"Every day?" she repeats, and I nod, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Every single day," I go on. "The boy and his trusty servant made sure the princess was safe. And they all knew one day, she would be able to go back to her real life. To see the kingdom again."
"One day," she says. "Soon?"
"Soon," I lie smoothly, hating myself for how good I've gotten at it. "And the kingdom will be waiting, beautiful and majestic just as it always was."
"Does everyone miss the princess?"
"They do," I nod. "They miss her very much."
My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it.
"The princess' friends and subjects are awaiting her return eagerly. But the princess knows she needs to stay hidden, so the bad man doesn't hurt her."
"Maybe he wouldn't." Her voice is so fucking hopeful it kills me. "Maybe he wouldn't want to hurt her anymore. It's been so long..."
"He's a bad man," I remind her.
Her fingers tighten against my shirt. In moments, she goes from the pretty, innocent girl she was into a banshee. She stands up, screaming her head off, and I get up too, trying and failing to catch her in my outstretched arms.
"Don't, baby," I beg her. "Please, stay calm."
"Stay calm?" she roars. "I'm a fucking prisoner! You locked me in here, you sick, sick bastard! I want out! I want out, I want out, I want. Fucking. Out!"
She hammers her fists against my chest, and I try in vain to restrain her. It's like the adrenaline pumping through her veins is making her stronger. She gets like this daily, sometimes more than once. And I never know how to stop it.
But sooner or later the inevitable happens - I just have to wait it out.
Sure enough, after several minutes of her screaming, kicking, hitting and snarling at me, her body sinks against mine. The makeup she's applied so carefully is ruined now, mascara running in rivulets down her painted cheeks. She's sobbing. She's out of control. And more beautiful than ever.
It's a crime to keep her locked up.
It's a crime to not let others see her stunning face.
But I don't have a choice. I never did.
I allow her body to settle against mine, pulling her to the mattress in the corner of the room and sitting down with her in my arms. We've tried countless times to have a bed in here, but she just used it to hurt herself, slamming her body against it until she got hurt. This is the safest option.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," I mutter into her hair again and again, until her restless body finally settles against mine. "Everything's going to be okay."
I don't know how long we stay like that. Minutes, maybe hours. But she allows it, and I'm grateful for it. Her breathing grows slower, she calms down and I allow myself to cradle her against my chest, shutting my eyes tightly and wishing things were easier for both of us.
She smells like lillies. I inhale her scent, filling my lungs with her
closeness. I wish things were different. I wish I could give her more.
But it's for her own safety that I keep her in here, and we both know it.
I wish she wouldn't hate me. I wish she would still see me as the boy who carries her heart in his shirt pocket, because I'll never stop being him. I'll never give up on her. I'll never stop loving her.
Making sure she's calmed down and breathing easier, I finally check my phone to find Anders' text from earlier.
It's bad news.
He'll have to stay in the hospital for a few days - he's lost too much blood. He got stitches, but the staff is worried about a possible infection. Which means I'm on my own. Fuck. This isn't good.
I sigh, pocketing my phone again and smoothing my captive's hair as she slumps against me.