The Serpent's Chains

Sabine

The prince continued to stare at me, a deep glare shadowing his eyes. I held my breath, waiting for him to raise a hand to me for my honesty. He'd given me permission to speak freely, but I knew there was a limit to what that meant. Besides, he was a prince. He could change his mind at a moment's notice. He didn't need a reason to punish me, even if I obeyed every word.

Suddenly, a smile curled his lips. He threw his head back and laughed. His chest shook and he sighed. When he looked at me again, he had a genuine smile on his face.

I leaned back slightly. I'd never seen him smile before. His stern, hardened features brightened and softened. He seemed almost... kind. Despite myself, I smiled back.

His smile faded as quickly as it appeared and the prince sighed. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and cupped his head in his hands.

I pursed my lips and stood up, brushing off my skirts. The prince continued to sit still, an essence of despair hanging over him. I hadn't been his personal attendant long but I knew I had to start anticipating his needs.

His neck was stretched out and I could see the thick cords of his neck and shoulder muscles twitching through the loose, open collar of his fine robes. Impulsively, I moved behind him and I curled my fingers around his muscles.

Without thinking, I worked my fingers and knuckles into his tense muscles. His skin was heated and pliable on the surface but underneath, it was like kneading a polished stone. The prince didn't move or protest. I massaged deeper and the layers of muscle started to relax and unwind becoming soft putty under my fingers.

The prince let out a deep, slow breath, relaxing even more. His shoulder muscles gave easily under my touch.

I moved my fingers up his neck, the cords of his muscles melting. The more I worked, the warmer his skin got until my fingertips tingled. I slipped my fingers into his reddish hair, working my way around the base of his skull and the edge of his hairline.

A barely visible shudder ran down the prince's spine. He sighed and dipped his head.

I walked around the chair until I was standing in front of him, continuing to massage his scalp with firm fingertips. When I was younger and my mother taught me healing magic, she taught me that not all healing needed true magic. She told me that sometimes, all it took was the right touch.

Before now, I hadn't had the opportunity to see what she meant.

I moved my fingertips to Prince Cole's temples and slowly circled them with a light touch. After a moment, he raised his hands and covered mine with his, his palms swallowing my fingers. He lifted his head, restless, gray eyes locking on mine.

Paralyzed, I stared back. His hands tightened around my fingers, almost to the point of pain. I winced and instinctively pulled back. He didn't release me.

I averted my eyes and pulled my lower lip between my teeth. This was bad. Touching a royal without permission was an executable offense, especially for someone at my rank. I changed a glance at the prince.

He continued to gaze at me with wide, soft eyes. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Your Majesty, my deepest apologies." I slipped my hands from his and dropped to the floor on my hands and knees. I curled up, pressing my forehead to the floor at his feet, in the lowest bow I could muster. "I have acted out of turn. It will not happen again."

I heard a long, drawn-out sigh from the prince. It tapered off into an annoyed groan I was starting to know well. The prince leaned forward and the soft silk of his robe sleeve brushed against my back. I stayed perfectly still.

What would my punishment be for touching him without permission? I could only imagine what the War Dragon could devise.

His hand came down on the back of my neck, long fingers curled around, pressing gently against my pressure points. I held my breath. My bones trembled as I waited for him to do his worst.

A single word from the prince rang in my ears. Like a gong, it vibrated through my skull and my bones, reverberating through my insides. The collar on my neck heated and sparks crackled through my veins. I felt my magic come alive, tingling my fingertips.

Gasping, I sat up. My entire body felt like life was restored. So many sensations rushed in at once. It was the same feeling I got whenever my former master asked me to do a spell.

I put a hand on my cheek, my own fingertips a light, tingling presence on my skin. My eyes flooded with vibrant colors I hadn't seen in the parlor before. Feeling my magic was like feeling my own life force, my own soul.

The prince had freed my magic, temporarily. But... why? How did he know the word? He made it seem like he didn't.

My hands trembled and I jumped to my feet. "You've known the release word this entire time!?" I threw my arms out to the sides. "You told me you didn't know!"

"I said no such thing," the prince stated casually. He leaned back in his chair, eyes steady on me.

"How could you pretend not to know the release word? Do you even know what it is like to be cut off from your magic? Of course not!" I paced back and forth, rubbing my hands on my thighs.

So many thoughts raced through my head. I couldn't believe the prince would hide something so vital from me. He had his own magic, he had a semblance of understanding what that magic felt like.

"It's not like you haven't worn that collar the majority of your life."

I scoffed and tossed my head back, my hair fluttering down my back. "How would you feel if you were cut off from your dragon and the powers he gives you!?" I snapped my eyes toward the prince and his face paled slightly, his expression an unreadable mask.

Groaning, I turned and paced back in the other direction. The magic coursing through me fueled my powerful emotions. I wanted to unleash on the room around me, to smash the white porcelain vases with blue dragons painted on them, to shatter the windows and crack their gilded frames.

"You led me to believe I'd never feel my magic again, that I'd lost a huge part of myself." I clutched my hands to my chest where the hole left by my lack of magic always grew when the collar activated again. "Was it all some game to get into my mind? To toy with the simple slave that you have complete dominion over?"

My entire body trembled and red sparks crackled from my fingers. I clenched my fists, holding the magic back. Whipping around, I glared at the prince. I thrust a finger forward, pointing at him.

"I am not an enemy soldier or a pawn on your battlefield! What did I do-" gasping, I froze. A long moment of silence passed.

My chest rose and fell fiercely as I stared at the prince, my finger still pointing at him. Snapping to, I clamped my hands over my mouth.

What was I doing? I couldn't speak to my master like that. I certainly couldn't speak to a prince like that. I was already on thin ice with the War Dragon. My hands shook over my mouth and I stood perfectly still, waiting for him to strike me... or worse.

Prince Cole snarled and jumped out of his chair. His eyes flashed and he strode forward with stomping, pounding steps.

My knees knocked together and instinctively; I stepped back. He kept gaining and I stepped back again and again, holding my breath. A squeak escaped my lips when my back hit a wall. The prince kept coming. He stood right in front of me. I could feel his hot breath on my face.

I curled in on myself. His steely, gaze was impossible to avoid and every time I averted my eyes, they pulled back to his, like a magnet.

Prince Cole let out a low growl. A shiver ran down my spine. I knew I'd crossed a line. There was no coming back from this disobedience.

He grabbed my wrists, fingers burning my skin with searing heat. He ripped my hands away from my mouth and pinned them to the wall on either side of my head.

I gasped, panting slightly as I stared at him, too afraid to look away. My blood rushed in my ears and pounded against my skin, ready to spurt out all over the floor.

The prince's tongue darted out and whisked over his lips. He spoke in a deep, threatening tone. "Now, I want you to finish what you started."