The Royal Contract

"Let go." She continued to struggle to free herself. Hoping that she would come up with a way to end this nightmare. She refused to give in to his demands, not without a fight.

Besides, she could never guarantee that he would keep his word to free Alex once she agreed to all he wanted. It was more likely that he would double-cross them, even kill Alex and her afterward.

She could sacrifice herself, but not the life of the man she loved. She just had to think of something fast that she could use against him.

"Not so fast. I am not done with you." He said with his lips turning into a wicked smile.

Using his fingers on her chin, he forced her to open her lips and allowed his tongue to explore freely inside her mouth. Then, his hands released her face and began to glide down her body.

He could feel her struggling against his body which only encouraged him to continue. He pushed his body closer to her, feeling his need to possess her.

But before he could do more, she bit his tongue with all her might. When he temporarily loosened his hold on her, she found an opportunity to knee him right in his balls.

"I told you never to put your filthy mouth and hands on me." She felt a momentary victory as she saw him drop to the ground like a sack of potato, holding on to his manhood in excruciating pain.

She searched the surrounding area for a weapon she could use against him and found the place bare of any ornaments. It was as if the room was stripped off of all its decorations.

The only object she could find inside the room was the bed, a blanket, and some pillows. As if she could use those to beat Nick to unconsciousness.

"If you think you already won, remember I still have your husband." He said, thinking that she was about to bolt to the door. He attempted to stand up while recovering from the blow he had just received.

He could see that she was starting to think of ways to outsmart him, but she still had no choice but to obey him because he still had all the cards in his favor.

Suddenly, his words stopped her from her tracks. The adrenaline to beat him up was so exhilarating that she lost sight of her situation. She realized that she was still at his mercy since he held Alex captive.

"That is better, Dani." He finally stood straight, still clearly in a very uncomfortable position as he kept adjusting his pants. Based on her expression, he knew he was back in control.

"You have not won yet, Nick. I will find a way out of this. Alex will not let you win. Our families will find us." She rattled on, rejecting the notion that he would have the last laugh.

She was on guard, just in case he tried again to force himself on her. Until she figured out what to do with this situation, she had to defend herself against his advances, either physically, mentally, or sexually.

"For now, I will leave you be." He said as a knock on the door gave him an excuse to leave her in the meantime. "I suggest that you use this time to think more carefully. Well... actually, there is only one option anyway."

He fixed his clothes that went out of place in their struggle earlier. He grabbed his coat that he dropped on the side of the bed and walked out the door.

"I will consider my offer if I were you before I decide to change my mind." He casually said with a satisfied grin on his face before he locked the door behind him.

His words possessed a subtle threat that she should be wise to take heed. He might be amused by her at the moment, but he was not known to be a patient man.

He might have tolerated her before because of his motives, but their present situation was quite different. He was done playing the waiting game.

Then, she was alone in the room. She rushed to the window to check on Alex, but the grounds were empty. There was no sign of him or where they had taken him.

She sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed the blanket to cover herself with. All of a sudden, tears fell down like a waterfall down on her cheeks.

"Alex, I will find you." She mumbled in between her sobs as she wiped the tears that continued flowing towards the floor.

All the emotions she bottled up ever since discovering their ordeal burst out of her chest, demanding release. She could feel her fear, uncertainty, confusion, pain, anger, and other emotions sipping through her veins, sucking the life out of her.

Eventually, her mind conjured up different images of her nightmares coming true. She could feel her heart pounding out of her chest at the thought of the worse things that could be happening to Alex at the hands of Nick.

Nick could be torturing him now, just for the fun of it. Alex could be lying on some underground dungeon with blood oozing out of his body, immobile and almost lifeless.

"Please, Alex, stay strong for me." She whispered in the air, hoping that somehow her words would reach him and give him the strength to get through this. "I will find a way to get us out of here."

She knew she had to snap out of her despair because she could not depend on anyone to rescue them. Alex might be in a tighter situation than her, so it would be easier for her to come up with a plan.

She pulled a portion of the blanket and wiped her tear-stricken face with it. She had to get her composure back together and clear her mind.

She stood up from the bed with a new determination, coming up with some plans. First, she had to stop crying and focus on what she could do.

Shortly, the door unlocking alerted her of a presence outside the door. She quickly moved to the far corner, ready for another encounter with the devil.

"The boss wanted you to eat. So, don't let this go to waste." A bulky man who opened the door said.

He brought a plate of food in a tray inside her room. Then, he placed it on top of the bed. Another man, a bit leaner but still with a solid body, stood outside, probably guarding the door if she tried to escape.

"Thank you." She replied to them, hoping that she could win them over. But she seriously doubted that.

But if they thought that she was cooperating with them, they might lower their guards down even for just a bit. It would not help her situation if she kept antagonizing her captors.

She might be able to use them later for her plans. Not their cooperation, but she was counting on their gullibility. After all, more brawns fewer brains in her observation. She was hoping she could trick them later on.

"Don't thank us." The man outside spoke up. "You should thank the boss for being lenient with you. If he did not fancy you, you and your husband would be dead by now."

Then, the other man went out, closing the door behind her. She rushed to the door, leaning her head closer to the door frame. She could still hear some muffled voice, but it was too faint to understand them.

Finally, there was silence, and she was alone again. She tried the doorknob, but it would seem that it was locked outside. There was no way for her to open it.

"Eat up." She told herself instead as she returned to the bed and grabbed the food. "You will need all the energy to do this." She encouraged herself, pumping up her confidence again.

She had to keep herself nourished if she would devise a plan to escape. She needed enough strength to rescue Alex from Nick. Or until such time their families found them.

She was not delusional that her plans might work like a charm, but she had to try. She could not just sit and wait for some divine intervention to decide their fate.

She munched on her food, swallowing every bite, thinking of only one thing.. She would need all her strength until her subsequent encounter with the devil.