A STORY

My mind went blank and my body started trembling slightly. I could hear my heartbeat thundering in my ears. How could he possibly know?

Alexander pulled away from the back rest, leaning forward with a deadpan stare. He opened his leg slightly, trapping mine with his.

I jerked at the contact.

I fought hard for composure but the hot beads of sweat that started forming on my forehead gave me away. "I-I don't know what you're talking about about," I stammered.

A cold, knowing smile played at the corner of his lips. "You look like you do, Princess." The distaste in his voice reminded me of the day he got mad about my request to reject me.

He leaned even closer and my heart stopped. Picking up my right hand, he untangled it from my other hand, and placed it in his. His lean forefinger of his free hand traced the lines on my palm. His touch was gentle, almost teasing.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my heart that throbbed with fear. "Alexander, please..."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Please what? Please let you go?" His words dripped with mockery.

I lost my voice. Unsure of what to say.

There was no emotion in his eyes, just like that night, and this petrified me.

"When I was six years old, my mother used to tell me a story. It's a short one, but it was also my favorite," he continued his little play on my hand, with his eyes locked on mine. There was no room to even blink. "Do you want to hear it?"

I hesitated, but when his gaze darkened, I nodded weakly.

His grip on my hand tightened. "Once upon a time, in a jungle where Lion was a king, there was a cunning little fox who thought she could outsmart the lion. Because of her cunningness, the lion took a liking and decided to keep her by his side. She hated that the lion kept her for himself, so she decided to run away from him. She believed she could run and hide, but the lion always knew where she was. No matter how far she ran, no matter where she hid, the lion would always find her. And when the lion did, it showed no mercy."

I closed my eyes, exhaling shakily as his story sank in. His painful grip on my hand forced my eyes open, and I winced in pain. "Do you understand, Princess? Do you understand what happens if you try to escape from me?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Answer me, Penelope."

With a nod, "Y yes, your high- Alexander," I stuttered.

Alexander's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. His finger stopped its tracing and rested on my wrist, feeling the rapid pulse beneath the skin.

I stiffed at his movement, but my eyes followed his finger as it came back to my palm.

In the next second, his claw extended from his finger, slicing through my flesh with a swift, precise motion, leaving a thin line of blood on my palm.