I dreamt of nothing, but slowly awoke to a blanketing warmth that was in actuality quite pleasant. I felt as though I were encased from chest to toe in soft, downy blankets that were not unwelcome in their contact with my skin. The pleasant feel of whatever I was wrapped it, be it blankets or not, was in stark contrast with my mood.
Oh, I was absolutely livid, and I knew I had a very good reason to be.
While I did enjoy the warmth of the fabrics I was holed up in, the simple fact was that they were unfamiliar. My aunt’s sheets were nowhere near as nice as these ones, their texture was slightly rougher. No, these blankets were strangers to me, and that alone gave me the confirmation I needed to be very, very upset.
I swear to God, if it weren’t for the fact that stabbing him would hurt like hell, Adrian would be so dead right now. Opening my eyes, I greeted the mural-painted ceiling above with a dark scowl. Not that the painting itself deserved such harsh criticism from my stare; it was a beautifully elaborate portrait of the early evening sky, just before the sun fell. The orange, pink, purple, and dark blue hues crossed the ceiling in swirling waves, almost like an ocean of color crossing the heavens.
My expression softened a little, turning neutral. “Interesting...” I mumbled. Wanting to get a better view of the room, instead of appreciating the ceiling, I tried sitting up. Keyword being tried. The blankets I had been wrapped in made it nigh impossible to move properly.
“Well now, you’ve finally woken up.” A stranger’s lilting voice echoed to my left, causing me to jump and rapidly turn my head to get a look at whoever it was.
A pretty dark-haired boy with brown eyes stared back at me, dressed in a green shirt and brown pants. He wasn’t very tall, no more than five foot four, or five foot five. He looked nervous, kind of tense really. Like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. “Hello there, Miss Taylor,” he smiled hesitantly, hands fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
I blinked, pushing my anger to the back of my mind. This guy looks terrified of me... “Um...hi?” Who was this guy? More importantly, where was I?
From what I could see of the room, it spared nothing in expense. The black plush carpeted flooring looking like it would be heaven to walk barefoot on, and an intricately wood carved desk sat tucked away in the corner. What appeared to be a glass-blown floral lamp stood next to it, though the lights weren’t on.
The walls were beige colored, letting the rest of the décor speak for itself. To the boy’s right was an open door that looked like it led to a hallway. On his left, was a walk-in closet, with floor length mirrors for doors. Next to the bed was a nightstand, on top of it an empty candleholder, and a book.
“I-I’m Camden,” the boy stuttered, looking away. “I was instructed to help you dress for the day and escort you to the drawing room after you had eaten breakfast...”
Okay? “You’re a guy, right?” I asked awkwardly, weirded out by the conversation. The way he was talking made the whole thing sound really stiff and formal.
He blushed, seeming to realize his mistake. “Ah!” He shook his head. “No! I meant help you pick out a dress, not dress you!” He corrected, flustered.
I giggled. This kid didn’t seem too bad, if not a little too shy. “That’s all right,” I said, trying to worm my way out of the blankets again. “so long as you don’t end up seeing me naked at some point, we’re good.” I didn’t mind it so much, but I got the feeling that if he did, he just might pass out from embarrassment. Poor guy.
“Um...?”
Shaking my head, I managed to free one of my arms from the stupid sheets. “Don’t worry about it...” I told him, amused. “Why am I wrapped up like a gopher?” I hoped that wasn’t standard protocol around here...
Camden shrugged, relaxing slightly. “Master Adrian felt it appropriate. He said it was to keep you from running around the halls in your nightgown screaming expletives at the top of your lungs,” he replied sheepishly, twining his fingers together.
“...I would’ve gotten dressed first...”
He laughed, the bell-like sound bouncing around the room excitedly. “That’s what I’m here for. Do you need help getting out?” He asked. Though he didn’t wait for an answer. Walking to the bedside, he took hold of one of the sheets and pulled.
I nearly rolled off the bed, ending up right on the edge of the mattress. “...Yeah,” I finally answered, moving to stand up. “Why am I going to be wearing a dress?” Jeans and a T-shirt suited me just fine. Dresses made me think I was getting ready for some fancy party, and I hated parties.
“Because you’re new here,” Camden replied, heading over to the closest and sliding the doors open. “if you’re dressed semi-formally, you won’t be mistaken for one of the servants and dragged off somewhere to do chores.”
That totally makes sense. “Is that really why?” I pressed, suspicious. Wouldn’t walking around with an escort be enough to prove that I wasn’t a servant anyway? It sounded fishy.
Rifling through the closest, he pulled out a long, deep purple gown with silver rose-patterned beads adorning the fabric. They started at the right mid-calf, and ended right above the left breast. The sleeves were long, had no shoulders, and opened at the wrists, trailing down like a waterfall to the knees; more like gloves than sleeves.
Setting it on the bed, he stared at me expectantly. “Part of the reason, yes,” he said, “put this on. I think it’ll suit you.”
I wasn’t going to get the whole story from him, was I? “That’s way too formal...” I replied with a frown. Sure, it was a pretty dress, but I didn’t need to wear something so elegant. It wasn’t like I was going to a state dinner, or anything.
“So? Try it on. If you don’t like it then, I’ll pick out something else.” Camden waved me off, heading back to the closet.
Rolling my eyes, I picked up the dress, and looked around for a changing room, stall, or something. Spotting an open doorway that led to a bathroom, I headed inside and shut the door behind me. “This is ridiculous,” I huffed, leaning back on the door for a moment before I peered around.
Everything was tile, granite, porcelain, ceramic, and fancy. The shower stall looked like it was big enough for four people, and had multiple shower heads with different settings. The room itself was large as well, almost the size of the average person’s living room. The shower itself was set in the back corner, out of the way. Against the wall was a granite counter stocked with all sorts of products and had two sinks on either end.
In the middle of the room was quite possibly the most comfortable looking tub I had ever seen. Built into the floor, it looked more like a friggin’ Jacuzzi than a bathtub. Around its edge was a raised step, or a seat- I couldn’t decide which. The walls and bottom even had water jets.
“Miss Taylor? Please do not dawdle. Breakfast will be here shortly, and it isn’t very good when it’s cold.”
Camden’s voice shocked me out of my stupor, and I quickly shook my head to clear it. There would be plenty of time to ogle the bathroom later. “Ah, yeah. Okay!” I called back, slipping of the nightgown I was wearing.
I’ll have to ‘question’ Adrian about who changed my clothes later... He may have seen me naked before, but the idea of him taking my clothes off just creeped me out.
The dress Camden had handed off to me was fairly easy to put on, if you discounted the fact that I’d have to tie the back all the way up by hand. I was a little curious why it fit me like a glove, but considering who had brought me here to begin with, it wasn’t too surprising that it did. The skirts pulled up in the front, and trailed in the back, giving my feet leeway to walk without stepping on, or tripping over, any fabric.
Once it was on, I just had to someone tie up the back. I left the bathroom, only to find that the bedroom was empty. I’d been right about the carpet though- if my feet had feelings, they would be so happy right now. As it was, I’d just have to be happy for them.
Where did that boy go? “Camden?” Oh, no. I did not just get left alone in a strange place. There was no way in hell that I was about to sit around in a bedroom all day waiting for someone to come around to check on me.
“S-sorry!” Camden’s muffled voice came from behind the now-shut bedroom door. “I had to grab your breakfast, and the doors locked me out! Mind letting me back in?”
Seriously? I pinched the bridge of my nose and went to open the door. “What do you mean the doors locked you out? Are they magical or something?” I asked him, pulling the door open.
Pretty boy shrugged, waltzing in with a tray of food that he set down on the nightstand. “To an extent. You have to have permission to enter, or have someone on the inside open it,” he explained, stopping to get a better look at me.
This just kept getting better, and better. Sighing, I went to sit down on the edge of the bed, glancing over the contents of the tray. “Pancakes, really?” Well, and bacon, both covered in maple syrup.
I didn’t know quite what I’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t pancakes.
“It’s a perfectly normal breakfast food!” Camden replied, a hand flying to his chest.
Ah, yes. That’s what I’d been expecting. Something not normal. Something crazy. “Yes, yes it is,” I allowed myself a small smile and put the tray in my lap.
Only to have it clatter to the floor as I jumped at the feeling of having hands on my lower back. “You forgot to tie the back up, Kathryne,” Adrian’s warm breath blew into my ear. Before I could react, the hands were gone, and the dress was a lot tighter.
I spun around, accidentally bashing him in the stomach with my elbow. “You bastard!” I shrieked, elbowing him again on purpose for good measure. “What did you do to me yesterday?! You’re telling me right this instant!”
Adrian smirked, grabbing my wrists and twisting them behind my back. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He teased, using his legs to pull me to his chest.
Aaah, my stomach hurts... “Adrian...you did something, and I embarrassed myself in front of my aunt’s friend. You’re going to tell me, or I am going to...going to...” damn this stupid physical bond thingy for severely limiting my choices! “going to do something!” I seethed, thrashing to try to break free from his grip.
Camden fled the room, flushing bright red and slamming the doors behind him.
“Keep thrashing around like that and what you felt yesterday will repeat itself,” Adrian said, sounding pained.
That...arrogant, self-centered prick! “ADRIAN BLACK! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE MASTURBATED JUST SO YOU COULD KIDNAP ME!” I yelled, my cheeks burning. I felt so embarrassed to have said it out loud, but I knew if I didn’t, he’d just dance around the subject.
He actually had the guts to laugh at me, honest to God laugh at me. “So what if I did? You would have fought me the whole time had I not done something to subdue you.”
That pervert! “Why didn’t you do what you did after you put your hand on my chest?” I growled, still trying to get out of his grip. I felt something poking my leg, but I had more important things to worry about- like how I was going to castrate him.
“Because that only works when I’m in contact with your chest,” he replied, annoyed. “I don’t think I would have been able to get anywhere near there had you been fighting with me...”
Damn it all, he wasn’t supposed to be making sense! I was still mad at him! “So you decided to seduce me instead?!” I demanded, elbowing him again.
Taking a deep breath, he flipped us over so I was being pressed face-first into the bed while he stood behind me, bent over to blow into my ear. “I thought I told you to stop thrashing,” he snapped, gripping my wrists almost painfully.
“Answer the question!” There was no way in hell that I was going to let him get away with changing the subject now.
Adrian growled, letting go of my arms. I turned over onto my back, ready to punch him again. Drawing my fist back, I made to punch him in the chest. Except the blow never connected.
The next moment was a blur, and I quickly found myself disoriented, with my wrists tied to one of the metal decorations in the headboard of the bed. “What the-?” My back was being pressed into a set of very soft pillows, and while it was comfortable, it only served to piss me off further.
“You need to calm down,” he said frostily, sitting on top of my waist, restricting my movements. “Yes, I seduced you, but you didn’t really give me any other choice in the matter, did you? The way I see it, there were two options; the easy way, and the hard way. Except, you went out of your way to make the hard way very difficult for me.”
I glared at him. “You are not blaming this on me!” I hadn’t wanted to come with him in the first place!
He smiled, chuckling darkly and caressing my cheek softly. “I’m not blaming you. Not in the slightest, but Kathryne, there’s something about me that you really need to understand,” why did I get the feeling I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say, at all? “I’m a very selfish man, and I will do just about anything to get my way. If you intend to resist me, then I am going to do everything I can to chip away at you until you give in. I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry for that, but I’m not going to let you shut me out of your life either,” yeah...I don’t like this at all ... “if I have to seduce you to keep you within arm’s reach, so be it. I’d rather have you angry at me, than trying to lock up whatever you’re feeling away.”
“What do you expect me to do?! Just let you waltz back into my life and carry on like we did before?!” I yelled, growing frustrated with my inability to move. “I can’t do that, Adrian!” I wouldn’t do that- not again. I didn’t want to be broken again.
He stared at me for a moment before backing off a bit. “No, I never once expected you to do that,” he said, his wintry demeanor seeming to have vanished. “I want you to give me a chance, Kathryne. Two weeks. Give me two weeks of your time, and if you want to leave after that, I’ll let you go.”
Why did everyone who made me mad have to be so reasonable? Two weeks wasn’t too bad, and I was already here. Besides, he had a point. I had kind of forced his hand earlier...
“Fine, but only two weeks!” I sighed, relaxing.
I was sure those two weeks would pass by in a blur. Compared to how long most people lived, two weeks was nothing.
“Thank you,” his mouth split into a wide grin. “I’ll make sure you don’t regret this!” He exclaimed, untying my wrists. Apparently he’d used one of the blankets I’d been wrapped up in earlier.
I am so going to regret this... “Yeah...you do that...”