"Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" a cold, masculine voice jolted Izabelle from her stealthy movements the moment she closed the secret door to the room she had just sneaked out from.
This room she had just entered was supposed to be empty! This luxurious room had always been reserved as the ultimate guest room, only accommodating other country's kings and presidents. No one holding positions lower than those ranks were allowed to ever use this room before.
Elle had been confidently certain that this room was empty since there were no kings or presidents visiting their country today. So how come someone was here?!
With her heartbeat thudding wildly, Elle turned around with a start.
A tall man stood there. His posture relaxed while having his arms crossed over his chest and his head was slightly tilted as he stared at her. He was wearing a black robe and his hair was damp. Little beads of water were still dripping from the ends of his hair.
Elle's eyes flew wide and then she swallowed. Not because the man before her was so strikingly gorgeous he almost didn't look real – that he certainly was, she had to admit – but because she knew him. No, to be precise, she recognized his face.
This man was no other than the prince that the world was going so crazy over. Sebastian Reign, the crown prince of Viscarria. This prince was so famous because of his unrivalled good looks. And paired with a towering height and a gorgeous muscular body to boot, it was certainly a surefire recipe to be considered a male god amongst men.
"Take off your hood and answer me. Now." his commanding voice sounded out, nearly making her scurry backwards like a frightened rabbit. He did not raise his voice, but the way he spoke still made Elle experience a shiver like a cold stream of spring water that ran down her spine.
Something mysterious and dangerous clung to him so strongly that had she met him like this three years ago, Elle was certain that she would have probably been sent scampering away from him by now. She had never met a man so beautiful yet so terrifying.
But Elle was no longer the girl she used to be. This man, who looked as handsome as the devil himself and as scary as hell did not scare her. Maybe because right now, there was a monster that she feared even more than the devil himself or even hell itself. And that monster was not this man.
Lifting her hand, Elle slowly and gracefully lifted up and allowed her hood to fall back to her shoulders. Her light red hair gleamed against the dim light and her large and striking eyes, as blue as the midwinter sky, stared at him intently.
"I am truly sorry for the intrusion, Prince Sebastian," she said in an apologetic tone. "This is –" Elle broke off and froze when she heard a commotion happening just outside the door of the guest room.
Wide-eyed, she looked at the prince in horror then stared at the door again. They already found out that she was gone?!
Desperation shook her to the core, knowing that it was over for her once they caught her.
Fueled with panic and fear, Elle suddenly strode towards the man and unceremoniously grabbed his hand. "H-hide me." She ordered, but with a shaky voice.
"I- I am Princess Izabelle, I –" Elle decided to reveal herself, thinking that she would perhaps be able to make him listen to her if she revealed her true identity to him. But before Elle could even finish her statement, their attention was pulled away by a knock that sounded on the door.
She felt the ripple of that one knock on her heart.
This special room only had one key made for it, and the key was being kept by her father, the king himself. She knew her father would order his men to turn the palace upside down just to find her. But they will not search this room since everyone knew no one could enter it without the key. No one would suspect that she was inside since her father did not know about the secret passage. Elle was quite certain about that because she was the first to have discovered it!
But now that it was actually occupied, this place wasn't safe anymore.
Everything seemed to be going up in flames. All because of this prince. Did he just arrive tonight without any notice? But her father don't accept guests without notice except for that monster of a man!
Clenching her fists, Elle tried hard to think. She must not be caught! She could no longer return to the secret door where she came from, because it could only be opened from the other side!
Desperate, Elle stared into the prince's eyes again. "Hide me, please." She pleaded this time.
"I don't think there's a place here for you to hide, princess. If the king, the owner of this palace decides to search this room – and it seems that they're about to do it very soon – a mere guest such as myself can't possibly say no, can I?" He reasoned it out with her, and Elle knew that he was right. They would definitely search the entire room even if the guest inside was another country's king. Simply because, her father was insane. And he would do whatever it takes for this plan of his to succeed.
But if he was insane, she was hellbent on escaping and nothing could stop her.
And so Elle suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the bed. "Then hide me… under your body." She said, her intense blue eyes brimming with nothing but determination. "They won't possibly dare to disturb a very important guest if they see him with a woman in bed –"
Another knock echoed on the other side of the door, making Elle jump in panic. Her body moved instantly, and she hastily snuggled under the blanket without any intentions of letting go of Sebastian's hand. "Please… now!" she hissed and begged, eyes desperately pleading as she laid on the bed, tugging his hand, urging him to climb over her.
To Elle's relief, Sebastian finally moved, but he only bent over her and whispered. "I don't know what kind of danger you're running away from, princess. But…" His grey eyes glimmered with a dangerous and suffocating intensity. So intense that she felt goosebumps prickling all over her skin. "I must warn you… since it seems that you haven't realized it yet…" he bent even closer until his cool breath wafted over her skin. "You're in the devil's den right now, and I hope you understand what you're getting yourself into by actually begging the devil to –"
"I don't care." She cut him off fearlessly, her initially pleading and scared look now completely gone and replaced with boldness and certainty.
This sudden show of bravado made the corners of his lips lift up ever so slightly, seemingly surprised and amused by her bold and brave interruption. No, she was not sure at all if he was surprised or amused, or both. Because despite having that slight smile hanging around his lips, his eyes were utterly unfathomable.
"Even if you're the devil himself, I would still ask you the same." She staunchly added.
"But princess… I'll have you know… I don't ever hide women under my body." He whispered in a gravelly voice that made her feel a different kind of shiver shooting through her. One that brought on a warming aftereffect that seemed to weaken her limbs. "I only… devour them."
Elle's heart stopped beating for a moment. Those last four words that rolled out of his lips like velvet had her entire being shivering from two different reasons at the same time – something bad and something dangerously good.
She swallowed. Hard.
She could see the danger glinting in those metallic grey eyes – somehow welcoming and luring her in. She then knew that he was not kidding in the least and she could somehow feel that this man was no angel.
Her instincts told her that he was bad news through and through, and she knew deep down in her heart that the moment she gives him the go ahead to carry on and devour her, he was going to do it without hesitation. He was not a chivalrous prince on a white horse who was going to save the damsel in distress – namely, her.
Still, she would rather give herself to the devil than marry that man that her father had arranged for her. The very same man who had driven Ellaine, her sister, to take her own life when she was still at the peak of her existence.
That monster, Brandon Haze, the man she was arranged to marry tomorrow, was a business mogul and the richest man in Dalenn. He had the greatest influence in their country's politics and everything that was related to it. And now that the Dalennish monarchy was on the verge of collapse, Elle's father, King Markus Eves was just desperate to do anything and everything to save his throne. Even if it meant marrying off the only daughter that he had left, to the same monster who had raped his firstborn.
Elle had hated her father since the day of her forced engagement to Brandon Haze. She had tried her best to tell the king that she had witnessed it herself when Brandon Haze, that monster, had assaulted her older sister Ellaine who was only seventeen at that time, four years ago.
She herself, was fifteen then and had tried to tell what she witnessed to their father. But the king had asked for evidence and when they asked her sister, Ellaine had completely denied it. Elle knew that something was off, and she had tried to persuade Ellaine to tell the truth and expose Brandon. But Ellaine kept silent.
The night before Ellaine took her own life inside her room, she had told Elle everything that had happened to her. About the fact that Brandon Haze had raped her and blackmailed her.
After Ellaine's funeral, Elle had tried her best to expose the man but her father punished her instead. She did not have any evidence and her father did not believe her. The king, her once loving father, had gradually spiraled down into madness over the years just because he could not accept the truth that the Dalennish monarchy was on the brink of collapse under his rule.
Izabelle would be lying if she said that she did not care for their royal household. She cared. Very much so. But she believed that it was time for their country not to be ruled by monarchs anymore. The people had voiced out and expressed that they had wanted the abolishment of the monarchy ever since she could remember. And the people's demands were getting worse by the year. And as she grew up and saw more of the situation of their country, she had started to side with the opinions of her country men. If only her father could see and accept that.
For years, her father had been doing everything to strengthen the collapsing monarchy so that his rule as king could continue until his last breath.
And the most certain method for his plan to work was to marry his daughter off to the country's most powerful man, his own daughter's rapist, Brandon Haze.
Elle would never accept such a fate of marrying that monster. Over her dead body!
"Then…" she finally answered. Gathering all the courage that she had in her, she stared into those pair of cold grey eyes. "Go on… Devour me."
___
A/N: Welcome to my newest book everyone! This book is part of Hellbound series but it can be read as STANDALONE.
Welcome to my newest book everyone! How's the first chapter so far? Do leave a comment. Still too early for a review but i'd really appreciate it if you drop one. Thank you, and I hope you will enjoy this new journey.
Love,Kazzen
"Go on… devour me." Her words came out soft. But when paired with that small and fair face that showed so much courage, this lethal combination might be seen as a challenge.
A small devilish smile tugged at Sebastian's lips and Elle actually had to hold her breath for a moment. Holy hell! She could not believe that he could still distract her in this severe situation she was plunged into! This man was the epitome of a dangerous temptation!
"Is that a challenge, Princess?" he asked. His sinuous voice echoing out and so darkly enticing that her pupils dilate reflexively.
"You may call this whatever you like." She forced her response to be flippant and light, steeling herself for what was to come.
Her wedding was supposed to be held last year. But Izabelle had gone to her father and protested desperately until Brandon finally agreed that he would wait for her 20th birthday just for the sake of public opinion. However, the monster had brazenly stated his ridiculous condition right before her and King Markus' face. He had firmly demanded that she must still be a virgin until the wedding or else the wedding will not happen.
And that was why Elle's father had her placed under 24/7 constant surveillance even when she was already in their home, the palace.
Since then, Elle had strongly come to believe that the monster, Brandon, was a sucker for virgins and now that it had all came to this, she thought she had finally found that one in a million chance she was waiting for. She thought about this before. She had planned to grab a man for a one-night stand, but with all her father's strict surveillance, it had not been possible. Thus, the reason for her still remaining a virgin up till now and the wedding was already tomorrow!
But now, here's a handsome prince right within her reach. He was literally being dropped into her lap and wonder of all wonders this prince was also telling her that he devours women. Her original escape plan now had almost a zero chance of succeeding. Now she was left with this one last choice – and it was quite certain that she would succeed if she took this route. However, the question was, should she take it? After a second of contemplation, it was no doubt a 'yes'.
She wanted to think that perhaps this man was an angel of mercy sent to her, so she could escape her personal doomsday a.k.a. her wedding day.
"I am serious, Prince Sebastian." Her voice came out braver and resolute, more than certain of her answer.
Their gazes held and it took everything for Elle not to succumb to whatever mysterious magic those unfathomable eyes held over her.
"Tell me, princess…" he whispered mysteriously, lifting his hand. She could not help but stare at those protruding veins and those long slender fingers.
When his fingers touched the ends of the lacy trimmings of her hood and pulled on it to untie the ribbon, her heartbeat accelerated like crazy.
"Why are you doing this? Or are you trying to play mind games with me?" he asked in that cello-like voice of his.
However, for a second in his eyes, there flashed something dangerous. A serious warning that was purely for her sake.
Part of her was screaming at her to listen to his warning. This man was dangerous. She could clearly feel that. His aura was dark and threatening as it created a barrier around his person. But did she have a better choice than him? Unfortunately, there was none.
And so, she quickly rose and without delay, pulled off her hoodie and allowed it to drop, discarded on the floor. That one action was enough to show him that there was no hesitation at all on her part.
"I'm not playing any kind of games." She told him and she reached out for her pajama shirt and started undoing the buttons as she bravely held his gaze. Her fingers trembled a little, but she did her best not to make it too obvious, hoping that he did not notice it.
Once all the buttons were undone, she spoke up. "As you can see, I am beyond serious, Prince Sebastian."
A slow smile curved on his face before his hand moved again very swiftly but in such a graceful movement.
Elle felt the back of his fingers grazed against her jaw and then moved it downwards so slowly until she found herself tipping her head back. Oh gods…
She could hear some loud noises going on outside the door. It seemed as though someone was trying to talk the guards out of their attempt on trying to enter into the prince's room for the night. But her mind and body were fast getting electrified by his touch right now that it was impossible for her to focus on the faint sounds that were coming from outside.
She had been touched and kissed by a few boys previously, but that was all before her engagement. Though there had been no penetration that happened, she had still allowed someone to touch her all over. She had enjoyed those not so innocent explorations back then. But this… this was completely different. It was totally on a different level compared to the child's play from before. She could not explain it, but she sensed what seemed to be like a touch of darkness that was present in his fingertips trailing over her skin. And to think that he was just grazing it against her neck!
His finger finally stopped its exploration over her thudding heart and remained there – for the moment at least. Then he bent closer to her, causing her to subconsciously hold her breath again.
"You… intrigue me, princess." He murmured at her, his deep eyes staring down. But he did not seem to be staring at her bra but at the skin that was over her heart. Which she found a bit strange, or was she just being too nervous?
"I never thought that the princess whose wedding I was supposed to be attending tomorrow, is doing this right now… in my room… with me." He continued, his words slow and steady. He did not sound to be that much in disbelief and there was surprisingly no judgement either in his voice nor in his eyes. What was there was just a wicked ghost of a smile on his face.
But his words were not enough to make Elle falter. Not even a twitch appeared on that beautiful face of hers. She had already guessed that he must be one of those last-minute guests her father had invited for the wedding. So of course, he would know who she was.
"I'm guessing that you're trying to have your one last fling before your wedding tomorrow?" he asked her playfully, an elegant brow arching up charmingly.