Page 45 of Glass Hearts
As soon as she leaves, the room starts to feel so empty. I take inventory of her space as I take off my bloodied shirt. On her nightstand lies a book with a couple in an erotic embrace, ‘The Duchess and the Rake.’ My mind goes to me holding her like that. Caressing her breasts and kissing her neck. My dick instantly hardens at the thought and I curse myself for being a creep getting hard in her room while she isn’t even here.
Dropping my bloodstained shirt on the floor, I sit on her tiny, super uncomfortable bed. This bed just won’t do, and it makes me feel like a jackass even more. I shouldn’t have moved her to this room. I should have protected her. Arabella walks back in with a bowl of warm water, a towel and a tender smile that I don’t deserve.
She goes to another drawer, removing a bottle of soap.
“I don’t think this is how Grayer intended for me to use all the soaps he gifted me.” She laughs lightly as she readies her water and tools.
I don’t miss how she just called Gray just by his name, not by his Princely title. I also don’t miss the sudden heat in her eyes as she takes in my naked chest.
She clears her throat, and I bite back a smile. I love seeing that I made the Vixen react in such a way. I could get addicted to that look in her eyes.
“Why do you have a medical kit in your room?” She comes over to wash my wounds with the wet cloth and soap. The attention of her hands on my skin has me melting. I feel no pain as she tends to me.
“For a few reasons. I find it’s always better to be prepared. Sometimes, I have to patch up my animal friends. But most of the time, I need to tend to myself. When you get into the work I do, everything isn’t as easy as trying to seduce some handsome princes. It is usually a lot more… risky.”
“Arabella. There isn’t anything honourable in stealing. You are a bright young woman who can do many things. Why steal?” She stops her ministrations and looks me in the eyes. I fear she is going to stop and kick me out, but instead, she surprises me by answering.
“I know you and the other princes think I am an awful person. And maybe I am. But I don’t think things can be so black and white. I don’t steal from just anybody—I steal from bad people. People who use their wealth to manipulate and abuse. I target those who use their wealth to get out of justice or face the repercussions of their actions. Am I a bad person for stealing from the greedy business owner who cuts wages to make more of a profit for himself? While his employees live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to get food on the table for their families?”
I know it is rhetorical, but I am speechless nonetheless.
In our search for the shadow, we never really clued in towhoshe was targeting. My reasoning and wall crumble at the realization that I had her pinned all wrong.
This woman. My reluctant heart falls so fast for her. My brave, selfless, beautiful, strong woman. She is more than any other woman I have ever met.
“With every gold coin I make, I give back to the actual victims. Sure, I take a bit for myself and my animals. But I never steal from people who don’t deserve it.”
“You think we deserved getting our glass hearts stolen?”
This has her face falling in shame. Though that wasn’t my intention, I just wanted to know if she thought I was a bad person.
“Now that I have met you all, no. Being princes and all, I figured you wouldn’t have cared to have something go missing since you have everything at your fingertips. Truthfully, I was just going to steal from your guests and avoid you. In hindsight, I should have stuck to the original plan.” She laughs as she patches up my wounds.
“I am glad that you did. Steal from us, I mean. Then we wouldn’t have found you.”
This surprises her as she stops what she is doing. She clears her throat again. But I don’t miss how she comes a little closer, between my legs. I chance at grabbing her hips, pulling her in to me.
“Prince Sylas. I-” Her intoxicating sweet smell and gentle touches leave goosebumps along my skin. She goes back to stitching me up. “How did you even get yourself so hurt?”
“Please just call me Sylas. I suppose there isn’t any point in lying to you anymore.” I clear my throat as I continue, “As you are aware, the council has us on a tight leash of responsibilities. The stress getting to us in many ways. My brothers would fuck to get it out of their system, but I prefer to use my fists. My family was always more militant that way. I was raised with fighting; my father always pitted me against my cousins. He died, and my mother fell ill. It’s just my sister back home taking care of her.Fighting is my outlet.” Arabella nods as she continues focusing on my cuts. Each touch sends fiery sensations through my body, setting my soul ablaze.
“It feels like a lot of pressure to get everything right, to be a dutiful son, and also a good leader. But in the ring, I am in control. The pain is welcoming. It makes me feel alive. So I found the fighting den in the pleasure district to relieve myself of all the responsibilities I have to my family, my brothers, and my people.”
“Big Al’s?”
“Yes… How do you know of Big Al’s?”
“I, um, I like to go there occasionally. It’s fun to watch the fights. Though nobody has ever mentioned the prince fighting. I feel like that is something I would have known.”
“They don’t know I am a prince. I disguise myself as The Stone.”
Arabella gasps and pushes back a little to look into my eyes. “Shut up! No way! YOU areThe Stone!? Oh my gosh, you are a legend!”
“You have been to one of my fights?” I laugh as I bring her back to me, not liking the distance she created again. Her blush continues to deepen as she gets back to work on the last cut on my face.
She nods. “Yup, and I can’t believe I am saying this, I had such a huge crush on you. I have your poster up in my room back home.” She giggles.
“Hada crush?” I question. This causes her face to flush with embarrassment, and she won’t meet my eyes. Now, that won’t do. With two fingers under her chin, I lightly bring her face to look back at me.
