Talia sat on the edge of her bed, nervously watching the minutes tick past on the clock over her mantlepiece. She had been on edge all day, unable to put Alec's promise to return to her chambers that evening out of her mind. She had spent the majority of her day in her room, rushing through her duties and even her meals with her parents. She had almost told them what had happened last night when her mother had asked a not-so-subtle question about Alec, but had stopped herself at the last minute when she had remembered his warning and what would happen if the kingdom saw the images he had of her.
Not for the first time that day she wondered what Alec had in store for her later. She had no doubt that sucking his dick had been just the start of whatever depravities he had dreamed up and that thought made her both anxious and, she admitted reluctantly, a little excited. She had always had a potent sex drive, rarely did a day go past where she didn't pleasure herself at least once, but she was hardly experienced. She had only slept with one person before and he had been as inexperienced as she had. The whole thing had barely lasted ten minutes and she certainly had got very little in the way of pleasure from it. Alec, however, struck her as someone with a wealth of experience. Though she hated him for what he was doing to her, a small part of her could not help but tremble with anticipation for what was to come.
A sound outside her door caused her to start, her heartbeat quickening as she rose gingerly to her feet and hurried to the door, pressing her ear to wood to listen to what was going on. She heard movement and muffled voices and then everything went silent. She held her breath, counting the seconds before carefully easing the door open and sticking her head out into the corridor.
Porter and Dathan had left their posts, the two guards visible at the top of the stairs at the far end of her corridor. She called to them and as they turned she knew immediately that something was wrong. Their faces were slack, their eyes glazed over as their heads lolled about upon their necks. Though they looked in her direction, their gaze seemed distant and unfocused.
"Porter?" she said uncertainly to the older guard. "What's going on?"
"Nothing to worry about, Ma'am," he replied, his voice an eerie monotone. "You get some rest."
"No," she said firmly, her own tone rising as panic crept in. "I order you to return to your posts."
"That's not necessary, Princess," Dathan said, his voice as inhuman as Porter's. "We're just doing our rounds."
With that the two guards turned and vanished down the staircase, leaving her painfully aware of how alone she suddenly was. She cast a nervous glance around the corridors, the shadows of the bay windows opposite her door and the sandstone pillars that ran along the wall seeming suddenly darker than usual and quickly retreated back into her room, letting the door swing shut behind her with a dull thud. She sank onto the bed, her heart racing inside her chest and waited for the inevitable knock on her door.
It came several moments later, a sharp rap that made her jump despite having been expecting it. She opened her mouth but no words came out. The knock sounded again.
"Yes?" she breathed, her voice an octave higher than usual.
"Open the door, Princess," Alec replied bluntly from outside her room.
She swallowed as she stood and smoothed out the folds of her dress. Her heart was racing from a strange mixture of unease and something that she thought might have been excitement. She willed her legs to carry her to the door and pulled it cautiously open.
Alec was waiting for her in the corridor. He was dressed in a forest green tunic with golden brocade details and black trousers. His satchel was slung over his shoulder and his black hair swept back in a rakish style that she thought suited him well. His silver eyes appraised her slowly but she interrupted him before he could speak.
"What did you do to my guards?" she demanded.
He stared at her for several moments before shrugging. "Simple hypnosis," he said matter of factly. "I promise, they will be fine."
She shifted as he held her gaze unflinchingly. Since he had shown her the crystal balls with those awful images of her she had suspected he had some ability with sorcery, but hypnosis was not an easy skill to master. An unsettling thought crossed her mind and she opened her mouth to ask another question but the words died on her lips as she wondered if she would really want to know the answer.
He smirked at her, seemingly knowing what she had been about to ask but choosing not to answer her in any case. He pushed past her into the room, setting his satchel on the end of her bed before turning to look at her again.
"I thought I told you to wear something sexy?" he said coldly.
She swallowed as her hands moved instinctively to her dress. It was without doubt the most unflattering piece of clothing that she owned. It was a floor length, plain black dress with long sleeves and a simple round collar that hid her cleavage entirely. It showed off about as little skin as was possible and the loose fit of the dress meant that her figure was equally hidden beneath its folds. Her mother had bought her the dress to wear for state funerals, religious ceremonies and visits from her prudish grandparents. She had chosen it deliberately to show Alec that despite what she had let him do to her the night before, that she was not going to let him order her around.
"You did," she replied, raising her chin defiantly. "But I am not yours to command!"
He smirked and shook his head. "Oh, Princess," he laughed. "Soon you're going to realise just how wrong you are."
She didn't respond but his comment sent a shiver down her spine. She started to wonder just how long was he intending to keep this up for...
"I brought you a present," he said suddenly. "Would you like to see it?"
"Do I have a choice?" she replied cooly.
He grinned as he turned and opened his satchel, retrieving three bands of black iron, one larger than the others. He held them out to her and she saw that they were a pair of cuffs and a collar. They were simple things, a single padlock hanging from each of them and a large bull ring hanging from the front of the collar. She bit the inside of her cheek as she examined them. The idea of being tied up had always intrigued her. She had toyed with the idea herself, using scarfs and belts to tie her ankles or cover her eyes as she teased herself but it wasn't really the same thing. The thought of being properly restrained, of being dominated, was something else entirely.
He smirked at her and she swore silently to herself as she realised he had seen the look of interest on her face. The last thing she wanted was to give Alec the satisfaction of thinking she might be enjoying this, even if he was playing out one of her darker fantasies...
"Hold out your hands," he instructed.
