Lord Rokkan’s Private Toy

by Hutchins, Hollie

  “Yeah,” Amara agreed. “Well, save the prince obviously. He’s really nice, don’t you think?”

  Megan shook her head. “I don’t know what I think about that guy.” They turned down the hallway and found their room. It didn’t have a keypad, but the door handle did lock manually. The room inside was nothing like the Prince’s bedroom. The furniture was modest and the decorations plain. Still, it was much nicer, and a little bigger than Megan’s family’s apartment. There were two beds, a large wooden desk, two cosy lounge chairs, a coffee table, a fireplace, and an adjoining bathroom. Megan threw her back down on one of the chairs.

  The windows in this room were smaller than the one the Prince had in his room, but there were many of them, and the view was spectacular. She went right to the biggest one and gazed out on the gardens below. Past the way, she could see the district laid out and people, who were no more than little dots, lining up at the various kitchen stations to get their dinner.

  A flushing sound came from the bathroom. Amara walked out looking gleeful. “I can’t remember the last time I got to use a private bathroom. Maybe never.” She shook some water from her hands. “I live on the second floor of the Hotel, and have to use the communals.” She walked over and sat on one of the beds. “Do you mind if I take this one? It’s further from those windows. I’m not used to having this much light coming in –– my place doesn’t have any windows.”

  “Sure, that’s fine,” said Megan. She made a mental note never to complain to Amara about her own housing situation. At least her family had their own bathroom, and not one but two windows. “Do you know where we go for dinner? Is there a place where servants can buy their food?”

  Amara shrugged. “I don’t know. Nobody told me. In fact, nobody really talked to me at all today. Even my mentor only said a few words, and those were mainly ‘get out of the way’ and ‘don’t touch that’.”

  “I had a similar day,” said Megan. “Once I started shadowing.”

  Amara gasped. “Oh yeah!” she yelled. “I can’t believe I forgot, you volunteered to take the prince his breakfast this morning. How was that? What’s his room like?” Amara’s eyes were lit up with excitement. She inched up, literally on the edge of the bed. “Tell me everything.”

  Megan let out a soft laugh. “Okay, I’ll tell you everything, but first, we gotta find some food. I’m so hungry I wouldn’t even turn down a plate of our weird zucchini spaghetti.”

  “Mmm, that does sound good,” said Amara. “Too bad we can’t make more of that.”

  Megan gave her a look. “I was joking.”

  Amara giggled awkwardly and her cheeks became flushed. “Oh. Right. Me too.” She stood up, took off her apron and tunic, and slipped out of the black cotton pants. Underneath, the was wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of shorts which were too big for her. Tied to one of her belt loops was a small velvet coin pouch. She shook it and listened. “I have enough to go to one of the stations, I think. Rekk said I won’t be able to pick up our first payment until the end of the week though so I have to spend sparingly.”

  In that moment, Megan realized that Amara didn’t have a bag, or any belongings with her. “Did you not bring anything else?” she asked. “No extra clothes or anything?”

  Amara shook her head. “I didn’t have much to bring in the first place, and everything I did have I decided to leave with my sister. After working here a few weeks, I’ll have enough money to buy new stuff. Her new work assignment doesn’t pay very well, so I figured she could use my stuff more than me right now.”

  Megan was quiet for a few seconds. She was trying to figure out the best way to offer what she wanted to without it sounding like charity or pity. “How about I buy dinner tonight, and then next week, after we get paid, you can treat.”

  Amara looked down at the pouch hanging at her hip. “You don’t have to do that. I wasn’t telling you all that stuff so you’d offer to pay or something. I’m not interested in being a leach or a mooch or whatever.”

  “Trust me,” said Megan. “I get it. This isn’t a gift, it’s a loan, okay?”

  Amara dug the toe of her shoe into the carpet as if stamping out a cigarette. “Yeah. Okay.” Even though she was still looking down, Megan could tell Amara was smiling.

  “Great. Then let’s go find some grub.”

  * * *

  “Wait, hang on,” said Amara after swallowing a large bite of the spicy chicken dish they found at one of the kitchen stations inside the castle walls. “He was naked?”

  “Not naked naked,” Megan corrected. “He had his shirt wrapped around his waist.” Megan went to eat some of her own food, which was getting cold as she’d been telling Amara all about her two visits to the prince.

  “So, let me get this straight; you walk in to bring them the coffee, and you hear… noises…”

  Megan nodded, her mouth full.

  “You clear your throat and the… noises… stop. Then the prince comes over to where you’re standing with the coffee with just a sheet on?”

  “That’s the gist,” said Megan. Although she’d spent all day trying to forget about it, Megan had to admit it felt nice talking about all this with someone, even if that someone had a tendency to interrupt and ask for constant clarifications. “He was trying to make me uncomfortable, that much was obvious. He knew I was coming back in a few minutes, yet he and those girls started up again anyway… It was intentional.”

  “You think?” Amara’s eyes widened. “But why? To what end?”

  “Because he can,” Megan suggested. “Because he gets off on that sort of thing.”

  Amara looked over both her shoulders. “Or maybe, he likes you.” She giggled girlishly. “Maybe he was trying to make me jealous.”

  Megan shook her head. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t even know me… Besides, he can have any woman he wants, and I’m not exactly the hottest chick in the coop.” She took a bite of her lukewarm dinner and smiled. “I fink he’s jus’ a jerk.”

  Rekk appeared behind Amara, peering down over her shoulder at Megan. “Enjoying your dinner?” he asked cheerfully.

  “Very much,” said Megan.

  “Would you like to join us?” Amara asked, motioning to the open seat at outdoor table.

  “That’s very kind of you, ladies,” said Rekk. “But I’m afraid I’m still on the clock. In fact, I have been sent here to find you, Megan Zandle. The prince has requested you make him the zucchini dish for dinner, he said you would know what that meant.”

  “He wants that? But it’s not even that good.”

  Rekk shrugged. “It’s what he requested.”

  “But my shift is over. Can’t one of the dinner chefs make it?”

  “He told me to get you specifically,” said Rekk. “He will pay you for your overtime, which is double your usual rate.”

  Amara gave Megan a coy smile. “I told you,” she whispered.

  Megan rolled her eyes. “This is ridiculous.” She stood up and took her bowl with her. “I guess I’ll see you back in the room later tonight.”

  Amara waved. “Okay! Thanks for dinner.” She winked. “And good luck.”

  Megan ate as she walked back to the castle kitchen with Rekk. “The prince was truly very apologetic to interrupt your meal,” he said. “It’s just that he wants the dish to be exactly as you made it.”

  Megan didn’t say anything, partially because her mouth was too full, but mostly because she was boiling over with anger and she was worried if she started speaking, something insubordinate, if not downright offensive, would come out.

  Rekk dropped her off at the door of the kitchen and hurried away to go take care of another errand for the prince. The ingredients had already been gathered and set out for her. The rest of the kitchen staff was busy cooking for the rest of the draaks and castle staff who wished to eat in. Megan made some space for herself next to one of the stoves and got to work.

  Thankfully, she finished in under thirty minutes. She caught one of the
servants who just came in from serving in the dining hall and asked him if he’d take the meal up to the prince.

  “I can’t,” he said. “Sorry. There are too many people out there.” He disappeared through the kitchen door.

  She asked a total of five servers, all of whom provided her with a lame excuse for why they could not take the prince his dinner. Finally, in an attempt to get back to her room as soon as possible and go to bed, Megan decided she’d take the damn meal up herself.

  As opposed to her previous visits to the prince’s bedroom, this time he was alone. He was sitting in one of the leather lounge chairs in front of his fireplace, which was blazing. She put the tray on the table next to him and turned to leave, somewhat expecting the prince to say something or call her back. When he did neither and said nothing, Megan found herself walking back towards him, angrier than ever.

  “Hey,” she said. “What’s your problem, huh?”

  Rokkan smiled. “I have no problem, do you have a problem?”

  “Are you so bored with your pointless, unfulfilling life, that you decide to get your kicks from fucking with the people who slave away, all day, for you? Are you really that childish?”

  The prince stood up, his face flashed with anger but it quickly melted. Again, he was smirking. “How could I be bored? I’m a prince. I can have anything I want at any time I want it.”

  There came a soft knock at the door and a woman’s voice cooing. “Rokkan, you called for me?”

  “There’s something I want right now,” he said to Megan. “Come in!”

  The concubine slipped through the door, wearing no top and see through panties. Megan avoided looking at the woman. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before, that day, but she did it out of respect. Just because the woman was acting like she was into it, didn’t mean she enjoyed the job she’d been saddled with. Megan felt back for her.

  “Oh,” said the woman as she walked past Megan and the prince and made her way to the bed. “WIll she be joining us?”

  “I was just bringing his dinner. I’m leaving now,” said Megan. She turned without looking and walked right into the table, slamming her ankle bone against the hardwood of one of its legs. “Ah!” She stifled the cry as quickly as possible and resisted the urge to bed over and rub her aching joint.

  “Ouch,” said the prince in a playful tone. “That looked like it hurt. Why don’t you sit down and take a load off? I could have Esma here give you a foot massage.”

  “Sure,” said Esma. “He paid for the night, it doesn't matter much to me how we end up spending it.”

  “I’m fine,” said Megan. She went to put weight on the ankle and found she could, but it was painful.

  “You need to loosen up,” said the prince. He was right behind her, whispering in her ear. “I can help with that.” She felt something press into the small of her back and she with horror she realized he was aroused.

  Without thinking, Megan grabbed the steaming bowl of hot zucchini spaghetti, spun around, and tipped the bowl over onto the prince’s front. “Aargg,” he yelled, wiping the contents of the bowl off himself and onto the floor. “You bitch!” He tried to grab for her, but Megan was too quick. She ducked out of his reach and ran towards the door.

  “Guard!” the prince screamed. “Grab her!”

  She pushed open the door, and waiting for her on the other side, were two massive draaks dressed in black and both packing heat. They each grabbed one of her arms and picked her up with ease. Kicking and squirming they carried her down the hallway and to the stairs. As she passed her bedroom, she tried to scream for Amara, but one of the guards squeezed her arm so hard she thought he might break the bone and told her to be quiet.

  They brought her down three flights of stairs, to the basement level she’d never seen. There were no windows. There was one dark, plain hallway, lined with white, unmarked doors. They stopped in front of one of the doors, entered a code into the keypad, and threw Megan inside.

  The door closed behind her and she heard the sound of the automatic lock. The room was pitch black. She stumbled, on her hands and knees, and felt for a light switch. She found one to the right of the door and flipped it on.

  The cell was small. A skinny, stained mattress sat on the floor, pushed up against the back wall. An unfolded blanket had been thrown on top of it, but that was it. That was all she had.

  Taking a mental image of the space, Megan turned the light out and crawled into bed. The tears came a few seconds later. Soon, they became full-blown wailing. Somebody in the room next to her yelled for her to stop making so much noise, but she couldn’t help it. She cried herself to sleep, which only came after she’d exhausted her body with so many bone-shuddering sobs.

  Chapter Eight

  Rest and Satiation

  At some point in the night, Megan stopped crying and started sleeping. It was a dreamless sleep, deep and heavy, like the ocean. Usually, it took her a long time to fall into slumber, and she would wake at the faintest sound, the lightest touch. Something about the dark cell and the lack of control over her situation, however, proved to be quite relaxing. All Megan could do now was sleep, and so she did.

  Apparently, she slept all the way through the night and into the next morning. She would have stayed asleep too, if somebody hadn’t opened up the door to her cell and loudly cleared his throat. Megan’s eyes fluttered open and took their sweet time adjusting to the low lighting. Eventually she was able to make out the outline of the door. Light poured in as it opened, and a large figure walked inside. Rokkan flipped the switch and illuminated the room.

  “Good,” he said. “You’re awake. I want to talk to you.”

  Megan sat up and scowled at him. “Have you come to apologize? Because now you have to things to apologize for. First, for throwing me in the dungeon for absolutely no good reason, and––”

  “No good reason!” He slammed the door behind him. “You left me with burns, I’ll have you know!”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “Oh whatever, you have the toughest skin of any shifter I’ve seen.” She found her gaze drifting down towards his lower stomach area, where she’d spilled the pasta. She refocused and looked him dead in the eyes. “You’re so dramatic. Secondly, now you’ve woken me up from one of the best night’s sleep of my life, and for what? So you can complain about how I supposedly ‘hurt’ you?”

  The prince went to say something, then closed his mouth and took a deep breath in instead. “I know you’re mad.” He said after a few moments. He stalked across the room and stood over her. He offered her a helping hand, which she slapped away. “I get it. I overreacted… but you overreacted first, if we’re being honest. I was simply paying you a compliment.”

  Megan stood and used her shoulder to push past him. He let her, considering he was more than capable of making her stay where she was and face him. “A compliment? Are you out of your mind?” She paced in front of the door, unsure whether or not she was allowed to leave or not. “You think you’re so charming, don’t you? You think that any woman would be lucky to go to bed with you, is that it?”

  “Well, yes, actually,” he said. “I think I’m pretty good. I know how to satisfy a woman. And hey, even if she doesn’t get what she came for, I pay well. Tip too.”

  “You’re disgusting,” said Megan. He was facing her again, but didn’t get too close. “You may have everyone else fooled with your charismatic, laid-back attitude, but I know you’re full of it. You’re just a scared, confused, boy trying to walk around in his dad’s shoes which are way too big for him.” She closed the gap between them. “And sooner or later, you’re going to trip. I just hope I’m there to see it.”

  Something shifted in Rokkan’s expression. The cool, collected player was gone, replaced by true draak fury. A soft growl emanated from his belly. “Take that back.”

  “I won’t,” she said, smiling. She turned away and began to pace, tauntingly. “I finally have your full attention I see, that comment about your dad really
woke you up. Tell me, your highness, is this how he would conduct himself? Would he throw an innocent, exhausted woman in the dungeon simply because she refused his overly aggressive sexual advances!”

  “No!” Rokkan yelled. “He wouldn’t have accepted your refusal in the first place. And if you’d done to him what you did to me, he wouldn’t have bothered with the dungeon, he’d have slit your skinny neck on. the. spot.”

  Megan wasn’t sure how to respond, she hadn’t expected such an honest and upsetting response to her somewhat rhetorical question. “So what then, you’re saying I should be glad I ended up here instead of bleeding out in front of your bedroom fireplace? What a wonderful set of options you’ve provided me with.” She once again turned and stared at him. “I really didn’t think we could have a worse ruler than our last one, but you, Prince Rokkan, have proven me wrong.”

  Before she knew what was going on, Rokkan grabbed Megan by the shoulders and pinned her to the wall. “You should be grateful for what I’ve done for your people.” He lessened the pressure on her shoulders, but kept her in place. She thought she spotted a hint of sadness in his eyes. “You should be grateful I’m not like my father.”

  She held his gaze for a few moments, and an unexpected sensation began to fill her. Starting with a pang of desire, sitting low in her belly, the feeling spread to every inch of her body and she realized she wanted him.

  And he, she could feel, wanted her too.

  He must have noticed the shift in their dynamics because he dropped his arms and she pushed him, lightly, playfully. “Is that all you got?”

  He looked down at his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I shoved you against the wall. That isn’t like me. I, uh…” He brought his eyes up to meet hers. She raised her eyebrows and offered him a coy smile.

  “I asked you a question; I said, is that all you got?”

  He smiled, cautiously. “I don’t think you can handle any more.”