She gulped and nodded, deciding it was better to play along with whatever he wished. At least then she might have some hope of leaving.
"Fine," she said. "But if we are equals then I may ask you something and you must answer me."
Though she sounded brave, her insides hurt so bad she wanted to curl up in the fetal position and wrap her wings protectively around herself like a cocoon.
"I will answer any questions you have," Theo promised and when he took a step toward her, Fleur struggled not to flinch away.
"Why am I here?"
She looked up at him, struggling to make herself meet his gaze, determined not to miss anything he might give away there.
"You are here because you came with your mistress to the Summer Isles," the king said simply.
"No, why am I here in this room?" Fleur asked through gritted teeth. It was just like royals and nobles to answer questions with stupid answers.
Theo's lips seemed to twitch upward in a smile. Then he began to frown again and Fleur struggled to hold her ground as he lifted his hand to stroke a stray strand of hair from her face.
"You are here because since that fateful night at the lake, I have been unable to stop thinking about you," he admitted. His voice took on a desire-fueled edge that made Fleur's stomach fill with butterflies.
"That wasn't fate," she insisted, forcing herself to step away, realizing suddenly that if she remained close to him she would not be able to control herself. "You tried to trick me for one final fling before your voyage."
She averted her gaze, turning her head away but not before she saw the hurt flash through the king's eyes.
"Do you still truly believe that?" he demanded. "Can you honestly tell me that you have not thought about me every day since my departure?"
Was that hope she heard crackling in his tone?
What does he want from me? she thought, still confused.
"You are to marry my mistress," Fleur pointed out, determined to avoid his question. She had demanded that he answer her honestly. She could not rightly lie to him now and if she were to tell the truth, she would have to tell him that he had been on her mind more often than not in the last six months, so much so that she was beginning to feel as though she could think of nothing else.
As if he wished to ignore her answer as much as she wished to ignore his question, he stepped forward and grabbed hold of her arms, forcing her back around to face him. "Fleur, I must have you. If I do not I shall be driven mad by thoughts of you."
Bile rose once more in the back of Fleur's throat. What was he suggesting?
Unable to bear the answer, Fleur snapped herself from his grip and glared at him. "King Theo, hear me now, I shall not ever be your mistress!"
"You think I mean…" he began, his voice filled with hurt. Then a sudden change came over him and Fleur could almost see the storm cloud that settled above his head. He straightened up to his full height once more and bellowed. "Fleur, I shall have you one way or another."
She had no idea of how to respond to such a declaration but it turned out she didn't need to. Before she could open her mouth to speak, Theo turned and stormed from the room leaving her confused and shaken beyond belief.
Chapter 7 - Theo
The mood at breakfast was a somber one until Lady Delilah opened her mouth to speak. She had been sitting silently at his side for more than ten minutes, picking at her food before she finally asked, "My Lord, might I ask what has become of my lady companion?"
Theo instinctively tensed at the question. He had known that questions would be asked the moment he had Fleur taken from the lady's side and yet he hadn't expected for the woman to ask him so openly—his advisor perhaps but not him. The ladies of the court were usually much more sneaky when it came to searching for their information and he was not at all used to being asked such direct questions.
"As King that is for me to know and me alone," Theo explained. "At least until I am ready to share my knowledge."
He glanced at the rest of the room. They sat in the grand dining room surrounded by nobles, gentlefolk, servants and guards. This was certainly not the place for a private conversation, especially not one about her.
His feet were already itching to take him all the way up the tower steps to her. He had thought of flying up to the balcony, perhaps to catch a glimpse of her sleeping, but he knew that the court had eyes and they were watching him closely, especially now that his soon-to-be-wife had arrived.
"What am I supposed to do without her?" Delilah demanded. Her voice had risen immeasurably and she sounded quite distraught though Theo wasn't at all sure whether it was worry for her companion's wellbeing or the disruption it had caused around her own.
"If it is so difficult for you I can have someone else brought to court to be your companion until the matter is resolved," Theo suggested respectfully. "Is there anyone in particular you can think of who would be suitable?"
Theo didn't have the least knowledge of what made a good lady companion but he would fill the hole he had made if it would shut the lady up.