The King's Prey (Unedited Edition)

Chapter 23 : Cruel Beauty

Kalopsia • [cal-lope-see-a]
A condition where things appear more beautiful than they really are.

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The rest of the evening is quiet and somehow normal. Samuel helps to carry me out of the bathroom and retrieves more comfortable clothes for me—a refreshing change to Liam's assistance. We barely speak to each other, afraid of reigniting the fire of lust that's begun to settle within us.

I dress while Samuel excuses himself to take another phone call—I'm guessing it has something to do with the captured rogues again. I remind myself to ask him about how that's going when he returns.

Once I'm clothed—except for the sock on my left foot, which I'm still struggling to put on with my injury—my eyes wander to the pile of novels sitting on one of the nightstands under an illuminated lamp. They're the same ones I've been reading for the past week, yet I don't remember bringing them up with me.

A small smile crosses my lips when the realization hits me that it was Samuel's doing. I scoot over to search through the stack, finding the book I was last indulging in; a story full of mythical creatures and things that should only be allowed to happen in fever dreams. Though its storyline sounds stupid, I can't resist letting my imagination run wild among its pages. I adjust the large pillows on the bed so I can sit up comfortably and lean back into their plushness.

It takes only a few minutes until the world around me disappears and I feel as though I'm a character in the book. Every once in a while, I'll hear the murmurs from Samuel's call that echo from downstairs, but I don't bother with trying to make out what he's saying. I don't know how much time passes, but it's enough to make everything feel disoriented.

It's not until a large figure appears in the corner of my eye that I glance down at my page number, realizing I've made sufficient progress in my book before returning my gaze to the words. I don't pay much attention to the male that joins me in the room.

"You're still awake," Samuel's voice is so low that it startles me for a moment. His words are more of a statement as they fill the quiet room.

I force myself to nod so he doesn't think I'm completely ignoring him, still not giving him my full attention as I revel more in the chapter I'm on. The sound of glass gently being set against wood makes my ears perk up and tempts me to see what it is, but I refuse my urges.

"And you found your books," he goes on. I nod again. He sharply exhales as I feel his eyes on me—on my body. The black T-shirt and leggings that cover my skin feel meaningless, as though his eyes have already removed them. "Can you take these for me?"

I finally avert my gaze from my book as I turn to look at the twin capsules that sit beside a large glass of water on the nightstand. I finally glance once at Samuel, noticing that he's changed out of his jeans and into a pair of sweats. I struggle to keep my heart from skipping a beat when I catch him staring intently at me.

"Drugging me?" I inquire jokingly, setting the novel down to grab the pills and glass as I down the medicine along with a long drink of water.

A small chuckle rumbles through him. "Hilarious," he says as he watches me carefully. "But, no. That's not my thing."

"You have things?" I nearly choke on my water as I raise a brow in question. I look at him, searching his face for any answers. Only his eyes narrow in response though. "What kind of things?"

"Being a big bad wolf could be one," he says with a smirk. This time, I actually choke on my water. My coughing fit soon settles as I wipe away the water trickling down my face. His grin remains when I look at him with furrowed brows.