by CATT
Dominick is pacing behind me while I take my hair out of the towel and start brushing its long strands. He stops pacing and stands behind me. His six foot seven muscled frame towering over my five foot six, one hundred ten-pound body. He raised one of his hands and rubbed my bare back with a feather-light touch that sent hot flames shooting through my body.
His eyes met mine in the mirror holding them, and he tells me he hated the thought of the prince touching me or even thinking about me. I tell him the prince has never touched me nor has he ever tried. That I’m going to try to keep putting him off about the marriage thing until Case can get to us, the hell out of here.
“You have to leave now so I can get ready Dominick.”
“Why don’t we test the prince and see what he will do” Dominick said.
“I know what he’ll do. Haven’t you seen Adam’s face? That’s what the prince is capable of, and I won’t let that happen to any of you because of me! Please leave and let me get dressed.”
Dominick stands there looking at me like he is going to say something. Finally, he drops his hand and he turns around and leaves. I open the box and see that tonight’s dress is completely opposite of the one last night. The dress is still long but this time it’s a summer dress with green, red, purple, and white splashes all over it with spaghetti straps. I slip the dress on admiring its beauty before drying my hair and leaving its long wavy mass hanging past my back. I slip the plain white sandals on that had been in the box before walking back out the bathroom door.
I walk over to the food the tree people had left earlier and pick up a strawberry to eat. I know Dominick, Rachel and Adam are watching me. I’m sure Dominick told them what the prince wants, and for some reason, I feel really awkward knowing they all know. I wonder what they are thinking as they look at me. I was about to bite into the strawberry when Dominick walks over and stands in front of me blocking Adam and Rachel’s view.
“You are breath-taking Lana” He states.
I smile up at him while thinking he is the one that’s breath taking but all I said was "Thank you.”
“Promise me you will be careful tonight and keep your distance from the prince. Without your powers, you will have a hard time stopping him if he tries anything. That scares the fucking shit out of me. I’d rather take whatever punishment he wants to dish out rather than the thought of that mother fucker touching you.”
I take Dominick’s hand in mine. “Don’t worry Dominick, for some reason, it’s important to the prince I agree to do what he wants. I don’t think he will try anything, unless I agree to it. I know you’re worried and I also know you would take whatever punishment the prince would hand out just to keep me safe. But it’s not just you. I have to think about Adam and Rachel.”
Dominick squeezes my hand before pulling me into his arms. I hug him back trying to soak up some of his strength to help me make it through the night ahead. I am still in Dominick’s arms when the tree people walk in. Letting go, of him I head towards the door. Looking over my shoulder before I go out I said, “I’ll be back guys don’t worry.”
CHAPTER 42
Tonight, the tree people lead me to the prince’s house. The prince met me at the door. He takes my hand and tells the tree people they are excused.
“Lana you’re as lovely tonight as you always are.”
“Thank You” I said making no further attempt to talk. The prince led me to a huge dining room and pulls the chair out for me like he had done the previous night. After I am seated, he takes the seat opposite me. He starts talking to me about Dominick. Asking me about how Dominick could have gotten in the incantation to get in the Fairy Realm. I tell him I don’t have the slightest clue as to how Dominick had managed to get here. Prince Osier finally let the subject go when the food was brought out. Tonight, we are having rack of lamb with baby potato steamed carrots and a salad. The food looks great and I’m hungry, so I decide to eat and try to keep the conversation going and see what I can find out. If I’m going to have to spend time with the prince, I may as well try to find out as much as I can.
After we finish eating and the plates have been removed, I find I had managed to keep the prince talking the whole time. I can tell by the way, the prince talked, that Dominick had been right he didn’t have the slightest idea Case is here. I also found out the tree people are the protectors of the Fairy Realm, and they come from the trees. They are unisex meaning they aren’t either male or female. The trees give them life they start out as pollen attached to the trees. As they start to grow the tree cocoons them within them. It takes about three years for them to develop then the cocoon breaks, and they are released. That’s the reason they're called tree people.
“So, is this Dominick your mate?”
“No he’s not my mate as you call it he's a friend.”
“By what the tree people tell me he seems to be more than a friend.”
“Well the tree people have the wrong idea.”
“No I think the tree people know what they're talking about. Maybe you only think of him as a friend I don’t know. For him to risk coming here, he had to know that once he was here the odds were he would never leave here again yet he came anyway. That shows his true feelings for you. Not that I blame him. It would be hard to be around someone with your beauty and not fall in love with you.”
I felt my face blush at his comment. Not because he thinks I’m beautiful, but because of what he said about Dominick. Wanting to change the topic of conversation off Dominick, I asked. “Why don’t you just make me marry you instead of holding me and my friends here against our will?”
“I do not want to make you marry me. I want you to want to marry me. I have to hold you prisoner so you have time to get to know me. I hold your friends here for you so you will not be lonely. I am a good man and could make you very happy if you give me the chance.”
“You threatened to harm my friends tonight if I didn’t meet with you of my own free will as you call it. How is it of my own will if I know if I decided not to come, you would hurt my friends?”
“Princess I want you. Your friends are just a means to an end for me. I will keep them here if they can make you happy, but I will also use them to get what I want. I want you to come to me and tell me that you will marry me and have my children. In the Fairy World if a woman says those words, she can never change them, and she will be bound to her mate for life. She will only ever see him or be attracted to him. She will become her mate's slave. If I force you to say those words, then they would not hold true. You would never truly be mine.”
“Don’t you think it’s forcing me when you’re holding me against my will and my friends against their will?”
“No, not at all Princess, the laws of my land say the only way our bond would not hold is if I force you against your will. Which I will not, you will come to me and say those words on your own. However the law doesn’t say, I can’t use everything in my power to help you come to understand your feelings for me and how much you want to say those words. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure I get what I want. I do not wish to harm your friends. Matter fact I would be willing to let them leave and go back to their world if you said the right words. If you choose, however, to drag this out I will not think twice about killing them one, by one, if I have to. You my dear hold your friend's fate in your hands.”
I sit there staring at nothing as Prince Osier words sink in. My only hope is that Case will get us out of here. However, I know without a doubt that before I would let Dominick, Adam or Rachel die or be hurt, I would give myself to Prince Osier. Even knowing I would lose my body, mind, heart and soul. I would become the prince’s slave. It would be worth it as long as everyone else is safe. The prince stood up told me he had enjoyed our dinner and our talk. That he will see me tomorrow for dinner again. He shocked me by telling me he is sure I can find my own way back to my hut.
I sit there watching the prince until he is out of sight. Tears start falling down my face. I would wi
pe them away, and they would come right back. Finally, I give up and let them fall. Somehow, I make it back to our hut without even remembering the walk there. When I go inside Dominick is standing in the same spot he had been the night before when I had come through the door. Seeing the tears running down my face he is at my side before I can blink.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded running his hands up and down my body as his eyes searched my body trying to make sure I wasn’t hurt.
With tears rolling down my face, I tell him I am hurt. When I went to push his hands away he paid no attention. After he had satisfied himself I wasn’t hurt he takes my hand and tells, Adam and Rachel to excuse us, and drags me to the bathroom closing the door behind us. I sit down on the side of the tub and wipe my face with my hands as Dominick sits beside me.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?”
I set there crying as I tell Dominick everything the prince had said to me. Dominick listens without ever interrupting. I continue on about how the prince said he would kill them one by one, until I did what he wants me to do. I talked and cried until I had nothing left in me, and I grew quiet.
“Honey I want you to listen to me” Dominick said taking my hand and interlocking our fingers together. “You have nothing to worry about. Case will have us out of here anytime now. I think the prince is trying to scare you into doing what he wants. If he really wanted to kill us, he would have already. You know yourself that fairies lie every time they open their mouths. He’s trying to play you, trick you into doing what he wants. Promise me you’ll never say the words he wanting you to say to him?”
“Do you really believe he won't kill you guys? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
“No I’m not just telling you that to make you feel better.” He said smiling “I’m telling you that because I believe it’s true. Think about it for a minute if fairies were killers don’t you think we would know? I’ve never known of a fairy killing anyone.”
“What if they don’t kill, but they have the tree people do it for them?”
“I’ve thought about that and to tell you the truth I don’t know. I saw what they did to Adam so that leads me to believe that yeah they would kill, but they didn’t kill Adam. They just beat the SHIT out of him because he didn’t do what they wanted him to do. So I’m thinking they rather keep a person alive and make them slave's than they had to kill them. However, I really think Case will show up before we have any of that to worry about.”
Dominick always seems to have a way of calming me down. He makes me believe that everything will work out. Leaning toward him, I place a light kiss on his lips and said, "Thanks it seems you always have to calm me down and make me think about things.”
Dominick grin’s showing off all his beautiful white teeth. “I know it seems you’re always freaking out.”
“Hey” I said bumping my knee against his and smiling for the first time.
“Come on let’s get out of this bathroom. I’m sure Rachel, and Adam are worried about you.”
I stand up with Dominick. We are holding hands as we walk out of the bathroom. Rachel comes running up to me asking if I’m alright. "I’m fine let’s all set down, and I’ll tell you both everything. When I sat down on my cushion, Dominick sat beside me and pulled me against him. I thought about how odd it is that a couple of weeks ago everything was awkward between us, and I had left the Keeper World to get away from him. Now I can’t get close enough to him. We haven’t been awkward around each other at all.
Leaning against Dominick his arms around me, I tell Rachel and Adam everything the prince had said. Rachel lets me know how sorry she is and this is all her fault. Adam tells me not to worry that he agreed with Dominick that the prince is just trying to trick me. They all are so supportive. We all talk for hours before deciding it’s time to get some sleep. I thought Dominick would go to his own cushion tonight since I hadn’t fallen asleep on top of him, but he didn’t even offer to instead he lay back on my cushion and pulled me along his hard body until we were lying side by side. Every inch of my body touching his then he pulled the blanket over us.
“You don’t have to sleep with me tonight” I whispered.
“I know I don’t” he whispered back pulling me close to his chest.
“You would have more room if you slept on your own cushion.”
“Do you want me to get up?” He whispered, his lips touching my ear.
It was hard to concentrate with his breathe on my ear and neck. I want his lips to touch me everywhere. I want him to do more than just hold me. I want him to kiss me touch me. I’m dying with him lying here next to me touching me yet not touching me the way I want.
“No, you getting up is the last thing I want. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to lay here with me.”
“Don’t worry I’m not lying with you because I feel like I have to. I’m lying here because I can’t stop myself. I know I shouldn’t be doing this. I know it would hurt Case if he knew but for the life of me, I can’t stay away. I have to touch you even if it’s just holding you while we sleep.”
I lift my face towards his with my eyes adjusted to the dark. I can make out his face clearly. I touch the side of his beautiful cheek as I stare into the eyes I always get lost in. I whispered “I feel the same way.” His lips met mine in a feather-light kiss. I deepen the kiss wanting more, and he pulls me even closer feeling his tongue enter my mouth made me moan before I remembered we need to be quiet because we are not alone in here. My body is burning and I can already feel how wet I am. His huge hand moved down to my ass pulling it closer to him as he grinds himself against me and I can feel how hard he is, he wants me just as bad as I want him. I am so turned on I’m about ready to say the hell with Rachel and Adam. At this point I need Dom inside me we can be quiet they will never know. I am about to tell Dom this when he stops kissing me and puts his forehead against mine he’s breathing hard.
“We can’t do this Lana as much as I want to it’s not right. When I petitioned the Angel council the last time with the help of your mother to become a Keeper, I only did it, so I could come for you. I didn’t care if I hurt Case, but then I got to know him, and we become friends and things changed. I won’t hurt him even if it means I won’t ever get what I want and it’s killing me. Fuck it kills me every day seeing you with him instead of with me where you belong but I won’t hurt him he’s a good guy and he loves you. I mean you are his world I listen to him talk about you and as bad as I want to yell at him to shut the hell up that I don’t want to hear him talk about you like that. I can’t because I know that what he is saying is true. He means it and we can’t do this to him. He needs you, so could you please roll over and let me wrap my arms around you and hold you and be close to you like that for as long as I can. Before Case gets here and I don’t even get that much of you anymore? I need to hold you while I can but I can’t do what we were fixing to do we can’t do that to Case.”
Without saying a word I roll over and press my back against his chest when his arm comes around my waist he pulls me as close to his body as he can get me he kisses the top of my head and we don’t speak again.
CHAPTER 43
Something woke me. I sat up looking around and see a shadow against the back wall. Straining my eyes I try to see who it is. When the shadow starts walking towards me, I see it is Case. I jump up and run to him hugging him and asking if he is alright and how he had gotten in here. He kisses me, his arms squeezing me tight to his body. When he finally lets me go, he tells me he cut a hole in the back wall, and we have to get out of here now.
Letting Case go, I go over and wake Dominick, Rachel and Adam up. I noticed when I wake Dominick Case has a strange look on his face. He is staring where Dominick is sleeping. He knows we had been sleeping on the same cushion. I thought I saw hurt cross over his handsome face for a minute, but then it was gone.
Dominick stood up grabbed Case in a hug telling him he was glad to see him. Case hugged him
back without saying anything. I introduced Rachel and Adam to Case and told them it was time for us to get out of here. Walking over to Case I take his hand in mine and giving it a squeeze.
We all listen as Case tells us in a whispered voice that we have are going to have to go out the hole he had made in the wall, and that we are to stay in a single file line. He told Dominick to take the rear and to keep watch. He said he made camp about three miles from here and that once we left the hut, there would be no talking for any reason until we get back to his the camp site.