Page 14 of Stolen Princess

“Oh yeah?” he taunts. “How?”

I look away, embarrassment all over me. I don’t want to talk to him about this. It makes me squirmy. “I, um… I’ve read about it in my books. And my mother told me all about rape.”

“But no one’s ever touched you, have they?”

I bite my lip and shift my stance.

He pushes the knife down to my side and cups my chin with his other hand, forcing my eyes to his. “What if I told you that I wanted to touch you? To make you come? You know what an orgasm is, right?”

I swallow audibly but don’t answer.

“I could give you that. Several even. I think you’re so beautiful. I could show you everything you’ve read about in your books and a hell of a lot more.”

“You mean rape me?”

He smiles, his eyes glittering at me. “It’s only rape if it’s not consensual. And I know you’re curious about it.”

He presses in on me, and suddenly I’m so hot I can hardly breathe. He smells like sweat and soap and something so enticing I have to work not to take a deeper inhale of it. My nipples are hard, and my pussy is getting wet, and what the hell is going on? How is this happening?

His nose glides along my jaw, and I stand immobile. “You want an adventure? You want to be a bad girl and leave this tower? Why not go all the way with it?”

Then it hits me. Son of a bitch.

I shove him back and nail him in the chest with the butt of the knife before I take the blade side and bring it up to his neck. “I know what you’re doing.”

He brushes his hair back off his face, laying the charm on thick. Even his voice drops into a sexy purr. He’s completely unaffected by the knife. “And what am I doing, princess?”

I squint at him. “Don’t call me that. Your pet names and bullshit attempts at seduction won’t work. There’s no way you’re getting out of this deal or manipulating your freedom. You think if I feel scared or uncomfortable, I’ll simply let you go and be on your way?” I scoff. “Nice try. That’s not how this will work. You won’t touch me.”

He folds his arms, all sexiness gone, replaced by a frostiness that sends a chill through me with how fast he transitioned. “How can you be so sure of that? What makes you think I won’t take advantage of your sweet virtue? I’m a man. It’s what we do. Isn’t that what you’ve been taught?”

I grin wickedly, thrusting my bravado to the max. My long hair falls around my shoulders as I angle toward him, bringing the knife right under his chin and pressing the edge into his pulse.

“Because only I know where your necklace is, and no matter how hard you try, you’ll never find it without me.”

He bares his teeth, practically snarling at me. “I could torture you. Do you not know that? I could grab that knife from you in a second and cut you up into tiny fucking pieces.”

I grin mockingly even though I don’t think that’s hyperbole. I’m a fool to do this with him, but honestly, I have nothing left to lose. Nothing at all. I’m so far gone that his threats don’t even faze me.

“Torture only works when you’re afraid of the outcome. I’m not.”

His eyes widen ever so slightly, and something shifts in him. “I’d make it hurt, princess. Death might not scare you, but I’m sure pain does.”

“I thought you said you weren’t evil or violent?”

“And if I lied?”

“You can kill me, but you won’t make it out of here alive, and you sure as hell won’t find the necklace. You’ll take me where I want to go and bring me back here and keep your hands to yourself in the process. That’s our deal. There is no other option for you.”

5

FERRIN

If she had any sense, any self-preservation, she’d pitch me out the window or feed me to her mother. She’s desperate to leave but doesn’t think she can do it on her own. That much is clear. Her mother is also a psycho bitch, and I mean that in the least affectionate way possible. I don’t know if this girl is aware of this, if she’s fucked in the head herself, if this is all a game, or if she’s a victim.

I’m going with the latter.

She’s hiding me up here, pleading with me to take her to a stupid festival, and alternating between tears and homicide. She’s unstable and possibly suicidal, though I have to imagine anyone stuck in this cottage, unable to leave for their entire life, would reach that point.