RINEI
Eleven thirty.
You have got to be kidding me.
Look. I start, staring up at his face. I think you want to go back inside, Crown Prince.
A smile plays on his lips. He's still holding my wrist, between his pale fingertips.
"I don't know, do I?"
My teeth grind.
Yes. You—
Then the door crashes open. It slams open so hard that it makes my heart nearly jerk out of my throat, and my head snaps up to see a figure standing there.
...Tae?
"Get your hands off of her."
He has none of his usual gentleness. His lips are pulled back into a feral snarl, eyes dark and alight with murder as he stares knives at his own brother.
"Now."
"Oh?"
The smile on the Crown Prince's face instantly turns intrigued. "You're acquainted with her already? And I thought she was just one of the ladies you never gave your attention to."
He looks back at me. And I can feel his grip tighten.
"You are an interesting one after all, aren't you?"
Tae growls. He leaps at his brother, and I stumble back as the Crown Prince shoves me away. His attention is now fully turned on Taehyung, and the excited look on his expression sends chills running up my back as he grabs him by the shoulders.
He tilts his head.
"You're still weak, dear brother."
I scream when he slams Taehyung to the floor, fingers wrapped around his neck.
A gasp tears from Tae's lips.
But then he spits blood to the side, gaze burning. "I can still beat you."
He lands a fist on the Crown Prince's cheek. My breaths start to run faster when the fight slowly turns more and more violent, with Taehyung clearly on the losing side. He'd spent weeks chained up in a room, starved and tortured.
He couldn't even move properly yet.
And the Crown Prince doesn't even seem to care.
Stop.
Stop, please.
But my screams are silent, drowned out by their grunts and hisses as they fight.
It won't work.
My eyes flicker up. This is the fourth balcony— where Jimin had told me he's hidden Sterling. I soon find the bow, concealed behind the circle of bushes lining the railing.
The sleek wood is cold against my fingertips as I approach the two elves.
The Crown Prince has Tae by the throat. He rips the mask off his face, and I silently raise the bow over my head, struggling to hush my breaths.
If he notices me, I'm dead.
"How was it in the room?" The Prince mocks, laughing lowly at the pale, gaunt undertones of Taehyung's usual deep golden skin. "Father really got to you this time, hm?"
"It's a wonder how you're even standing—"
My eyes squeeze shut, and I bring the sharply curved part of the bow down on his head.
I feel it hit.
But strangely, my vision is the one that dips into black.
_______________________________
Someone's cradling me.
My head aches. And I blink heavily, feeling the light of the moon as I push open my eyes. It's cold and warm at the same time.
There's also the sound of soft, shaky breathing.
"Rinei."
The breathing cuts off into a relieved sigh as my vision grows clearer.
Tae.
"Why did you do that?" He murmurs, his arms clasping tighter over my body. "Love, you are both brave and foolish."
My fingers dazedly fold and open. What happened?
"My brother strikes back at those who strike him. You hit him, but he hit you before he fell unconscious."
He shivers, wincing. He's taken the mask off from my face, and I can feel his fingertips roam against my cheeks, my lips.
I frown. You shouldn't have fought him.
"I know, Rinei. It just made me so angry when I saw him with you."
And as my eyes clear, so does his face. His dark, long locks are disheveled, falling past his broad shoulders. I glimpse something scarlet lining the curve of his face.
My eyes widen.
You're hurt.
"I'm fine."
I shift out of his lap and sit up on the forest floor. He keeps still as I grip his face gently, tilting it in different angles to the moonlight.
He's lost so much of his glow, from what he'd been forced through. But he still looks breathtakingly beautiful, and I make a sad noise as I wipe at the blood on his face.
He smiles sweetly. "Why are you sad?"
Because you're hurt.
"I'll heal." He replies. Then he suddenly says something that completely catches me off guard.
"You look gorgeous in that dress, love."
For a while I don't know what to say.
"Why were you there, at the Gala?"
Because I had to take you away, I sign, eyes determined. Because I had to keep you safe.
Then my gaze flickers around me. I could tell he'd brought me to the Elven Forest— far away from the City. I couldn't hear a single thing except for the silence of the trees.
We were alone.
His smile turns deeper. "Keep me safe?"
Yes, to keep you safe. I say harshly. It still gave me the chills thinking about what he'd gone through in that suffocating room.
Do you know how much it hurt watching you?
"...I'm sorry."
My brow raises sharply. Don't apologize. Why are you apologizing?
"Because I feel like I've displeased my Queen."
A bright blush instantly flushes my cheeks. And when I turn to stare at him, he doesn't seem affected at all. As if he hadn't just called me Queen.
I'm not your Queen.
He puts himself even closer, his dark eyes glowing with warmth.
"Yes, you are."
He connects our lips in a soft kiss. His slender fingers cup my jaw, and I feel my ears flush deeper as I kiss him back. He tastes so sweet— I can't believe he tastes this sweet.
My own fingers trace the tipped edge of his ears, sweeping his hair around his neck. He draws in a shallow breath.
Then he lifts me back on his lap, hands grasping my waist. His kisses turn rougher— and I can feel his desire. I can feel his longing.
I've never felt this wanted before. Ever.
He makes a hushed noise as he shifts down to my throat. My hands caress his, feeling the mark of the chains branded into his skin.
Then the sound of a bell splits the calm air.
I jerk away in surprise. It stuns me out of my spell, and Taehyung looks down at me, his lips pursed in disappointment and desire.
Gosh. His lips are swollen.
Did I do that?
We got to go, I sign. Then I try to scramble out of his lap, more urgent now as the bell echoes.
We weren't far enough away from the City. And I really didn't want to take any chances.
My eyes catching on Sterling, I quickly sling the bow and the quiver around my shoulders and rush deeper into the Forest. I've barely taken a step when he grips my wrist.
"Do you know where you're going so confidently?"
I blush at the amused tilt of his head.
Fine. Lead the way.
He smiles at my harsh signs, my face turned away from embarrassment. My ears are warm to their very tips as I let him go in front of me, can't helping but to glance at him every few seconds.
Goodness sakes.
Focus.
But I can't forget his lips on mine.
And we are too distracted by each other, to hear the splitting of a tree right above our heads.