Princessa pov
My eyes fluttered open as the weight at my back shifted and Rafael's arm drifted off my waist. Feeling like I'd slept forever, I rolled to my back as slowly as possible.
As my head turned to look at him, I half expected to find the shock of his eyes meeting mine..Instead his remained closed, his breathing even as he slept.
The shards of glass he'd left on the nightstand still remained, and I wondered at the level of trust he placed in me by sleeping soundly with a weapon so close by.
The smart choice would be to stab him while he slept. To rid the world of a monster and escape him once and for all.
But I proved I'd never been smart when I turned my gaze away from the glass, unable to even consider the reality of killing him. As horrible as he was, a world without Rafael in it seemed… Empty.
Even if we weren't together, I didn't want to exist in a world where his overwhelming presence didn't exist. Where I didn't think back to Ibiza and wonder if I'd see him if I returned.
He'd made doing that impossible. But that didn't mean I could kill him and the fantasy of it all at once.
Instead, I sat up in bed slowly. Swinging my legs over the side, I stood on the hardwood floor and ignored the pain making my feet throb.
Keeping my eyes on him as I backed away from the bed, I didn't make the same mistake I'd made the first time I tried to sneak out in the night.
I didn't waste time grabbing shoes, just moved straight for the door and turned the knob slowly.
Keeping my body as relaxed as I could, I pulled it open and stepped into the doorway just as the bed creaked behind me and I froze solid.
"Are you going somewhere, Princesa?"
he asked, echoing the same words he'd spoken what felt like a lifetime ago. With my heart in my chest, I turned my head to look back at him.
Sitting on the bed with his feet on the floor, with his hands curled around the edges of the mattress violently as he studied me. With his face tilted down in the shadows of the night, all I saw was the vividness of his eyes as he watched me.
Like a panther staring out from the darkness, daring his prey to play a game with him.
I turned and ran down the hallway, nearly stumbling over my own feet in my panic to escape him. The house was enormous, a maze of hallways that I had to navigate.
City blocks with chess pieces flashed in my mind, driving me forward. Rafael followed me, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black silk pajama bottoms as he walked quickly to keep up.
But there was no stress on his face. Only confidence, and the realization made me stumble as I emerged from the labyrinth of back hallways to a main room. There was a kitchen and a dining room, and an enormous living area.
The door loomed at the front of the house, calling to me as I sprinted across the open space.
My bare feet slapped against the wood floors, sounding too loud in the silence of the night.
When I grabbed the doorknob in my hand and turned it frantically, I dared a glance back at Rafael as he walked toward me.
He stopped in the middle of the room, tilting his head to the side as I fumbled with the locks.
"Remember what happens when I catch you, Princesa,"
he murmured, the words striking me across the distance between us.
When the lock finally turned, I pulled the door open and sprinted into the night, despite the terror that built in my body from his words.
His warning that day at the waterfall echoed in my head, the question of what he would do loud and clear as I ran through the pavilion at the front of the house.
There wasn't a person in sight as I raced down the hill, the pavement tearing open the wounds on my feet as the bandages slipped free.
The driveway took me down a hill, making me stumble as I tried to slow my pace and not land on my face.
Still, he followed behind me at his brisk walk. His features stayed calm, his arrogance making me feel more panicked.
He knew something I didn't know, and whatever it was, I was left with the distinct impression I'd walked right into a trap.
"Somebody help me!"
I screamed, the sound fading into the night when nobody returned my plea. I kept running, turning right on the road at the bottom of the driveway.
I ran, and I ran, and then I ran some more, until fatigue threatened to overtake me.
Until Rafael's presence at my back became a certainty that he would catch me, whereas before I'd had a distant hope.
Just as my body sagged and desolation threatened to claim me, I stumbled into a village where people lurked outside despite the late hour.
They drank in groups, celebrating among themselves as I burst into the streets between their houses. "Help," I gasped, laying my hands on my knees as I tried to breathe.
"He's chasing me Please," I begged.
Hope bloomed in my chest even as I struggled not to collapse to the ground in the middle of the street. People meant safety, but a glance back at Rafael confirmed he just stared at me intently.
Never breaking his fixation on me or bothering to hide his presence for fear of the repercussions.
"El Diablo,"
the people around us murmured oddly, bowing their heads with a glance at Rafael.
I knew I'd heard the words before, but as I pressed onward to find someone who would help me, I couldn't stop to think about them. Nobody moved to help me, only turning their attention to where
Rafael hovered at my back, his face menacing and cruel as he watched me beg for help.
One woman stepped up to him, turning her eyes to me worriedly as she spoke to him in Spanish.
He shook his head, and she ducked into her home and left me to my fate. I choked back a sob as true helplessness claimed me, turning and sprinting up the hill that the town street climbed up.
"Please!" I screamed with a broken sob, waiting for someone to help me.
But as I reached the end of the town, everyone disappeared inside their homes and abandoned me to Rafael's fate. I stumbled, my bloodied feet slipping along the stone.
I pushed myself up and continued up the hill, until the little town was lost to the darkness behind me and there was only the night and trees to either side of the road.
It turned to dirt, fading into a space with nothing surrounding it as I climbed as quickly as I could.
When I reached the top of the hill, I stopped, staring around in horror.
From the tallest vantage point, I remembered what Rafael had told me about living on a remote island.
I'd thought the words a lie, assumed it was just another one of many he'd told me in our time together. Instead, I stared out at the darkness of the Mediterranean as I spun.
There was nothing. Just nothing but the water to surround us.
The small town below was lit with lights and Rafael's home illuminated another part of the island just below where I stood.
I could make out the pool in the back and realized I'd have saved myself a lot of time and running if I'd just gone out the back door.
There was just nothing, and the people who lived here weren't inclined to help me.
They were determined to obey Rafael and leave me to my fate. I turned to face him as he strolled up and over the crest .
I turned to face him as he strolled up and over the crest of the hilltop, his cold face appearing as his eyes landed on mine.
My heart stalled in my chest, because I knew what came next. And there was nowhere left to run.