Stolen by the Rebel King

30  Yours

Heat rushed through Daphne as she was forced to stare into Atticus' golden eyes. Atticus' body heat and the warmth of the bath had an intoxicating effect on her, and she found herself riveted, staring at the handsome contours of his face.

The touch of his fingers underneath her chin burned.

"Cat got your tongue, sunshine?" Atticus asked, leaning in even closer. The tiny space between them narrowed even further, and now they were close enough for Daphne to count the eyelashes framing his eyes, if she wanted.

She didn't want to. But damn was it hard to tear her gaze away from his. The air around them felt electric as though magic was what's binding Daphne to Atticus.

But it wasn't.

There was no glow on his obsidian ring, no special stone he stored in random pockets of his clothes. Atticus was just about as bare as the day he was born.

Daphne's eyes trailed down. From his eyes, her gaze moved almost automatically down to his lips, Adam's apple, broad chest, sculpted abs, and then―

She quickly pushed him before he could react.

Not having expected the sudden movement, Atticus's eyes widened in surprise for only a fraction of a second before he toppled into the water with a loud splash. Daphne didn't waste any time, she immediately made a mad dash for the edge of the bath, wincing as her ankle hit a tile.

But she didn't stop, looking  over her shoulder every few milliseconds to make sure Atticus wasn't out yet. It didn't take long for her, in all her desperation, to grab for the towel that was folded neatly and set aside on the surface of a cabinet nearby.

Daphne expertly wrapped it around her torso, tucking it under her arms so that it covered wherever mattered most. Even though her long legs were still exposed, at least whatever's left of her modesty wasn't compromised.

"Sneaky, aren't you?"

Atticus rose from the water, using a hand to wipe the water from his eyes. When he realized that Daphne had gotten out and was wrapped snugly in a fluffy towel, he pouted.

"Tease," he muttered petulantly, like a child that got his toy snatched away. There was even a small pout that shaped his lips.

"Didn't you say that this wasn't anything you haven't seen before? I see no reason you should be complaining," Daphne parroted his earlier words, smiling at the offended expression that crossed Atticus' face. "Enjoy your bath."

"Going already?" Atticus asked, leaning against the edge of the bath. The sight of his muscled forearms shifting made her flush, and she tore her eyes away. "You really wound a man, sunshine."

"Why not? I've been here long enough. You can't stop me from leaving," Daphne said primly, moving to the lounge chair to pick up her clothes.

"Trust me, darling, I'm definitely not that type of man," Atticus said with a leer. "You can leave if you really want to."

Daphne rolled her eyes, but just as she was going to change back into her old dress, she stumbled onto another problem.

There was no way she could take off her towel and slip back into her dress without letting him see either her front or her back. After all, this room was built for the use of one man alone, and he certainly didn't need to preserve any sense of modesty.

Bastard. He knew it all along! Daphne scowled at his smug smile.

"Well? Why have you stopped?" Atticus asked cheerfully. "Weren't you just about to leave? Go on, sunshine, I'm not stopping you."

Daphne weighed her options. She could change in front of Atticus… or she could simply walk out in a towel and change into her dress in another room.

"Fine," Daphne said, scooping up the dress in her arms. "I'll go and change somewhere else."

Jonah was waiting outside, and while she would never let another man see her in such a state of undress, circumstances were dire enough. There was a high chance that she could be caught bare as a newborn baby along the corridor by some other knight or maid too, but Daphne would rather risk it than change in front of Atticus.

Only God knew what this man would do if he saw her that way. Daphne shuddered at the thought despite her whole body feeling a warm blush creep through her skin.

Atticus squawked in surprise. "You're going out like this?"

"It's fine, Jonah is waiting outside," Daphne said.

"Definitely not!" Atticus nearly jumped out from the bath, alarmed.

His eyes were wide and his eyebrows were furrowed as he waddled through the water in an attempt to make it to Daphne. While his actions screamed of urgency, the sight of his behavior just made Daphne feel largely amused.

Was he…?

"How could you go out like that when there is a man sitting outside?!"

Daphne smirked. So he was indeed jealous. All of sudden, she felt a surge of pride seep through her.

"Aren't you a man yourself?" She quipped, refusing to peep below the water to see proof of his manhood.

Atticus forced his words out through gritted teeth. "It's different."

"All men are equal. How is it different?" Daphne said.

With a splash, Atticus was out of the bath water in his full glory. Daphne squeaked, inadvertently taking a step back at the aura he exuded as he stalked towards her.

"What are you doing? Get back into the bath!"

But Atticus ignored her words. Daphne retreated again, her face flushed all the way down to her neck. Her hand desperately grasped at the towel wrapped around her, as though she could transform it into a gown for more protection.

When he got close enough, Atticus held her chin, tilting her head over to look him in the eye. There was a surge of unexplainable emotion that rushed through his irises, though they weren't things Daphne could comprehend.

"How's it different?" Daphne repeated, now breathless at the intensity of his gaze. Her throat felt dry and her heart felt weak. She wasn't sure she could even remember how to breathe normally.

"I am your husband." Atticus enunciated each word clearly, slowly. "You are my lawfully wedded wife. You are mine."

Daphne gulped, not liking the way he said it. Yet, her words were clogged right in her throat, unable to voice them. Her lips parted, ready to argue. However, all that fight left her when he next spoke again.

"You are mine, Daphne," he murmured. The gaze in his eyes softened. "As I am yours."