BLOODHOUNDS #1: THE ABDICATED PRINCE

Chapter 31 - SAFE PLACE

Clyde Nielsen

The news spread like wildfire.

Christopher Nielsen, The Prince of Denmark, was found dead in Mexico.

The cause of death was involvement with a Mexican gang because he wanted to see his ex-girlfriend and ended up trying to kidnap her, which led to his death. Bianca Diaz claimed that the Prince kidnapped her in the middle of the night, and her boyfriend, Angelo, tried to save her by shooting at the kidnapper.

The world was in shock, but they knew that Christopher Nielsen was never a good future King. He was out partying, using drugs, got a lot of women around him, and was addicted to gambling.

Bianca and Christopher met in Italy, and it was love at first sight for Christopher. Bianca is beautiful, and he wants to own her to the extent that she's not allowed to go out anymore. He claimed that Bianca's beauty would only get him into trouble.

My grandfather called when the news came out.

"Clyde."

"Yes, grandfather?" I answered, and I could hear that he had been crying for a while. I can't blame him for showing emotions about Christopher's death because it's his grandson. Even though he doesn't like him, Christopher is still a part of his family.

"Did you do this?" He asked, and I knew he would ask this question, knowing my relationship with Christopher.

"No." Technically I didn't kill him, but I was part of the plan. Besides, there's no point in telling my grandfather when Christopher is already dead.

After Christopher showed his face in front of me, he landed in LA and returned to Seattle after checking that Bianca was not in Mexico. I don't know how he assumed Bianca was not there when she was indeed waiting for him. She's the one who will trap him. There's no way she's not there.

After his encounter, we sent him to Mexico, where Angelo awaited him.

I saw it in front of the screen in Kayden's office, showing Christopher's torture. It was brutal, but he deserved all the misery in the world. I even said it wasn't enough until the man swung a baseball bat to his back. The bone cracked, and even the sound reminded me of when he did the same thing to me.

Handling him now was so much easier than when I was a kid. Now that I have more power, I could easily manipulate him.

"Okay." My grandfather said, and he ended the call. Why do I have a feeling that deep down, he knew it was me?

I went back to Luna that afternoon, and when she saw me, she embraced me. She didn't say anything, and she was just there assuring me everything would be okay. She kissed me on the cheek before pulling away.

"I found a cute cafe a few blocks away. How about we go there?" She held my hand, and I nodded.

"Let's go." With that, Luna took me to a cafe called Mischief. She already reserved a table for us near the window.

"Is this a date?" I asked, teasing her, and she shook her head.

"A celebration." She said, and I chuckled before kissing her. "You're adorable, Butterfly." The waiter came to us, and we ordered some pastries and coffee.

"Are you okay?" She asked after the waiter left, and I nodded.

"I can say I'm okay, but it feels weird for some reason." I leaned back in the chair, and Luna held my hand tightly.

"He won't hurt you anymore. He's a slice of dead meat now." She assumed me, and I smiled. I looked down at her cute dress and couldn't resist her anymore. I kissed her before touching her thigh, caressing her with my thumb.

"Can I ask something?" She asked.

"You're already asking a question, Butterfly. You don't need permission for it. What is it?" I raised my eyebrows, and she giggled.

"I always wanted to know your first impression of me." She slipped a few strands of blonde hair to her ear.

"You were weird." Her smile turned into a frown. She was narrowing her eyes on me, hating the answer.

"How could I not find it weird? A ten-year-old kid, running around chasing butterflies. You crawled through the mud, fell into the pond, and caught your dress on a branch to see those butterflies."

"I was a weird kid, indeed. I mean, you're the weirder one. Who glared at everyone and judging at them for doing something normal." She mocked me back, and I chuckled. At the same time, our food came.

"You just admitted that you're weird." I pointed at her, and she stabbed her strawberry cheesecake savagely.

"I can't believe I fell in love with you as a kid. You're such an asshole!" She put everything into her mouth, and I laughed.

"You just admitted that you're in love with me." I teased her.

"Past tense, Clyde. In the past tense."

"So you don't love me now?" I asked as I grabbed my coffee cup. I took a sip and saw her shaking her head. "No, because you're an asshole."

"What does it take for you to love me, then? You can't return your proposal because I told you I'm taking it seriously." I've warned her, and her eyes widen. She looked at me intensely with her mouth full of cheesecake.

She's like a chipmunk.

"I did not propose to you. I was blinded by-" She stopped talking once she realized she had picked the wrong word.

"Blinded by what? My handsome look?" I put my elbows on the table and rest my head on my intertwining hands.

"No. Your weirdness blinded me." She rolled her eyes, and I chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment. It means we're meant to be together since we're both weirdos." She laughed, and I couldn't help but look at her. She's breathtakingly beautiful. I want all of her to be mine.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you want to devour me." She whispered and gulped nervously. We looked at each other silently. She kept changing her sitting position like she was uncomfortable. She kept her hands on her thigh, rubbing it anxiously.

"Clyde, stop."

"I didn't do anything, Butterfly."

"You-" She's so frustrated that she crossed her legs together. I smirked, knowing what she was up to, and I leaned my body toward her. She flinched and leaned back, avoiding me.

"Are you wet, Butterfly?" I whispered.