The Villainous Lord's Obsession

6.

I was back to being tied like a freaking war captive!

I glared at the back of the man with the lion tattoo. Just how did he get a tattoo in a world like this? The phaeton swirled from side to side, making me groan and feel my insides turn.

Man, I hate this!

"You know you can't keep me like right?" I yelled, turning and twisting my tied hands as though that would help me. "I am no prisoner of yours! I saved your life and this is how your ungrateful a.ss repays me?"

He didn't reply, nor spare me a single glance as well. None of them did.

If only I had kept quiet when he listed the right position he thought I should have the night before, then this wouldn't have happened. I might have found a way to sneak away during the night without having to sleep tied like a thief, or an animal precisely.

Initially, I was scared when he said I'd paid for hitting him. However, he simply pulled my hair back and growled to my face, before he asked for a rope and tied me up.

I looked up at the sky, and the sun was at its peak. The slanting rays sending waves of heat and my choice of clothing didn't help.

Why were Theo's cloth this thick?

Balwynward was a cold kingdom. Mostly only warm on rare occasions. So, it was fair that his cloth was this thick. But why is this part so hot?

"Have you heard anything from Pentland yet?" Karden asked.

"Aside from the fact that they are rejoicing your death, nothing more, Captain," Castallan replied.

"Shouldn't you give them a surprise visit?" Theo chirped in.

"That should only be fair. I wonder what Tristram's reaction would be to seeing me alive and healthy."

"He might wet his pants? Not that he's even scared of you." I said, trying to get their attention. Again, no one answered.

"Are you really going to take me to Balwynward and treat me like s.lut?" I yelled again. But just like the first time, and just like moments ago, no one gave me any attention. Sweat trickled down my neck, and I cursed at how damp my cloth was beginning to get.

I sighed. Nothing I say seems to work now. It was as though he had created a barrier between us. I glared at the back of his head, the head of the lion tattoo clearly seen since he chose to ride without a tunic. According to him, the tunic keeps hurting him.

"Only a piece of s.hit would treat someone who saved his life this way," I grumbled, but loud enough for him to hear. "And even more so, for one who seems to be tough on the outside but is actually afraid of coc..."

The words died in my throat as he jerked his halt to a stop, making the phaeton come to a sudden stop as well, which lead to my head banging so hard on the woods of the phaeton.

S.hit. That hurts!

However, I had no time to focus on the pain on my forehead, because Karden was standing before the phaeton. His jaw was tight. I could see the veins in his neck throb, and for some reason that excites me.

Finally, a reaction from the stone-like human.

He pulled the door open and dragged me out forcefully. I yelped as I stumbled and nearly fall on my face. My feet were swallowed in the hot sand, making me hiss at the heat.

He dragged me towards a dried tall tree that had no leaves and didn't look alive one bit.

"I think I have been holding back a lot!" He snarled, his finger digging into my arm. "I told you not to cross me, and yet, that is all you seem to do best."

"And ignoring me is what you do best as well!" I gritted, fighting to keep my eyes on his face rather than on his chest. His black hair falls to his face, threatening to cover one of his eyes. But Karden didn't seem to care. He looked too angry to care about something like that. "I told you to stop treating me like a prisoner. I'm not your captive, Karden, and I refuse to be treated like one. I saved your life goddammit!"

"For all I know, you could have been sent by Tristram. The i.diot would surely play a dirty trick like this and I'd be damned if I fall for it!" His hold tightened more and I winced. "You should be grateful I haven't killed you just yet, and that is because I feel indebted for your help!"

Looking at this from Karden's point, it did make sense. Karden wouldn't have wasted time to kill me. He was a villain after all. One so merciless at that.

It means that somehow, luck was on my side.

"Then act like you are indebted to me!" I screamed. "You have me tied like an animal, call me names, and shove me around like some piece of s.hit and you expect me to believe you didn't kill me like you said because you feel indebted?" I scoffed. "So much for a brute who's scared of cockroaches."

"Shut up!" He growled. "I told you not to say that again. I was never scared of cockroaches and I never will be!"

"Your expression said otherwise the first time I said it. If you weren't scared of cockroaches, you wouldn't have acted that way." I had a smug smile on my face as I spoke. "That aside, I'll be damned if I allow you to continue treating me this way!"

He was silent. And his silence meant he was planning something hideous. Something terrible. Karden was only known to be silent when he calculates his next move. The type that'll hit hard.

"You do have a weird way of speaking. That alone shows that you aren't from here, which is fine." I straightened my chin and stared into his green eyes. "It also means you aren't with Tristram and Pentland. Which is even better." He let go of his hold on my arms and crossed his hands across his bare chest.

The movement caused my eyes to drop from his down to his flexing biceps. Man! How could a human be this good-looking? A villain at that?

I swallowed so hard, as I watched a trickle of sweat run down from his neck to his chest. The idea of seeing it happen made me wish it was my finger and not the sweat running down his bare chest.

"Let's see, you said you have no memories of your past," his voice brought me back to my senses and I quickly returned my eyes to his. I flushed when I noticed the smirk on his face. "Ahh, I suppose you like what you see, Woman."

"Says who? I was just wondering what any woman sees in you to make her fall for you. Like those women back at..." I clamped my mouth shut, realizing the mess I was about to create. I had told him I have no memories of my past, or how I got to know he was scared of cockroaches. Yet again, I was trying to spill more of what I know about him from the book.

"Go on. You were saying something about women liking me." He tilted my head up to stare at me. "Are you perhaps, one of those women?"

"You wish," I mocked, turning my gaze from his piercing green eyes. Ahh, my wild fantasies aren't doing anything to help here. Although Karden was a villain from a book I've read, seeing him in flesh and blood was different. I might have hated his character in the book, heck, I might still hate him. But that doesn't mean I can't have my wild imaginations with him in them right?

"And yes, I have no memories of my past. I can't remember how I got here. All I can remember is waking up in the forest and walking around until I found you in the cave. I have already explained that." I batted my eyes, as though that would change anything.

"Okay." He simply sighed, which was weird considering the fact that Karden was never one to believe in something so soon. "Let's assume I believe you. How can you explain the cockroach part?" He inquired, furrowing his brows.

"It was just human instinct. I said that without thinking." I instantly said. My hands were sore, and I would do anything to have them loosened. "I promise you I know nothing about that. I just thought everyone would be scared of cockroaches like I am." I added, hoping he'd buy it.

"And how did you know I have a father? I might be fatherless you know." He shrugged a little.

S.hit. I had totally forgotten about that part. If only I hadn't blabbed about that, things wouldn't have been this messier.

"I...I can't remember." I said miserably. "Karden, I know this looks fishy. But I promise you I don't know you or anything about you before meeting you here."

"But you know my name without me telling you."

"You said your name out of anger as soon as you woke up in the cave. I have a very good memory you see," I replied. Things were messier than I had thought.

"Fine. Let's pretend I believe you..."

"You do?" I asked, widening my eyes.

"Key point, I said 'pretend'" he air quoted. "So, Let's do this then." He dropped his hands from his chest and placed them on my cheeks. "We are going to strike a deal."

"A deal?"

"Yes. Something that would benefit us both."

"And what would that be?" I asked, my eyes twitching.

"I'll tell you when we get to Balwynward." He smiled. "For now, you will not talk about cockroaches anymore."

"Why are you so worried about that when you aren't scared of them?"

From the working of his jaw, and how both of his hands cupped my cheeks, even more, I knew I had just ruined the moment.

"I mean, I was just saying." I tried to fix my mess.

He sucked in a ragged breath, untied the rope on my hand, and pulled me back to where the rest of his soldiers were. Without saying anything, he lifted me as though I weighed nothing and placed me on top of his horse.

"What are you doing?" I hissed as I watch him climb behind me.

"Keeping a close watch on a woman without memories." He simply said, then nudged the horse forward. "And one who saved my life."

"But I didn't agree to this."

"You don't have to agree. You might not be a war captive like you've been saying. But that doesn't mean I'll trust you and set you free, right? Besides, I told you yesterday that until I can trust you, you are going to live with me, sleep with me. Heck, even if it means taking a bath together as well."

"You must be crazier than I had thought."

"Women like men with wild and crazy instinct you know. I've been told that a lot."

"Those women who swoon over you have no self-worth."

"And you do?" He whispered to my ears. "You seem to be like them just a few moments ago when you stared at me hungrily."

"I did no such thing!" I snapped, trying to turn my head to face him.

"Stay still. It is already hard enough to handle you with your height. How are you so short?"

"I am not short!" Dang! How can someone be so infuriating?

He simply chuckled, and moved my hair to the side, leaving the left side of my neck bare. I froze when I felt his lips lightly graze the area. I could feel his smirk against my neck, and I cursed myself for quickly reacting that way to just a graze of his lips on my body.

"See, women are all the same. A simple touch and they lose it."

Although I heard the ringing voices in my head telling me not to, I couldn't stop. I was far gone, far too angry to even care. So, I pushed my elbow and elbowed him directly on his bandaged wound.

"Ugh," he groaned, wincing at the pain that must have hit him.

"That is for trying to mess with me, you brute!" I seethed.

"Did you just hit me again?" His voice was low. Grave.

"I didn't ask for a lousy smooch from you!"

"You call that lousy? I can swear on my head that no man out there can get the reaction I got from you by simply doing that!" He growled.

He was right. He was the first man to have made me feel that way with just a brush of his lips, and that pissed me even more.

"You insufferable brute!"

"You annoying b.itch!" He roared.

"You're insane!" I roared back.

"I am going to make you pay!"

"Fine. You think I care?"

"Fine!" He spat.

"Great!"

"Amazing!"

"Wonderful!"

I waited for a reaction from him. Waited for him to yell something else. But nothing happened. I had thought he'd throw me down from the horse, or perhaps, give me a backhand slap. But nothing happened. Instead, I heard him chuckle.

"You surprise me, young Lady. And that excites me even more. It makes me want to get to know you even more."

"Shouldn't you be angry?"

"I should be." He said testily. I wish I could see his face, gauge his reaction. That would at least give me a slight idea of what he does feel. "But I'm not. You make me want to keep you by my side even more. Because you are so unpredictable."

I didn't know if that should be a good thing or a bad thing. But considering my current situation, I guess getting on his good side was the best. As weird as this might be, I liked the exchange we just had. Somehow, I felt a lot of my anger deflate.

"Don't you dare do that to me again. I am not one of your women!"

"Ahh, but you will be soon enough. I'll make sure of that." He murmured against my ears yet again, before pushing back.

"In your dreams, Karden. In your dreams."

"What is your name?"

"Do I have a reason to tell you?"

"If we are you going to strike a deal, you have to."

Although I have no idea what deal that would be, I found I wanted a part of it. How would it be to work with Karden?

"Miriam," I said slowly. "My name is Miriam."

"You have a beautiful name, Miriam." He said, and I wondered if he was bipolar? But the author never did say that. However, Karden was acting completely differently. He had never complimented a woman. And he was suddenly complimenting my name?

"We arrive in Balwynward by night time, Captain," Theo said. He had ridden up beside Karden.

A hand was suddenly wrapped around me, and I was dragged into a bare chest.

"Hold tight, Miriam. This is going to be a rough ride," then he kicked the horse and it began galloping as fast as it could.

I was excited to see Balwynward as much as I was scared.

I wonder what the kingdom had in store for me.