Prince Of Stone - A Captive Prince Fanfiction

VII. Between Assistance and Assault

It was with surprise that Damen awoke the next morning to see a text waiting for him from Laurent.

Party. 11 pm tonight.

It bore an address, and nothing more. Laurent's texting style was brief, cutting directly to his point. Damen, on the other hand, was the type to use an overflow of emojis and capital letters.

He smiled to himself as he rolled out of bed and into clothes before heading to his classes for the day. Something was happening, here between them. Damen wasn't sure how he felt about it.

The party was well underway by the time Damen arrived. Nikandros hailed him from across the dorm hall, and Damen returned his salute before turning to Laurent.

"Fetch me something to drink," Laurent said, simply. His eyes were sweeping their surroundings, body coiled with barely-concealed tension. He was still wearing his coat.

Damen chuckled to himself, thinking how Nikandros would have choked to hear Laurent giving him orders like that.

The night passed quickly. Damen felt himself slipping easily into his past self, the one that was used to parties and making friends and meeting people. He was achingly aware of Laurent beside him the entire night, until the moment he wasn't.

Damen cast wildly around, eyes landing on a familiar head of light hair. He breathed out in relief and crossed over to where Laurent stood at a counter, talking to Nikandros.

Nik eyed Damen reproachfully as he came nearer, as if to say, really, Damen? Another blond?

Damen allowed himself a small smile. Laurent--had he not been Laurent--would otherwise have been exactly Damen's type, he thought. Of course Nikandros, who had been there through Damen's breakup with Jokaste, had his best interests in mind.

When he drew near, Laurent turned to him. For a moment, his eyes were unguarded. Damen was surprised, somehow, at what he saw there. He opened his mouth to utter a greeting.

Laurent stumbled against him.

"Woah," Damen said, catching him by the arm. His heart skipped a beat when Laurent did not react to being touched as he usually did. Damen stooped to see Laurent's eyes once more.

"Laurent?" Damen turned to Nikandros. "Did you see what he was drinking?"

Nik looked around, then pointed to a pile of cups on the counter. One of the rims glinted with a slight blue tone.

Damen felt sick.

"Laurent," he said, without looking. When he received no answer, he turned to see Laurent was no longer at his side.

He was across the room, two men in Akielon hoodies escorting him out into the street.

Damen pushed past Nikandros without offering a word of explanation, determined not to let Laurent out of his sight.

When he emerged from the dorm hall, the three of them were off near the bushes to one side of the building. In the dim lights of the streetlamps, Damen saw a pale head. Laurent.

He seemed to sway on his feet for a moment before righting himself. The men in Akielon-crest hoodies flanked him. One of them glanced up at Damen's approach, a smile breaking out as he seemed to recognize Damen.

"You can join in, if you want."

Damen heard the sound of a belt being drawn out of its loops.

Blood rushed in his ears. When he came back to himself, one of the Akielon men was on the ground, Damen's knee in his back. He was thankful for his training from wrestling, just then.