The King’s Prisoner

Chapter 5

~Adrian~

Dammit! She was right. A part of me believed that she may be innocent in this. I was fuming that she also read me so well. I was always good at masking my emotions. But she saw right through me. When I saw Sir Victor attacking her like that, it pissed me off something terrible. I didn’t know why I had the sudden need to protect her. After all, she did murder my father. But it was something about the way her eyes were pleading as she tried to gasp for air. The way her skin began to turn, made my heart sink. The thought of her dying right then and there didn’t sit right with me. I ran over and tackled him so quickly. It was almost like an instinct. I punched him several times before Sir Charles and Sir Henry, my dad’s most loyal guard, pulled me off of him.

They quickly cuffed him and escorted him out of the royal castle. I ran to her. She was unconscious. She wasn’t the little firecracker with the smart mouth, no, she was a woman begging for her life. He was supposed to be a loyal guard of the royal family. He’s been around for a long time and he knew better. We protect our women, not assault them.

I poured myself a glass of McCallan’s as I thought about what it was about tonight’s event. Maybe there’s a full moon. Or maybe this is a sign that something far more dangerous is lurking.

The next morning, the clattering sound of objects banging against each other, disturbed my sleep. A knock on the door and Henry enter the room.

“Good morning, My King. I was wondering if you wanted me to escort the prisoner back to the cell.” The thought of her being in there didn’t sit right with me, not since what Victor did.

“No! She needs to stay in the room that she’s in. The room is locked and she can’t escape unless she wants to fall fifty feet from the air.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” He bowed to me and left out of the door. I quickly dressed myself and went to check on the little prisoner. I used the key to open the door. When I came in, she was still asleep. Her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm with her small, but cute snore. She looked beautiful. Suddenly, she tossed and turned. With her eyes still closed, she frowned and began to cry. “No, no, no. Livie!” I rushed to the bed.

“Wake up.” I shook her and she began to fight me. “No please!” She cried. “Come on, firecracker, wake up.” I shook her again and her eyes popped open. She quickly sat up and looked around her and then back at me. What the hell was that? And who was Livie.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah. It’s not the first time I had them.”

She swiftly moved the blankets to stand on her feet. She wandered to the bathroom and a few moments later, she returned.

“Do you want to tell me what’s that all about?” I asked.

“No, your majesty, I don’t.”

“Enough with formalities. When we’re alone, call me Adrian.”

“Adrian,” She breathed out. Her voice was soft but a hint of rasp and the way my name rolled off of her tongue as I thought of inappropriate thoughts. I’m trying to keep it together but she’s making it really hard. “Okay when you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here.”

*****

~Tori~

Adrian kept shifting in different positions. I noticed how his eyes kept flickering from lust to nothing. He was losing control. I observed him and noticed that he was dressed in a suit. The navy blue blazer hugged his bulging muscles as his gray shirt was paired with a symmetrical navy blue, red, gray striped tie. He looked handsome. I wanted to untie his tie and rip open the buttons on his shirt. Nooooo. I shook my head away.

“s**t,” I cursed myself.

“Using bad words can get you punished,” he growled. My face heated at the rawness in his voice. It was seductive, teasing even.

“I do apologize, My King.”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Adrian when we’re alone?” He smirked with his playful tone. The rumble in his voice had me shaking. But it wasn’t with fear, it was with excitement. Why was I excited about my killer?

“Yes, My Ki-, Adrian.” All of this was awkward, from being a hardworking nurse to an accused killer. For the first time, I slept well, until the nightmare came. “You have clothes in the closet and you have two maids that can assist you with whatever you need.” I didn’t understand why he was being generous to me, especially when he believes I killed his father. I wanted to ask but didn’t want him to shut me down.

“Thank you.” He got up and straightened out his suit. “I have to go into town for a conference. My coronation is tonight and unfortunately you can’t come. But again, your maids will be available to you.” His eyes lingered on mine a little longer than usual, like he didn’t want to leave. There was this pull that neither of us could explore. But I wanted to so bad. Maybe it’s because I haven’t had s*x in a long time. Since, my ex.

“Adrian?” I called as he took a step.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. I know you didn’t have to do all of this.” Sleeping in that cold dungeon probably would’ve given me pneumonia. He didn’t say anything, he just walked out, closing the door behind him. I knew I was locked in after all, I’m a prisoner and I know that he’s planning my execution. I still couldn’t just ignore the way my heart raced when he entered my room or the butterflies in my stomach when he spoke to me. I needed help. I laid on the bed staring at the window. It was bright today but I’ve lost track of time. There was no contact with the outside world. No Tv, internet, or phone. At this moment, I felt like Cinderella being punished by her evil stepmother.