Jasper I bent over and held Celia in my arms, cradling her as the blood dried on my chest. She had passed out from exhaustion but more so from the act of spilling blood, my blood to be specific. Her head lolled to the side as I picked her from the ground and walked through the passageway. There were not many guards and a few who did see me noticed the blood on my chest. The wound had healed but the shirt still looked blood stained. I reached her room in the blink of an eye and called out for Grace who was hovering somewhere nearby. She promptly stepped forward, her head bent low as she greeted me, “Yes, your majesty” “Celia is exhausted and maybe she will need something to cool her nerves” Grace nodded her head obediently. “I will, your majesty” I lowered Celia onto the bed and gave Grace a few instructions to follow before walking out of her room. I knew Nymeria would be waiting for me in my study. She would not leave as she had a lot many questions for me. Thus, I straig

Celia I angrily stormed into my room, half-blinded by tears and half by the irritation swelling inside of me. I was trying to shove down the guilt that was threatening to creep up my spine. The way he had quietly muttered those two words, “I know” had been more of a slap than any snarky remark I would have expected him to throw at me. Just why did that goddamn prince affect me so much? He should be the one pleading at my feet, wanting to apologize for his cruel tactics. But here I was, beginning to feel guilty for something that he did not even say out loud to me. “Argh” I pulled at my hair and dug my fingers into my hair, trying to ease my frustration. I had gone to give him a piece of my mind, not return feeling as if I was the one at fault. Just why and how did he manage to make me feel so horribly confused each time? I went to the mirror and looked at my reflection. My hair was messy and so was my dress. I did not bother trying to tame them and looked at my reflection that

Celia“How about right now?”Jasper enquired, a challenge in his eyes as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I had not expected him to be so eager but more than that I had not expected myself to be eager either.“What are you going to make me do this time? Are you going to stab me for a change? Or are you going to make me run through the palace for my life as you hunt me down like a vampire who just got a taste of my blood?”If Jasper’s eyebrow could have gone any higher, he would have definitely done it. I could see his eyes rolling so far back that they must hit on the inside of his skull.“I had something different in mind….but given your suggestions, now I wonder if your ideas would make it more interesting”Jasper said with a playful smile on his lips. My eyes went wide as I thought of running through the passageways while he stalked me like a predator.Or held a knife to my heart and stabbed me until I bled.An involuntary shudder ran through my body, tingling my spine as he

CeliaAfter the unexpected dance lesson, my feet were on fire. Though fighting was a lot like dancing, I was not used to so much twirling and bobbing up and down my heels.My feet ached and so did the rest of my body. What was Jasper planning to make out of me? An acrobat who could dance her way out of tricky situations or a fighter who would just waltz her way out of Ivan’s grasp?I had no idea but the way he had slammed our bodies together still gave me goosebumps. I had never imagined dancing at a royal palace with a prince and this would have been a nice wish come true had the prince not been so intent on keeping that act as a lesson.I rubbed the back of my neck and made my way toward my room, longing for a hot bath. That reminded me of Grace and I called for her immediately. She answered with a smile and got the bath ready for me. I wished to just lounge and relax my nerves.The small bathing pool or tub or whatever it was that was in my room had been unused ever since I had ta

CeliaI pressed on. I knew he was not sharing everything with me. There was a look of hesitation on his face so I decided to use it to my advantage.“Please tell me. You are arming me with weapons and tacts but leaving a gaping hole in the armor. I need to know some facts and information that you are keeping from me”Jasper gulped and I saw his Adam’s apple bob. His eyes were searching me, maybe calculating how much he could tell me.“I have bled, broken my bones, and made you bleed too…I have done everything you asked, just why won’t you share anything with me?”I grumbled. This secrecy was killing me.We were going to the Vampire’s lair tomorrow and I knew nothing about Jasper, his past, his reasons for doing things or hiding things from me. It was infuriating.“...including mine”He added to his line after a lot of deliberation. Wait what?Why would I need saving from him…or his lustful eyes?Granted, I did not want him anywhere near me at first and had been thinking of ways to ru