“Mila, bring out my suitcase and pack my things. Be fast about it.”
The confused maid looks at me. “Are you travelling with the prince my lady?”
I glare at her. “Of course not! Don’t worry. I would pack it myself. Just get me a suitcase.”
The maid scrambles to her feet. I lean against the wall, catching my breath. Tattoos? Moving eyes? Needles? Fuck every other thing but needles? Oh no. I have to leave before Sia learns of my plan to escape.
The door jerks open and my plans to escape are destroyed as Sia steps into the room, face etched in fury. He knows. Goddess, he knows.
Mila curtsies once she sees him. “Good afternoon my prince.”
It’s just 11:59!
His eyes flicker to Mila. “Leave us Mila. And tell my father that we won’t be joining him for lunch.”
She curtsies again. “Should I bring lunch my prince?”
“No. Don’t bother yourself.”
She curtsies again, leaving me to my doom. Sia shuts the door, before turning to me. He unclasps his wristwatch, dropping it on the bed. Still holding my gaze, he takes off his shoes. I swallow as he straightens.
“Pasta or ramen?”
“What?”
He frowns, eyebrows furrowing. “For lunch. Pasta or ramen?”
“I’m not hungry.”
And it’s the truth. Ruarc and I had tater tots while he was briefing me about the Claiming.
“No, you have to eat Crinka. One who plans to flee must eat well before carrying out his mission,” he says hotly.
“I wasn’t…I was…. It’s important I leave Sia. I can….”
“You know what? I don’t want to hear it. If you want to leave, you’re free to leave, but you must eat before doing so,” he says taking off his cloak. His chest is a mouthwatering sight and I can’t help but be drawn to him.
“I’ll make you something to eat. Stay here and don’t touch anything,” he snarls before leaving. Yup, he is definitely mad.
I plop down on the bed, sighing. He returns a few minutes later and I am surprised to see him without food.
“Feeling lazy to cook?”
He glares at me. “I don’t cook when I am mad.”
“Hmmm, I didn’t know you could be mad, but it’s okay, not all of us can be sane.”
His eyes darkened and then I saw it. That damn purple dot.
“I am not in the mood for your jokes, so just pack your things and leave already.”
I blink, surprised. “You’re letting me go? Just like that? You don’t even know why I want to leave?”
“Knowing wouldn’t make a difference. Knowing won’t change your mind so I’ll much rather be left in the dark.”
“I’m going to tell you anyways. Ruarc explained the Claiming to me and…”
He cuts in, quite rudely if I might add. “Ruarc? I didn’t know you had forgiven him.”
“Just because I talked to him doesn’t mean I have forgiven him. Like I was saying, after hearing the gritty details regarding the Claiming, I have decided that I don’t want to be claimed by you or by anyone else.”
The purple dot disappears and then appears. Sia closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them, the purple dot is gone but I can still sense his fury.
“What…what exactly did Ruarc tell you?”
“What you failed to tell me.”
“Answer me dammit!”, he roars and I gasp. He…he has shouted at me before but never roared. His eyes are now a deep purple, no longer white. His lips are slightly parted and I can see his fangs. There are dark veins beneath his eyes. He looks a lot taller from this angle, and very frightening.
This is not the Sia I know.
“I…He…He told me that I would have to be tattooed. He also said something about eyes moving underneath skin and Sia, I know you’re mad but please calm down. You’re scaring the shit out of me.”
He just stares. He doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, just stares. He’s not even breathing. I’d be lying if I said I am not scared.
“Sia…?”
“You don’t like tattoos?”, his voice is calm but he has not calmed.
I nod.
His tone is heartbreaking when he asks, “You don’t want to be claimed?”
He visibly swallows. “You don’t want to be with me anymore?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to be with you Sia, it’s just that…”
He butts in. “Just answer the damn question.”
“I want to be with you.”
“But you don’t want to be claimed by me?”
I nod.
“So let me get this straight. You want to be with me because of how good I make you feel, but you don’t want me to claim you?”
I nod again. He sighs and the dark veins disappear. His fangs retract into his mouth and his eyes go back to normal. But I must admit, he does look hot with purple eyes.
“I’ll cancel the Claiming, and you can leave on the 25th. Be ready by then.”
I blink, taken aback. “So, you’re just going to let me go?’
“I’m not the kind of man to keep a woman with me against her will. I will arrange for your departure on the 25th.”
“What about the bond?”, I ask in a quiet voice.
“There is no bond,” he replies sharply.
“So, because I refuse to be claimed, you’re going to pretend like there is no bond between us? Like we never existed?”
“There had never been a we, and you know it. I was just the guy you ran to whenever Ruarc fucked up or hurt your feelings. I never really meant anything to you and I am not going to take offense. You never really meant anything to me anyways.”
My heart beats in pain. “If my refusal upsets you this much, I will take it back. I’ll let you claim me.”
“You see, that’s what I am talking about Crinka. You only come to me after giving things a second thought and it shouldn’t be that way. I didn’t mean anything to you so stop trying to ma…”
I cut him off. “Stop! Stop saying that you didn’t mean anything to me because you did! I became an omega for you Sia! I became rogue for you! Fuck, I even turned my back on my cousin for you! What did you ever do for me? Did you ever change for me?”
“I have never interfered with the council’s decision before or cooked for someone before. Meeting you changed that. So, if you want to go around telling people of how I did nothing for you, get your fucking facts right. And the last time I changed for a woman, everyone around me was endangered. So, if you think that I would risk the lives of my loved ones for a woman I do not love, you need to get your head checked. Maybe you should try to know the man a little more before you change for him. I couldn’t change for you, but I showed you a part of me that others rarely see. I let you have a glimpse of who I truly am, most people don’t get so lucky. It’s not what you wanted I know, but it’s what I could give, and heavens know that I am quite stingy. It all boils down to one thing my love, I tried, and I am sorry that my trials were not enough for you. Maybe next time you want to pick the arms of a man you want to die in, don’t go looking for mine, because you won’t find them.”