He didn’t release her from his grasp. “Do you think your father’s men will let you go, Princess?” His grip tightened around her waist, pulling her against him. “They’ll search until they find you.”
“I-I know they’ll search. But they won’t find me.” She took his hands and gently extricated herself.
His expression hardened. “You’re the heir to the throne. Running away isn’t feasible. Especially alone.”
“I could hire servants to protect me. If I traveled far enough—”
“No.” His tone was brusque, unyielding. “It won’t work. Your only option is to wed me. Trust that I’ll keep you safe.” He reached out his hands to her, waiting for her to take them.
“Trust a villain?” she mused. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to do that.”
“You’re not.” He led her outside to where Samuel had prepared horses. “But I’m not giving you a choice.” Before she could stop him, the Fürst lifted her up on a horse and swung up behind her.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, feeling more than a little uneasy about the powerful thighs pressed against her. When he reached around her for the reins, it was like being within his embrace.
“Abducting you again,” the prince responded as he signaled the horse forward. He drew the edges of his coat around her, offering warmth. He spurred the horse forward, and as they rode together, Serena could smell the faint exotic spice that clung to his coat. With the prince’s arms around her, she felt even moreapprehensive. Sharing a horse with him was more intimate, and it frightened her to be this close.
She suspected that, the more time she spent with Fürst Karl, the greater the chance of succumbing to temptation. Inwardly, she admitted that she’d wanted him to kiss her. She’d wondered what it would be like to feel his mouth upon hers, coaxing feelings of yearning. To be touched with affection instead of the intent to harm.
The sunlight glowed in the sky above, with puffy white clouds. Green hills gleamed like emeralds, and for a moment, Serena absorbed the beauty. An island such as this made a wonderful place to escape the world. She imagined a small house nestled in the hills, overlooking the water.
He guided them over the hills and toward a more isolated part of the island. There were no cottages or shops anywhere, but only miles of grassy, damp meadows. In the distance beyond the sand, the brown-gray water of the North Sea was rough, with high waves sloshing against the rocks.
“Have you never seen the sea before?” he asked against her ear.
His breath sent a rush of warmth through her. “I have. But not this close.”
The prince pulled back on the reins, tightening his grasp around her. Serena tried to glance back to see if Samuel or Bernard had followed, but there was no sign of them. Karl caught her gaze, and asked, “Still afraid?”
“A little.” She stared at the violent water, and the wind drew a light, salty mist against her skin. Gazing out at the churning sea, she felt the contrast of the cold air and the warmth of his body.
“There’s nothing calm about the sea, is there?” he said.
“It’s beautiful.” Despite the harsh colors of the water, something about the rhythmic waves soothed her spirit. It felt as if she could sit here for hours, simply listening to the water.
“When I was a boy, I wanted to swim in it,” the prince admitted. “Nearly froze my…”
“Toes?” she guessed.
He flashed her a wicked look on his face, and she realized he hadn’t been referring to his feet at all. “Not quite. But I lost my desire to swim.”
He directed the horse back to the grassy field. Ahead, she spied stone ruins nestled at the top of another hill, with a dark forest obscuring the road. Serena craned her neck and asked, “What is that place?”
“It’s where we’re going.”
She frowned, not understanding. Behind them came the sound of horses. Bernard and Samuel emerged, to watch over them. Karl waited until they were close enough and ordered, “Give us a few moments, and then join us at the abbey.”
An abbey? She couldn’t understand why he would take her to such a place, especially when he’d claimed it was for food. Karl urged their horse forward, up the winding pathway. When they entered the forest, the shadows grew darker. It was now late afternoon, and the sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting soft rays of gold upon the deep green ferns and moss.
“It feels almost enchanted,” she whispered. “Almost from another time.”
“The shadows can be frightening at night,” he said, slowing the pace so she could look around.
“I can’t believe you’d be afraid of anything,” she remarked. With his unyielding demeanor, she’d never supposed the prince would imagine anything beyond what he could see.
“I used to be afraid of the dark,” he admitted. “When I was a boy, I had nightmares about being locked away in a cupboard.” She glanced back at him and saw a tension on his face, as though it bothered him still.
“My mother used to come and comfort me, if I ever cried from a nightmare.” An aching tightened her throat, for she missed Clara’s calm presence. Her mother’s illness was taking her away, and it hurt to think of the time when she would be gone.
