came to him. She
turned slowly back to him, meeting his intense gaze. It didn’t
matter if he knew why Jack had told her, he had no hold over her
anymore.
“Because I didn’t want to leave,” she
finally admitted. His eyes widened slightly, she saw the shock that
rocked through him. “I was foolish enough to think that I wanted to
stay, with you, no matter what the consequences of that action
might be. Jack simply informed me of what an idiot I
was.”
“Arianna…”
She launched to her feet, unable to sit
still anymore, unable to listen to him. There was a clawing
sensation growing inside of her, a desperate need to be free, a
desperate need to escape this whole awful situation. She paced away
from the fire, stopping before the window to stare out at the
forest. They were far from the caves, in an area she didn’t know as
it was close to civilization. It was an area of the woods she did
not travel to, it wasn’t safe here. Her fingers pressed against the
glass, the sun was out now, her family and friends would be worried
about her. They would be looking for her. She needed to get back to
them; she needed to get away from him.
“You wanted to stay within the
palace?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered. She
pressed her forehead briefly to the glass as she inhaled the fresh
air seeping through the edges of the pane. “It’s the past, it can’t
be changed. It’s over.”
She didn’t hear him move, but that was
not a surprise. It was rare to actually hear his approach. His
hands were upon her shoulders, he held her briefly for a moment
before turning her slowly away from the window. When she refused to
look at him he seized gently hold of her chin and lifted it so that
she had to meet his hard gaze. “I should have told you about her,
but I didn’t know. I didn’t expect…”
“Expect what?” she inquired when he
broke off.
He shook his head, bending to place a
soft kiss upon her mouth. “Why did you want to stay?” he inquired,
his hands clasping gently hold of her face.
She tried to pull away from him, but he
held her tighter. He moved closer to her, his chest brushing
against hers. His body was slightly colder than hers; the force of
his presence was overwhelming. She could hardly breathe through the
combination of excitement and trepidation pounding through her. She
couldn’t let herself get carried away here; she couldn’t allow
herself to hope that this might end differently than it had before.
Things could never change between them; they were from completely
different worlds. They were from completely different species
even.
“What difference does it make?” she
asked quietly.
He moved even closer, his lips were
just centimeters from hers. He was the most irresistible man she
had ever met, even as she tried to fight it, she could feel her
body reacting to his, swaying even closer. “Because I want to know
why you weren’t going to leave, I need to know why you were going
to stay Arianna.”
“It makes no difference,
prince.”
“Braith.”
“What?”
“I told you once before to call me
Braith, not prince.”
Arianna sighed softly as she lowered
her eyes. Yes, he had told her that before, but ever since she had
fled the palace she had started to refer to him as the prince
again. It helped her to distance herself from him, something that
she desperately needed to do in order to survive the hurt that
clung to her. He may want her to stop calling him prince now, but
she wasn’t sure she could. Doing so would mean allowing him back
into her heart and she couldn’t do that.
She couldn’t be hurt like that again;
she didn’t think she could survive it a second time.
“Arianna, tell me why you wanted to
stay.”
“No!” her voice was sharper than she
had intended. She was ashamed to admit that even she could hear the
panic and fear in it. “No! You don’t always get what you want. Why
can’t you just let this be? Just leave me be! Why did you come
here!? Why did
turned slowly back to him, meeting his intense gaze. It didn’t
matter if he knew why Jack had told her, he had no hold over her
anymore.
“Because I didn’t want to leave,” she
finally admitted. His eyes widened slightly, she saw the shock that
rocked through him. “I was foolish enough to think that I wanted to
stay, with you, no matter what the consequences of that action
might be. Jack simply informed me of what an idiot I
was.”
“Arianna…”
She launched to her feet, unable to sit
still anymore, unable to listen to him. There was a clawing
sensation growing inside of her, a desperate need to be free, a
desperate need to escape this whole awful situation. She paced away
from the fire, stopping before the window to stare out at the
forest. They were far from the caves, in an area she didn’t know as
it was close to civilization. It was an area of the woods she did
not travel to, it wasn’t safe here. Her fingers pressed against the
glass, the sun was out now, her family and friends would be worried
about her. They would be looking for her. She needed to get back to
them; she needed to get away from him.
“You wanted to stay within the
palace?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered. She
pressed her forehead briefly to the glass as she inhaled the fresh
air seeping through the edges of the pane. “It’s the past, it can’t
be changed. It’s over.”
She didn’t hear him move, but that was
not a surprise. It was rare to actually hear his approach. His
hands were upon her shoulders, he held her briefly for a moment
before turning her slowly away from the window. When she refused to
look at him he seized gently hold of her chin and lifted it so that
she had to meet his hard gaze. “I should have told you about her,
but I didn’t know. I didn’t expect…”
“Expect what?” she inquired when he
broke off.
He shook his head, bending to place a
soft kiss upon her mouth. “Why did you want to stay?” he inquired,
his hands clasping gently hold of her face.
She tried to pull away from him, but he
held her tighter. He moved closer to her, his chest brushing
against hers. His body was slightly colder than hers; the force of
his presence was overwhelming. She could hardly breathe through the
combination of excitement and trepidation pounding through her. She
couldn’t let herself get carried away here; she couldn’t allow
herself to hope that this might end differently than it had before.
Things could never change between them; they were from completely
different worlds. They were from completely different species
even.
“What difference does it make?” she
asked quietly.
He moved even closer, his lips were
just centimeters from hers. He was the most irresistible man she
had ever met, even as she tried to fight it, she could feel her
body reacting to his, swaying even closer. “Because I want to know
why you weren’t going to leave, I need to know why you were going
to stay Arianna.”
“It makes no difference,
prince.”
“Braith.”
“What?”
“I told you once before to call me
Braith, not prince.”
Arianna sighed softly as she lowered
her eyes. Yes, he had told her that before, but ever since she had
fled the palace she had started to refer to him as the prince
again. It helped her to distance herself from him, something that
she desperately needed to do in order to survive the hurt that
clung to her. He may want her to stop calling him prince now, but
she wasn’t sure she could. Doing so would mean allowing him back
into her heart and she couldn’t do that.
She couldn’t be hurt like that again;
she didn’t think she could survive it a second time.
“Arianna, tell me why you wanted to
stay.”
“No!” her voice was sharper than she
had intended. She was ashamed to admit that even she could hear the
panic and fear in it. “No! You don’t always get what you want. Why
can’t you just let this be? Just leave me be! Why did you come
here!? Why did
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