When Ella and Nathan returned to the castle, there was no pause to talk and no polite transition back into royal routine. Nathan did not ask where she wished to go like he usually, and neither did he loosen his hold on her. He simply led and Ella followed.
The moment they entered his chambers, the door shut behind them with a sharp, decisive click that echoed far louder than it should have.
Something about that sound made her heart stutter, it felt too final, too enclosing, as if she had been shut away from the entire world.
Before she could gather her thoughts, before she could even turn, Nathan's hand pressed against the wall beside her head, followed by the other, and suddenly, she was caged.
Her breath hitched, when she realized how close he was, his face was mere inches from hers, close enough that she could feel the heat of him, the steady rise and fall of his chest, the faint brush of his breath against her cheek.
