Keeper POV

"So, Azalea, you aren't going anywhere. You're going to stay with me. Forever."

Her face is full of fear as she desperately tries to run away. I laugh. "Not today, my dear." I cast a barrier around the pavilion, not permitting her to leave. She runs towards the exit and is flown backwards as she reaches the stairs.

"You witch! What kind of person are you?!" She screams at me hoarsely. "My dearest, I am a gentleman of only good intent," I say.

"A gentleman? A gentleman would never force himself upon an unwilling woman, a gentleman would never steal, and a gentleman would never hold an innocent lady prisoner!" She falls to her knees in a pile of fabrics and skirts, a teardrop falling down her cheek.

I walk over to her, bending down on one knee and wiping her tears. "My Azalea, your beauty is marred by tears. I forbid them. You are no prisoner, you are a hostage. There's a difference."

I stand up and snap my fingers, and a large array of colorful, detailed, and embellished dresses appear on mannequins. "You can't stay in your black frock forever. Pick one, my Azalea."

She looks at me bitterly, scowling. "I'm fine with the dress I have now, thank you." She says curtly.

"What of your corset though?" I say. She quirks an eyebrow at me. "It's unlaced. You can't lace it yourself, it is impossible. You need another person to lace it if you want to continue wearing that dress."

She takes a deep breath. "Keeper, would you please lace my corset?" She asks, clearly annoyed.

"No. No, I shall not. But you can try on the other dresses." I gesture towards the row of gowns.

"Fine! If you wish to play dress up with me, then I have no choice!" She says with a huff. She's quite adorable when she's angry.

I snap my fingers and her dress morphs into a emerald green color, with pearls stitched into the skirt and diamonds along the bodice. She looks at the dress in shock.

"This is… beautiful… take it away."

"Why?" I ask, perplexed.

"It's too much. I shall not accept such finery from you." Really? What has she to complain about, honestly?

"I feel as though I need to lay out some rules, my Azalea. If I give you something, you take it graciously. If I ask for your input, you shall answer me honestly and shall be thankful that I am asking your for it. No crying is allowed, ever. A face as pretty as yours should not be marred by such imperfections." I can hear her gasp slightly when I called her pretty. "Honesty is a must around me, my Azalea. Should you be caught lying…let's just say that I won't be much of a gentleman. And one last thing, you shall never deny me of a dance."

Her eyes sharpen and look up at me. "I accept your conditions, Keeper. As long as you do one thing for me in return."

I let out a laugh. My Azalea… she has spunk. "With what leverage, may I ask?"

Her cold glare holds my eyes. "You shall not hurt my sisters, or else I shall take my own life."

She doesn't have strength to do such a task. And if she were to die, it wouldn't be helping her at all. "I'm going to have to call your bluff, my Azalea. It was a nice try though,"

Her hands wrap around her throat, wringing tightly. She coughs and gags, her lips starting to turn blue.

An urge to save her runs though my mind. But why? Why should I save her? Without her I still have leverage over the girls, even more than before. If they knew that she was dead, they would be even more afraid of me and would find the item twice as fast. Worst case scenario, they run to their father and he tries to kill me, but my superior power and magic kill him. It would certainly be quicker if she where to die now.

Her skin fades to parchment white, her lips are fully blue, and her wheezes are getting weaker by the minute.

Do something, do something!

I sprint over to her, catching her as she collapses into my arms. "How dare you try and leave me," I whisper as I let my magic heal her. Her eyes close, and I can tell she's sleeping. I look at all the dresses, and settle for the plainest. A gray-silver dress, with entwined leaves embroidered on the corset, and gray-white fabric for the skirt. I whisk my hand, and the dress is safely on her sleeping form.

Now she can't just sleep on the floor, can she?

I carry her bridal style, and levitate about 5 feet of the ground. I lay back, my Azalea with her hands on my chest, leaning in towards me.

While I had make a move on her earlier, it was merely for seduction purposes. It had no true intent behind it. Such an intimate position make me question what I should do.

Do I put my arm around her? I want to. Why should I want to though? It baffles me. I slowly put my arm around her sleeping figure, drawing her close to me.

She's warm. It's nice. It's just a nice feeling, having Azalea in my arms.

Maybe there was some intent. Not much…but a little. Only a little.

-/-/-/-/-

The dress is the dress on the cover of the book, in case you want a visual.

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