I held her while she poured her heart out. I didn’t judge her, I didn’t try to make it better because there was nothing I could do. When she was done, she wiped her cheeks. Looking up into my eyes she burst into a fit of laughter.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what just happened.” She turned her face to look out the window. The sun was starting to set. “Goddess, I need to go!” She uncurled herself from my grasp and hopped to her feet. “… and you need to leave here without being seen. I’m surprised no one has come for me yet!”
“Leave without being seen? I can do that.”
“How?” She whined as she rushed to the vanity.
“I’m good at hiding.”
“Are you though?” She asked. Her tone revealed her disbelief.
“Yes. It’s a skill, and just think, no one is looking FOR me. Don’t worry. I’ll make it out without being seen.”
“How are you going to manage that? We’re up four flights of stairs and people are most likely walking around now. What’s the plan?” Adealine asked.
I watched Adealine as she sat in her chair. Her slender fingers reached forward to grab a gold brush with intricate designs. She began to brush out her soft, wavy hair. I wanted to reach out and run my fingers through it. She grabbed a tissue to dab at her cheeks. I was mesmerized as she powdered her nose and cheeks. Looking at me in the mirror, a blush worked its way across her face.
“What?” I asked.
“We look like…” She trailed off.
“Like?” I prodded. I knew what she was going to say. I knew what she thought because I thought the same thing. Despite knowing, I needed to hear the words slip from her mesmerizing plush lips.
“This feels like we’re a couple,” she laughed. A smile spread across my lips as she said it. “I’ve never had a boy in my room.”
“That’s good. I’m honored,” I responded cockily.
I didn’t like the thought of another boy in her room. It didn’t sit right with me.
“Mm-hmm. How are you going to get out? The window would be the best but we’re too high up. She stood to her feet and turned around. I watched as her dress twirled. From here she looked like the child she was but her eyes spoke a different story.
Goddess, she was pretty.
“I have to go now,” she said with an edge of sadness.
“I know,” I said. I watched as she chewed on her bottom lip.
“What’s your name?” She asked.
“Why? Would my Princess like to know?” I asked.
“Stop calling me that,” she pouted.
“Would Adealine like to know?” I asked.
“Don’t call me that either,” she said as her nose wrinkled.
Goddess, she was a wonder to behold.
“Why not? You are a princess. What am I supposed to call you then? If not Adealine, I’ll call you Princess,” I teased.
“No, not that… Call me Adea,” she whispered.
“Adea?” I asked.
“Yes. I don’t have any friends but… if I did… I’d hoped they could call me Adea.”
Friends. We were friends.
“Okay, Adea. My name’s Shane.”
“Shane?” She mulled the name around. I froze at the sound of my name on her tongue. It made my chest warm. I looked at the door.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I shrugged.
Leaning forward, I watched her every move as she closed the distance between us. Standing in front of me, we were face to face. I realized she wasn’t that tall. I stared into her eyes until I couldn’t, as she wrapped her arms around my neck. The dull feeling sparked on the back of my neck but I didn’t think about it. I inhaled the scent of oranges and cinnamon and I couldn’t get enough of it. I placed my hands on her waist but before I could enjoy it, she stepped back and the moment was gone. She was leaving and my heart dropped at the thought.
“Goodbye, Shane.” She turned from me, unlocked the door, and slipped out.
“Goodbye, Adea.”
But this wouldn’t be goodbye. There’s no way I would be able to stay away from her. It felt like I’d gotten a taste of something sweet and new, something forbidden. I wouldn’t be able to stay away from her for long. No, I’d come back for her. The Alpha drifted into my mind. Imagining him hurt her the way he’d hurt me today angered me. Something in my chest hurt, something in my mind fractured.
He was disgusting. He wasn’t a man.
A man wouldn’t hurt a woman like that. A man wouldn’t hurt a child like that, much less his own daughter. I would protect her. I made up my mind and I’m not sure when I did. From today onward, I would do everything I could to protect her. From today onward, I would make sure to see Adea often. She’d get sick of me but I wouldn’t leave her. I looked forward to her smart mouth.
I wouldn’t stay away from her, I don’t think I could. I’d gotten a taste of something I didn’t know I wanted, something I didn’t know I needed. My body screamed in protest as I got to my feet, fresh bruises making their way to the surface. I walked over to her vanity. She’d been so pretty, I couldn’t look away from her. She was pretty when she smiled and she was even pretty while she cried.
She’d taken my breath away today and I wouldn’t be able to breathe again until I saw her. I may not be considered a man yet but one day I would be. One day I would slay the dragon that kept her prisoner here and take her away from here. One day, I would rescue the princess from the tower and we would live happily ever after.
Or so I thought.