CAPTIVE by the Prince

Chapter Seven

"Turn it off!" the elf demanded as he glared down at Ana's face.

Ana pulled the quilt over her shoulders and pushed herself up in a sitting position. "Turn what off? And what are you doing here?! This is my room. Can't a girl even have her privacy in her own room?" She threw an equally killing look at Ivan, hoping he would be intimidated with her dagger-throwing stare.

Ivan merely continued to glower at her. "Don't you have any idea what you are doing to the people within the vicinity? You are making every male within your proximity madden with lust after you!"

"I did not do such a thing!" Ana said indignantly. What was this—this mood wrecker saying? He barged into her room, probably ogling her while she slept, and now, he was throwing accusations at her about inducing lust over his people? And he wanted to turn it off like a faucet? This elf needs professional help, Ana surmised. "I was asleep the whole time, elf. And I don't go seducing around people," she said as she fell back on the bed and snuggled on her pillow. "I don't know how to, frankly speaking. Now get out and let me sleep." She closed her eyes, hoping the elf would take a hint and leave.

The stubborn elf, however, had other things on his mind. "I'll give you half an hour for you to get dressed. If by then I still find you on your bed, I won't hesitate to drag you out of it in whatever state of dress or undress you are in." A few seconds later, Ana heard the door banged closed.

She stayed exactly where she was, on the bed with the edge of the quilt still tucked under her chin. Why would she listen to that irritating elf? But then again, he might carry out his threat. And so, Ana ended up grudgingly throwing the quilt away from her body, grumbling about "elf" and "rotting in hell" while storming across the room and hastily putting on new clean clothes. She wore the dress her mother had given her last night since it was the only clean clothes she had as of the moment. She combed her hair with her fingers while making a face in front of the mirror. No one could blame her if she was this grumpy early in the morning since she was forced to abandon her sleep just to accommodate the prince's whims. And the lack of coffee added to her bad mood.

Oh, now she couldn't wait to have her transition! If she was a vampire, she could easily snap that pointy-eared creature in pieces. Or maybe swat him like a fly. Or pound him like a piece of meat. But since her weaker nature ruled over her body, for now, Ana decided to gather all that mass of hatred and later use it to fuel her rage when she would execute her macabre plan. Yes, she would do that. Even though thinking about it made her feel she was a villain in an enchanting tale of the elves. But he was asking for it!

Satisfied that she was presentable enough to be dragged around by the elven prince, Ana decided to sit on her bed and waited for the door to show the prince in. She tugged the neckline of her bodice upwards. The dress reminded Ana of the ones she saw on the front covers of a historical romance novel, only it was called an evening dress. Was this an evening dress? If it was indeed, then the elves just had to excuse her for her inappropriate attire. It wasn't as if she was able to pack a bag for a vacation. She had no other choice. The dress' neckline was outrageously low, barely covering the top of her breast. One strong pull downwards and it might easily reveal her entire breasts! And the bodice itself was severely tight around the waist almost suffocating her, making her dread she might faint any moment now from the lack of oxygen. There was a weird constricting device Ana identified as a corset inside the box along with the dress chemise and other garments, but what did she know about donning corsets and all? So, she ditched it altogether. She did, however, wear the lacy black underwear her mom provided and to her amazement, it was actually comfortable.

So here was Ana now, sitting on her bed, counting the minutes until Ivan would burst inside her room and command for her to die or whatever he wanted her to do. It wasn't a moment later when the golden double doors swung open and revealed an annoyed-looking Ivan walking briskly inside her room.

"Stand up, follow me, and do not talk to anyone along the way," he commanded arrogantly.

"Fine," Ana answered, rolling her eyes. When Ana stood, the fabric of her soft skirt brushed along her thighs giving her a tingling sensation that send a shiver down her spine. She sighed as she said, "I could get used to this kind of soft fabric." The material of her dress, even though it was thick, was made of the finest and softest cloth she had ever seen and felt.

She heard Ivan clearing his throat, pulling her away from her musings. Ivan's strong jaw clenched, and his stony face shot Ana a sour, quelling look. "Are you quite finished with your ramblings?" Ivan asked sarcastically.

She gave him her fake saccharine sweet smile and said, "Oh, what a grumpy little elf! You really are like a ray of sunshine so early in the morning."

Ivan ignored her sarcasm and strode outside the room with Ana following hot on his heels. They passed by the long hallway, and as they ventured farther, she noticed the odd reactions of the people she met along the long walk. The ladies were throwing daggers at her with their looks and the gentlemen looked as if they wanted to grapple her. One elf even dared to grab her wrist and yanked her towards him, a constrained look on his face. Ivan immediately saw the spectacle and briskly intervened.

Ivan pulled Ana to his side after giving the other elf a commanding glare, and then to her he grated, "Stick close to me."

"How close?" Ana asked innocently.

She was rewarded with another glare from Ivan.

She followed him as they climbed a narrow-bricked stair that curved around as they went further upwards. When Ana thought her knees would give in and that she would fall into a heap on the floor, she saw a brown wooden door at the end of the stairs. Ivan pushed it open and went inside a room. She followed him inside, and a large circular room covered with rich colors of green and silver welcomed her eyes. A large four-poster bed with sheer crimson curtains standing atop a plush light green carpet was the room's highlight. The room was fully furnished with a dresser and a mirror on one side, a desk with a matching chair on the other. With how the room was arranged, it was obvious that the room was well kept.

Ana noticed two doors inside the room; one was beside a window overlooking the vast green land of Elfiro. She walked towards the door and gave it a yank to open, and it led her to a narrow walkway that serves as a sort of balcony outside the room. Before her lay the acres and acres of land all lush with its greeneries. She looked up and saw the fluffy clouds high above casting shadows on the fields below. If someday she'd turn into a vampire, would she still be able to see the sky during the day?

She spun around to go back inside the room when she realized that she was actually standing outside the highest tower of the castle.

She went inside the room and Ivan was standing beside the fireplace, his arms crossed over his chest and his feet planted wide apart.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked. "Where are we?"

"We're in the west tower," Ivan answered curtly.

"Yes, but why bring me here?" she repeated.

Ivan uncrossed his arms and walked towards Ana. "To hide you from the rest."

She was beginning to lose her patience. Why couldn't the elf elaborate his answers further? "Okay. So why do you need to hide me from the rest?"

"You really have no idea, do you?"

Ana shook her head. "No, I don't. Not unless you will volunteer to tell me."

"It's your pheromones," he explained sounding impatient. "It's making the males behave... oddly."

"Define 'behave oddly'," Ana said.

"It makes them want to take you to their bed and ravish your body. Several times," he stated.

Ana's eyes turned wide as her mouth formed a rounded O. "That was a very colorful way of defining it." She turned around and sat on the bed. "So, this is to be my new prison? You will hold me captive here?"

"Only until you have finished your transition," he added curtly before he turned around and left the room with long strides.

Ana heard a click sound coming from the door. And the minute she rushed towards the door and gave the doorknob a hard yank, it was already too late. Ivan locked her inside her new cell.