"Why did you kidnap me?" Camila crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. The past fifteen minutes had been filled with angry silence. Declan hadn't said a word since leaving the gas station, and, if his eyes ever wandered in her direction, he looked away quickly.

It bugged Camila. It was like a half-opened cupboard, just sticking out waiting for someone to bang their head on it. She wanted to shut it, to stop any problems before they began.

Silence is a missed opportunity.

"I saved your life," Declan said. He gripped the steering wheel like he was afraid it would fly out of his grasp, his knuckles practically white. 

"And I appreciate it. But not letting me contact Alex, forcing me to leave with you, that kind of thing, that's kidnapping," Camila said. "I just want to know what you're going to do with me."

He laughed. "What makes you think I know the answer to that?"

Camila had insisted on buying snacks at the gas station: two Hershey's chocolate bars, beef jerky, and trail mix. She placed a square of chocolate on her tongue. It tasted rich and sweet.

She wanted to be mad about what happened to Jack. But being in the same space as Declan was intoxicating. She couldn't think straight, couldn't really remember how horrified she'd been, and her brain kept focusing on his brilliant eyes, his muscled forearms, and his perfect lips.

"Just tell me Declan. What's the worst that could happen?" Camila said.

"Well." Declan paused. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "I could always marry you."

"I'd have to say yes."

"I think I could persuade you." Declan held out his hand. "Chocolate, please."

Camila placed a square of chocolate in his palm, careful not to touch him. Every time she got close, she felt a magnetic pull towards him, a persistent itch beneath her skin.

"And my other options?"

"I could ransom you to the highest bidder. Give you to the vampires. Kill you."

Camila scoffed. "After all the trouble you've gone to to keep me alive? I doubt it."

Outside her window, Camila saw rows and rows of green bushes. She'd seen a few houses: a dilapidated farmhouse with the roof caved in, a small brick well, a sky blue house with a pebble walkway. But the view was mostly forest, the pointy tops of trees stabbing at the sky.

"A lot of people are angry at your family," Declan said after a minute. "I know several people willing to kill you because of your parents."

"I do know that. I was kidnapped when I was five. I'm a princess, not an idiot," Camila snapped. She remembered the kidnapping vaguely, a single image of a man in a clown mask emerging from under her bed and pressing a handkerchief soaked in sleeping draught to her nose. It had taken five minutes for the palace guard to track the man down and rescue her. Afterwards, Alex had let her play with his Star Wars Legos, while Serena made them both tea with honey.

Declan braked. Camila jolted forward in her seat, grabbing onto whatever she can get her hands on—which turned out to be Declan's wrist.

The truck rolled to a stop. Without the dull rumble of the engine, it was strangely quiet.

"Sorry." Camila released Declan, her cheeks burning. She placed her hands in her lap.

"Nothing to be sorry for. You can touch me whenever you like."

"As if I'd want to." 

He laughed. "You know it's literally impossible to find your mate unattractive, right?"

Camila rolled her eyes, but her lips curl up at the corners. Seeing him smile felt like drinking Serena's hot chocolate. It was comforting and familiar.

She shrugged. "I suppose you're passably cute."

"Passably cute, huh?"

"Yeah. Like a... squirrel. Vicious, but cute in a weird way," Camila said. Declan gaped at her, looking so offended she couldn't help but laugh. A warm blush rose to her cheeks.

Declan grinned reluctantly, his eyes shining with the memory of laughter. He turned in his seat so his body faces hers. 

"Camila." He took her hand. His lips were set in a thin line and his brow was furrowed with a sudden seriousness. "Would you marry me?"

"Wh-" Camila yanked her hand away, blushing furiously.

"Not today. Would you ever consider it?" His hand reached out again, his skin almost glowing in the afternoon sunlight. He tilted his head, like he was trying to get a read on her, to see every side of her.

Camila forgot how to speak.

No.

She knew the right answer. It hovered, unspoken, on the tip of her tongue. Declan couldn't be king, no matter what. Who knew what kind of outrageous laws he would put in place? With his disdain for the aristocracy and his irrational faith in his animal half—the kingdom would end up exactly as it had been under her grandparent's rule. Survival of the fittest was the law before her parents came into power, complete with ritualistic sacrifices every Sunday to honor the Moon Goddess and an outdated claiming system where a man could have any woman he wanted, willing or not.

It was the reason Camila wore her silver bracelet. To keep her animal instincts in check.

It didn't help that he was willing to do anything—threaten, maim, and kill—to get what he wanted.

She swallowed, her throat painfully dry. "Of course not."

Declan bowed his head. She couldn't see his face, but his offered hand lowered listlessly to the gearshift. 

After a moment, he said, "Of course. I suppose I shouldn't expect anything different."

"I suppose not." Her voice felt strangely robotic. Camila knew the words to say, but they felt wrong leaving her lips.

It's just the mating bond.

But was it? What is the mating bond anyways? The waves of lust and attraction were all chemical, engineered by a genetic mistake. The surges of affection, the way his smile lightens her heart—it was all a fluke. But every emotion washed over her like a tidal wave.

It didn't feel fake.

Camila opened her mouth. She wasn't sure what to say, but she knew she had to say it, knew that she needed to make Declan understand-

Cold metal clicked around one wrist, then the other. Handcuffs.

"If you're not going to marry me," Declan touched her cheek, brushing a speck of chocolate away. There was something sad about the motion and he hesitated to move away. "I guess I need to figure out what to do with you."

Thank you for reading! It means a lot to me. I'm sending you positive vibes and mental energy for the new school year or the fall months (whatever fits your life)!

Today I got into a fight with a box. The box won. It was not my proudest moment.

I also found out that the Wattys are due in one month... not two. Oops? I'm gonna try and get 50,000 words on the page (fingers crossed, we'll see what happens), which means lots of poorly edited chapters are headed your way! 

-Harley