I lay on the bed, exhausted and stripped of any strength. The roughness of the last few days clung to my skin like a shadow I couldn’t shake. With no clean clothes and no bath since I was dragged here, I curled under the thin blanket, naked and drained. Sleep came slowly, like a heavy fog.
But then —
A touch.
A warm hand on my bare skin.
At first, I thought it was a dream — just my mind playing tricks. But the moment the hand brushed down between my legs, a sharp pain snapped me out of the haze. My eyes flew open. There he was.
The Prince.
Standing beside my bed, dressed only in his undergarments. My throat tightened. I hadn’t heard him enter.
“Please, I…” I started to speak, but his finger went to his lips.
“Shhh,” he warned, voice low and threatening. “Say one more word I didn’t
