Page 62 of Hateful Prince

“Oh, dear. Caspian, you’re a junkie, and she’s your drug of choice,” I murmured to myself. Though I suppose given the alternatives, she was at least a healthy addiction. If there was such a thing.

An electric current of anticipation raced down my spine as I watched her move through the crowd of people gathering for lunch. She was wearing my bracelet, displaying the leather proudly and with abandon. A not-so-secret message just for me. This was it. The solution to my problem. Captain Hook was always at his best when he had a mission to execute or, more specifically, a treasure to claim. And Dahlia was nothing if not the ultimate treasure. The plume in my rather extraordinary hat.

Where the bloody hell was my hat, by the by?

The sliding of my thoughts was all the warning I needed that Dahlia was on the move. She was a bit of a divining rod these days, her presence holding the madness at bay, keeping me whole—or as whole as I was capable of in this realm. My ability to retain my sanity on my own was greatly diminished. I was barely able to make it a few seconds without her in my sights anymore before the tick, tick, bloody ticking returned.

She wanted me. That was enough for me to use as a touchstone. Something to hold on to and look forward to. But first, a few provisions were required. My girl wanted me to do bad things to her.

And who better to do the very best bad things than Captain Fucking Hook?

Tick

Tick

Tick

My eye twitched in time with the incessant ticking, and it took biting down so hard on the inside of my cheek that I drew blood to keep me from using my dagger to stab myself in the ear. It had taken longer than expected to gather my supplies and hunt down my quarry. The resulting distance from Dahlia had led to a full-out battle with the madness.

I was sane only in the sense that I knew my name and my purpose. But even that was getting fuzzy at the edges. I needed her. Even just a glance would help. Hell, her scent on the breeze would get the job done.

She was my anchor.

And I was a ship amidst the very worst of storms.

I needed her if I had any hope of surviving.

A little brown spider skittered across my hand as I lay in wait in the dank secret passage I’d come to know and love. My time spent studying the blueprints of Blackwood had paid off in spades. How else would I have known about this escape route? These old castles were filled with them. Ways for the old kings and queens to make a hasty retreat in times of war or siege. All one needed to know was what to look for. Or a map.

Pirates loved a good map.

Was my hiding spot glamorous? No. The corridor smelled like wet earth and mold. I was fairly certain I’d seen a rat or two as well, but if I didn’t bother them, they wouldn't bother me.

While not really romantic, my hidey-hole did lend itself to an air of mystery befitting a sexy pirate. I’d snatch my fair maiden, abscond with her into the castle walls like the Phantom of the bleeding Opera, and then make her mine until she sang my name to the heavens.

All that was missing was her.

This was her preferred route back from her afternoon sessions with the doctor. Unless I’d made a serious miscalculation, she’d be coming around that corner any second.

One. Two.

Tick

Tick

Tick

This time I punched myself on the leg to try and beat the sanity back into me.

Like clockwork—see what I did there?—she came round the bend. All smiles and relief, Dahlia looked like she’d just set down something heavy and was finally able to rest.

I barely remembered to breathe as she sauntered past the wall hiding me from view. I waited exactly one heartbeat before I hit the lever that sent the door soundlessly sliding open.

She only made it a few steps further before I was on her. The rag with the sedative snug against her nose and mouth, my other arm banded about her hips, and my hard cock pressing against the base of her spine.

Her wriggles of protest sent a shockwave of lust careening through me, so I brought my lips to her ear.

“I told you I’d make it special, darling. Now be a good girl and stop struggling. It only makes me harder.”

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