Chapter 20: Chapter 20

ANNA

I head straight to bed. I’m so mad at him, I keep on tossing and turning. Sleep just won’t come.

~I can’t wait to never see him again, to be far away from him. He thinks he owns everyone. Ugh. To think I actually started to like him.~

I lie there for what feels like hours before I’ve had enough. I jump out of bed and go fill the enormous tub with hot water and lots of bubbles. I am just sliding in when there’s a knock on the door.

~I swear, if that’s Roland I’ll kick his ass~.

Grabbing a towel, I storm to the door.

“What?”

Lev stands there with a frown on his forehead.

“Morning to you too. We are leaving soon.” He clears his throat uncomfortably. “You should probably get dressed.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m not leaving today. So, goodbye then.”

Flashing him a sweet smile, I shut the door.

“Roland will not like that!” he shouts.

~See if I care~.

I stroll back to the bath and slide back in.

~Aah. This is all I need.~

I hear my bedroom door swing open.

“Anna!”

~What the hell?~

Roland is in my room. I can hear he’s angry.

He storms into the bathroom.

“What the hell?” I shout at him.

His eyes are blood red.

“Why do you keep on defying me?” He stares me down.

“I told you, I’m not leaving today! Now get the hell out!” I feel my blood boiling.

“I will give you two minutes. Then I’ll come back in and carry you out.”

He walks out and slams the door shut.

“Asshole!” I slide underwater, enjoying the warmth of it, scrubbing my hair. I come up for air and open my eyes—and look into blood-red, furious pools of death.

Roland is standing there waiting for me. His breathing is unsteady, jaw clenched. He is holding a towel.

“I told you I’m not leaving.” I try my best to stay calm.

He leans down, placing his hands on the tub.

“You are leaving, with me, today,” he says through his teeth.

I narrow my eyes at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

~I swear, I’ll scream if he lays a hand on me today.~

His whole expression changes like he is enjoying this. He smirks.

“Oh, baby, yes I will.”

He grabs my arms and pulls me out of the tub.

~“Roland!”~

He swings the towel around me and throws me over his shoulder. I’m screaming and kicking, but no one comes to my rescue.

He drops me on the bed with a devilish grin on his face that has me clawing the towel tight around my wet, naked body.

“How ~dare~ you!” I shout at him.

He stands, scanning my body.

“Now get dressed.” He turns his back to me.

“You can’t be serious. Get out!”

He shakes his head. “I’ll wait right here.”

~No way I’m dropping this towel to dress with him in the room.~

I calm myself, taking in a few deep breaths.

“Roland, please get out so I can get dressed.”

He turns to face me and smirks even wider.

“Nope. I think I’ll stay.”

~Well, I have three choices here. I can ignore him and get dressed, or I can stay in the towel and try to reason with him, or I can lock myself in the bathroom.~

~I think option three will give me the advantage I need, and he won’t expect it.~

“Well then.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Seems we have a problem here.”

A small smile creeps across my face as I stand up.

“Oh, and what would the problem be?” he asks, licking his lips.

I walk past him and grab my clothes.

“You won’t leave and I need to get dressed.” I pick up my shoes from the floor. “Oh, and you need to leave today, without me.”

His smile vanishes, and he lets out a soft growl.

“Anna, you ~will~ come with me.”

“I will do no such thing.” I flash him a bright smile and slam the bathroom door shut, locking it.

“Anna!” He hammers on the door.

“I told you, I’m not leaving!” I pull on my clothes as fast as possible.

“You think a door will stop me?”

~Well, I hope so. It sounds like he’s going to kill me.~

He breaks the door open and barrels into the room. He looks dangerous. I can see his canines pushing past his lips.

He pushes me to the wall, caging me in, breathing heavily.

I’m scared shitless. My whole body is shaking, and a tear even escapes my eyes. I keep my gaze off this monster of a man.

“Roland, please, you’re scaring me,” I whisper, and let out a soft sob.

~“Fuck!”~ he shouts, and slams a hole in the wall beside my head. Then he pivots and storms out of the bathroom.

I slide down to the floor, pulling my legs to my chest, calming myself.

Amethyst comes flying in.

“Anna! Are you okay?” She falls to her knees beside me and begins to rub my back gently.

“I’m fine. Roland?” I ask in a whisper. I can hear the heartbreak in my voice.

“He went tearing out of the castle in his Lycan form. Lev followed him. Come, let’s get you up.” She pulls me up with her and pushes my hair out of my face.

“Thanks.” My voice is still a bit shaky. I look down and fix my clothes.

“Let’s get you something to eat.”

We make our way to the dining room. She grabs us some food, pointing to the patio. I go to a table outside and plant myself on a chair.

“Where are they?” I ask as she sits down. I look over to the woods, not seeing anyone.

“He needs some space now, to cool off,” Amethyst says as she takes a bite out of her apple.

“So what is the danger?”

“Well, that’s just it. I have no clue. That is also why I’ll be leaving soon. I need to pay a visit to an old friend. He will be able to clarify my vision and the feeling eating me up inside.”

She places her hand on my arm. “Anna, I’m not joking, nor will I ever lie to you. Something’s coming, something big, and you’ll need Roland. Please try to make him listen.”

“Can I come with you?”

She shakes her head. “I’m afraid not. You need to wait here for me. Promise me you’ll wait?”

“I promise. When will you leave?”

“As soon as Lev returns. I can’t leave you alone—you’ll destroy this whole place.” She winks at me, and I let out a soft chuckle.

We sit in silence, finishing our meals.

~What is it that scares her so much?~

At last, Lev comes strolling out of the woods. Roland is not with him.

“Morning, ladies.”

I give him a nod, chewing my food, and keep on looking back to the woods.

Lev and Amethyst start talking. She tells him where she is going and about her vision.

~Where could he have gone? Why would Lev just leave him all alone?~

I’m deep in thought when Lev breaks through to me.

“Anna, he will come back when he is ready.”

“Huh?”

Both just smile at me.

“Well, I need to get going. Please stay safe.” Amethyst stands and hugs me, then places a soft kiss on Lev’s cheek. “Take care of her.”

She flashes me a smile before disappearing into the castle.

“Lev?”

“Yes?” He looks deep in thought.

“Will he be okay?”

“He’ll be fine. Just give him a break every once in a while.”

I narrow my eyes at him.

“~Me~ give ~him~ a break? He wouldn’t even listen to Amethyst. He is so stubborn.” I pout and fold my arms.

“He has a lot on his mind at the moment. Normally he would have listened to her, but with his father naming him the successor and not his half brother, there’s a lot of people after his blood.

“He is the bastard child, so they don’t see him as the rightful king—and then you show up.” He shakes his head.

“It’s not like I wanted to come here.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Roland appearing out of the woods.

“I need to talk to him.” I jump up from my seat and rush down the patio.

“Anna, wait!” Lev says as I pass him. Ignoring his warning, I start to almost sprint toward Roland.

There is blood on him, on his chest, his arms.

~Shit.~ I break into a run.

“Stop!”

His word hits me like a brick wall. I freeze in my tracks, staring at him.

“Are you okay?” I ask in a soft voice.

He nods in response.

“Fuck, what happened to you?” Lev passes me and hurries to Roland.

“I ran into some demons.”

The two walk together toward the castle. Roland doesn’t even look at me as they go by.

“Demons, on fae land? Why?” Lev sounds shocked.

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”

I follow them, keeping my distance. Lev looks over his shoulder at me and gives me a sympathetic smile.

Roland stops just outside the castle doors.

“Tell the king and the prince I’ll see them in the throne room in five minutes.”

Lev nods and heads inside.

“Anna,” he says in his demanding voice.

I gulp and go to him.

“You will stay close to Trixie. She’ll be here in the afternoon. You’ll be sharing your room with her, and you will not wander off. We’ll be staying here till I say we leave. Do you understand?”

His eyes are dark and emotionless.

“I understand,” I answer in a whisper.

“Good.” He turns and heads in.

I look back to the woods.

~Will Amethyst be okay out there with those demons?~

~There’s nothing I can do about it.~

I go inside. Roland is waiting by the stairs, his back turned to me. I see there is still blood oozing from some of his wounds. Without any hesitation, I place my hand on his back.

He spins around, narrowing his eyes at me.

“What are you doing?” he asks in a low voice.

“I’m trying to help you. You need to clean those wounds.” I look into his emotionless eyes.

“I’ll heal,” he says, and starts to walk to the throne room.

“Roland!”

He looks at me and growls. I ignore it and place my hand on his arm.

“Please let me help you.”

“I need to go speak to the king.”

He turns and walks away, leaving me standing there alone.

I stroll back to my room, feeling sad and alone.

~Amethyst is gone, Lev is occupied, and Roland? He despises me.~

I fall down on my bed, the loneliness consumes me and tears flow from my eyes. Darkness starts to take over as my eyelids get heavy, and I fall asleep.

***

“Anna?” Lev gently shakes me awake.

I slowly open my eyes and stretch out my muscles.

“Trixie is here and Roland wants you to come down and meet her.”

I roll onto my stomach. “Later,” I mumble into my pillow.

Lev starts to laugh, “Sleepyhead. I’ll carry you down, if you would like?”

I pick up my head and glare at him. “Fine.”

I jump from the bed, pull on my shoes, and storm out of the room.

“Anna, slow down!” Lev grabs me by the arm. “There is one thing you should know. Trixie and Roland—”

I cut him off mid-sentence.

“I really don’t care. I just want to go back to bed.”

We walk in silence to the throne room.

Trixie—I assume it is Trixie—is sitting on Roland’s lap, placing soft kisses on his neck.

I feel it like a blow to my stomach. All the air leaves me, and my heart shatters into thousands of pieces.

Lev grabs me by the elbow, steadying me. “Be strong, Anna,” he whispers into my ear, and gently pushes me forward.

Roland’s gaze falls on me. His eyes are black pools of death. There is not even a small smile on his face, and Trixie’s kisses don’t seem to affect him. He pushes her off his lap and stands.

“Trix, this is Annabeth.”

Trixie looks me over and smirks. She is a beautiful, strong woman. She has golden blonde hair, dark green eyes, flawless skin, and the build of a warrior. She is much taller than me.

~I don’t think we’re going to be friends. We’ll be frenemies.~

Lev stares at her, emotionless. Roland sits back down and starts to talk to the king.

“Hi. Nice to meet you, Trix.” I smile a fake smile. “Roland, if that is all, I’ll be in my room, sleeping.”

I walk out with Trix following me.

“Hey, miss, I don’t want to sit in the room all day and watch you sleep,” she whines.

I roll my eyes and spin on my heels to face her.

“Then don’t. Go play fetch.”

I walk back to my room and slam the door shut, locking it behind me.

~This is bullshit. Now his trashy girlfriend is my babysitter. Why do I even need one?~

~I wish Amethyst were here. She’d just set that bitch on fire.~

I fall down on my bed, cuddling my pillow.

***

“Ugh!”

Even I can’t sleep anymore. I throw the pillow at the door and jump out of my bed.

~Okay. Shower. Maybe that will make me feel better.~

Turning on the water, I strip down and step in. I place my hands on the wall to steady myself.

~I’m so frustrated and tired.~

I stand there for a few minutes as the water washes over my skin, breathing deeply.

There’s a knock on the door.

“Anna?” It’s Lev.

I put on my clothes and open the door.

“Hey, brought you some dinner.” He hands me a plate.

“Thanks. Do you want to come in?”

He shakes his head, looking worried. “Can’t. I need to get back to Roland.”

“What’s up? Is he okay?”

He scratches his neck and a sheepish smile creeps onto his face.

“The cuts on his back aren’t healing, and I was wondering if you would take a look. He can’t know I asked you.”

I shake my head.

“Please, Anna.”

~Why can’t Trixie just lick it clean and play doctor with him? I’ll bet he would love that.~

Lev gives me his puppy dog eyes.

“Okay, but you keep Trixie away from me.”

He nods and smiles at me.

I place the food on my bedside table and grab some supplies from the backpack Collen gave me. He thought of almost everything, including a first aid kit.

~This will have to do.~

“Where is he?”

“He in the throne room, planning our defenses.”

I look at Lev with a smirk on my face. “Okay. Will I catch someone else on his lap?”

He starts to laugh. “No, he’s alone this time.”

At the throne room, Lev stops at the door. “Good luck,” he says, and walks away, leaving me to face the music on my own.

Roland is standing at a table, leaning over a map, deep in thought.

I can see the wound looks infected. It’s not healing as fast as the others, which are already almost closed.

~Werewolf healing, I guess.~

I take a deep breath and clutch the first aid kit tight in my hand—and stand there at the door, frozen.

~Okay, Anna, move. He’s just a patient.~

I slowly cross the room and I clear my throat when I reach him.

He looks at me from under his brows, and then at the kit.

“The wound on your back isn’t healing. I’m here to help you.”

He narrows his eyes at me.

“Please, Roland, Let me just check it at least,” I say in a soft, tender voice.

He lets out a sigh and nods. I place the kit on the table and open it while he sits on a chair, straddling it with his arms folded and his head resting on them.

I snap on a pair of gloves, lift his shirt, and look at the wound.

~Nasty.~

“It’s infected. I need to clean it.” I carefully wipe it off with alcohol pads, then dab on some antiseptic ointment.

“I’ll need to stitch it up.”

He shakes his head. “Just bandage it. It will be healed by tomorrow.”

~He thinks he knows it all.~

I grab some cotton gauze, slap it on, and tape it down roughly.

He looks at me, jaws clenched.

“Did you have to do that?”

I slam the kit shut.

“Just ask Trixie to kiss it better. Oh, and she will need to replace the bandage in the morning, ~doctor~.” I grab the kit and stomp to the door.

Roland jumps up and grabs my hand.

“Let me go!”

He pulls me back to him effortlessly. “What is your problem?” he shouts.

I rip my hand from his grip. “Nothing!”

“Fine. If you want to go, then leave!” He stalks back to the map table.

I run upstairs, throw the kit in my bag, swing it over my shoulder, and storm out of my bedroom.

Lev comes running and grabs my bag.

“Anna, wait. What are you doing?”

I feel the tears flowing down my cheeks.

“I’m done.” I look at him through my tearing eyes.

“I know he’s a dick, but please, Anna, it’s not safe.” Lev looks concerned.

“I need to get home. Please tell Amethyst I’m sorry.”

I rip my bag from his hand and run downstairs, straight out the castle’s door.