Chapter 3 Getting wet with my son-in-law
Amarien’s POV
"Please…stop!" My voice squeezed through my choked breath. His grip on me tightened, his eyes fixed on me, wide and wild with bloodlust.
I tried to pull his hands off, wiggle my legs out of his grip, scream, but nothing worked. There was an extraordinary power in him that my frail form couldn't fight against. So I stopped. I stopped resisting. I shut my eyes so he could have me, my body falling limp.
But at that moment, his groaning stopped. Suddenly, his nose sniffed something in the air. He sniffled from my neck to my chest, my waist, and then down. He stopped in-between my legs.
My knees buckled when he lifted up my dress, revealing my bare thighs. He grabbed my right thigh where I had my charm tied and froze.
The silence in the room resumed.
"Y…your highness?" I wasn't sure what was happening until he looked up at me, tears in his eyes.
"What did I do?" He touched his face like he was just regaining consciousness. Suddenly, he bolted away from me, shocked to see me in his room. "What are you doing here?! How did you…?"
We both watched each other, confused, scared, terrified, tears in our eyes, heaving deep breaths. I wasn't sure what was happening, but his fangs, silver hairy skin and long nails had suddenly withdrawn. He was human again.
"Y_your highness," I said with choked breath. “You…are…a…”
"Don't say it!" He roared so loud I stumbled to the floor, clutching my head with both hands, trembling for my life.
Shocked at what he had done, he looked at himself, terrified. His clothes were torn off and all over the floor, save for his pants. He had fresh wounds all over his muscular frame, and his skin was still pale. He looked back at me, his eyes apologizing.
"Stay away from me!" He swallowed. Tears in his eyes. Stepping back from me like he was a raging fire that could burn me, "I'm going to hurt you if you don't!"
I unclasped my hands from my head. Legends say the werewolves shift in the moonlight. But they also show no mercy to humans. They do not hesitate to kill when they see one. Why did he hesitate to kill me? Slowly, I rose to my feet, watching him.
He clasped his hands over his face. "I don't know what's happening to me." His Adam's apple bobbed in his neck as he fidgeted. "After the war, I got…I got really sick. I'm not a werewolf. I'm not…" Suddenly, he winced in pain, falling to the fall.
He was shifting again.
I rushed to him, falling to my knees. "Your highness!" I screeched. He groaned and moaned on the floor. This time, I wasn't scared knowing I had a charm that calmed him.
"Stay away!" He growled.
"I can't leave you like this!" I pressed him closer to my lap, easing his struggle. His heavy breath lightened.
"I've been human all my life, killing werewolves. I'm not a werewolf!" he said, almost breathless.
But his shifting is clearly speaking for itself. Prince Daevir has either been a werewolf all his life, or he is becoming one. I couldn't tell or say that out loud, not to the prince of the empire.
"It's okay, your highness. Please cease talking!" I looked around the room, searching for anything wet.
Grandma MiMi taught me how the Alpachipa Crimson Rose, in a pool of water, calms a raging beast. The prince's quarters are bound to have a tub. My eyes darted to a drawn, red, silky curtain at the end of the room.
There it is!
The tub will be behind the curtains.
All I need is a tub full of water and my Alpachipa charm in it.
So quickly, I helped him into the tub and filled it with water.
"What are you doing?" He grunted, wincing in pain.
"The only thing protecting me and you right now is the rose charm tied to my leg. I'll lower you into the tub so the charm can filter into the water and calm the werewolf urges."
He didn't protest. He pushed himself into the water, his head resting on the tip of the tub.
Quickly, I pulled my dress up and made to remove the charm.
"Wait…" he called. My eyes darted to him. "Don't remove it…" he coughed. "That charm stopped me from killing you. I could hurt you once it's off your body."
Oh darn. Why didn't I think of that? That is the only reason I'm not his meal right now.
"Get in the tub with me." He said, slowly closing his eyes, looking majestic even in pain. "The charm can filter with both of us in the water."
Right! I should have thought of that.
I slowly pulled my dress up and entered the tub one foot at a time. I lowered myself to my knees, my legs crouched on either side of him.
A soft gasp escaped his lips as I settled into the water, his torso between my legs.
The charm.
It's working.
The water turned a pale pink as the crimson rose filtered into the water. I could feel the tension in his veins lighten, and his breath soon became even.
If the prince had been a werewolf all his life, the Royal courts were bound to know. Also, he won't be out there defeating the werewolves for the humans.
This is clearly new.
How? I couldn't tell. I wish Grandma MiMi were here now; she would have said something so wise and insightful to clear this strange puzzle. The werewolves mostly multiply by breeding with their kind. There has been no human to werewolf relations since the war started thousands of years ago. No one has heard of a human suddenly turning into a werewolf overnight.
I noticed his shut eyes began to open slowly, like he was just waking up from a bad dream. Yet his eyes fixed on me.
Silence settled between us.
I wish I had something clever or comforting to say after what had just happened. And my dress, I was soaked wet now, revealing the lines of my undergarment and beast, my nipples poking out within my pale pink garment. I tried hard not to think about it or get self-conscious.
The prince needs me in the water with him, else he could go on a rampage, consuming people.
Oh, what a deadly scandal that will be!
The warlord prince who hunts werewolves is now a werewolf who destroys people!
I tried to shut the thoughts out of my mind. He would hate me if he knew what I was thinking right now.
He already hates himself for being like this. I can't make it worse for him.
I caught him staring again. This time, he didn't look away. His gaze fixed on me. I bit my lips, hoping to say something comforting, but the words dissolved when I opened my mouth to speak.
I shifted my eyes to something else, his muscular form beneath the waters. Those abs and scar were carved out of war with the werewolves.
I wanted to reach and touch it. But by the gods, I could get beheaded for that.
Shit!
I looked up and felt his arms lifting from the water, reaching out to me, when...
Knock! Knock!
"You're Highness!" A voice called from outside shook both of us up.
We froze. He placed a finger on his lips, cautioning me to be quiet.
"It's Zephyr!" The man outside shouted. Zephyr is the Royal Eunuch who raised Prince Daevir from a baby to the man he is today. In fact, Zephyr is respected in the palace as Prince Daevir's father figure because of his influence over the prince.
"What are you doing buried in your room like a virgin on her first night of marriage?!" Zephyr scolded. "There's a full-blown festival awaiting you tonight, your highness!"
Silence.
I cringed, sweat pulsing through my skin, hoping Zephyr would just leave. It's bad enough for Prince Daevir that he is a werewolf, but it's worse for me, his father's concubine, to be in the bathtub with the prince on the night of his return from war! Yes, it's not what it looks like, but who will believe me? My head will be hanging on spikes tomorrow morning.
"You can't stay in there forever, Daevir. I know your little tricks. I'm walking in right now."
The door creaked open.
Shit! We are toast!