The Princess & Her Alphaholes by Renee O’Roark
Chapter Thirteen
Taking a Chance
Krinessa
I wake to find myself once again lying in only my underwear on the same bed as the first time. None of the guys are around, but at least I can move again. Like with that first night, escape enters my mind, but something stops me from even trying.
I have a connection with these demons, I can’t explain it, but there’s something there that makes me want to stay close to them. Knowing that Gabriella isn’t my mother doesn’t stop me from obsessing over the connection with the guys. I have no idea what I feel about the other revelation yet, so I just push it to the back of my mind. Not healthy I know, but there’s nothing I can do about it right this second.
A light knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts, I call out that they can come in and Rafe enters the room. He looks exhausted, his long black hair is a complete mess, tangled so badly that I wince when he runs his hands through, catching his fingers in the knots. Not once since he entered the room has he looked at me, he’s looking everywhere but at me.
The pain in my chest grows worse as he hovers in the doorway, refusing to enter the room completely.
“Rafe?”
“Boss will be here in a few hours, we thought we should warn you.”
“So basically, I only have a few hours until I’m no longer me?” I ask the questions that’s been plaguing me since the revelation last night. My voice comes out crystal clear, accepting even and it brings Rafe’s gaze to mine finally.
“No, you’d still be you, it’s just that you’d belong to Boss, whenever he needs to return to Earth realm, he’d borrow your body, that’s all.”
“Is there a way to stop it from happening? Like a way to make me not the vessel?”
“Not that I know of.” The pain in his voice hurts to hear. I slip from the bed, picking the pile of discarded clothes up as I move across the room to the vanity. Tears prick my eyes as I quickly pull on the shirt and jeans. “So, these are my last few hours as a free woman then?”
“I guess that’s one way of looking at it.”
“I can do anything I want. Like a bucket list type thing?” I cross the room until I’m standing right in front of him, my entire body shakes as my nerves get the best of me, but if this truly is my last moments of freedom, I want to spend them doing something I want. Or rather someone I want.
Rafe cocks his head to the side, curiosity gleaming in his eyes for a moment before it vanishes. “You can’t leave the penthouse.”
“Everything I want is right here.” I whisper as I press my hands to his chest. “I don’t want to lose my freedom, but if I’ve really got no choice, I want one thing that I’ll be able to hold onto. I want one good memory to last me a lifetime.” My hands shake as I press myself along his delicious body, wrapping my arms around his neck. I can feel every single tightly chorded muscle against my own and it does unspeakable things to my libido.
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows roughly, “We can’t.”
“It’s my dying wish Rafe, grant me this one last thing.” My heart plummets as he shakes his head and grabs my hips. It’s almost as though he’s warring with himself, his hands roam over my back, coming to rest against my shoulders as he hugs me tightly to him.
“Being his vessel means nothing can happen between us. I want you so badly I’m aching, but we can’t.”
I feel like I’ve been slapped. I wrench myself out of his arms, putting a good two feet of space between us, “Then fuck off!” I throw my hand up towards the door, glaring at him as he just stands there. “Get out! I don’t want to see you ever again.”
The first time I ever put myself out of my comfort zone, the first time I ever take charge of my sexuality and he shoots me down. I feel my face turning red. I feel my entire body shaking. I can’t look at him any longer. I can’t stand to be around him. He still hasn’t moved, so I do the only thing I can think of, I shove him right through the door, slamming it closed behind him.
My ass hits the soft carpet, tears I tried so hard to hold back, falling from my eyes.
I’m lost. I don’t know what to do. Who to hate.
Or even who I am.
My entire world is crashing down around me and it’s all Gabriella’s fault. She dragged me through hell with her. She used me to bargain her way out of her own debt. She is the one who fucked up, but I’m suffering the consequences.
Everything in my life is ruined. Even my heart.
I have no idea how long I sit wallowing in my self-doubt and pain, but eventually another knock on the door rouses me from a restless sleep. Boss is the one who strides into the room this time, his beady eyes flickering around as though he’s never really looked at the room before. Judging by the twist of his lips, he doesn’t like what he sees. “This won’t do; a vessel should not live in such a plain environment. I’ll send for the decorators.” Then he’s gone again.
I sigh but hope suddenly fills me as I realise that he’s left the door wide open.
I’m out the door and running down the hallway towards the loungeroom before I can even think things through. I’m not sure what I was expecting as I run through the penthouse and into the open elevator door, but the red glow should have warned me that nothing was what it seemed.
When the doors to the elevator open, I’m expecting to see the underground parking lot….
What I wasn’t expecting was to find myself standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into an endless sea of red water while the sun shines down upon me from a sky that’s far too blue to be real. “Where the fuck am I?”