The King's Daughter

12 His Dad Took Over Again

But it was the scene where Jack draws Rose and she was lying on the couch naked and my cheeks blushed red. I quickly reached for the remote, but Louis grabbed it.

"Fine, you wanna watch tv? Let's watch tv." He said, keeping the remote out of my reach and making me stay seated.

I was so uncomfortable as the movie showed her naked chest and Jack just staring at her intently while drawing. Louis put his arm around me to hold me still and he turned the volume up, the romantic soundtrack filling the sitting room.

"I'm sorry...just. Please turn it off. I promise I didn't hear you tell me not to. I swear it, just...don't make me sit here and watch this with you." I pleaded quietly as I squirmed in his grip, overwhelmed by the feel of him against me.

"Why? Are you uncomfortable? Does watching naked people on tv make you squirm?" Louis asked me mockingly.

"Yes, just. Please Louis." I implored him, closing my eyes and loathing the way my cheeks were probably flaming red. I couldn't help that I got embarrassed by these things.

When I heard him turn it off, I opened my eyes only to find him looking at me with a mischievous smirk. "You're cute when you blush."

"I...no I'm not." I disagreed and tried to stand up to get out of his arms, but he held me down.

"Listen, before you go. I'm telling you now that you aren't allowed to watch the tv. You can watch movies, but no news or anything like that. Understand?" Louis instructed seriously.

"But why? I want to know what's going on." I reasoned.

"I don't want you to know, so you won't." He said in finality and stood up, helping me to my feet.

He didn't let me step away so I was standing uncomfortably close to his body and it made me shake. He placed his hands on my waist and my hands were on his chest. He just stared at me for a second while I avoided his gaze.

"When will you finally accept that you're marrying me in a few months?" He mused, more to himself than to me.

"I'll never accept it. And I'll never marry you." I responded simply, stepping to the side and pushing his arms away. "You're a monster and that'll never change."

"I'm not a monster." I heard him say quietly, but I left the room as fast as I could and Quinn, who was waiting outside, followed me.

••

I avoided Louis at all costs. I didn't want to have anything to do with him. He was gone most of the time anyway, doing who knew what—probably stealing things and hurting people.

When he was home at the mansion, I made Quinn take me to a few places Louis never seemed to go, so I'd be able to hide from him. Whenever he spent time with me, he tried too hard to act like a normal person so it seemed forced. His natural cruel personality always showed through. I'd known him to be nothing but a dangerous criminal for years, so that's what I saw in him—even when he tried to be nice.

The house was so big that I didn't discover the indoor pool until four months after I'd been kidnapped. Quinn let me go for a swim one afternoon. I wore the modest one piece bathing suit so I'd feel more comfortable and entered the large room where the pool was. Large windows lined the walls, displaying a lovely view of the gardens and the rain outside pattered against the glass.

I stepped into the refreshing water and waded in the shallow area for a while before swimming out to the deep end. There was a guard in the room, though why he was there was a mystery to me. There were guards everywhere in the house. I couldn't go anywhere undetected without Quinn's help.