章 9: An Uninvited Guest in the Prince's Quarters
Madison hurried through the dimly lit castle corridors, her mind reeling from Wald's shocking ultimatum. How had she let things spiral so dangerously out of control? One moment she was simply a maid tasked with gathering information on the prince, and the next she was being ordered to accompany his battalion on a dangerous mission to capture a traitorous prime minister.
Her heart thundered in her chest as she replayed Wald's piercing words in her mind. "You will aid in the capture of that traitorous snake, Douglas. And you will do it without question." The implied threat hung heavy in the air - defy him, and there would be severe consequences.
But aiding Wald directly opposed her entire purpose for infiltrating the castle in the first place. She had been sent to kill him, to avenge her massacred family by ending the tyrannical Lycan bloodline once and for all. How could she betray that mission now, after coming so far?
Yet a small, treacherous part of her couldn't deny the thrill that coursed through her veins at the thought of adventure beyond the castle walls. To see more of the world she had been deprived of for so long. And perhaps, some reckless part of her whispered, to be closer to the devastatingly handsome prince who had so thoroughly captivated her from the moment they met.
Madison shook her head sharply, as if to dislodge the forbidden thoughts. She could not afford such reckless fancies, not when her life hung in the balance. Wald may have awoken strange, unbidden desires within her, but he was still the son of the man responsible for her family's slaughter. An enemy to be eliminated, not swooned over like some lovestruck maiden.
Pushing those confusing feelings aside, Madison focused on putting one foot in front of the other, allowing her body to carry her toward the servant's quarters on muscle memory alone. She would need to gather supplies for the impending journey, as well as sneak away long enough to send word to the prime ministers of her changing circumstances.
Yet maybe this surprise could help her. If she played her part well enough, it could let her get closer to the prince, learn his weaknesses, and eventually kill him when he wasn't expecting it. Catching Wald off-guard would be key to killing such a strong enemy.
Determined to make the best of this, Madison headed for the servants' quarters to pack her things and get ready for the journey. However, as she neared her tiny room, a familiar figure leaning against the wall made her blood run cold.
Crown Prince Wald stood there, arms folded across his muscular chest, watching her with those piercing eyes that seemed to see right through her. A shiver of fear went down her spine as those eyes looked her over with clear suspicion.
"Leaving already, maid?" Wald said in a low, threatening voice. "Can't have you running off before our little...expedition."
Madison swallowed hard, fighting to stay calm under his intense stare. "Of course not, my lord. I was just preparing to leave, as you ordered."
One dark eyebrow went up like he didn't believe her. "Is that so?" With a few long steps, he closed the distance between them, his powerful presence radiating an aura of dominance that made it hard to breathe. "Because it seems like you might have been planning to escape."
Fear shot through her at his thinly veiled accusation. He was too perceptive, able to sense the cracks in her act. If he hadn't already figured out her betrayal, it was only a matter of time.
Panic rose in her throat as Wald looked at her with undisguised menace. "I'd hate to have to punish you for disobedience, maid. You've been such a...cooperative little thing until now."
His broad chest was just inches away, the heat of his body surrounding and suffocating her. Madison felt herself drowning in those fathomless eyes, mesmerized like prey before a predator. She was powerless under his piercing gaze, her pulse pounding in her ears.
Then, slowly, Wald's mouth curved into a predatory smirk as he took in her parted lips, her shallow, ragged breaths. "Or maybe we could find another kind of punishment more to your...tastes."
Before she could react, he grabbed her arms and slammed her back against the wall, trapping her slender frame with his powerful body. A startled gasp escaped her as his woodsy, masculine scent overwhelmed her senses.
"You see, I find myself quite...infatuated with you, little maid," he rumbled, trailing his lips along the delicate line of her jaw. "Your fire, your spirit - it calls to me in a way I can't resist."
A violent shudder ripped through her as he nuzzled the throbbing pulse at the base of her throat. This was madness, utter insanity! He was the enemy, the man she had sworn vengeance against. And yet, her body sang with mindless need, craving his scorching touch like a starving person craves food.
"M-My lord, we can't...this is forbidden..." she whimpered, even as she arched helplessly into the hard planes of his body.
A low, rumbling chuckle made delicious vibrations through her veins. "Is it? I'm the prince - I decide what's forbidden." His large hands gripped her hips, pulling her flush against the rigid evidence of his arousal. "And right now, the only forbidden thing is denying this hunger between us."
With a desperate sound, Madison surged up and captured his lips in a searing, needful kiss. She kissed him with all the pent-up longing, the fear and confusion and undeniable lust that had been simmering beneath the surface.
For a fleeting moment, Wald froze in shock, clearly not expecting such a bold move. Then a feral growl tore from his throat as he answered her fervent kiss with savage intensity, all restraint shattering beneath the onslaught of pure, primal desire.
His hands roamed her body, scorching her through the thin dress as his mouth ravaged hers with unchecked masculine passion. Madison clung to him, reveling in the flex of hard muscle beneath her grasping fingers, the wild cadence of his heartbeat against her chest.
This was crazy, she knew, her mind a storm of denial and fearful yearning. But her body, her treacherous body, could no more resist him than the tide could resist the pull of the moon. It recognized him as its mate, its primal other half, and burned with the most fundamental of needs.
With a low, guttural snarl, Wald wrenched his lips from hers and attacked the slender column of her throat with hot, bruising kisses. "You tempting little minx," he growled against her damp skin. "You have no idea the need you awaken in me, do you?"
As if to prove his point, he ground his rigid arousal into the sensitive apex of her thighs, dragging a shameless sound from her parted lips. Madison writhed shamelessly against him, overcome by the onslaught of intoxicating sensations threatening to overwhelm her senses.
Just as she could feel her tenuous grasp on control slipping entirely, a sudden commotion from down the hall made them both freeze. Wald tore his mouth away from her skin with a muttered curse, his chest heaving rapidly. "I would love to have you in my bed tonight" he whispered.
Madison trembled at the heated promise in his tone. Every rational instinct screamed at her to refuse, to push him away and save what tattered shreds of honor still remained. But her body, her treacherous, wanting body, craved his touch with a feral intensity that burned through her veins like liquid fire.
"Yes," she heard herself whispering, throwing caution to the wind as she surrendered to the dizzying call of primal desire. "Oh gods, yes..."
With a low, triumphant growl, Wald swept her up into his powerful arms and carried her towards the prince's quarter where a night of forbidden passion awaited them both.
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