A MOMENT OF VULNERABILITY

The dungeon was a dark and gloomy chamber, the air thick and musty with a damp smell that lingers in the air. The scent of urine from other inmates also lingered in the air contributing to the horrid smell. The hour seemed to pass by with me sitting down on the ground, cheeks throbbing from the impact of being hit. Above me, I could hear the faint sound of music playing and the chattering of people if I listened closely. But I did none of that and instead lay on the ground with me awaiting my fate.

The king already knows I was a thief, Corion made sure of that except he framed me this time. I never touched that man's watch, wouldn't even dream of stealing something like that from that kind of person, and yet Corion had claimed I had. The timing was also suspicious, it was precisely the same moment Dimitri had begged to have a taste of me.

I sat up suddenly, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. Could it be…could it be Corion had saved me from having to partake in what was happening upstairs? No, no, it can't be possible. He had no reason to, no obligation to come to my rescue, and also he was a heartless bastard who wouldn't save me, especially not from a lord in his court.

And yet, the timing was exactly perfect. There was no way I could have escaped being some sort of blood bag to Dimitri and the other people of the vampire court. Even the king had given his approval and just when I thought all hope was lost, Corion appeared.

My skin still tingled from where he held me by the waist, "Mine!" He had said and then spun a story that had me being thrown here.

Oh, blessed oracle! I gasped softly as realization suddenly dawned on me. A clang on my cell pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up only to find the guard from earlier standing in front of my cell.

"You are free to get out!" He barked at me as he opened the door.

I stared at him warily as I rose slowly to my feet. Keeping my eyes on him, I tentatively walked out not daring to remove my gaze from his because I wasn't sure what he was going to do next. The guard didn't do anything but lock the cell back, shoving the keys back into the pockets.

"You are to report to the prince's chambers at once, he will be the one to dole out your punishment."

Dread filled me the moment I heard punishment but I didn't let it show besides I needed to have a conversation with him anyway. The guard then grabbed my arm, not as painful as before but still firm to remind me not to try any funny business.

The sound of music and laughter grew louder and I swore I heard moans coming from one of the corridors but the guard led me away from that before we stopped at the familiar door of the prince's room. He opened it and shoved me inside, I turned to glare at him but he was already locking me inside.

"Bastard!" I said to the closed door before I whirled around.

Corion wasn't in his room. He was probably downstairs enjoying the party, drinking bubbly drinks, and eating some lamb chops or whatever it is werewolves eat. I am at least glad one of us is having fun while the other smells like sweat and piss! Gods, I needed a bath! I thought to myself as I stared at my outfit.

The sound of the door opening brought me out of my thoughts. A maid is supposed not to look the royal in the eye and to always remain as docile as a deer. But the moment I saw Corion's face, I couldn't stop the scowl from appearing on my face as I glared at him.

Corion took one look at me before he turned and shot the door. He then leaned against it, staring at me with those green eyes of his. "You are here."

"And here I was thinking you were being the life of the party while my ass was locked in a smelly dungeon." I retorted and he chuckled at me in response which made me eye him warily.

Corion looked up at me, amusement on his face as he stared at me, "But I got you out, didn't I?"

"Yeah barely!" I snapped at him, "What would have happened if the king had decided on that spot that it be off with my head or I was to be hung at the gallows or that my hands be chopped off because of your stupid lie? You know thinking about it now, I can't decide which one of those is the worst, my head getting chopped off would be a swift but painful death, getting hung at the gallows, a slow and agonizing one, and my hands getting chopped off? I think I would have gone with that because I would still be alive and then, I would be rid of you and_"

My rambling was suddenly cut off by Corion laughing. I paused as I stared at him, not sure I heard correctly but sure enough, Corion was laughing. I stared at the prince in shock, my eyes wide with disbelief as he laughed. His laughter filled the room, rich and deep in timbre, resonating with a warmth that I had never heard before.

Corion never laughed, sure maybe a few cocky smirks and a small smile when he was with Anya and Reagan but never laughter. Heck, I used to think he was capable of doing that but here he was laughing. His eyes crinkled at the sides, his shoulders moving slightly as he released each hearty chuckle.

I couldn't help but stand there, frozen in place as I watched him laugh. "Are you drunk?" I asked after a while but Corion went into another fit of laughter while I just stood there awkwardly.

Yup, officially, the prince has suddenly lost his mind! Now how on earth do I explain to the king that his brother went insane when he was supposed to punish me? Your graciousness sire, it would seem that your brother here lost his mind when he was supposed to dole out my punishment which by the way was a wrong accusation but then karma is a bitch, so how about you let bygones be bygones and allow me to go back home? I thought to myself when Corion started laughing harder again.

"Gods above woman, will you just stop and breathe for a minute?" He said with a weary sigh.

"But I didn't_" I trailed off suddenly narrowing my gaze at him, "You read my thoughts just now didn't you?" I asked.

Corion smiled at me shyly, his expression a mix of warmth and hesitancy. His eyes held a glint of curiosity as he spoke, "I like knowing your thoughts, they are quite amusing." He says as he leaned his head against the door, assessing me with a playful smirk on his face.

"Ever heard of the term privacy?" I asked rolling my eyes at him.

Instead of answering me, Corion inched away from the door, walking towards me. I took a step backward as I eyed him warily but he just walked closer, stopping till he was in front of me. Once again, I was breathless with our proximity and I tried to move but there was nowhere for me to go, behind me was the dresser.

I glanced up at the prince who stared down at me, his green eyes on my face as if he was committing it to memory. I stood still and I was sure that at this point, I was probably not breathing. Corion then raised a hand to gently hold my cheek, the same one that the guards had hit and I saw something dark flash in his eyes before it was gone.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, his tone soft and filled with concern.

"Not anymore," I whispered as I held his gaze.

Corion nodded his head, gently rubbing my cheek as if he wanted to erase the pain. "I'm glad you are okay." He said softly, his voice filled with a sincerity that touched my heart.

My heart began to beat faster as I gulped loudly. I wasn't sure what was happening right now but all I knew was that I couldn't disrupt it either. I was mad at him and I was sure if I had a knife, I'd drive it into his heart for being a backstabbing liar. But now as he stared at me like this, I could feel every bit of my anger disappearing.

I opened my mouth to speak when I noticed something was off. The prince looked paler than usual. Seeing him up close now, I noticed how pale he looked than usual, his usually rosy complexion drained of color.

"Your Highness, are you unwell?" I asked with concern as I stared at him.

"Corion!"

"What?" I asked frowning at him.

"Corion," He repeated as his eyes met mine with a hint of vulnerability as he whispered, "I like when you call me by my name." A small smile played on his face before his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Before I could react, Corion collapsed against me, his weight causing us both to stumble to the ground. I held onto him tightly, panic rising in my chest as I felt his body grow limp in my arms.

"Corion!" I called as I clutched him close to me when I noticed my hand was wet from holding him close. Pulling my hand back in shock, I stared down at it only to see the crimson stain of blood!

Fear gripped my heart as I realized the severity of the situation. "Corion!" I called in a shaky breath but the prince remained still in my arms, not stirring or bothering to open his eyes!