Page 124 of A Monarch's Fall

I couldn’t stop her, couldn’t control the situation. For the first time, I did not welcome a marking.

“I know I have upset you, but —”

“Shh, little pet. I’m done listening to your demands,” she silenced me as she nipped and licked and sucked the skin of my neck.

Despite my concern for her sudden change in behaviour, I couldn’t control the way my body reacted to her ministrations. My neck was hot and sensitive, and it was an effort not to respond vocally.

After what felt like a long time, she lifted her head from my neck and seemed satisfied with herself.

“You are confined to this room. You will not leave unless I accompany you. My guard will be stationed outside,” she told me as she released me from her arms and walked away as if nothing had happened.

Her demeanour was similar to how she had been when we first met: cold, indifferent to me, and I worried about how badly I had upset her and how much my rejection of her love might affect her. Yet I knew I could not avoid upsetting her, that I had to, if I was going to convince her to let me leave.

As soon as the door closed behind her, I felt a coldness creep into my chest again. I didn’t have much time to dwell on the return of the unpleasant sensation as there was a knock on the door.

A maid entered with a trolley holding a tray of breakfast foods.

“Her Royal Highness has requested breakfast,” she announced as she pushed the trolley past me and into the room towards the little coffee table and armchairs.

She was quick to set up and leave.

I had no appetite, but I knew Selene would be upset if I ignored it completely, so I poured myself a cup of black coffee and sipped. As I sat down, the corner of something under a plate of French toast caught my attention, and I lifted the plate to find an envelope.

I hesitated to open it, but it had no name and was not sealed:

Remember what is expected of you. You have until the opening ceremony before the first of your friends pays the price for your failure.

My hands trembled as I put the paper back into the envelope and left the envelope where I had found it under the plate.

It was from the King. He was showing me that he could reach me anywhere, even here in the one room in this entire castle that Selene trusted.

The opening ceremony? I didn’t even know when it was, but I did know it had to be desperately soon.

I felt like my chest was caving in on itself. I struggled to breathe; my heart pounded loudly in my ears. I tried to pick up my cup of coffee, but my hands were numb, and it felt like I had been hit by a cold wave.

The door opened, and I got such a fright. Suddenly, everything was so much worse. What had I done? Why did everyone keep being killed around me? It was always somehow my fault, and I never meant to hurt anyone.

Heidi had entered the room.

“Percy, I believe you are hyperventilating,” she said.

“What?” I managed to gasp out, slumped forward in the chair.

“You need to slow your breathing,” she instructed.

“I can’t breathe,” I told her.

“That’s only what it feels like,” she reassured. “I have a nervous cousin, she passed out at her own birthday party last year,” she told me so casually, like I wasn’t struggling to get any air into my lungs.

“I can’t,” I said and unzipped the quarter zip of my sweater, pulling at the fabric.

“There is no need to rip your clothing off,” she put her hands on both of my shoulders and pushed them back, “You’re too tense, try to relax and copy my breathing, this will pass fairly quickly,” she reassured and began doing big dramatic breaths in and slow exhales.

I did my best to copy her, and within a minute, I could feel my hands again, and I was able to breathe.

“Thank you,” I said.

“It’s not a problem,” she said as she sat in the chair opposite me and poured herself a cup of coffee. I anxiously looked at the tray of food, checking that the letter was still hidden. “Now, tell me what you could have possibly done in your very short return to upset Selene? She stormed right past me,” she asked.