affects my heart. The organ to swells and pounds in my chest so viciously it feels like it is trying to escape.

“You little—”

She lets out a little squeal as I chase her around the large dormant fountain.. Her cloak gets caught on the thorns of the thick bushes that seclude this area, giving me time to catch up to her. I grab her around the arms and wrestle her down onto the ground, shoveling snow on top of her.

“I YEILD! I YEILD!” she laughs. I lay on my side beside her as we both try to catch our breath. “Cheater!”

“ME? You were the one throwing snow while I was blinded from your first attack!”

“You threw the first one!”

“Well, you were talking about things that are better discussed in private.”

“You were the one who brought it up! If you didn’t wish to speak about it out here, you should have waited until we were safe to discuss it!”

“I… well… YOU…” I close my mouth before I put my foot further into it. Damnit!She is right again! Her smile is smug. I want to kiss her and see what it might transform into.

“Don’t even think about it,” she grumbles, looking toward the sky instead of me. And I instantly miss being the center of her attention.

“What? I didn’t do anything!”

“I recognize that look. If you kiss me, I will hit you over the head with a rock instead of snow.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time unless you plan on following through,” I chuckle. To my surprise, she chuckles with me. She must not have been expecting it because she quickly shakes her head and gets to her feet.

“Anything else you want to bore me with?”

I look at the sky; I still have time to show her around before too many people arrive, but I don’t want to chance it. The best course of action will be to bring her back to my office. I’ll get some work done while watching her at the same time.

“Not today.” I get to my feet and offer her an arm. She stares at it warily but eventually gives in and tucks her icy fingers into its crook. “I have some work to see to, so we will return to my office.”

“What kind of work?”

This is it. This is my chance to show her we are fighting the same fight. I swiftly lock the door again and tuck her hand back into my arm.

“Since the first snow showed up early, we need to put some things into motion.”

“Like?” she asks, as if I have frustrated her with my lack of details. But again, I can only say so much until we are back in my office. Nothing can be heard through that door. I made sure of that.

“All in good time,” I say, patting her hand and looking carefully down the corridor. Servants sit in alcoves along the way. Probably hoping to hear any bit of conversation that they can use as a bartering chip to help them move further up the ranks or to get some kind of privilege.

Nyx seems to understand as her eyes also track the movement that is picking up around us. She stays quiet and vigilant the rest of the way. Once I have us locked in the safety of my office, she lets the questions fly.

“What did you mean that there may be a reason you kidnapped me that is bigger than all of us? What could I possibly have to offer the Prince of the Keryth? Well… besides blood. But you don’t seem interested in that, not that I am complaining! Also, what things do you need to set in motion? Elani? Do you need to move your victims—”

“Nyx!” I stop her before she can twist anything I haven’t said yet. “Sit.” I point to the chaise lounge by the fireplace so she can start warming up.

“I don’t want—”

“Sit!” I demand. Her eyes widen slightly, but she obeys. “Many years ago, Tia and I saw how the winter months affect Elani in the lower city. And once I asked around about it, it was always the same answer: ‘Survival of the fittest.’” I sit beside her and take her small, scarred hand into mine. She struggles a little, but in the end, she allows me to hold it as I continue my explanation. Thank goodness, because I don’t think I could handle sitting so close to her and being unable to touch her. “We didn’t like that response. So, in one of the farthest reaches of the forest, there is a clearing. The soil is rich in nutrients and capable of handling a harvest. We have a summer field and a winter field. That way, something will grow all year round. We pass out the food to trusted Elani in the lower city, who distributes it to families in need. It isn’t much, but it is enough to reduce the number of deaths caused by starvation during those months. And if my father was to hear about it…”

“He would burn it all to the ground,” she finishes for me, understanding exactly what kind of male he is. “I had noticed the decrease in deaths but didn’t know what the change was. This whole time, it was you?”

“No. Not me. There are a dozen Elani and Keryth who have made this all possible. I have simply been able to keep all the paperwork in order, so nothing seems off in the numbers.”

“Which is a huge thing.”

“It isn’t. Not when there are those putting their lives in danger every day for this cause.” I release her hand and make my way toward my desk. “I have some work to do, so feel free to nap there or read anything in this library. We are going to be here a while.” I pick up a stack of papers off my desk to disguise myself as I sit and watch as she chews on her bottom lip, tracing the same path I did on her hand moments ago with her fingers.

I did it! I broke through her wall and started the process of her questioning everything. Soon…I will have her trust soon!

Focusing on the tome in front of me is useless. I have read it a hundred times, trying to understand these vines and how to eradicate them. But I find myself rubbing the rough patch of skin that is healing too quickly on my shoulder. I want it to stay. I want it to scar so I can always keep her mark on me. To remember that moment every fucking day. If I could only figure out how to get her to do it again.

My eyes once again roam over her body as she sits huddled on the chaise, looking so small, deceptively fragile, and…bored.

“You can read any of the books here,” I remind her. But she doesn’t answer or look away from the bright fire blazing before her. “Nyx?”

“I don’t want to read. Why am I here? Can’t I just go back to my room?” she pouts. And it is almost as cute as the little dance she says she doesn’t do while eating.

“No. I have work to do, and Tia is busy.”

“I don’t need a sitter. I can take care of myself.”

“You also ‘take care’ of people who anger you. I won’t have this castle flowing with blood.” Yet. I silently add.

“I have killed with my bare hands before, but that was long ago. I am now spoiled with my toys.”

“You could decapitate someone with a spoon if you were determined enough. And I know you are. So, as of right now, you are stuck with me.”

“Wonderful,” she huffs, placing her chin on her fist. “Can we at least talk about the vines under the castle?” My eyes shift to the bookshelf, but I quickly look away.

“No. But like I said—”

“If you say I can read something, I am going to shove every book in this room up your ass.”

“Such a wonderful imagination. I know of other ways we could put it to good use,” I chuckle, trying to pull her away from whatever thoughts plaguing her. Ever since my confession, her mood has been souring increasingly with each passing minute.

“Oh, I am imagining all kinds of things. But none of them you will enjoy,” she taunts.

“Are you sure, pet?” I know calling her that is asking for trouble, but I am almost desperate to be burned at this point.

“What did you just call me?” she grits out.

I lean back in my chair, interlock my fingers, and rest my hands on my stomach. Giving her the illusion that I’m at ease.

“Pet,” I draw out slowly. I can’t keep the smile from my face as her eyes blaze brighter than the fire at her back. There she is—the woman who has stolen my heart.

I am so distracted by their deep depths that the book flying through the air nearly hits me in the face. The spine lightly brushes against my glasses, tilting them slightly. But I don’t look away. I fix them while watching her stand, clenching her fist.

“I hate repeating myself, but since you seem to be the stupidest Royal ever, I will say it once more for you. Don’t. Call. Me. That.”

“Or what?” I try to keep it smooth and controlled, but the excitement at the prospect of her taking the chance to attack has me leaning forward in my chair.

“Are you turned on by this?” Her lips draw back with her disgust.

Not wanting to intimidate her, but because I can’t seem to stay away any longer, I try to get to my feet. Of course, she doesn’t know that, so she does the only logical thing to her.

With the full force of her anger, she plants her heel into my chest and knocks me back into my chair. Unwilling to let her have the upper hand, I grab her extended leg and pull her onto my lap.

“If you were so desperate to touch me, all you had to do was ask, pet.” Her temper flares to its boiling point, and I know I have her exactly where I want her. “But it would be much more fun without all these clothes.”

Without another word, she throws her head forward, connecting with the bridge of my nose and knocking my glasses askew. Blood, accompanied by excruciating pain, explodes through my face, providing her with the distraction she needs to escape.

Fortunately for me, I am quicker than her. I blindly reach out and pull her back to me.

“Nice try,” I say, righting my glasses and pulling her firmly onto my lap. “You drew blood once again, Hellcat. That is usually punishable by death—”

“You dese—” I place my finger over her lips to stop her excuses. She doesn’t need them. Little does she know that no matter how many times she tries to kill me, I will never try to retaliate.

“Would you like to go to the dungeons for your infraction?” I ask carefully. I honestly have no idea how she will answer the question and I regret asking it immediately.

“If I do?” Her unbearably soft lips brush against my finger, and it takes every ounce of my self-control to stay focused on the conversation. And even though I could respond with a million different quips to get her to agree to stay with me, I allow her to work it out. I trace the lines of her cheek down to her jaw and follow the curve of her neck with my fingers. “No. I don’t want to go to the dungeons,” she grits out. “In fact, I want to go home.” She slaps my hand away, breaking the spell her skin had on me.

“Well, since that won’t be happening, and you want to stay out of the dungeons, then I need to find a way for you to make it up to me.” My smile is slow as I think of something to torture her with. “And I know just the thing.” I reach over to my desk and lift a hefty tome to hold out to her. She eyes it wearily.

“And how will this help?”

“You will read all the books you wanted to shove up my ass to me.” Her eyes widen as she looks from the book to me.

“I choose dungeons.” She moves to get off of my lap, but I hold her firmly in place.

“Too late. You already said you didn’t want to stay there. This is your only option.”

“Well, if I won’t read and you won’t let me go to the dungeons, then we are at an impasse, sir.” She crosses her arms over her chest with a self-satisfied grin. But I am already prepared for her defiance.

“Then I guess a few kisses will suffice.” I lean forward slowly so she has time to make up her mind. And just like I knew she would, she grabs the tome from me and holds it tight to her chest.

“Keep your bad breath to yourself. I will figure this shit out!” She scrambles off my lap, and I let her go this time.

“Good. Now go sit by the fire and read to me.” I adjust myself when she turns her back and faces my desk again. I straighten papers and organize things while waiting for her to start. “If you don’t start reading in the next five—”

“I can’t read, asshole!” she shouts, throwing the tome to the floor beside her feet.

Everything in me stills at the sound of hurt in her voice. It is so strong that the smell of it reaches me despite the burning wood. She doesn’t look up from her hands in her lap as I walk over to the chaise. Not wanting to frighten her, I kneel beside her and take her hands in one of mine.

I could try to do this the gentle way, but I know it will offend her. So, I must be innovative and keep her rage burning, or she may become something way more dangerous than she already is.

I grab the tome from the floor and slam it back into her hands.

“I guess I’m going to have to teach you.” Her piercing blue eyes meet mine with a mixture of her signature heat and uncertainty. “Unless…you bite me again. Or better yet, bite me at least once every day. Yes! I like this plan a lot!”

“Fuck that! I needed to learn anyway,” she nearly shouts. But then she opens the tome with furrowed brows.

“Do you know your letters?” She shakes her head. “All right then, from the beginning.”