Page 5 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

I hadn’t heard him open the door again, but there he was, standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. Fuck. How long had he been standing there watching me go through his stuff?

“My phone.” My throat hurt when I spoke. What happened last night?

“My friend Murmur has it. He wanted to call your people to let them know you were okay. Here. I grabbed some sweatpants and a shirt from the girls. Figured you might want to at least change into clean clothes.” He walked over to the bedside table next to where I woke up. Sure enough, there was a pair of folded black sweats on top. “Get dressed and we will get your phone.”

“Thanks. Sorry about going through your stuff…”

“Hey, Rune, where did you put the…” Another man walked in, looking down at his phone until he caught sight of me standing next to the bed, still gripping a pillow to my chest. “Oh, you put her here, in your room and not in the infirmary. That makes total sense and is not creepy or inappropriate at all.”

“Who are you guys? And where am I?” Maybe this guy would give me answers.

“Wow, okay, so he hasn’t told you anything. Let’s start with introductions,” the man who just came in said. “I’m Murmur. This inconsiderate oaf over there is Rune. Your name is Victoria?”

“I prefer Tori.”

“Okay, Tori. What do you remember about last night?”

“He said someone attacked me?”

“Yes, from what we saw, by two…men. They beat you up pretty bad, but judging by your nails, you gave them hell. They must have drugged you with something. Not sure what, but when we saw you, they had a rag over your face, and you had just passed out. That is when we intervened and got you out of there. We brought you back here because we have a killer medic, and we weren't sure what else to do with you. They cleaned you up as best they could. Gave you some stitches but assured us you would be fine in a few days. Sore, but fine.”

Something was off about his story. He was hiding something. My head had cleared a little, and I was remembering bits and pieces of the night before, but something was missing still.

“Why didn’t you take me to the hospital?” I asked.

Murmur shrugged. “We weren’t sure of your insurance situation, and the medical care here is free.”

“Where is here?” I asked again, backing up a little.

“Here is…” He paused for a moment, looking over to the other man, who was back to leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. “A training facility.” Murmur took a few steps towards me and laid his hand on my shoulder before I could pull away. His hand felt warm and soothing, somehow making me feel safe.

“Can I have my phone? I want to go home.”

“So, kitten, your phone was ringing off the hook last night. I answered it to let your people know you are safe. Some spitfire—said her name was Sarah, I think, who I have taken to calling ‘the feisty one’—told me off in every way you might imagine and made me swear on all I find holy to make sure you get home safe. That is a direct quote. She is clearly concerned, and a force to be reckoned with. I don’t think someone has ever treated me like that. It was amazing. She sounded hot… Is she hot?” Murmur continued to ramble, giving me a moment to think.

I wasn’t getting any serial killer vibes from either of these guys. But my judgment had been seriously questionable lately, and there was something here still just not adding up.

I needed to be smart. I’d play along with them until I saw an opportunity to make a break for it.

I tried to smile, and I put the pillow down to look like I was relaxing. “If what you are telling me is true, then you’re a nice guy. She will eat you alive, and those weren't threats. They’re a foreshadowing, a glimpse of what she will do if I am not home safe soon.”

Murmur considered this information for a moment and grinned, showing off a row of straight, pearly white teeth. “That’s not a no.”

Rune pushed himself off the wall and sat in the chair next to the desk. “Stop messing around, Murmur. We need to get information from this human and drop her off at home. We have work to do.”

He’d called me a human, like that made me different. What else was I supposed to be? An aardvark?

“Ugh. Sadly, kitten, the grumpy one is right,” Murmur said, sitting at the foot of the bed. “Is your head okay? Can I turn up the lights?”

I nodded while I braced myself for more light. Instantly, the room became brighter. My gaze went straight to Rune. If I had trouble not gawking in low light when terrified, then not gawking at him in full light was impossible. This was the type of man that was made to be objectified. Tall and built, his shoulders broad and strong, his black T-shirt hugged each muscle rippling down his abs. His hair was tied up in a messy man bun, which I usually thought was douchey, but on him, it worked. Continuing my visual path north, I took in his firm, square jaw, full lips, straight nose, and then back to those eyes.

I knew those eyes. I had seen them in my dreams for weeks. It was him, the man from the park.

How could a man look so dangerous and protective at the same time? Those blue eyes seemed to stare right through me again.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” I asked, looking back at Murmur.

“It’s okay, kitten. I know he is scary. But don’t worry about him. He only bites if you ask nicely. I asked if you know the men from last night.”

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