Chapter five

Zarek POV

“Stay still,” the doctor instructed, holding my arm in place.

I stared closely as he took out his medical instruments; the smell of spirit and bleach made my stomach churn.

I took a deep breath, glad this hadn’t been a bullet wound, or I’d be in much worse pain.

This place was different from the castle, more like a gothic sanctuary. You’d think vampires resided here. Men walked everywhere with heavily loaded guns.

It was simply a military base, just without the barracks.

Yet I had to leave. Each second with Aziel turned me into a ticking time bomb, and I wanted nothing more than to hang him upside down and wipe that dirty smirk off his stupid face.

“Done,” the doctor finally announced, jolting me from my thoughts.

A clean bandage now wrapped around my arm. With a single nod at me, I forced a smile, and he excused himself before leaving.

“I’ll get someone to take you to your room, and you can let her know what you’d like to eat,” Luciano informed me, turning down the corridor.

After a few minutes, he came back with a blonde girl in a maid’s uniform.

“This is Elise. She’ll be at your service, and don’t hesitate if you need anything,” he said before turning away and striding off.

She smiled at me, gesturing for me to follow as she took the first steps.

She was far ahead, taking the stairs, while I dragged myself behind, exhaustion finally weighing on my shoulders.

We stopped at the second door on the right. She took a key from her pocket and opened it.

She ushered me in. The room was slightly small compared to mine back home, but size didn’t matter to me. I was agitated by the dull colors, everything either grey or dark, like a storm cloud hovering over my head, heavy with the unknown.

“What would you like to eat?” she finally asked.

“Nothing.”

“In case you change your mind, make a call and I’ll be right up,” she said with a smile before turning to leave, closing the door behind her.

My eyes darted through the room as I paced back and forth, the silence deafening.

I walked to the window, flipping the curtains open at once to breathe in the fresh air.

Just the thought of this being my new life, more like a new cage, made my heart ache. My stomach growled loudly, and I couldn’t recall the last time I’d eaten properly. Not that I ever did; I always had to force myself.

I walked to the side table beside the bed. My hand grazed the phone in front of me. “It wouldn’t hurt to try,” I muttered.

I punched in the numbers, the line ringing twice before it was answered.

“Royal household, this is—”

“Henry, I need you to put my father on the line,” my voice cracked with urgency.

“Just a moment, Young prince."

The other end went silent for a few minutes before I heard my father’s voice.

“What do you want, Zarek?” he asked, obviously irritated.

“I’m not safe here, Father, or anywhere for that matter. I need you to—”

“If you don’t have anything important to say—”

“I almost died today.”

“Almost, Zarek. You’re alive, and I don’t see where the problem is,” he answered flatly.

“That’s the point. Something will happen to me. I need you to get me out of this place. Send someone. Do something,” I pleaded.

“Zarek,” he said, letting the silence press in. “You’re a prince, future king, and you need to start acting like it.”

“I’m coming back home whether you like it or not.”

“Very well. But the moment you step through those gates, I’ll have you imprisoned myself, and don’t think it’ll be temporary. It’ll be for life,” he threatened, his words heavy through the line.

He wasn’t kidding this time.

“Father—”

“Think carefully, Zarek. And no more allowance for you.”

Before I could say anything else, the line went dead.

I threw the phone, slamming it against the table with a thud. The surge of anger still wasn’t enough.

I could only think of one solution, and maybe then I’d finally be free from this cage.

I went to the drawers, flipping through them, anything that could help. Then my eyes landed on the pistol. I knew I shouldn’t touch it, but I did anyway, tucking it into my pocket as the cold weight of steel pressed against my skin.

I pulled out the bedsheets, rolling them up like a rope, then added the curtains.

“This should be enough,” I muttered.

I tied a knot to the bed and slid the makeshift rope out the window. With a deep breath, I climbed out, using the sill for support. Damn, my arm screamed in pain. I should have considered that, but it was too late to back out now.

I reached the ground and exhaled in relief. No guards on this side.

Bingo.

I hurried between the tall flower fence, slipping through a narrow path. I tripped slightly and looked down at my untied shoelace before something slammed into me hard.

“You’ve made my job so easy, Prince,” an unknown voice said.

“What?” I gasped, trying to recover from the impact.

“Someone put a bounty on your head. Everyone wants the money, and I got here first.”

I shook my head, trying to ground myself. I couldn’t even see his face beneath the mask. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I was frozen.

I pulled the gun out before my brain could process anything and pointed it at him.

“Stay back,” I ordered, forcing my voice steady as my hands trembled.

“That thing’s heavier than it looks, isn’t it?” he said calmly. “Safety’s probably still on. Or off. Do you even know?”

His laughter cut off as he surged forward. Before I could react, his hand slammed into my wrist, knocking my aim sideways. Pain ripped through my injured arm, my grip faltering as the gun jerked violently between us.

“Let go,” he snarled, twisting my wrist downward.

I staggered back, my heel catching on the uneven ground, and we crashed to the floor together. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. His weight pinned me as he grabbed my hand, forcing the gun between our bodies, both of us struggling for control.

“Stop,” I gasped, trying to pull my finger free.

He shoved harder, pressing down on my hand. The barrel tilted upward, trapped and shaking as our grips tightened.

My finger slipped.

Bang.

The sound echoed violently as I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Son of a fucking bitch!” his curse dragged me back to reality.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was blood, pouring out.

I shoved myself backward, burying my face in my thighs. “Not again. I did it again,” I whispered.

I couldn’t breathe. Tears blurred my vision as panic swallowed me whole.

“Zarek—”

“I didn’t mean to. He just…” My voice broke. “I didn’t want to do it. Please… please don’t take me to prison.”

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