When Samantha regained consciousness, she didn't move from the bed she laid on, neither did she say a word or bother to question where she was. A normal person would panic at this point after finding themselves in a strange place, but Samantha thought she was anything but normal.
She didn't panic and just kept staring at the high ceiling, counting the imaginary stars she thought she was seeing. She knew she was slowly losing her mind but who in the damn world would care???
Every nerve in her body throbbed painfully, she could barely get her limbs to move even when she tried countlessly, and her throat felt dry and patched. She hadn't eaten anything, not even a glass of water was offered to her so she could quench her thirst. She hadn't slept well for many days and now, so much has happened in her life that it was time she no longer bothered about it.
Running her fingers along the lines of her throat, Samantha's face was scrunched faintly, but one look at her gentle eyebrows and one would see they had slanted in pain.
Nothing surprised her as the sore pain from her throat intensified, and dying was also not an option, she wasn't even allowed to die. The guilt of leaving her brother behind and failing to get justice for her Father were the only thing that kept her going, even if it meant finding herself within the reach of the Vampire prince.
"How long are you going to pretend to be a statue?" That familiar deep velvety voice rang in her ear, and her eyes instinctively snapped wide. She could hear his footsteps as he approached where she laid, but before she could turn her head to see the man that spoke to her, a glass of clean sparkling water was stretched to her face for her to see. If she hadn't stopped in her movement, she would have knocked the glass off.
"Sit up and drink this." His emotionless voice made Samantha look away from the glass to meet the face of Ivan. He still held the glass of water, patiently waiting for her to take it from his grip.
Meeting those red orbs, Samantha felt a shiver run down her spine, not just from the coldness of his voice, but from the way he looked at her. She couldn't tell if he was angry, annoyed or something else entirely.
Averting her gaze, she grabbed onto the bed sheet and tried to pull herself up into a sitting position. She let out a soft painful hiss, but still tried to sit up anyways as she couldn't afford to get too comfortable.
Receiving the glass of water from Ivan with her shaky hands, the young Prince suddenly withdrew his hand, taking it away from her reach. The look he gave her made her feel anything but peaceful. What was his problem now?
"Open your mouth." He ordered, but Samantha blinked like she didn't understand the English he was speaking.
"Open. your. mouth." He said it again, but slowly, and this time, Samantha's pink dried lips parted. She wasn't sure what he wanted to do but she knew she had to listen to avoid incurring his wrath. To her surprise, he lowered the glass cup to her parted lips and tried to assist her in drinking the content.
Feeling the refreshing liquid go down her extremely dried throat, Samantha couldn't hold back a cough as it had been a long time since she drank water, and Ivan pulled the cup back when he took her distress into consideration.
"How long did you stay without water?" He asked, patiently waiting for her to calm first, but Samantha wasn't given the chance to respond when he returned the cup to her lips, making her drink the water till she left the cup empty.
Placing the cup on the silver tray that was kept at the side table, Samantha's tired eyes followed it till she noticed the varieties of fresh fruits that were placed on it.
Are those for….. her as well??
Samantha licked her lips before looking at Ivan who hadn't taken notice of the hunger in her eyes, or maybe he did and was ignoring it.
Her body still felt incredibly weak, but why would Ivan feed her with his own hands again? He called her a peasant, but kept treating her in a way a peasant would certainly wish to be treated, and that is the least kind of treatment Samantha expected from him.
It didn't come to her notice at first, but when Samantha looked at her bare hands, it was clean and spotless.
"H…..huh?" Stretching her hands forward, Samantha noticed the hands that were stained with dirt and blood were now clean. It made her aware of how much she had hurt herself when the tiny cuts around her fingers and nails became more visible, and her hands were anything but attractive at this point.
Taking the bed into notice, Samantha's eyes widened when the bed she lay in was massive, with silky pillows and sheets the color of midnight. She reached out to touch the soft fabric of the quilt before removing it from her body, and her face drained of all colors when all parts of her body looked incredibly clean, like someone had bathed and dressed her up while she was unconscious.
Samantha didn't look aghast because of how clean she looked, her befuddled mind had her thinking about who had cleaned her up.
Did he…..?
Hugging herself, a shocking gasp left her lips, and she looked at the vampire with pure disbelief in her eyes. Ivan already knew what had her worked up, and how she kept her distance despite not taking even a step near her irked him up.
"You should thank me."
"You said you wouldn't touch me!" Samantha eyed him visibly, uttering silent curses through her teeth, and Ivan, who really couldn't guess how much audacity his little lamb had in her, took a step forward towards the bed, and he noticed her body flinch in retreat.
When he tried to get on the bed, Samantha immediately grabbed a knife from the other side table and pointed it threateningly at Ivan. He was really a psychopath like most people said, a mad man that needed therapy, unfortunately she's stuck with someone like him.
"Don't come near me, keep your distance!" She warned, and he paused.
"A knife?" The corner of Ivan's lips slanted up, "are you trying to flirt with me?"
"What?"
A slight chuckle rumbled in his chest, and before Samantha knew it, he grabbed both her feet and pulled her down to him. Samantha couldn't stab him on time due to his quick-witted movements, and before she knew it, he pinned both her hands at either side of her head. Her legs were spread apart and he rested in the middle, hovering above her.
"You have to think of something better than a knife, little lamb." He took the knife from her grip and trapped both her wrist with one hand above her head. "I'm trying to nurture you back to health, but you're a wild one that refuses to be tamed."
"You killed my Father!"
"And you will join him if you don't behave."
As he spoke in a voice that sounded painfully erotic, he traced the edge of the blade down her throat. "Do not take my leniency for play, I will punish you if you don't get your acts together. Telling me not to touch you isn't a decision you need to make, little lamb, I own you, so that is my decision."
Samantha's breath hitched when he placed the sharp edge to the hollow of her neck. "I will touch you if I see fit, and if you try to get on my nerves again, my hands could slip, and I may just…" he hissed out when a knock on his room door interrupted him.
"My Lord."
"Come in."
Samantha's eyes widened when the door opened and the master butler stepped in. The position she found herself in with Ivan wasn't a sight she wanted anyone to see, but looking at Ivan and the satisfaction on his face, she knew he did it on purpose to spite her.
"What is it, Gustav?" Ivan asked without looking away from Samantha's stare, and the dazed butler who wasn't expecting to find his Highness intimately busy, cleared his throat and looked away.
"My Lord, your presence is requested at the Queen Mother's chamber."
"Tell her I'm busy."
"She… she says it's urgent, My Lord."
A wicked devastatingly charming smile found its way to Ivan's lips. "Isn't it your lucky day? We're not done with this conversation." He pulled the knife away and freed Samantha from his clutches.
"I'll be there in two minutes."
"Of course, My Lord." The butler bowed his head once again and exited the room. Ivan got down from the bed and opened his drawer. He took out handcuffs and grabbed Samantha's left wrist.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure I find you when I return." He handcuffed her left hand to the bedpost. "I still need to tame you."
"Release me!!"
"No." He clipped and kept the key in his pocket. "Finish the fruits before I get back, I'll send someone to bring you proper food later, cause tonight, we're going to have a long talk."
"What exactly do you want from me??" Samantha couldn't deny the fact he was leaving her the more confused, but her question made him turn around to look at her.
Without saying a word, he ran his gloved fingers through her soft golden-blonde hair, but Samantha flinched from his touch.
"Patience, little lamb." Was all he said before he turned back and stepped out of the room.
"Who the hell does he think he is?!!" Samantha tried to free her wrist from the handcuffs, but it was of no use.
"Somebody! Help me!!"