IMPRESS. [Book 1]

Chapter Seven: Slow Dancing

It was dark.

Pitch black.

But those tormenting brown eyes.

They were painted black and sparked red which made them more frightening.

I walked towards the eyes curiously and watched them disappear into the darkness once I had reached where they once were.

I whipped around and darted my eyes every direction in fear, wondering where the enchanting soul I had seen in the distance had wandered to.

Suddenly, I was grabbed by the shoulders and roughly pulled back, the air being knocked straight out my lungs. Continuing to be dragged across the ground by a darkness, I struggled to find the oxygen to breathe.

"Natalya... Natalya..." A voice echoed in the distance making a darkness cloud my vision until the voice was no longer distant and my eyes had fully opened.

I exhaled loudly and sat up in my bed to see my brother and Derek at my side. "Natalya, thank god!" Alaric held his chest and sighed.

Looking through the windows of the double doors leading to my balcony, I saw that it was clearly afternoon and most likely around 6 PM (18:00).

Looking down at myself, I saw that I was wearing a nightdress white as milk and smooth as a flow of silk with a cushioning, creme blanket covering my legs.

"What? Wha- What happened?" I couldn't speak properly as I was circled in confusion, my head felt like it was empty. It was so light that I began to question whether or not I still had a brain.

Since Alaric was too busy rubbing my back from his seat beside my bed, Derek decided to answer, "love, you were out for the whole of Tuesday, it is Wednesday now and precisely 6:10 PM."

I was close to guessing the time right then, but why was I out for the whole of yesterday. I only remember having an insane headache and then, wait- the pain.

I brought my hand to enclose my neck as I remembered how much it hurt.

It never did hurt that much.

"Why was I out for the whole of yesterday?" I questioned with my brows drew together.

Alaric caught my attention by removing his hand from my back, "you met him."

"Met who?" I asked.

Derek smirked, "the birthday boy, love."

What?

"Prince Zachary, Natalya," Alaric clarified as I slowly adjusted myself on the bed so that my back was rested on the bed frame and my knees were folded to my chest. "You asked him to drink from you, I don't know why you did it, but he told me he was unaware that you were my sister."

I looked forward at the dressing table mirror directly opposite my bed and stared at my reflection. I looked so pale and something about my face made me question whether I was staring back at myself or another person.

Did I appear unusually pretty? Yes, I did. And that was a big thing, I never once thought I looked pretty.

Registering my brother's words my eyes gradually grew, "that was the prince! Oh my- I had no idea. I just wanted to save the lady he was going to- I bet he hates me now, doesn't he?"

I should have realised that the man I was fascinated by was the prince. I mean every story I heard about the prince was always either on about how good he looked, his ability to enter minds, his murderous idea of killing or almost killing anyone in that gets in his way.

Mmm. I wonder why the prince didn't decide to kill me before he found out who I was?

"At first, he was pretty pissed but he got over it fast, I think you made quite the impression of yourself sis." Alaric hummed and nodded with his bottom lip pouted.