Henry had caught me and had tossed me over his shoulder and dragged me back to Dante’s quarters. Miserably I sat in the by the fire in the bedroom under lock and key anxiously waiting for my husband’s return. Staring into the flames I contemplated my next escape plan. Peering up the chimney I wondered if it was possible for me to squeeze up it like my so called brother. The chute was not wide enough and when I thought about it, if I did escape out of the castle where the hell would I go? My world was connected to this world by a pool inside the castle. This is where I needed to be.

My ring burned uncomfortable and I heard the sound of brisk footsteps coming towards the bedroom door. I held my breath in anticipation as the door handle turned and Dante stepped through the threshold. His eyes were hard, his expression was hard, even his mouth was hard. There was no softness or empathy in his face only pure anger at my defiance.

I wanted to shrink into nothingness so I didn’t have to face what I suspected was Dante’s foul temper. He stared at me for a good few long moments just to make the tension between us really uncomfortable. My mind told me to submissively lower my gaze to the floor like I did as a child when my parents told me off but my heart told me to stare back twice as hard and hold my ground. This man deserved my contempt. He must be suffering from delusions if he thought he could force a girl into marriage and expect her to go along with the marriage willingly.

“You deserve nothing short of the most severe punishment for assaulting a royal prince,” Dante said darkly. “But as you are my wife I will overlook this incident as a lapse of better judgement.”

“Don’t think that was the last time,” I snapped. “I have no intention of giving up my freedom.”

Dante’s expression went vacant. I guess he thought I was going to be grateful for his generous pardon and impressed by his clemency. Standing up I faced him and said clearly,

“I will fight to be free again.”

Dante mockingly gave a little round of applause, “Very inspiring Ebony. I admire you’re idiotic courage.”

“Don’t patronise me.” No sooner had those words rolled off my tongue Dante was there in my face grabbing my shoulders with hands trembling with rage. He moved so fast I didn’t have time to take a step back or evade his grip and when he had me, those eyes stopped me from wanting to break free and run. It was like being hypnotized.

“Such a brave girl,” Dante spat, “A very brave and stupid girl to think you could ever escape me.”

His face leaned into mine until our noses were almost touching. The tension between us had turned into something else I had never felt before. It was excitement, fear, adreanaline- I don’t know how to describe it properly but my heart felt like it was going to explode. My eyes floated down to his lips and for a crazy moment I thought about kissing him. Blinking I suddenly pulled out of his grip. What the hell was wrong with me?

“You did something back there to me. Didn’t you?” I yelled angrily at Dante.

“What the hell are you talking about!”

“Back there, when you were staring at me you hypnotized me.”

“Why the hell would I hypnotize you!”

“To try and get me to kiss you.” I almost cried.

Dante suddenly paused. The anger he had been radiating seconds earlier left him. He stared now at me with superior confidence and a slight smirk. Folding his arms across his chest he replied,

“Vampires cannot hypnotise people.”

“You’re lying.” I snapped.

Dante smoothed his hair with one palm and casually asked,

“So you were actually thinking about really kissing me for a moment back there.”

“It was a lapse of my better judgement.”

“I knew you wanted to kiss me really.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Well, I certainly feel in a better mood right now.” Dante smiled sitting on the bed opposite me.

The embarrassment was too much too bear. I covered my eyes with my hands and prayed that the floor would swallow me whole. At least the ring around my finger had stopped burning.

“Ebony, don’t be ashamed, it is natural to want to be intimate with your husband.” Dante called to me.

“You’re not my husband- you’re are some psycho vamp that I met hours ago. I shouldn’t have these kind of thoughts about a complete stranger.”

“Deep inside you, locked away in your soul, you know I am your husband, Ebony don’t fight it.” He whispered.