CHAPTER 109: BLANK

His skin tasted just how he smelled. Wine. The flavor melted in my tongue. I was suddenly desperate to know how his insides would taste, too, so I bit him.

At the first feel of his hardened skin, I flashed my eyes open. What just happened?

I pushed to see, and my heart almost leaped out of my chest. How did I get on his lap? Why am I so close to him? And why was he holding me so intimately? And his eyes, they were doused in lust.

Disgust crawled through my skin, and I attempted to move off him, but he held me tighter.

"Let me go!" I pushed against his broad shoulders, but his hands were like steel on my waist.

So I slapped him across the cheek with all my strength, my breath raspy from that one move. When his grip slackened, I forced him off, but I tripped and fell on the floor, the table crashing as well as everything on top.

I tried to catch my breath, my hands on the cold floor, and I held my throat, groaning in pain. It felt cold like ice, something prickled sharply there, and I squeezed my eyes in pain, swallowing thickly.

"You..."

I flinched and turned to Damon, sitting with his legs apart and a hand rubbing his jaw. The look in his eyes was dark and dangerous, and I found myself paralyzed where I was.

"What are you?"

Huh?

He rose from his seat, and my pulse raced. He came to me in just one stride and crouched. When his hand reached for my face, I got scared, but another hand shot out and stopped him.

Ravyn!

"Prince Damon, what do you think you’re doing, assaulting my princess?" she asked in a chilly tone.

"Assault?" He chuckled in a lifeless sound. "I think you’ve the entire situation mixed up." He rubbed his neck with his free hand, and I caught a glimpse of a red mark on his neck.

My bite.

"I suggest you leave."

Damon looked over his shoulder, and even though he hadn’t replied, the pressure indicated that he wasn’t about to listen to Ravyn. But then, like a snap of a finger, he turned to me.

His gaze bored into mine, and I found it hard to look away. He held me captive, and it frightened me that with just one look, I knew this wasn’t over.

He rose to his full height, turned on his heels, and left.

Osha rushed to my side. "The moment I left, I went to go get Ravyn. Forgive me, Your Grace, for leaving you behind." She helped me up and set the chair so that I could sit.

"Thank you, Osha, and it wasn’t your fault. I-I was just trying to protect you."

I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if anything happened to her. I knew Damon would have killed her if she had stayed behind.

"Osha, go get something for the princess’ scratch."

Osha nodded and hurried out of the gazebo.

"What happened?"

"I don’t know." I rubbed my throat. "I can’t explain it."

She observed me, a quiet look in her eyes I couldn’t decipher.

"Ravyn, can I ask a favor?"

"I know what you want to ask. But I’ll say this, I’m your protector and I serve you, not the Alpha. If things should stay between us, then I promise you he won’t hear anything from me."

I smiled. "It’s just like Osha said a long time ago, aside from the protector."

"Let me ask this, at least. Why won’t you tell the Alpha?"

"Whatever happened here, even though I can’t explain it, was my fault." I clenched my fist against my lap.

"I won’t tell the Alpha about your encounter with the prince, under one condition."

I lift my gaze to hers. "What?"

"Only if you tell him about the coldness in your throat."

I frowned. How did she know that? Come to think of it, I recalled when Drevon told me that if I felt a cold there, I should come to him. I didn’t tell Ravyn about it. How could she be this specific?

"Ravyn?"

"Yes, princess?"

"Is there something I should know?"

She smiled. "Whatever may that be?"

Tsk! She wasn’t going to make this easy, was she? It’s not like I expected her to come clean easily. I knew something was up.

It suddenly made me question why Drevon came to her personally for her to become my protector. I was in a castle filled with lycans that did not approve of me as the monarch’s wife.

Drevon spent most of his time ruling the empire, so I get why Ravyn was made my protector, but there was a strong feeling that there was something more to this.

~•~

I could be wrong.

That was what I told myself for the rest of the day. On the other hand, I’m in turmoil over what happened with Damon. I did feel disgusted with being near that repulsive beast, but I was more curious as to why it happened.

I placed a hand beneath my chin. One minute I was caught between lashing out my anger at him, and next I’m saddling him with my teeth at his skin, it was almost as if I blanked out. What happened during those few seconds of nothing? How on earth did I get so close, and why was Damon not pushing me away?

He’s a degenerate and had his taste with whores so I wasn’t surprised he didn’t stop whatever happened. But thinking more about it now, the lust was quickly off after I slapped him.

I tipped my head. Did my hit somehow awoke him from some kind of reverie? Or maybe he did something to me and brought me to his lap! Ugh! I expected no less from that filth! Because why else had he come to see me?

I should be grateful Ravyn came just in time, and to Osha too, for quickly alerting her.

"How is your hand, your Grace?"

"Hmm?" I replied absentmindedly.

"Your hand."

I looked in the mirror, seeing Osha’s reflection as she brushed my curls, before leveling my gaze to a small redness on my palm. Wasn’t it larger than this before?

"Better...I think."