Great insult Ornella, that will teach him.
He laughed at me then, in a sinister way as he loosened his grip on me finally, dropping my wrist down. He leaned in
closer to me, closing the gap more and a lump formed in my throat.
“You ever do that again, I will kill you with my own hands, do you hear me?”
His tone was frighteningly calm considering he threatened my life. I could only nod in fear., worried about what he would
do to me if I did not agree or submit.
He took a deep breath in, as if he was breathing in my own scent then wrapped an arm around my waist. He drew me closer
to him as he breathed in the crook of my neck. I stood there frozen, worried about making any sudden movements.
“You are infuriating. Your need to explore will get you killed one day if I’m not there to save you,” he said against my skin,
his voice coming out raspy.
“I’m sorry.” It was all I could say, bile threatened to come up as I shook.
He let go of me then, his body language completely changing and his eyes showing those small specks of grey. I enjoyed
looking at them even as his face dropped a little.
“I shouldn’t have shouted at you.” It was as if the realisation of what he did finally came to him. He gently lifted my wrist
back up, examining the skin as it started to bruise. “I am sorry for hurting you. I didn't mean to, you just—you scared me.”
“I scared you?” I tried not to laugh as he rubbed a thumb across my bare skin.
“No one should be able to open that portal other than my family. I will have to figure out why it opened for you.”
This intrigued me. Why did he even have this type of thing here under the castle? Surely that would open him to all kinds of
questions and cause problems should it fall into the wrong hands or be opened by a stupid princess who should have known
better.
“Come, let me bandage your hand so it does not bruise.”
Following him out the door, he took my hand gently. Although the fear of him snapping was still there resting on my
shoulders, this was the Nicholas I was getting to know. Not the one who hurt everyone.
After he sealed the portal room door with magic and told me to never go exploring down there again, we headed to my
rooms.
I would try not to, I couldn't even remember how I got there. The explorer in me wanted to know more, to see more and
wondered what else was hiding deep within the castle.
“I’m sorry,” I said as we reached the corridor to my bedroom.
“It’s the lure of the portal. Many long for the power within. It’s fine, it's sealed now and shouldn’t open unless myself or my
sisters open it ourselves.”