The heartless princess (1)

Chapter 12 - April

A mixture of excitement and fear courses through my veins as the light of day invigorates me. If I'd listened in class, I might be able to tell the time by the position of the sun, but I'll settle for reading the time on the clock in front of me. I stretch, crack my neck and toss my hair, rolling onto the other side of the bed. Kane's feather-filled pillow fits perfectly into the shape of my skull. Its absence petrifies me, but I love feeling the warmth of the world on my face. Another good day with more freedom than at the palace. They haven't printed it yet but I love this house. The atmosphere, the gossip, the boys' stories, the food and the series on TV.
Oliver, that magnificent doggie, curls up on my back. He keeps me warm and enjoys the scratches I give him. I've never enjoyed sleeping in so much. Despite my headache, I lean against it to look at the mirrors on the ceiling. Did Kane want to enlarge the room or did he want to have two different views of what he's doing in bed?
" Oli, sit." ordered the blond-haired boy to his dog, who barely waggled his nose. There's kibble on the balcony.
He left and turned round in the bed to face the gigantic man at my door. I didn't linger to look at him. It's very early to see a man in Adam's clothes. He shakes his head, spraying drops of frozen water onto my skin.
" Hello, Lil' Daisy."
" Too early to talk, I want to go to sleep."
" You still have two hours to sleep, Nate's hungover."
I can imagine, he practically passed out on his mattress yesterday. He's emptied the bottles in the bar to get to this point.
" Put some clothes on."
" I've got a towel."
That fits her hips miraculously. It's not an outfit, it's an accessory.
" You're wasting my time, Kane. Get dressed, I don't want to see you naked."
"That's a terrible lie, you're dreaming of looking under that towel."
" Why is that? Anything you'd be interested in underneath? Unless you've got a Belgian chocolate bar, I don't care."
" Sorry, I've only got peaches and mango tea." He says, dropping his towel with a flick of his hip to the side.
There's a pair of black boxer shorts under his bath sheet, and he places a can and the two juicy fruits on his bedside table. " Chocolate's far too expensive, you can have a peach, I've got a photo to take."
I grimace and the flash blurs my vision. I hold up my middle finger, close my eyes and think about the dream I had last night. It started in much the same way as this day.
Black, my kidnapper, entering Nate's room, his face half hidden by a black mask and the other half stained with dried blood. His disgusting tongue running over his smooth, sharp teeth. I curl up in my duvet and he appears beside me, sinking his fangs into my flesh. He cuts my flesh with his mouth and tears my skin until my mattress is covered in my blood.
To forget this nightmare is a dream. My heart is pounding in my throat; it must have started to rise again when I felt the tingling in my arm. A jolt runs down my spine, and I immediately tense up and crack my back, clinging to the back of the bed.
" I've got some clothes for you, they arrived this morning. You'll stop making my brothers' heads spin."
" Or yours."
" Even if I wanted to take you, I wouldn't. Nate and I don't mix business with pleasure."
I could persuade him to give in to his impulses but I don't want to use my time in vain. Tate would be much easier to manipulate.
I miss sex! I need a cock, even fingers would do.
" Nate's going to kill me for his pleasure so your job sucks."
" But it's worth it, if you won two million to hold some bastard's daughter."
I don't like my dad either, but for more personal reasons. He vanishes into thin air to bring me two large cardboard boxes with the name of a website boldly written on them. I lift the lid, three t-shirts, two pairs of trousers, a skirt and two black hoodies. In the second, there's a dress, four sets of underwear, three pairs of socks and two pairs of pyjamas, one with shorts and the other with checked trousers.
" How's that?"
" How much did that cost you? I'll pay you back if I don't die before I get back to the castle."
" I'm sick of you wiggling around in Nate's room without any clothes on."
" Why should I? I've worked hard for an arse like that, don't you think it's beautiful? I need to start working out again."
" Your ass is perfect, that's not the problem. The shower is free, you can shower and get dressed."
Or else I'm going to take a dip in the waterfall because his window isn't padlocked properly. It just needs to come out for ten minutes so I can jump out of the window, land on the salads and trot to the water.
I'm quiet as a mouse with a smile as fake as Lane's nose on my face. I nod like a baseball figurine and he swallows this image I'm giving him. As he leaves, I manage to open the window without making a sound and contort myself to get through it.
I fall into the fertile soil that feeds them every day.  I thought I could land on my legs, but they would surely have broken. I dance with a dove before dipping my ears in the warm water. As I move forward, the water quickly reaches my thighs, my navel and my chest.
My fear of water remains at half-mast as long as my feet touch dry land. I feel like I'm enjoying a giant, very warm bath. The T-shirt hugs my curves and my whole body relaxes.
I walk from left to right, admiring the expanse of the forest, the beauty and gentleness of nature. A black wolf advances towards the water, drinking it in without taking his eyes off me for a moment.
" What's your name?"
Crow, you shouldn't be here. Nate's going to be furious, a husky voice echoes in my head.
" Nice, I've never communicated with an animal before today."
I'm only half human, so don't call me an animal. You shouldn't be here, really.
" I'm not even close to murder. Even if Nate wants to kill me, I'll survive."
I've got to go, nice to meet you Highness.
He runs into the forest while I sit on the stones to sunbathe. I tilt my head back and enjoy the feel of the water caressing my toes.
The sun beats down on my skin and I daydream, imagining for a moment the life I would have had if I hadn't been born in a castle. The birds are singing, nature is coming to life around me, leaves are flying and animals are galloping in the distance. At the castle, the royal guards are milling about, the rulers are bending over backwards to cater to the king's every whim and there's a smell of purity in the air. It gets boring in the long run.
I doze off, and it will take at least ten minutes for the orphans to notice I'm gone, or twenty if Vale takes care of it. I can enjoy the hot sun with complete peace of mind. My skin will be one shade darker by next month. She'll be shooting Paris-Brest beige instead of her camomile shade. The grim reaper will see me in my most beautiful palette of colours. I wet my hair and slump onto my elbows.
And to think it was kidnapping that brought me here. I never thought I'd dip my feet in water and see what I read in books. The palace walls were suffocating me, and I had the impression that they were getting closer every day. I know that one day they would have crushed me to a pulp. Life as a princess isn't for everyone.
" April?"
Of all the voices I thought I'd hear, Conrad's was the one I didn't expect. I opened my eyes and dived into the water, burying myself up to my waist. He's already seen me naked but I'd rather he didn't see me like this. I haven't seen an old acquaintance of mine for days. My father sent a private detective to find me, he should never have done that.
" It's you, isn't it? Can you get it out of your head that we're just chatting like old friends?"
We're not old friends, we've slept together several times, twice in front of her husband, and he thought it was a good idea to break the condom while I was ovulating. If it hadn't been for the plan-B pill, I'd probably have got pregnant by that sick bastard. I kicked him out of my bed and my dad hired him.
" Fuck off, we're just acquaintances."
" Because of a cracked condom?"
" It had a hole in it and that's exactly why we're not friends. You betrayed me and in front of your husband too."
" You've paid plan-B pill, haven't you?"
I can't believe the pill isn't contraception, we use it for emergencies. I had to send Rosie, who paid the price, I've had the worst day of my life and this one is starting to look like it. He undoes his belt, gets rid of his clothes and climbs into the water in his shorts. He comes up to me, I step back, the water makes me shiver.
It reaches my shoulders as he continues to close the distance between us. I can't move, fear tugging at my insides. His thumb presses against my throat, he tilts my head to one side, I glare at him, the water blocking the fluidity of my movements, otherwise he'd have already been kneed in the testicles.
" Your father thinks you've been kidnapped but you seem very free to move."
" Go suck his cock somewhere else."
" Will you come with me?"
" I'd rather drown than follow you."
" The castle offers you everything, but you'd rather live in the wild? If you don't come to the palace, the palace will come to you."
I don't give a fuck! His free hand goes down to my stomach, I squeeze my legs together, he won't touch me, I don't want him to touch me. His fingers go on their way, I can feel him stirring my clitoris. Tears roll down my cheeks, I bite my lips and mentally flee the scene.
My body and my mind separate. I fly around the world, travelling the Seven Kingdoms with the Seven Orphans. Nate sticks to prostitutes, Tate stays with me all the time and Oliver sprawls at our feet to have his ears scratched. I love my life with them, I refuse to be a princess all my life.
A gunshot wakes me from my dream, Conrad floats in the water as blood pours from his skull. I'm free again, I swivel my head towards solid ground and see Lane with the special agent's service weapon. The noise alarms the others, who rush outside. Kane retrieves the gun and removes the bullets before tossing it into the water.
" It was the customer who was asking questions." Informs Vale as she lowers her boyfriend's hands. "What happened there?"
" GET HER OUT OF THE WATER! Tate, you dress him. Lane, you go into the living room with your boyfriend. Pade and Kane, put the body in the cellar. I'll send Dave a taxi, we'll sort this out."
Tate does his best, but I have to pull myself out of the water. I walk through the front door of the house myself. I even run inside, the fresh air freezing my blood, I wrap myself in a towel and quickly take off my clothes. The soldier stares at my chest and then helps me dry off. My lips have turned blue from the air.
" How did you get out?"
" Kane's window."
" Who was that guy with you?"
" An asshole. You're gonna put me through an interrogation where we get to act like adults."
" You're naked in front of me and there's a dead body in my basement so I just need some answers."
" This guy betrayed me and my father hired him to discreetly investigate various facts concerning the crown. I need his phone, her husband will be worried."
" Is he married?"
" For the last four years or so, his husband has been a great man."
" I thought you didn't sleep with married men."
" I had permission from both parties and he was often there. Listen, I've been called the palace slut because I'm so open about my sexuality. He instigated six months of abstinence a year ago."
" Why is he?"
" That's none of your business."
" Sweetheart, what happened in the water?"
" Well, I don't know about that."
" You were in the water with him, you should know."he sighs as I sit on the toilet.
The dog came into the bathroom and sat down beside me.
" I can't remember anything."
" It was two minutes ago, April!"
He raises his voice, the dog barking at him, he doesn't appreciate being told off for something I have no memory of.
" Oli, it's okay. I'm asking him for protection. Sweetie, I don't want to make you tell me what happened, so just tell me."
" Tate, can I talk to you?" Lane asks as she places the two boxes of clothes on the sink. "In private."
Tate certifies that the window is closed and then leaves the room, closing the door. I put on some clothes and do my hair quickly. It's a change to wear clothes that cover up. Oliver is delighted; he stands on the sink to my right and licks my elbow. I open the door and find Tate, Lane and Vale on the sofa.
" Sit down, Tate."
" Are you going to sue me? He did the shooting, not me."
" You were gone, sit down,"the blond tells me from the top of the stairs.
Still not, I'm as straight as a book, as light as a feather and as stiff as a stick.
" SIT DOWN!"Nate yells from the balcony. "APRIL SIT YOUR PRIVILEGED ASS IN THAT CHAIR BEFORE YOU GET SHOT LIKE YOUR BUDDY."
I walk around the room, my arms crossed over my chest, my legs twitching and my stomach in knots, but I don't feel any fear. I've done nothing wrong, there's nothing criminal about enjoying the warmth of the world.
" If you think you're scaring me, you've got another thing coming."
" I've got a question to ask you, do I have to muzzle you to shut you up?"
" I'll bite, be careful."
He trips me, I end up on the floor with him on my back, he shoves a stick in my mouth and pulls. The corners of my mouth rip open and burst into flames, he's only putting half his weight on me but he's still heavy. He locks my hands under his knees and a blade appears under my throat as he pulls the stick away from my lips. My body mysteriously lurches forward but luckily my throat isn't cut. It's just subtly nicked. I bend my back as he pushes down on my head. Tears stagnate in the corners of my eyes as all my anger builds up in my cheeks. I blush, my eyes practically pop out of my sockets and I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose a lock or two of hair.
" Go to your fucking room or you'll end up like Marie Antoinette. You've got twenty seconds, not one more."
He gets up and I run to my room. The door slams behind me and I rush into the bathroom and rinse my neck. The mirror shows me a pink wound, but I know I'm bleeding. I wipe off the liquid then bang my head against the wall, listening to what's going on.
" Why did a taxi pick me up at the hospital? Kane was supposed to pick me up. Hold my medical file. Is there a family meeting without me?"
" Nate almost killed April again." Mention Tate. "How you doing, Dave?"
" Do tell."
" We're eating fresh meat tonight, private eye."
If I'm served meat, I'm turning it down. I'm not eating that bastard.
" How come?"
" Because there's a dead body in the cellar because of her."
" It's not her fault." Lane defends me, "I shot him. She didn't say anything to him that would lead anyone to us."
" What did you see when you arrived?"
" She's somewhere else and he's there. They were in the water facing each other. We need her and we don't want to be found out. Killing this guy was the only way we could provide for ourselves."
" In the water? How did she get out?"
" My bedroom window." Confides Kane as the door to my room opens. " Oliver comes out of the bedroom."
The doggie whacks my hand with his muzzle in an attempt to be petted. I look after him when his owner calls him to order again. Alone again, I sprawl in the empty bathtub and count the various and sundry tasks in the room. Nate is the most insufferable man on this planet, not on Conrad's level but he comes close.