Bab 27: Red Velvet

Camilla watched him calmly as he slowly approached her on his steed. His stomach churned at her placid expression, desperate for her acknowledgment. She sat there in a deep red velvet dress that highlighted her dark eyes and rosy cheeks. A lock of hair had come loose in the breeze and was drifting against her cheek. William had to suppress the urge to brush it away by twirling it around his fingers.

"I'm surprised you can ride so well." William hated how gruff he sounded.

"As surprised as you were when you found out I'm not an illiterate?" Camilla replied coolly.

William had never been flooded with such conflicting feelings for one person. On one hand, he wanted to shut her mouth so that her words wouldn't needle him. On the other hand, the way he wanted to silence her was by running his hands and mouth all over her body until she screamed from pleasure.

"Care for a race then?" He narrowed his eyes at her, suspecting her competitive nature would refuse to turn him down. His instincts proved right.

"Hmmm. What are we racing for, my lord?"

William scanned the woods ahead of him, spotting the familiar reddish brush of a fox tail in the distance, along the edge of the forest closest to the cliffs. He pointed it out to her.

"Very well. Would you be chivalrous enough to give a lady a slight head start?" she asked in a sweet tone.

William paused to think it over. The moment he did, the princess kicked her horse into a gallop and tore off in the fox's direction.

William stared agog for a moment, then kicked his horse off at a furious pace to give chase. He couldn't believe the girl had made a fool of him again. He could see her as a red blur in the distance and he urged his horse on.

When he caught up to her, he wasn't sure if he was going to wring her neck or kiss it.

- - -

Camilla laughed as the trees sped past her and the wind whipped her hair back. After weeks of feeling like a prisoner, she finally felt free and it was intoxicating. She had forgotten how much she loved to ride, remembering the afternoons she had spent with Malcolm, racing along the forests and grassy plains beyond Arlen Castle. She knew it was unladylike to gallop at pace but she had always found it exhilarating. She kept a keen eye on the fox's movements as it tried to outrun her.

She noticed the sudden darkness that enveloped the woods, as if the sun had been blotted out completely. A crack of lightning suddenly flashed, followed by an ominous rumbling.

The horse reared up on its hind legs in fright at the sound and Camilla felt herself being tipped backwards. Her reactions were fast enough that when she was thrown off, she managed to land on her feet. But no sooner had her feet hit the forest floor than another bolt of lightning briefly lit up her surroundings, followed by an icy downpour that shocked her to her core.

Camilla stood frozen for a moment, watching helplessly as the terrified horse bolted further into the forest. There was no way she'd be able to catch up with the animal. The cold rain quickly soaked her as thunder boomed again. She whipped her head around, trying to calm her thudding heart. The forest looked dark and menacing. She couldn't hear any of the courtiers over the sound of the steady rain, meaning she had likely strayed far from the main group after childishly agreeing to race the prince. Now she had no idea how to find her way back and she'd likely be alone for hours before anyone realised she was missing.

Now what?

The wind started picking up a little, chilling her body even further. She knew she should look for shelter but her rising panic was making her feel even more disoriented.

"What the hell are you doing?" a voice eventually called out behind her. "Take shelter before you risk being struck by lightning! Don't you know that the forest is the worst place you can be in during this kind of storm?"

Camilla turned around and saw William, still on his stallion and completely soaked. "My horse…the thunder scared it-" she tried to stammer, feeling weak with relief to be found by someone.

"Never mind that." William snapped. "Come on." He manoeuvred his horse next to her and before she could say anything else, he leant down grabbed her firmly by her waist, hoisting her onto the saddle in front of him. He directed his horse to canter alongside the cliffs until he spotted something and stopped. He dismounted quickly and turned to lift her from the saddle. He pulled his hands away as soon as her feet touched the ground, as if being in contact with her repulsed him. He gestured towards the cliff. "Get out of the rain while I tie the horse nearby."

Pelted by the rain, Camilla's eyes skimmed the rock face wearily, watching the water cascade over the shear slope. Suddenly she realised what William had been pointing to. There was an odd formation on the cliff face where a thick rock ledge jutted out, sheltering a small space.

"What the fuck is taking you so long? It's freezing out here!" William glared at her impatiently as he moved past her quickly to step under the rock ledge.

But Camilla could only move slowly. Her riding gown which had felt so warm that morning was now soaked and so heavy that it was like wearing a suit made of rocks. Lifting the cumbersome wet skirt, she managed to reach the ledge and leaned against the dry rock face, shivering uncontrollably. The time passed as she vacantly watched the water pour in rivulets from the ledge sheltering them.

She heard William speak to her but his voice sounded distant and muffled, as if she were underwater. Slumped against the cliff wall, she rubbed her face to try and clear her foggy mind. She felt encased in a block of ice, the cold so piercing all over her body that it almost burned. When she opened her heavy eyelids, she saw William's face only inches from hers. His eyes glittered.

"Take your clothes off."

komentar 5 komentar

Pilih

KIRIM HADIAH

Load failed, please RETRY