ROYAL DARKNESS (MASKED)(18+)

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

"Nothing's coming back to you?" he asked, closing the gap with another step. His huge figure loomed over me, his breath tickling my skin. A gasp escaped when his hand settled on my waist, pulling me nearer, my body meeting his solid chest.

"What are you—" I started to ask, but he cut me off, saying:

"Do you not recall how it feels when I touch you like this?" His warm hands pressed against the small of my back, gliding down deliberately. My heart raced, struggling to process the unfolding scenario. He leaned in, his voice a soft murmur near my ear. "You don't remember being this intimately close years ago?"

A unique sensation washed over me, strangely familiar yet entirely new. Fleeting images danced in my mind, some blurry, but I dismissed them with a shake of my head.
"I have no recollection," I confessed.

His hand paused on my back, inches away from completing its journey to my bottom "I really have no memories," I repeated once more.

He slowly withdrew his hand and distanced himself from me. A sense of disappointment engulfed me, oddly enough, I found his closeness to me oddly enjoyable. His touch felt strangely familiar, as if it were normal. It put me at ease and stirred a new  kind of emotions within me, ones I'd never encountered before.

"I was hoping you'd provide the answers to all my questions," I expressed, stepping closer. "Everyone's been directing me to meet you for answers, and I was hoping you could provide what I seek."

"I can't provide you with answers," he said, his eyes trailing from my head down to my toes and then meeting my gaze again. "You should go."

"What do you mean, go?" I questioned. True to his usual form, he didn't offer a response to my question. Instead, he made his way to his chair and settled into it, his figure a silhouette in the dimness.

Corvus alighted on my shoulder, his voice a gentle whisper in my ear, "Maybe we should consider moving on."

"That's not a possibility," I retorted with frustration. "I've  numerous unanswered questions, and he's my last hope to get the answers I seek." I raised my voice intentionally, ensuring he heard my words clearly.

"He might appear lenient now, but don't disregard his potential danger. He's no one to take lightly—listen to him," Corvus warned. I inhaled deeply, choosing to table the matter for the moment.

Corvus was spot-on. It seemed I had allowed myself to forget the dragon king's malevolence and treacherous nature, despite his deceptive appearance.

"I will leave," I announced after taking a steadying breath. "However, mark my words, I'll return for my answers. Not one has been given yet." I turned my back and exited the room, my breath heavy with emotion.

✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓
The door to my room closed behind me with a decisive thud as I stormed into my room, leaning against it to gather my racing thoughts.

Corvus abandoned my shoulders, settling on the bedpost, as I ran my fingers through my hair, struggling to contain the scream of frustration bubbling within me. How could they confine me here and assume they have the right to unveil their secrets without granting me the crucial details I so desperately yearn for?

The weight of it all was unbearable, and I recognized that I must escape this torment by any means necessary. I had to find a way out, even if I didn't know how yet. I was resolute in my desire to break free from this place, and I'd seize any chance to make a desperate escape.

Sinking onto the bed, I stifled an anguished cry by burying my face into the soft foam. It was too much to bear; I couldn't continue like this. All I longed for was to return to the loving embrace of my Godmother, back to the contented life we once shared.