Compeer

Chapter XX

Stephen smirked at me, and I knew my escape was a failure after all. I mentally kicked myself for thinking it was so easy, and looked at him warily. I truly was useless, after all. "Though it was a valiant effort, I am afraid that I must cut your little journey short. It was amusing, I presume, but alas, all good things must come to an end!" He shook his head and tsked sarcastically. "I knew that I should not have trusted Elliot. Ah, well. This was rather humorous. You thought that you had a chance!"

"Shut up," I growled. "I would have gotten away with it if I didn't fall asleep!"

"Ah, but you did," Stephen reminded me. "And that was your second biggest mistake."

"What was the first one?" I asked nervously. His cruel smirk turned into a frightening scowl.

"Angering me."

"I will never be yours, Stephen, not really. And you know that." I stood up straighter, giving him a hard look. "I wear the Devil's Heart around my neck and his mark on my skin, and I will always be his Compeer."

At those words, Stephen let out a snarl and lunged towards me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact, but instead I felt a gust of air blow by me and a thud.

Startled, I opened my eyes, and saw two figured wrestling on the ground together. There was shouting and cursing, but in the growing darkness I could not see their faces. Then, one rolled over so he was on top, and though I should have been offended by the language that came out of his mouth, I was too focused on the way his light hair glowed even in the blackness…

It was the prince! I felt my heart leap into my throat. He found me! But how did he even get here? I did not hear any other horse hooves in the distance, but looking around, I saw one milling not far from me, its white fur seeming to sparkle in the night. I must have been too disappointed in myself and scared of Stephen at the moment to notice what was going on around me.

"What did you do to her?" I heard him hiss. Stephen quickly stood up and cursed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, ignoring the question. "No! You cannot interfere with my plans! She is mine! I deserve her, Michael!"

"How?" The prince swept me behind him, standing protectively in front of me. "You do not 'deserve' anything! Especially Amanda!"

"How is it fair that you get everything?" Stephen demanded. Had I not been in danger previously I would have found it funny that Stephen was acting like the child I had described him to be. But he was a deadly child, so I did not laugh.

"You want her because you think that things aren't fair?" Prince Michael growled. "Fair? Of course things aren't fair! Had things been fair, you would not have killed my sister, and I would not have lost her! Had things been fair, Amanda would not have lost her best friend! Had things been fair, your stupid henchman, Damon Percy, would not have abused one of my poor servants!"

Servant? I vaguely recalled one of the previous conversations the prince and I had in which he had spoken to me about the situation. He had never explained to me who exactly had abused the servant of his, but now it all made sense to me. That was why he hated Damon Percy so much. Not because he seemed vile and ruthless, but because he acted as such.

"Had things been fair," the prince continued, "Your other henchman, Elliot DuPonte, would not have gone for my Compeer's throat! Of course life is not fair, Stephen. Grow up!"

"Do not tell me to grow up!" Stephen hissed, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. "Your sister deserved to die! She could never have held the Devil's Heart, but now it will be mine! She will be mine!"