I'll be here,
Waiting and hoping,
For every long dream of you to come true.
—F. Scott Fitzgerald
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After the three rounds were completed, Eva quickly took a few steps back and headed in the direction of the door. It would be harder to discover her there since the entrance was narrow and difficult to walk through.
Eva had planned to be careful since the King was not to be underestimated. Who knew, what if he was an ace at the game and chose it, especially because of his abilities? She didn't trust him one bit in that matter.
As she leaned against the door, she saw the King walking in the direction of the glass windows. That got her brows to narrow again. Was he also tricking her as she did with him? Making her think that he was going in the opposite direction when he was going to come up and trap her?
Before Eva could start thinking of another place to move to, she saw the King switch his direction towards her. Her heartbeat quickened as she tried to slip out the entrance but he was quick to place his arms, trapping her between them so that she wouldn't run away.
How had he not hit his head while approaching? It was as if his eyes were still open and he could see everything clearly. But it was not possible! Eva had made sure to tie the blindfold tightly leaving no gap under the eyes. How had he managed to find her faster than she had?
When Eva's chest started to ache, she realized she had been holding in her breath since the man approached. Slowly, she drew in air and with it, the smell of him—smoke and spice and winter air. It filled every empty place inside her, making her want more unintentionally.
He still hadn't told her that he had caught her and somewhere, hope arose that he was still confused as to where she had gone. Quietly, Eva ducked and tried to escape from under his arms but he shocked her by trapping her once again against the wall, only this time, it was closer than before.
Did he have a special kink towards trapping women against walls? Eva believed it to be true.
How had he sensed her, she asked herself and was puzzled.
It was as if he was teasing her, playing with her body with his movements until it turned submissive to his actions.
His warm breath tickled her face and up close, she was able to fill in a few gaps in her earlier assessment of his appearance. He was beautiful in a dark way—in a way that promised heartbreak. She remembered the sight of his eyes which were now hidden behind the red blindfold. His eyes were the color of obsidian and framed by thick lashes. She had been so mystified observing his face that Eva failed to catch the small smile that vanished as quickly from his face as it had come.
"Found you," he whispered near her ear, his voice lowered and it was mesmerizing.
"What is your wish?" she asked, tired of playing cat and mouse with him. She wanted to run out the door, sit down and breathe some fresh air which did not have his scent mixed with it. Presently, all she could think of was his smell and the way his body towered over hers.
Theo let a hand fall from the wall to untie the blindfold giving Eva the chance she needed to get some space. She neared the door as he let the blindfold drop on the floor. Running a hand through his hair, he let the messy strands fall on his forehead and Eva held her breath, forgetting how to breathe for a minute.
He didn't approach her but remained where he was, at a three-step distance. It was a mistake to hold his gaze as it was quick to inflame every single part of her body from head to toe.
"Are you scared of me?"
"No." Eva blurted out before thinking twice. His lips quirked as he took a step forward and she swallowed, trying to relax.
"You are afraid."
"I am just nervous."
"Why?"
"I am not obligated to tell you," she answered back, getting annoyed. Her dress was a little heavy making it harder to breathe in the heated atmosphere.
"Stay."
Eva blinked her eyes innocently at him and a question mark rose above her head. What was he talking about?
"Stay here in the castle. By my side."
"What?" her voice came out lower than she had intended to, more like a whisper. He was not helping her while saying these words. It was making her muddled thoughts even more chaotic.
"I am not letting you go. Never again." he completed the remaining gap and stared down at her almond eyes which looked bewildered at first and then angry.
"No. That is not a fair wish!" rejected Eva, her face paling as she realized his plans all along. He had lured her into this room with the main motive of trapping her within these walls.
"You are making me your prisoner!" she spoke, leaning further into the door.
"I am not. I will give you your freedom and everything along with it. You will be given the best treatment as you stay by my side and I promise I'll let no one touch you."
Eva scoffed internally. Promise? "Promises are the sweetest lies, aren't they, Your Majesty?"
"You think I'll break your heart? Without even trusting me for a second?" he asked, hollowness emptying up his eyes.
"You have not given me a possibility to trust you. You forced me to come here to play this foolish game!"
Theo sighed and held her wrist, clasping his hand around hers. His touch was electric, and she gasped at the contact, pulling away quickly.
"I never compelled you to come here. It is true however that I would've come searching for you if you hadn't arrived. It makes me wonder that you are breaking your own promise by not respecting my simple wish."
For a second, she was distracted by the beautiful sight in front of her. Eva tried composing herself as she looked away from his face. "My family will be worried. I need to go to them."
"You do need to worry about your family." he tried his best to remain calm and explain. "I can provide them with a suitable house here in Xandria if you don't want to be away from them. You can consider it as a gift from me and not a favor to be returned later in the future."
He paused before saying the words she always wanted to hear from another man, "I could keep you safe. They're all afraid of me." and all she wanted was to be safe and in the embrace of the one she loved.
His words were bringing out all her wishes. That was what she wanted deep down. All of her problems would be solved magically. But she didn't want it to be done by the King.
Seeing her not speaking, he grew frustrated. Lowering his head down, a few strands of dark hair fell, hiding his face.
"I don't want to scare you." This made her look up at him. "I want you to be with me on your own free will. Don't deny the way your body feels, Eva." she felt her body tremble as she felt how naturally her name escaped from his lips.
His hands caressed hers gently and Eva felt her heart and body wanting to give in. To accept. To feel. To see what he had to show her.
"I am engaged to another man-" she stopped herself when she noticed his eyes getting darker as he stared into her brown orbs.
"The only person you are engaged to be is with me, and it will be better if you accept your fate sooner than later. Don't infuriate me, Birdie, it won't end up good for you."
"My family will never accept! I-"
"Oh, don't worry about that. Leon might have already informed them about our arrangement."
What!? screamed Eva inside her head and raised her hand...