She was told to fear him...
She was told that his evil would devour her...
She was told to stay far away...
But what if they were all wrong?
What if the Cold Prince could love?
What if he loved her?
Anya is born with a gift that only the royal famil...
"Still lying to ourselves, are we? We both know how untrue that statement is," he reminded me, and then his eyes darkened in the sexiest way. "I would have never guessed that you would end up jumping right onto my arms. I must admit, I like it. You are in the perfect position to kiss me." His roguish grin caused me to stand and move away. He quickly reached out and pulled me back onto his lap. "I wasn't done with you yet."
"You sound like your father," I spat, causing his eyes to darken even more.
"You like getting me riled up, don't you?" he growled.
"Maybe." I pushed against him but his strong arms held me in place.
"Oh, I'm not going to let you run away from me, anymore." He pulled me closer.
"With all due respect, your majesty, I'm not interested in truly being your mistress." I pushed away from him, finally breaking free and I quickly stood, making my way to my bed before he could grab me again.
He sat there, completely perplexed, but it didn't last. "We could come to an agreement."
"Oh? Tell me, Prince. How is Lady Esmeralda?" I taunted. I knew how childish my words sounded, but I didn't care. I had a point to make. As happy as I was in seeing him, I wasn't ready to jump into his bed. That was probably all he wanted of me.
Prince Sebastian's eyes became slits, and he stood to his feet. "I wouldn't know how she is doing. I've been here with you the since moment I returned to the kingdom two hours ago. When I do see her, I'll be sure to tell her that you cared enough to ask about her wellbeing. Maybe I'll see her tonight." It was my turn to frown, and I burned holes into him. He was trying to make me angry...jealous even. It wouldn't work; I didn't care...
I watched the Prince as he strolled around the empty hospital ward. He stopped near a dying plant on top of the nurse's desk and examined it. "Titus and Luca stopped by to see you, earlier. I'm not sure where Cora was. She hasn't stopped by yet, which is shocking."
"It shouldn't be," I told the Prince. "I believe that she stole the winter stone. She's probably the traitor."
The Prince turned toward me with lowered, silver brows. "Oh there is more than one traitor. My trip to the North hadn't been in vain. I'd learned of a group of rebels. Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to stay long enough to figure out much more than that. I wasn't even able to get a name."
"What made you return so quickly?" I was curious.
"Last night, I had this dream..." he looked pained as he tried to recall it. "It was of me and you, and we stood in this hell-like place-"
"And in the distance, there was a man that stood on top of dead bodies. However, you couldn't make out his face," I finished for him, and he stared at me in disbelief.
"How did you-"
"I had the same dream last night," I explained. "I have no idea what it means but I'm afraid that we will soon find out."
"That's why I came home," he told me. "I woke up and felt a since of urgency. I rode all through the night to make it back. If I had fallen back to sleep..."
"Well, you hadn't." I rose to my feet and met him where he stood. I looked into his dazzling eyes and smiled. "You saved me. And I believe that no matter what comes our way, you will save us."
"I hope so," he said.
"Prince Sebasti-"
"Please," he stopped me. "Just call me Sebastian."
My brows rose in surprise. Calling a Prince only by his first name was looked at as an intimate gesture. I wasn't sure how to feel about it.
"Sebastian," I corrected myself with a faint smile, and my lips grew into an outright grin the more his words sunk in. "I could get used to that."
Suddenly, Sebastian pulled me close, and our chests collided. His closeness set me on edge, but all I could do was stare up at him with big, innocent eyes.
"I was serious when I told you that I wasn't going to let you go." His stern eyes was all the confirmation I needed.
"Sebastian, what about your mistresses?" I asked him.
"Considered them gone. Every last one of them."
"You'd get rid of them for me? I'm not even royal."
"None of that matters to me," he told me.
"And what about the war? There is too much at stake."
"There will always be the threat of war, but I am a man first, and I want you, Anya. Rest assured, I will have you. No matter what anyone says, even my father," he declared, and the hunger in his eyes made my own desire come to life. "I've been dreaming of kissing you since the last time our lips met. You've awakened something in me that I can't ignore anymore. Being this close to you without doing something is driving me mad, but being away from you for days has been far worse."
If he somehow had the ability to see my emotions, he would've easily known how his speech had already won me over, but I couldn't tell him that. We weren't in a good enough position to fall in love with each other, especially when tomorrow wasn't even promised. And then there was Luca...
I smiled softly at the Prince and pulled away. He let me go freely.
"I'm feeling tired again," I told him. "I should get some more rest. Thank you so much for saving me, Sebastian, you have been a true gentlemen."
The Prince blinked, seemingly hurt by my dismissal. He nodded once and quickly left the hospital ward, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts.
I took a seat back on my bed, wishing that love went as smoothly as it had in the fairytale books. We all deserved a happy ending.
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