el'

, my brain refused to p

That could

. Twice. My ey

candlelight, muscles shifting under smoot

I whispered again, my

ut it wasn't the gentle, kind professor who used to smile when I answered a question in class.

.." I muttered, staring at him. "

rushed on for a year-the one who told me once that I "had potential"-was standing h

ile. It was mockery. "Let's get this over wi

hed. "Get... t

en it

s. The palace. The

o

t Professo

as the

g I was suppo

nds up. "Hold

wing slightly as if I'd

ipped irritation. "Isn'

ed. "Ex

o kill yourself to get my attention. You wanted me t

a moment. Then the shock burne

you to stop being a jerk and kee

ing f

disbelief. Then, just as quickly, it va

being spoken to like that. Ma

narrowing. "What game ar

mach d

ze

n't remember telling

it-the real queen's name was Hazel too? Wh

ause the next thing I knew, he grabb

d into h

a

yes inches from mine. His skin was hot, muscles hard beneath my palms. The

rgot everything. The anger. T

t...

my face. "The sooner we do this," he said coldly,

that, the sp

essor. He was a jerk. A

hard enough that he

demanded, my voice shaking but loud. "Wha

aw cl

don't you go to yo

n the roo

his jaw twitched as he stared at me, li

d, voice dropping an oc

iling sweetly. "Oh,

bli

at disappeared under the waistband of his pants. Then I looked back up and said, "I'm just saying

t, the room

ression turn

uld have frozen lava. G

nder. "How dare you interru

d you forget? I'm your queen

his face was

mo

nd head. Like he was trying to figure out

his voice dripping suspic

zed the King would rather prote

uld see it in the

ble. "I don't care what rubbish is going through your head," he said coldly

a kind smile. "I'd l

d-just slightly. His jaw tightened

is voice dropped, darker now. "

dn't

m straight

wly, delibera

our d