Kidnapped by a Prince

Chapter 15

—Thea's POV—
I'm nervous. Lunch went well and I felt like Xander and I really hit it off. It was all the little things. All the small gestures. The way he kept staring at me made my heart flutter. You could just tell that, to him, I was the only girl in the room. The way his lip curved up ever so gently whenever we made eye contact and the way his eyes would sparkle if you looked into them long enough... needless to say, I think I'm in love.

I finally manage to gather up enough courage to knock on his door. As the knock echoes throughout the hallway, I feel the strange urge to run away and pretend it wasn't me. I hope he isn't here, then I can save myself the embarrassment! Oh god what am I saying? I feel giddy and childish, but I stand there, my excitement growing with every passing second. As the seconds turns into a minute, however, I feel my face scrunch up into a frown and knock again. Unsurprisingly, I am met with silence. All the energy I was feeling disappears and all I am left with is a feeling of empty disappointment. Where is he?

I gasp. No. He wouldn't. I think to myself.

I run down the hallway, the fire inside me lit anew and swing the door open not even bothering to knock. To my disappointment, I find yet another empty room. Hmm... so he didn't go to my room to surprise me? Now I was really at a loss for where to find Xander. Resigned, I decided to go look for that girl Melody I met at lunch. She seemed nice and the whole palace life thing was obviously new to her, so I thought maybe we could learn some things from each other. I wander down the seemingly endless hallway peeking into every room until I stumble across the right one.

What I see before me makes me reel back in shock. I let out a small gasp as my hand slips off of the door's handle. I see Xander lying in bed asleep with Melody. He has his arm laid lightly across her waist and his chest is pressed tightly against her back. I'm too shocked to move, to speak. I can't do anything really. I know that Xander and I aren't official or anything and we had just reconnected after so many years, but was I crazy for thinking that maybe Xander wanted us to be something more than childhood friends? Did I imagine his passionate gaze during lunch? Did his kind smile soften for every girl he met? Was I so naive and misguided as to think that I was special?

I run away from the room with my heart torn out of my chest. I'm so stupid. Why do I develop feelings so quickly? Honestly, I am beyond mad, but not at Xander. He never promised me anything. I did this to myself. As I turn the corner, I hit someone's hard chest. This sudden presence knocks me off balance, but instead of falling, I feel my body being swept up by two respectfully placed arms.

"I'm so sorry ma'am" a familiar voice calls.

I look up and meet the blond boy's eyes through his raggedy hair. There's something so familiar about those eyes...

His eyes sparkle and I see him smile brightly. "Thea, I didn't know you were here! Why didn't you say hello? Royal life made you too good for Sammy?" the boy, no, man, before me asked jokingly while turning his catch into a tender hug.

Recognition registers in my features causing me to smile like an idiot. "Sammy! You got so big I almost didn't recognize you!" I reply awestruck. He's gotten quite tall and his boyish charm has been replaced by a sharp jawline and powerful eyes. I feel my own jaw drop slightly but catch myself before Sam notices.

The handsome man in front of me reaches out and gently strokes my cheek. I'm surprised by his sudden intimacy and reel back. "S-Sam, what're you doing?" I ask.

"You're crying. Did you get hurt? I'm sorry, I didn't see you" Sam responds. His voice is as gentle as his touch. Oh, he was wiping my tears. Stupid, Thea.

"No, no it wasn't that," I try to laugh to assure him that I'm ok, but it just comes out dry and humorless.

"What's wrong?" Sam asks trying to look into my eyes that are currently aimed at the floor. He puts a reassuring hand on my back and walks me back towards the spectacle I had been running from.

"No, Sam, please. I-I wasn't going this way. I just want to go back to my room. Everything is fine, really," I desperately try to urge him away from the room, but he calmly pushes forward. As we turn the corner, Sam's muscles clench and he stops abruptly. An almost animal growl comes out of him making me look up at his face. His jaw is clenched and the veins on his forehead are protruding. He takes his arm away from me and makes his way to the girl's room at an eerily slow pace considering his visible rage. I consider giving the brothers some privacy, but to be honest, I have a sick desire to watch the fight play out, so I hide behind my beloved spying corner. When Sam finally reaches the room, I jump slightly as he calls his brother in a firm voice.

"Xander," Sam's voice echoes down the hall. Xander raises his head sleepily before his brother's gaze snaps him to attention. Melody also stirs a bit before jumping out of Xander's protective grasp. She fumbles nervously under Sam's knowing gaze and sits back down on the bed.

"Sam, it's not what it looks like. We were just reading and then I got tired, so Melody was gracious enough to let me nap here." I roll my eyes. Whatever you lying bastard.

Xander's lame explanation does not seem to convince Sam either. "Thea saw you two. Xander, you really hurt her," Sam says seriously. My face feels red hot as Sam exposes my feeling for Xander. Thanks for nothing. Now I've been rejected and publicly humiliated. Guess I won't be doing this whole traveling thing anymore. How embarrassing.

I see Xander go pale as a ghost as he looks over at Melody. I'm pretty sure that the look on her face is as close as any of us will come to seeing the devil.

"I see. Do you know where she has gone? I would very much like to clear up this misunderstanding," Xander says diplomatically.

"Her room," Sam replies curtly.

Xander gets up and mumbles something before walking out of the room towards me. Realizing that he is expecting to find me there, I am about to rush off, but something catches my eye. Sam enters Melody's room and as the door is closing, I catch a glimpse of him walking toward the girl on the bed. On that note, I retreat to my own room.

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Hi all! Trust me, I know how shady this "update" is. I'm sorry! I promise I will actually update. Soonish. Hopefully. I have some storylines planned, it's just a matter of actually... physically... writing... them at this point. Anyway, the reason I edited this chapter was to make a tiny adjustment. Instead of Sam being Thea's childhood crush, he will just be a childhood friend. That's all for now. Thank you!