Chapter Three

I squirmed because of the pain I felt but the man was unperturbed.

I understand he was strong but it was unwise of him to think the same about me.

I was a weakling!

I looked towards the castle but there was no sign of life heading from there.

The party was still going on despite my absence. I felt upset at the discovery.

For crying out loud, I was the bride and the most important person in the wedding.

I wonder what my parents and my family are doing right now. I thought about Arnold too.

I guess he had been so carried away speaking with his business associates that he forgot all about me.

I wished I allowed my mom to come along when she asked earlier. If I did, I was sure I wouldn't be in this mess.

The cool night breeze had become icy. It lifted my veil above my head then swirled it around both of us in the dark frozen night.

I could feel the power and hostility emanating from his strong body. And for a brief moment, I was lost in a nightmare of ice, fire, and desire.

But that was no dream!

He clutched me tightly, crushing my futile efforts to escape.

What did he want from me?

“You’re a liar, just as I predicted,” he hissed in my ear.

I saw the ice crystals of our combined breath swirl around us like mist and smoke before he drew back and looked down at me with hard eyes.

“But I didn’t expect you to be so beautiful.” he added solemnly.

“I think you have made a mistake.” I licked my dried lips.

I cracked my brain if I could remember his face but I couldn't. I had never seen him among Arnold’s friends and also I wanted nothing to do with him.

Slowly, his dark eyes moved to my mouth, following the movement of my tongue.

For a second, I thought he was insane and had wandered into the palace unknowingly to the guards.

The way in which he spoke perfectly with confidence and power made me shake the thought off.

There was absolutely no way an insane man could speak with such confidence. To strengthen my resolution, he never minced a word.

Under his gaze, my lips burned, causing a scorching trail of fire to run down my body, sizzling from my lips to my earlobes.

No one had ever looked at me the way he did.

He released his grip on me a bit so I tried to shield my chest with my hand and took a step backward from him.

“No mistake,” he said firmly, before he tightened the grip on my shoulder once again.

He was determined to hold me down. That was enough to scare the living hell out of me.

“You’ve done something wrong. You will now pay for your crimes.” he smirked

“You’re either drunk or insane! I don’t know you!” I yelled in desperation

I yanked away from his grasp, kicking his groin as hard as my strength could let me.

I didn't wait for him to recover before I dashed toward the castle where I would be safe with my family and my husband.

It was my wedding and I didn’t intend to die just yet. I haven't had my wedding night and also I had a bright future ahead of me too.

I tried to get away from him as fast as I could.

I bolted for safety.

I fled for my life.

Thanks to my survival instincts, my legs didn't fail me rather they picked up pace I never knew they had.

I ran towards the castle tomy family, to my new husband that I didn’t love, and the crowds of happy, smiling rich folks who surrounded the castle.

According to what I heard and from experience, whenever a man got hit in his groin, it paralyzed him for a while but it was different for this stranger.

I had barely run twenty meters when I heard footsteps running after me. The stranger was following me quickly.

He was running at the pace in which I ran with his footsteps nearing me each passing second.

He was determined not to let me go.

I screamed when I felt his hands grab mine roughly.

He grabbed me with a savage growl.

He lifted me up in his arms and held me tightly against his chest as if I weighed nothing.

My attempt to escape had failed and the stranger had me within his grasp.

As he carried me across the snowy garden, my white, translucent veil flew behind us.

He was ruining everything; my wedding, my hopes, and my plans.

“What exactly are you doing? Stop!” I yelled as I kicked and writhed in his arms.

“Please let me go! Help! Please save me!” I cried hoping he would listen

Despite my cries,no one showed up. I was not surprised because back there in the castle, my screams had been drowned by the orchestra and dancing couples.

No one would hear my screams and that meant I was alone.

The man grimly walked through the snow with his grip right on me. He made his way towards the three black SUVs parked in the dark courtyard.

I could hear the three engines start up almost immediately.

My heartbeat increased when I realized what was about to happen.

I screamed and twisted against him, fighting with everything I had, but my kidnapper didn’t seem to notice.

All my ruthless defense didn’t cause him to flinch.

And he had no reason to.

How strong was I in comparison to him?

He shoved me inside the last SUV’s passenger seat then slid in beside me before closing the door behind us.

“Leave,” he ordered the driver.

As the back tires slid on a patch of ice, the driver stomped on the gas, scattering rocks and gravel.

He was taking me away or rather abducting me.

As we sped into the dark forested mountains of the countryside, the other two cars roared ahead of us.

My wrist was released as the dark stranger looked down at me.

I rubbed my wrist and turned to look out through the back window, just in time to see the castle fading behind me.

My family, my new husband, and everything that made sense in my life was all gone.

My life was falling apart just when I thought I would finally be happy.

I looked at the madman beside me, the dark stranger who had just stolen me away from everyone that loved me.

“You kidnapped me,” I yelled.

“At my wedding reception.” I added

The man returned my gaze with dead eyes and clenched teeth.

I sat on the edge of my seat with my body pressing against the far door.

“What do you want from me? Why have you abducted me? What did I do to you?” I asked

The man’s lips curved into a sinister smile as he leaned against the seat.

His dark eyes bored into my soul with viciousness and dislike.

I wasn't expecting it but he reached for me.

For a single moment, I thought he wanted to hit me, so I flinched and closed my eyes.

Instead of the sharp pain that was definitely going to accompany the hit, I felt the tiara and veil being ripped away from my hair.

My eyes flew open at that instant.

I saw his window rolling down as he gripped my diamond tiara and the white gauzy veil in one hand.

“What are you doing?” I gasped. “Don’t do that!”

He didn’t reply; rather he flung the tiara and veil out onto the road.

After serving its purpose, the window slid noiselessly back up.

I stared out through the back window.

For an instant, I saw the diamonds on my tiara sparkle and the ghostly white veil wave across the snow behind us like a flag of surrender.

The last memory of my wedding to Arnold was lying by the roadside. I could only enjoy the view of my accessories for a while.

My view was cut off when the SUV turned into a corner.

I turned back to the stranger, shaking in new fury.

“How dare you?” I yelled at him with bloodshot eyes.

“It was a fake,” the man replied coldly. “I was doing you a favor.”

“It’s a priceless heirloom. It has belonged to my husband’s family for generations…”

He didn't allow me to finish speaking before he said,

“Fake,”

He turned away and with a low voice he said, “As fake as your so-called marriage.”

“What?” I whispered. “What are you talking about?”

“You heard me.”

“You’re crazy.”

For a moment I thought he wouldn’t answer that but before I knew it, his jaw twitched.

“You know your marriage is fake. Just as you know who I am.”

“I don’t!”

“My name is Xavier Regulus,” he bit out, watching me.

Xavier Regulus.

I had heard Arnold shouting out the name with rage in a different language to his assistants and bodyguards.

The truth about what happened dawned on me.

My husband’s apparent enemy had kidnapped me.

Xavier Regulus.

Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.

That name meant it wasn’t a mistake, it wasn’t a dream.

I had been kidnapped by my husband’s enemy.

And from what I had seen, he was a remorseless, vicious villain with a heart of ice.

“What are you going to do with me?” I whispered.

Xavier gave her a chilling smile before he replied “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

I didn’t believe him for an instant. I had to get out of his car before he tossed me out of the window just like he did to my veil and heirloom.

I grabbed the door handle, but it was locked.

Grimly, he shackled my wrists with his hands, pushing me back against the seat.

With his body crushed mine he said “You cannot escape from me.”

“Help!” I screamed though I knew it was hopeless.

“Somebody help me!” I yelled even louder

“No help is coming for you, Sylvia Browne,”

He looked down at me with hatred in his black eyes before he muttered “You are mine.”