Page 41 of The Princess's Pet

“I don’t like Lord Halvorsen,” I told her, and she watched me calmly, taking a seat and waiting for me to continue. “I don’t like that he likes you, no, it’s not that, of course he likes you, that can’tbe helped,” I rambled. “I don’t like that you don’t decline him,” I clarified.

“And why would I decline Lord Halvorsen?” she asked curiously.

“Because, because, what about us?” I asked, feeling angry tears at the corner of my eyes.

“What about us?” she questioned, her eyebrow raised.

“How can you say that? We’re soul matched. You say I’m yours. We, we’ve been intimate.” And I felt my anger be replaced with a deep sadness that I felt down to my bones, and tears clouded my vision.

“Pet,” she hushed and I rubbed my hands against my eyes, upset with myself for crying, for being weak, like everyone thought I was.

Her arms encased me, and I tried to pull away but it was no use.

“You are mine,” she said calmly. “You will always be mine. But I am not yours,” she said seriously but just as calmly, her lips pressing against my head.

And my heart broke a little, even as I clung to her tightly for comfort.

13. Bratting Has Consequences

I awoke not to the Princess but to knocking. I was groggy and confused and despite myself, my first action was to reach out for the Princess, but she was not in bed. Her absence cleared my mind of sleep and I sat up listening to the sound of the heavy entrance door opening.

“My Royal Highness a letter for you,” said a rough manly voice and I assumed it was a guard.

I got myself up and dressed for the day and found the Princess sitting at the small kitchen table. She did not look up immediately when I entered the room and for a moment, I saw a deep look of contemplation on her face. When she did look up, she gave me a strained smile that in no way touched her eyes and pointed to the mug of coffee waiting on me.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” I thanked her as I sat down, hands wrapping around the warm mug. Her gaze left me again and she looked away in thought. “Is everything alright?” I asked feeling my insides twist at the odd behaviour. I worried that she was treating me differently due to the previous evening.

“Everything is fine, pet,” she told me distractedly her eyes fleetingly glancing to the table, and I saw the letter she had received that morning, official in nature, the Borealis seal broken. Was the letter the source of her distractions?

After a few more minutes of silence, she exhaled through her nose standing from the table. She stopped beside me, her hand reaching out for mine and pulling me from my seat. Her free hand brushed my hair behind my shoulder, and she leaned in briefly scenting me before running her tongue from the base of my neck to under my ear and then pulling away.

I was confused. Was that it? Was that her mark complete? Marking was usually much longer and had never felt like a formality, a simple task before. Was she unhappy with me? Was she distancing herself from me? I didn’t want her to.

“Ma’am?” I questioned as I followed her to the door.

“Hmm?” she responded not turning to me.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked. And she turned to me, that same strained smile.

“Everything is fine Percy,” she said and it sounded final like I shouldn’t ask again.

She did not pull me into her as we drove to class and when we parted, she did not check for her scent on me. And I felt so rejected, like an empty shell as I walked into my etiquette class.

“Percy, what’s wrong?” Harris asked before I had even sat down, choosing to sit with my new friends over the other Borealis servants.

“I don’t know. Nothing, I guess,” I told him trying to shake the odd feeling that had set upon me. I couldn’t let the Princess’s behaviour upset me. She had made herself clear from the start that she didn’t want a soul bond with me, she didn’t even really want me. It was my delusions that made me wish for something more and I needed to let go of that wish, or its lack of fulfilment would kill me.

“You look beaten down,” he said his hand squeezing my forearm in support.

“I am a little, I guess, but it’s my own fault. I’ll be good, given enough time, I hope,” I told him and he looked confused but smiled reassuringly.

“We all have off days,” he told me.

“But you’ve got us, babes. We’ll cheer you up,” Dylan added wrapping his arms around Harris and kissing his cheek loudly. Harris protested making a disgusted face and wiping his cheek with the sleeve of his blazer.

“Keep those lips to yourself Dylan,” Ana warned as she sat next to me, leaning over to hug me tightly, briefly. “Why do you need cheering up?” she asked concerned.

“An odd day is all, I’m fine really,” I told her and her eyes searched mine for a moment before nodding.

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