Page 85 of The Reluctant Heir

“Hello?” he sounds hesitant.

“Damek!” I shout whisper into the phone, not wanting anybody outside to hear me speaking.

“Maddie! Where are you?” I can hear shouts from his end of the line.

“Prince Lucas kidnapped me. He hit me over the head and I just woke up. But he has a landline in the room he stashed me in.” I play with the chord of the phone.

“Great. We’ll come get you,” he says.

“Wait.” I lick my lips. “Prince Lucas told me that he has Lucien. He’s stashed away in his dungeon. I haven’t seen him, but he’s probably here.”

“When I say we’re coming to get you, I mean that the Rune and Scott clans are both bringing an army,” Damek promises. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“Good. Thank you.”

The line goes quiet and I wonder if he’s hung up.

“Maddie,” he says quietly.

“Yes?”

“I know that we don’t know one another that well yet, but I care deeply for you. Promise you’ll be safe.”

I suck in a sharp breath. “I promise.”

The line clicks, signaling the end of the call. I hang up the phone and chew on my bottom lip, my stomach muscles in knots.

Should I be so giddy over Damek’s proclamation when I’ve been kidnapped? Probably not, but my heart doesn’t seem to care.

25

THE THIRD OPTION

While waiting for my rescue, I explore the room.

It’s a very large room—as big as my room at my father’s estate. The carpet is plush and feels soft against my bare feet.

Speaking of my feet, I find my heels sitting at the end of the bed. Whoever placed me down took them off my feet, which is creepy. At least I’m still wearing my puffy gown from the night before. My hair is now slightly disheveled with a matted chunk of dried blood where I was hit in the head. My tiara is missing, but other than that I look surprisingly well.

I glance out the window. The view is nice, with rolling hills that expand for miles. I bet it’s gorgeous in the summer months when everything is green and lush.

I step back when I hear movement in the hallway. A moment later, the door to my room is pushed open and Lucas walks through. I fight to keep my heart rate steady, but my stomach plummets when his pale green eyes lock onto me.

Gone is the cold look from last night. He’s grinning, like all is right in the world. All it does is confirm that Prince Lucas is, in fact, a psychopath. “Ah, you’re up.”

I lace my fingers together behind my back, watching him with a careful expression.

“Have you had a chance to give our discussion last night any further thought?” he asks.

“Our discussion?”

He steps closer. “Are you going to call off your engagement to Prince Damek and instead announce your intention to marry me? Of course, six months is too long. A week should be more an ample amount of time for our engagement.”

I keep my mouth shut, not wanting to shout at him that I’d never marry him. But my rescue hasn’t arrived quite yet and I don’t want to make him angry. I’m not sure I could fight him off. I’ve never fought a full vampire before.

He loses his smug smile as he looks at me. “Princess Madeline, you have two options. Marriage or the dungeons. Which will it be?”

“I choose the third option,” I say, unable to keep my mouth shut. I will not allow this guy to threaten me.

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