Page 43 of The Princess's Pet

My father’s anger made sense now. His comments and what he had taught me growing up, it all hit me differently. The war and politics of it were closer to me than I knew. And I didn’t like it. I wanted to be removed from it all as far as possible.

“Why’d they let you in?” he asked.

“Maybe with no more pureblood Auster’s they just don’t care anymore,” Ana answered for me giving me a look that said she saw how uncomfortable I was, even if Dylan was oblivious.

When class ended, I was momentarily relieved to see the Princess waiting for me, but that relief was quickly replaced by that unsettling feeling in my stomach when her demeanour justdidn’t seem right. Her strained smile upset me. And I thought it might be anxiety that I saw in her eyes.

“Ma’am,” I greeted politely. She walked towards me and took hold of my blazer, her head dipped low and her nose pressed against my head.

“Pet,” she greeted. “No misbehaviour in your etiquette class today?” she asked into my hair.

“No, I was very well-behaved,” I told her, unable to help my smile at her proximity. The distance between us this morning had been like an ache I wasn’t fully aware of until she was back within my personal space. She pulled away hand rising to run along my jaw.

“Well done,” she praised and I leaned into her touch. “My warfare and tactics class is theory today,” she told me as her hand dropped and I began to follow her through the corridors.

She didn’t speak again as we walked but I watched her in my peripheral and the pensive look she had made me worry.

As we sat in the lecture, I was displeased to see Lord Halvorsen walking toward us. The Princess greeted him politely and I felt numb. But the Princess did not converse with Lord Halvorsen, she clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk and while I was pleased that her disinterest resulted in a crestfallen lord, I was concerned for the Princess. The lecture was long and while I was distracted it was not with the Princess’s beauty but with the crease between her brows as she stared into the distance paying the lecture no attention.

When we arrived home, I couldn’t stand the distance a moment more. It felt like the Princess was far away from me and I desperately wanted her to be close.

She changed out of her Academy uniform not having said a word. I followed her lead pulling on grey joggers and a loose sweater. She sat heavily on the couch her hands running throughthick black hair. I wanted to comfort her, selfishly to comfort myself, the growing quiet distress I had witnessed all day was difficult for me to bear.

I didn’t know how to tackle the topic of what was wrong and so I decided to just do whatever came naturally to me without overthinking. I walked towards her and dropped to my knees at the side of her, laying my head against her thigh. I looked up and saw liquid silver swimming with burden before her hand left her own hair and buried in mine, scratching at my scalp.

“I know something is wrong,” I began slowly, closing my eyes at the feel of her fingers running against my scalp. “You don’t have to tell me. But I’ve missed you today,” I told her honestly.

“We’ve spent most of the day together.” She replied with slight humour in her tone.

“Maybe, but your mind has been elsewhere, and you’ve barely touched me. What poor excuse for a marking was that this morning?” I asked her, huffing in frustration, and opened my eyes when I heard her laughing above me.

“You weren’t pleased with your marking?” she asked teasingly.

“No!” I said maybe a little too bratty. “For all I know I don’t even smell like yours.” And I would have blushed at how outraged I sounded if I didn’t realise how much it truly bothered me. I liked knowing that her scent was on me. It made me feel safe, and I felt like I had been denied something important, and maybe a little part of me was outraged.

The fingers running through my hair stilled and gripped my hair tightly, her steely eyes held mine. “You’re mine and everyone knows it,” she told me confidently.

“How can you be sure if you don’t mark me properly?” I asked still a little perturbed but the fire dying in my words as her eyes flashed brightly and she growled low at mychallenge.

“I think you’re trying to make me mark you,” she said, her hand in my hair pulling my head back away from her leg to look at her.

“And what if I am? You didn’t do a good enough job this morning,” I whispered, having no idea where I was getting the courage to be so cheeky. All I knew was that I wanted her mark, and I was upset and neglected and even if she didn’t want me, I still wanted her. None of it was fair, and somehow that awful mixture of injustice and need resulted in my mouth running away without any common sense.

“Careful, pet, you do not make demands of me,” she warned, a grin tugging at her lips; the first genuine smile of the day. And although a little voice in the back of my head told me to stop, told me not to push the Princess, that smile was louder. It was like a siren call to a part of me I was unfamiliar with. And so, I pushed.

“Why, what are you going to do? Whatever you do will probably be half-assed and pointless like your attempt at marking me this morning.”

I quickly and silently prayed for Poseidon to save me when the Princess glared at me, and her top lip lifted in a snarl to reveal her fangs in the process of extending. I was doomed and worryingly a little giddy at the reaction I had gotten.

“I think you need a reminder of who is in control here.” She hissed pulling me towards her by the fist in my hair forcing me up, my hands bracing on her thigh.

She leaned forward her lips at my ear. “Do you want me to mark you, pet?” she spoke quietly, a growl rumbling in her chest.

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” I said unable to quell the excited defiance that had burst to life.

“Be careful what you ask for,” she warned and licked the shell of my ear. Heat rose up my neck instantly at her touch and I gasped.

She continued to pull me towards her until I was forced to straddle her. Her teeth had found my neck her hand leaving my hair so she could tear my sweater at the collar and down the shoulder for better access. She was in no way gentle and each painful bite that would surely be enough to bruise but not break the skin seemed to send a jolt of pleasure directly to my core.

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