Potions, Power and Pain

Chapter 11

Reena's heart skipped a beat as someone sat down next to her. She had not seen anyone approach her.

She set her book down and looked at who had decided to join her.

"Funny seeing you here again." Rowan Nightshade said with a hardly contained grin.

"What exactly do you mean 'Your Royal Majesty'." Reena said not even trying to conceal the sarcasm coating her words.

"Actually, if you'll remember correctly it's 'Your Royal Highness'." Rowan said grinning even more, while Reena glared at him. "And I simply meant that this is the second time in less than week that we have sat here under this tree, on this bench, at night, while you read your book."

"I think you'll find that both times I had been peacefully reading my book, until both times you arrived and interrupted me."

"So tell me," Reena continued, "Why are you here this time? Have you simply come to piss me off? Or maybe it's to mock me again? Either way I really do not have the energy for this."

"I have no intention of irritating you, and I'll tell you again, I was not mocking you in the slightest, nor will I mock you this time."

"Well guess what? You have already succeeded at irritating me." Reena chose you ignore the second part of his statement, she knew he was lying anyways.

Just as she was about to stand up to leave, Rowan swiftly stole the book she had been reading from her hands.

"Oh wow, 'Tides of Passion: A Tale of Love and Destiny' I had no idea you were into these kinds of books." Rowan said bursting with laughter.

"What I read is none of your concern." Reena said, her cheeks burning and desperately trying to retrieve her book from the prince.

"Don't worry I'm not judging you," he said as he opened the book to the page she had been at and began reading out loud. "'As he pushed her legs apart and stood between them, he began kissing her again, fisting her hair-'"

"Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop." Reena clamoured to snatch her book out of his hands.

"Why it was only just getting interesting?" Rowan teased, grinning up at her.

Reena had lost her ability to speak, but even if she were able to, she would have no idea what to say. The Prince of the Earthly Kingdom had just caught her reading smut. It was official, she had to die, not only of embarrassment, but literally. How could she possibly recover from this?

"Hey it's okay," He said sensing her distress. "I shouldn't have done that. I am sorry."

"Remember when you said that you 'weren't here to irritate or mock me'?" Reena snapped. "Well congratulations, you have succeeded in doing both. In fact, you have exceeded yourself, you have managed to irritate and mock me even more than last time." At that, she turned on her heel and began to storm off, as her face burned with a mixture of shame and anger and the weight of humiliation pressed upon her shoulders.

However it only took Rowan's long, powerful legs a few strides before he managed to catch up to her and gently tug on her arm till she was facing him again. "I really apologise. I should not have done that. I was just joking around." Rowan said again, looking down at her. She could see his green and grey eyes so well in the light cast from all the fireflies that had begun to swarm around them. She wondered if she was imagining it, but she almost thought she saw a flicker of true regret in his eyes. Until she became all too aware of his hand that was still on her arm and just how close they were standing.

"Joking around, mocking me, at the end of the day it is all just semantics." Reena pulled away from Rowan and marched back to her room.