I WANT YOU

CHAPTER 11

Anna woke with a start. She wasn’t sure what had woken her but as she sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes while glancing around, she notice that she was no longer in Cristina's bedroom.

Her best friend didn’t sleep in a four-poster bed with sheer black curtains surrounding it. Pushing the bedding aside, Anna moved the curtain and slipped from the bed. There was a crackling fire in the large stone fireplace.

Every room in this house is swank.

The bed was perched on a dais, and Anna needed to stepped down as she glanced around.

Thankfully she was still fully dressed except for her shoes. How had she gotten here?

She remembered that she had fallen asleep in Cristina's room. Had Aberdeen carried her in here?

Although the assistant had never done anything wrong toward Anna, the guy gave Anna the creeps. There was something…wrong with Aberdeen. Anna just couldn’t say what it was. It was just a feeling.

Exiting the bedroom, Anna moved down the hallway until she was standing at the top of the steps. She could see a light in Arthur's study. Easing down the steps, she moved closer wanting to meet the older man. Hoping that Arthur might kiss her this time. She rolled her eyes. Like that was going to happen.

When she stopped outside the study she heard the sound of murmuring voices. Anna inched closer, thankful she was wearing her socks and not shoes. The material helped to cushion her footsteps and keep her quiet.

“They are becoming bolder.” It was Aberdeen. “One almost attacked them in the stairwell at the asylum.”

“I’ve kept them safe all these years. Are you questioning my ability to protect Cristina and Anna?” Arthur sounded calm, but Anna could hear the underlying threat in his voice.

Aside from Cristina pushing her father’s buttons, Anna had never seen him upset. The guy seemed to always be in control.

But Arthur's words circled in her head. She couldn't understand what he meant. What did she and Cristina needed protection from?

“No, my king,” Aberdeen replied.

“But Lady Cristina and Anna have a knack for risking their safety. Maybe if you finally settled down with someone, they would start to behave themselves.” The room was silent before Aberdeen added, “Or shall I call her Mistress Anna?” The man’s tone wasn’t friendly.

Mistress Anna? What did that mean?

Was that why Arthur treating Anna differently? Did the guy look at Anna like a daughter? Anna was horrified at the thought. What if Arthur did? What if his affections were based on the idea that Anna resembled a frail girl?

Anna felt as if the wind was knocked out of her lungs. If that were the case, she would leave here and never return. She couldn’t live with the idea that Arthur viewed her that way. How had she not seen this before?

“She’s still so young,” Arthur commented.

Someone made a grunting noise, and somehow Anna knew it was Aberdeen. “You’re thinking of taking her to your bed, right?” Aberdeen asked, and Anna could hear the anger in the man’s tone.

“Maybe you should consider someone with a little more experience than a young girl who didn't knew better.”

Who was Aberdeen talking about?

The thought of Arthur having anyone in his bed made Anna’s stomach curdle. She bit roughly on her lower lip to stop herself shouting her protests. She wasn’t even supposed to be down here, let alone listening in on the conversation. Nonetheless, Anna couldn’t stop the tears from prickling her eyes.

If the older man was going to sleep with someone and make that someone his permanent partner, Anna needed to get over the guy.

Who had she been fooling?

Although in the back of her mind she knew that Arthur was a man with s****l needs, she tried to never think about that. But now it was slapping her in the face. Using the palm of her good hand, Anna wiped away her falling tears.

She felt so devastated!

She didn’t want to stay at Frost Manor knowing that Arthur had a lover in his bed. Come morning, she would leave.

She turned around to go back upstairs, to escape what she didn’t want to face, when she became lightheaded.

Not now!

But her illness decided to show itself. Anna dropped to all fours, crying out as pain shot up her casted arm. She rolled to her back as her body became a living and breathing furnace.

She hated the fact that she was sick but worried because these episodes were happening more frequently.

The study door swung open, and Arthur stared down at her, his eyes wide. “Anna?”

Anna lay there in a pool of her own sweat as she began to shiver. She wanted to beg Arthur not to take anyone to his bed, but her teeth were chattering so violently that she feared she would c***k them.

Arthur sank to his haunches and scooped Anna from the floor.

“You’re burning up.” The man moved swiftly upstairs and took her back into the room she’d woken up in.

Aberdeen was moving ahead of Arthur, heading straight for the bathroom. Or what Anna assumed was the bathroom.

Arthur's jaw was set in determination as he stepped into the bathroom. Aberdeen was already running the water in the tub. Anna should have been mortified when both men worked to strip her clothing away, leaving her naked in Arthur's arms, but she was too out of it to care.

I’ll care tomorrow when I don’t feel as if my body is going to go up in flames. I’ll care tomorrow about Arthur taking a lover. I’ll care tomorrow that my hearts feels as if it’s being torn in two.

“What’s going on?” Cristina asked as she entered the bathroom.

Great, an audience. That was just what Anna needed. Could her mortification grow any deeper?

Maybe they could call Conrad up here to make this little shindig complete.

“He has a fever,” Aberdeen answered as Arthur slowly lowered Anna into the cool water. Anna cried out at the shock against her body and fought to get out of the tub, but Arthur had a firm hold on her.

“We have to break your fever, pup,” Arthur said softly to Anna as the older man sank his hand into the water and then poured the cool liquid over Anna’s chest and neck. “Don’t worry, you have me.” Arthur ran his wet hand over Anna’s hair.

Arthur shook violently, and everything else became a blur before her vision faded. But before she passed out, Anna gazed up at Arthur and swore she saw the man’s amber eyes were glowing.

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