Royal Pain ~ Slave to the High Royals

Chapter Nineteen

At that moment, I didn't know what to say. A part of me was excited, thrilled to be able to experience what it would be like to run at such a speed. Another, more sensible, part of me was thinking: How much do I trust Aiden?

It was a silly thought really. Aiden had saved me so many times that I felt inclined to trust him and I shouldn't be worried about such a trivial thing as running that obviously came naturally to his kind. But, it didn't feel like I could truly believe I was safe with him, especially with his unpredictable actions that seemed so animalistic at times.

So, why was I beginning to feel more and more comfortable with him?

''Violet? Ready?'' Aiden was directly in front of me, staring at me with his eyebrows raised in question whilst I had been lost in my thoughts, my eyes staring back blankly without my realising.

I dropped my eyes, nervous all of a sudden, and nodded slowly.

''Hurry up you two, we need to get going if we're going to make it on schedule.'' Josh was all business now, with Rose already cradled in his arms. She looked as anxious as I was beginning to feel, bags weighing her down in Josh's arms, but he didn't seem to notice the extra weight. It was pretty funny to see really, such an intimate position considering their real relationship.

''Sure, sure.'' Aiden muttered.

Before anything else could be said, Aiden slipped one arm behind my knees and lifted me effortlessly off of the ground, the other arm supporting my back to hold me bridal style. Instinctively, I shifted to make myself more comfortable in his hold and rested my bag and his upon my lap the same way I had seen Rose had done. They weren't too heavy, and I was too distracted by my racing heart from being so close to the dangerous vampire, to notice.

All this time, my gaze had been focused on my lap to avoid becoming closer with Aiden's face inches away. I finally plucked up the courage to shift my eyes upwards to look at him, only to find that he wasn't looking at me at all. His jaw seemed clenched, his eyes shaded, which immediately made me wonder if he was thirsty and my closeness had made him uncomfortable.

''Violet, you're going to have to hold on tight. I also recommend that you close your eyes.'' He didn't look at me when he spoke, his voice clipped and demanding. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his cool neck. Fearing that if I disobeyed then he would force me to, which would show how worried I really was, not to mention embarrassing. My fingers brushed his hair by mistake and I paused. When he didn't react, my arms settled.

He looked down at me then for a moment, his deep blue eyes meeting mine as we became closer. I was unable to look away, transfixed by his eyes which were swimming with emotions that I couldn't easily distinguish, his dark hair falling over them, hiding them. I blushed involuntarily as I realised how peculiar this situation really was, and quickly closed my eyes as he had instructed.

''You lead the way, Aiden.'' Josh's voice broke the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. My previous nervousness, which had eased slightly in the last few moments, came rushing back and caused my body to tense with anticipation.

Aiden adjusted his hold smoothly, my body pressing further into his chest, ''Try to keep up.'' I could hear the smirk in his voice.

Then we were off.

Wind whipped harshly against my cheeks and my closed eyelids, my grip around Aiden tightening as I clung to him for safety. I found myself pressing myself further into his chest, my head rested on him as he moved with feline grace through our surroundings. I could hardly feel his feet hit the ground; it was as if we were flying and I could feel adrenaline begin to course through me.