Chapter 4: Breakfast Together

The following morning, I debate whether to get up or hide myself away in this nearly empty room. My body feels stiff. This bed is no better than the one I had at home, and the tension I held in my body all night, the fear and anxiety, has left me feeling worse than ever.

I jump when a knock sounds at the door. A gruff voice comes through, “Wake up. Breakfast is ready.”

A shiver runs through my body. Visions of his orange eyes fill my mind, piercing through me. I don’t want to face him. At the moment, I pull the thin blanket over my head, burrowing into the bed in the hopes that it will swallow me up and take me to a different hell.

“Should I come in?” Dominik’s voice calls again.

“No,” I call back, throwing the blanket off of me. “No, I’ll come out.”

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand up, feeling all of my bones creak and crack. My white dress is wrinkled, and no matter how many times I run my hands over it to smooth it, the creases remain. I gingerly touch my hair, feeling the tangles and knots that formed in my restlessness. Perhaps my poor appearance will cause him to abandon me.

I open the door and find him standing far too close for my comfort. His hand shoots out and I flinch, shutting my eyes tight. But when he touches me, it’s gentle, and he tucks my hair behind my ear. I peek back up at him, and he’s staring intensely at me.

“You look beautiful this morning,” he says.

“Thank you…” I whisper. His compliment causes butterflies to spring to life in my stomach. How could a man who’s so intimidating be so soft?

He pulls his hand away once more, stiffening his back. “Breakfast will get cold if we keep standing here. Come, I’ll lead you to the dining hall.”

He turns and walks down the hallway, expecting me to follow behind him. I debate going after him, or running further into the castle to look for an escape. But a growl from my empty stomach pushes me forward. I shuffle after him.

We head down the stairs and he opens a door to the left, beckoning me inside. I enter and find a grand room, with a long banquet table surrounded by chairs. The walls are decorated with tapestries, placed evenly between large windows. Glancing up, I see a chandelier with half-melted candles currently unlit.

“Our food is down here,” Dominik says, placing his hand on my elbow and leading me down to the far end of the table. There, a few dishes are set out, containing bread, cheese, and what appears to be a roast rabbit.

I move to sit down, but before I can grab hold of the chair, Dominik’s hand is already on it, pulling it out for me. I blush and settle down in it, and he pushes it back in before sitting down in his own chair. I watch as he takes a piece of bread and tears off a large chunk of it, placing one end on my plate and the other on his own.

“Did you make this all yourself?” I ask.

He reaches for the rabbit and pulls it apart, ripping one of the hind legs off and putting it in front of me. “The hare, yes,” he answers, distributing the meat on his plate. “But I bought the bread and cheese in one of the towns.”

“There are towns near here?” Perhaps there’s hope for my escape.

He chuckles. “Not very close. The one I went to is a short flight, and then a five-minute walk through the forest.”

My hope deflates. “I see,” I mutter.

His eyebrows twitch, but he says nothing more. He bites into the rabbit’s haunch, tearing off a piece and chewing it slowly. I myself pick up the fork and knife on either side of my plate and cut off a piece. I eye it suspiciously, and take a small bite. The flavor explodes and coats my mouth, a mixture of salt and spice like I’ve never tasted before.

“It’s delicious!” I say, unable to contain myself.

“I’m glad you like it,” he says. “Hares are the easiest to catch without raising suspicion, so we’ll have it often.”

“How did you get it to taste this way?”

“A few of the villages I…attend to gift me with rare spices,” he explains, tiptoeing around his terrorization. “I’ve experimented extensively with them, and I’ve found that this is the best combination.”

“You don’t have chefs?” I ask.

Stopping to think about it, I haven’t seen or heard anyone else in this castle. Last night, I assumed they were all asleep, or working too far away from my bedroom for me to hear. But even in this early morning hour, there is complete silence.

Dominik coughs, stopping to take a sip of water from the goblet to his side. “It would be far too much of a hassle,” he says. “I spend half of my time as a dragon, and having to explain that to potential workers…”

I hum and nod. “Don’t you get lonely, though?”

“Lonely?” He wrinkles his eyebrows and frowns.

We stare at each other, and it takes me a moment to realize he doesn’t understand. “Lonely,” I repeat, setting down my fork and knife. “People need to spend time with other people. Otherwise, they get…well, lonely.”

He scoffs. “I’m a dragon shifter. I’ve lived my whole life with only myself and my father.”

“You didn’t have a mother?” I ask.

His eyes darken. Suddenly, he pushes his chair away, the wood scraping loudly against the stone. I jump from the sound, flinching as he brushes past me. Without another word, he walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

I stare at the spot he once sat, the half-eaten breakfast dirtying the plate.

Chapter 5: Guilt

Ever since I was little, guilt has eaten away at my heart more than any other emotion. If I so much as stole a single cracker from the kitchen, I would be consumed with shame until I came clean. This is why I felt it necessary to follow Dominik. Something in his eyes when I asked about his mother made my heart ache for him.

But he seems to have disappeared. I walk out of the dining room to a completely empty hallway. Not even the sound of his footsteps fills the air. Where could he have gone to in such a hurry?

I didn’t hear a door close, so I assume he absconded upstairs. Climbing the staircase once more, I look down this hallway. Still no sign of him. But still I travel down the hallway, listening closely for any sounds.

At the end of the hallway, there’s a sharp turn, leading down another identical hall. I wander down this one until a door catches my eye. It’s lavishly decorated, with gold filigree climbing up from the bottom and curling around the upper corners. The doorknob glitters like a red jewel, and the wood itself is a rich brown.

Perhaps this is his room? I grab the doorknob and turn it, pushing the door open. The inside is dark, and I strain my eyes trying to make out the shape of Dominik in there.

“Dominik?” I call, stepping into the room. My hands grope against the wall, and I slowly shift my weight forward.

Suddenly my foot catches on something hard, slamming into it harder than I intended. I hiss and rear back from the pain, and at the same time there’s a clatter and what sounds like glass smashing.

“What do you think you are doing?!” a voice yells behind me. My arm is roughly grabbed and I’m yanked out of the room.

Dominik towers over me, his eyes inflamed and his face red. His grip on my arm tightens. I gasp and try to twist out of his grasp, but it only worsens his hold on me. He slams his other hand against the door, closing it and pinning me against it.

“Do not ever interfere with my personal life,” he growls, hot breath spreading across my face. “Do you understand?”

I stutter, and tears spring to my eyes, clouding my vision. His hand twists my arm and I buckle. “I understand!” I cry. “I’m sorry!”

He lets go of me, roughly pushing himself away. “Get out of my sight,” he grumbles.

I don’t hesitate. I swiftly turn and run, through the hallway, down the stairs, and out to the foyer. It’s only as I’m placing my hand against the front door that I hear him call after me. But it’s too late. The heavy wooden door creaks open, and I’m out of the castle.

I run. Despite the air struggling to fill my lungs and my tired legs shaking beneath me, I run. The woods surround me, the trees growing taller and the stony ground turning to soil. It isn’t until I come to a river that I stop. The water roars in front of me, blocking my path.

It’s then I notice I’m crying. Hot tears warm my cheeks, and I wipe them away as quickly as they fall. The rest of my skin feels cold from the biting morning air, and I can’t suppress a shiver that runs down my arms. Though my legs are stationary, my mind is still running out of control.

He was beyond angry. He was furious. As gentle as he had been before, with his soft touches and embraces, he had been just as ferocious. I reach up and touch my arm where he had gripped me, still feeling the pain of his nails biting into the skin.

Suddenly a growl sounded behind me. I turn slowly, and there stands a large wolf, haunches raised. My heart stops in my chest. I have walked out of one monster’s den and into another.

“Easy…” I stutter, raising my hands an inch at a time. The wolf growls again, taking a step forward and baring its teeth.

I step back, but the ground behind me is uneven. My ankle twists beneath me, and I fall, landing with a grunt on the ground. The wolf stops its advance and lifts its head, letting out a low howl. The woods around me begin to move, and then I see that several more wolves have joined their kin.

This is it. I try to crawl away, but pain shoots up my leg, and my hand touches the edge of the river. Either I fall prey to the wolves, or I get swept away in the rushing currents and drown. I don’t know which fate is worse, and in this moment, I can only close my eyes and pray.

At least let my death be swift. Please…