Red

The cool air crept across my exposed skin as the grass shivered around me.

Ivar snorted in the distance while continuing his daily grazing.

The predator that laid stretched out next to me released a deep breath but didn't stir from his sleep.

It has nearly been a month since the bastard feline was injured and he has yet to show his true form. There were still times that I doubted Ezekiel's words. That was until the bastard shifter did something that was more human than animal - like huffing a laugh whenever I make a mistake or watching my every move with those intelligent eyes.

If I wasn't self-conscious about my every move before, I certainly was now thanks to the predator that was determined to study my every breath.

I have managed to avoid Ezekiel to the best of my ability and to my surprise, he hasn't found his way into my bed at night for the past month.

He seems to be avoiding me too, as I have yet to be assigned another errand. Whether it be his way of punishing me for my lack of respect for his authority or just because he is a bastard, I have yet to decide.

So for the past month, it has been a nice break.

I haven't been back to the castle yet. Between monitoring MKs health for the first two weeks and actively avoiding the bastard prince that put me in this situation in the first place, I have been quite busy on my break.

Today was like every other day for the past month. Ivar and I rode out to our spot and if MK was feeling up to it, he would join us. Which was every single day as it appears the shifter is very stubborn and may have some attachment issues.

Another chilly breeze kissed me and I repressed a shiver. The cold season was coming which meant the long days spent out here were coming to an end.

The feline beside me grunted a sigh before lazily rolling to his side, so now his back pressed against my thigh. I resisted the urge to run a hand through his coat, instead choosing to scoff at the shifter.

"I find it hard to believe that you are still too weak to shift, you bastard," I rolled my eyes at the exasperated look the predator gave me before putting his head back down and stretching out again.

"With your temper, I don't blame the poor thing," A masculine voice snapped my attention to the forest behind me.

The one and only charming prince sauntered out of the treeline and into the clearing.

"What could you possibly want," I snarled at the male.

His shiny black boots stopped beside me and he gracefully fell into a seated position next to me. He stretched one leg out and cocked his other leg, even going as far as to rest his forearm on his bent knee.

His purple jacket fluttered around him as he sat and his black leather pants molded to his pose.

That's what he was doing. He was posing, probably in hopes of appearing relaxed and unalarming. However, the hitch in his breath that happened when he sat next to me gave away his nerves.

"So this is where you run off to every day, Roisin?" Niles said by way of greeting.

The prince made a show of stretching next to me, placing his hands on the ground behind him and leaning back. Not a sliver of pain rippled through his body.

It would seem that his heritage has gifted him with self-healing, I thought to myself when his black shirt lifted with his movement and briefly flashed his muscled stomach that showed zero signs of scarring.

"You are welcome to lift it to check for yourself," He said nonchalantly though his silver eyes remained on my horse in the distance.

I nearly scoffed at his arrogance and instead followed his gaze.

"That must be the famous black stallion that I have heard whispers of on the streets," The prince thought out loud. "I should've known he was yours."

As if Ivar heard his words, he lifted his head and gave the prince a quick glance before resuming his grazing.

The male's gaze shifted to the predator at my right who hadn't even bothered to acknowledge the prince's arrival. "I wanted to apologize for what happened to your companion," the Prince confessed out of nowhere.

"It wasn't until recently that I learned about the events that unfolded on that day," he sounded sincere as he spoke. His silver eyes scanned over MK before they shifted to me.

A small tug at his lips gave away his thoughts while those observant eyes studied my boots, my leathered pants, and my loose white shirt that nearly hung off my shoulder before they finally reached my face.

"I heard you gave my personal guard a run for his money," His smug smile returned when I rolled my eyes. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

"Your personal guard is over-dramatic," I muttered under my breath but his keen ears didn't miss a word.

A chuckle shook his covered shoulders and a strand of his black hair fell from the band that struggled to hold it back.

A beam of light caught my attention and drew it towards the jewelry that decorated his ear. The diamonds that lined the edge of his ear were captivating.

"I would be inclined to agree with you, but I fear that he may catch word of my betrayal in the wind. And unlike you, I am not searching for a duel every day," The Prince admitted.

A prince that didn't enjoy bloodshed? What an anomaly.

I nearly chuckled when I caught the prince studying the dagger that was embedded in the ground at my feet. I tried to catch a hitch in his breath or maybe a shift in his posture that announced his discomfort or nerves but was unable to find signs.

The Prince could be hard to read when he wanted to be.

Even when he reached into a pocket on the inside of his jacket and handed me the dagger that I had embedded in his stomach nearly a month ago.

"I believe this is yours," He said simply.

I couldn't help but stare skeptically at the male as my brain searched for a reason. Why was he here? Why was he giving me back the dagger that I had injured him with? Why was he comfortable around me?

The male shifted beside me as he got comfortable again before speaking. "You know, I find myself wondering who took your words from you. I know there are questions rattling around that beautiful head of yours, but you refuse to voice them," He wondered out loud again. "Who told you that your words aren't important and replaced them with those observational eyes that convey so much and so little at a whim?"

"Who told you to voice every fucking thought that crosses the flesh that you call a brain?" I bit out at the prince.

The flash of emotion that disappeared quickly in his silver eyes told me that he wasn't unaffected by my words. A smile replaces the contemplative look that previously crossed his face.

"Most people may fall for that cold front, but I see so much more in you. So much that you try to hide." The prince said while gracefully getting up. "I look forward to running into you again, Roisin."

His footsteps eventually disappeared in the distance and I found my attention focusing on the dagger that he had stuck in the ground next to the other one.

Why the fuck have I not killed that bastard yet? Why did I not kill him when I had a chance? Why did I allow him to see me - the real me?

~~~~~~

Thank you for reading Chapter 17. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the long wait. To say I've been busy would be an understatement. Thanks for sticking around this long. Comments and Feedback make me happy.