MAYHEM

Chapter 14 | Event

For dinner last night, Zale made me another soup and this time, I was able to drink it myself because if he had fed me one more time then my heart would have bursted.

I hardly saw Alaric since the moment Zale took him away but when I later checked the baby monitor, I saw him placing Alaric in his crib and he just stood there for a few seconds and gazed at his son before leaving.

He is making some progress.

As I laid awake in the bed in the morning after I had done my morning routine, my mind replayed all the things that happened yesterday. And an involuntary smile formed on my face and cheeks started to warm up.

No. Stop it. This is completely wrong. I forced myself to stop smiling and stopped thinking about him.

But the way he took care of me--

Aargh! Stop it. He kidnapped you! He threatened to hurt your family! How can he make me feel all these emotions then?

I am supposed to hate him not--
Don't even think of it.

The door opened and in walked Zale, my eyes widened instantly and I looked away, turning my face away from him, my cheeks started to heat up once again.

"Go away." I told him, afraid he would see me blushing.

He ignored my order. "Get up and have breakfast before you get sick again."

"I'm not hungry. Just go away." And I buried my face into the pillows.

"Listen to me and I will."

"Zale", I said softly. "Please, go away. Please." Because your presence is doing hazardous things to my heart.

He became silent and just stood there as I could feel his presence and hear him breathing softly.

And then I felt the bed dip beside me and I turned around to see what's happening to find that he had climbed over the bed and a small gasp left my mouth when he hovered over me, his hands on either side of my head.

He eyes scrutinized my face instensely and I blushed harder and he placed his palm over my forehead. "You don't have a fever anymore. Then what's wrong?"

I closed my eyes in an attempt to avoid him somehow. He is not supposed to care for me. I am his captive, you don't go about feeding them with your own hands or wiping their face to bring down the fever.

After much ruminating, I came up with a question. "How much do you hate me?" And I opened my eyes to see him frowning.

"What?"

"I am your captive. You hate my father, I know that. But how much do you hate me?"

He cocked his head. "Why are you asking that?"

"Last night...it felt like...you don't hate me...at all."

He frowned even more and his jaw clenched. "Somewhere, deep inside, I do have a heart, princess. And my fight is with your father, not you."

"Then why am I here?" I whispered.

"You are an important piece of my game, that's why." He answered, his anger slowly vanishing. He looked calm again.

I gulped. "Is that the only reason why you took care of me last night? So that your important piece would remain intact to continue the game."

"Is this what all this is about? Why I took care of you last night?"

"Yes."

He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Don't worry your brain so much, princess. It's not what you think it is."