Chapter 5

Dimitri walked across the room and lay down on the bed. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He remained still and silent, his eyes closed for several minutes while I watched him.

"So? Don't you want to ask any more questions, princess?" he asked after the long silence.

I walked toward the window, trying to keep some distance between us.

"Why are you kidnapping me?"

"I'm not kidnapping you. You're running away with me because you're in love."

I stared at him in frustration.

"All right, princess. You don't have to make that sad face. I'm kidnapping you so that you can become my wife."

"And why didn't you fight for my hand? You were only missing one man, and with that power you have that makes people obey you, he wouldn't have stood a chance. It's not too late to win my hand honestly," I said, the diplomat in me beginning to emerge.

He sat up on the bed and looked at me.

"If John Chase were an ordinary man, princess, I certainly wouldn't need to kidnap you."

I took a few steps closer, sensing that the conversation was beginning to raise even more questions.

"John Chase is no match for you. Unless he's like you."

"No one is like him," Dimitri murmured, and I saw the frustration on his face. "Now, enough questions. I need a bath."

Then, to my astonishment, he stood up and began taking off his clothes. I turned toward the window and heard him chuckle.

"It's nothing to get nervous about, princess. But when we reach Raven Island, the first thing I'll do is claim your body."

Hearing those words, I couldn't resist the impulse to turn around and protest, but when I did, I froze at the sight of him completely naked. His arms were strong, and his skin was pale. A few hairs covered his chest, while his abdomen was covered in muscle, and just below his waist, his member was completely rigid.

I lowered my gaze to his bare feet.

"And what if I don't want to marry someone as shameless as you?"

"Your other option is John. And if you thought I was shameless... Well, remember that in Raven Island's tradition, the commander consummates the marriage in front of everyone."

I shuddered as I processed his words.

Consummate the marriage in front of everyone? I certainly didn't know anything about the traditions of Raven Island, but this was absurd.

"In his inscription, he said we wouldn't live on Raven Island, but in Ankesth, where he has his lands," I recalled what he had told the king.

"I'm only joking, princess!" he exclaimed, laughing loudly.

Then he disappeared from my field of vision, and I heard the sound of his body entering the water. I turned toward the window, thinking about these discoveries, when I saw a man arrive at the inn on horseback.

I froze when I saw John Chase dismount from a black horse and enter the inn.

I turned toward Dimitri, who was lying in the bathtub, and when his blue eyes met mine, he knew.

He immediately rose from the bathtub, pulled on his pants, ran to the door, and blocked it with the wardrobe. Then he turned toward me.

"Close your eyes."

I closed them, and he threw me over his shoulders and ran with me, but I opened my eyes just in time to see him leap through the window with me over his shoulders. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

When we hit the ground, it was nothing like I had imagined. Somehow, through supernatural means, Dimitri managed to land on his feet. He took me to Chase's horse and threw me onto it.

Before he could mount the horse, a voice interrupted him.

"Dimitri, you damned cheater!" Commander John Chase exclaimed.

Dimitri turned toward the man in front of him and smiled, raising his arms.

"Me, a cheater? An Alpha competing for a princess against a bunch of humans, and I'm the cheater?!" Dimitri accused.

John stared at him, and I saw his expression suddenly soften. He took a deep breath as if he were far too tired, as though this argument had already happened several times in the past.

"Brother, stop trying to undermine my authority on the island, or perhaps I'll listen to the advice and have you beheaded in front of everyone," John Chase said in a biting voice.

Dimitri shuddered slightly, then looked at me, and I saw something change in his expression.

"It's too late. I already possessed her," he declared with all the malice he could muster.

I stared at him, scandalized by his false claim, but once again he closed that door inside me, and I was unable to defend myself.

John Chase narrowed his eyes and stared at Dimitri.

"Then I'll have to make sure."

I shuddered involuntarily. Make sure? What did he mean? I wanted to scream, to at least say something, but it was as if I wasn't even there.

"Isn't my word enough?" Dimitri asked.

Chase laughed scornfully.

"Your word is worth shit," he declared, then his gaze met mine. "But I'll settle for hers."

Dimitri quickly turned toward me and sent me a powerful command, ordering me to confirm it. I used all my strength to try to contradict him, but that battle had been lost a long time ago. Before I could open my mouth to lie for him, the commander raised a hand.

"When she's away from your influence, of course."

Dimitri snorted.

"Stay here and take your ship in the morning. You can return to Raven Island. I'll inform them myself that you've withdrawn from the tournament. It wouldn't be much of a surprise, considering I was your opponent."

Commander John was mocking Dimitri, mocking him with the truth. In that moment, I realized that Dimitri knew he couldn't beat him in the tournament, and that was why he had resorted to tricks.

The man who had kidnapped me gave me one last look and walked away in long strides, heading back toward the inn.

As he moved away, I felt a chain between us break.

The breaking of that chain was powerful enough to shake my entire body, causing me to fall from the horse. The commander moved with unnatural speed and caught me in his arms as I completely lost consciousness.