20 : Ambora

**Evelyn :**

After finally putting all my things in their places, I leaned back on my knees, feeling the soft carpet under me that softened my sitting. It has been only a day since Phoenix had picked me up from the apartment and I was back where it all started.

My emotions were mixed. Angry that I was sentenced for disobedience and now have to sit at home like a prisoner but happy at the same time that I have someone to protect me and we are under the same roof in case something happens. Enemies cannot get to the almighty ruler so easily, as far as I know.

Hardly a week had passed and I couldn't believe how much had happened during these days. I had found a place where they accept me, the first person who can touch me turned out to be a paranormal being. Fate brought us back together, as crazy as it sounds but even though it was true, at least from what I've seen, it took me a while to get used to it all, to fully accept him and this revelation that we lived in a world where it was possible everything, as long as you believe in it.

It was mindblowing and still is.

Sighing, I stood up and cleaned the invisible dirt from my knees. After looking around, I wondered why I still have to stay in Raphael's room when we know very well that he has empty rooms in the big mansion. This house was like a maze.

The answer was probably that he thinks we should be together if we are long-lost lovers. A completely absurd idea, in my opinion.

It was noon, all morning since we had breakfast, he was gone somewhere doing his business and I was starting to get bored of being alone. I wanted to live a normal life, not lurk around doing nothing and sitting in a place I can't get away from.

I had no friends, no family, nothing. There were few connections and now there are none at all, I felt like a princess locked in a throne, who is waiting for her prince who will save her and take her away on a horse but I knew very well that it would not happen. The prince is no good, even if he treats me well too. He had his duties as king and ruler while I was confined here at his home. I don't even know what would have happened and where I would be now if I hadn't sneaked into his territory that night. Would I be stalked by a killer?

Not knowing how to answer that, I thought it was time for lunch. I went to the kitchen and took out everything I needed from the fridge to make bacon and chicken lasagna. I was not, of course, an excellent cook but now and then I liked to cook and try something with recipes that I had never cooked or eaten before. It gave me a good opportunity to experiment with food, whether I liked it or not.

After making and cutting everything as needed, I put it in a pan and then put it in the oven to bake. After setting the required temperature, I went to turn on the kettle for coffee and while I was waiting, I thought of taking the laptop that was taken from my apartment to kill my free time.

I liked to surf the Internet often, sit on social networks, and see how others live through pictures, videos, and blogs but my hobby was also to compose stories, a whole website, which already had two novels, and the third was half-finished. It was meant to pass the time but I soon gained followers and readers who liked and read my books.

Having decided that I will continue, I started to write.

****

Having finally satisfied my hunger, I went with a cup of coffee and a computer to the rest room, which I had discovered one day. It seemed very cozy to me so I wanted somewhere else so that I don't have to sleep in the bed and sit in the kitchen again. It also had a better view of the garden and best of all it had a hammock. How cool is that?

Sitting down in it, I put the coffee cup next to me on the coffee table and continued writing the story I had already started earlier in the kitchen.

Not even 15 minutes passed when one chapter was already written. Proud of myself, I finished the last paragraphs and quickly checked for mistakes. After making sure that everything is in order, I pressed - publish.

"Well, well, well," I heard a low voice behind me with a teasing tone, I could only turn my head towards him to meet his eyes, which I usually avoided.

"What?" my voice was quiet.

He smiled slowly, "Do you understand that you belong here only to me? From the moment you broke into my house?"

I could only blink, "You are threatening me?"

Laughing at my question as if he had heard the best joke, I felt his eyes slide over my body.
"Oh no, dear. It's a promise."

Ignoring his dark look, I turned back to my computer and turned it off so he wouldn't have an idea of what I was doing but there was no escaping it when I felt him approach me from behind. Leaning in my ear, I froze.

"What did you write there?" his tone of voice was full of curiosity but teasing at the same time.

Embarrassed, I closed the computer in an instant and straightened my back to get away from him but before I did, his hand grabbed my waist.

"N-nothing. There was nothing there," I stuttered and heard him chuckle until he fell silent and leaned in as close as possible.

"Don't be shy. You know you can tell me everything. Remember what I said if you lied to me?" feeling his eyes on me I blushed even more. I thought I will die on the spot again from his closeness.

“You said… If I'm a bad girl, I'll get a spanking,” not wanting to say it no matter how embarrassing it was, Raphael smiled.

"That's right. If you listen to me, you won't be in trouble," agreeing with what he said, Phoenix leaned away from me, letting go of me and thinking he was going to leave, his body stood in front of me, looking down on me.

"Come on, I'll show you something."

Holding out my hand towards me, I looked at it with a confused look and then at his face. He had raised one eyebrow, thinking that I would dare not to but knowing that there could be consequences, I could only put the computer aside with heavy heartbeats to take his hand.

Feeling pleasant sparks on my skin, I let him lift me up. After watching me with an intense look, he bites his lip, smiling until he turns and tells me to follow him.

Walking through the maze-like corridors, wasn't what I really wanted when I agreed to follow him because where he was leading me seemed so far away because we walked forever but in the end, we came to stop before a large royal door. Raphael waved with his free hand and it opened suddenly.

With my mouth wide open, seeing it, I looked at how the room behind the door is quite wide. Not understanding what was so special about it, we both went inside and my eyes widened until I saw mirrors everywhere. As we went deeper and deeper inside, everything was green. Like a jungle passage where you enter and can get lost in there.

In the end, we got to the epicenter where there was a place I really had to see. I couldn't believe what I was seeing at that moment.

In the middle was a kind of pool but not really like in modern times. It was like in the Middle Ages, intertwined with plants and flowers. In the middle was a fountain that came from a small wall waterfall. There were bright lights everywhere but only from their sources. The rest was quite romantic. After seeing butterflies and strange insects flying around, emitting colorful lights, I felt like I had entered paradise.

"What is this place?" I breathed out.

"That's a little replica from where I come from. Ambora, the name of my planet," Raphael stood next to me with a sad but fond smile on his face to also look at the sight in front of him.

"But how is that possible?" I had no idea how when I watched a blue flashing butterfly land on my hand. Laughing, I let it sway for a moment before it flew away again. Looking ahead, I saw a yellow-pink sky and mountains suddenly jutting out. I swear they weren't there before!

"What!?" I was shocked.

Of course, we were still in the beautiful garden but the view in the distance was unique and started changing in front of us. It didn't take long when the plants intertwined together and we were back where we were at the beginning, only now green curtains of plants fell from above, giving an increasingly beautiful view.

"Yeah, impressive, I know," hearing Raphael near me, my eyes almost fell out as I saw him strip completely naked until his entire backside was bare before my eyes.

Why I can't seem to stop watching? I couldn't even take my eyes from him.

Looking over his shoulder, his eyes lit up with flames when he winked at me.

"Believe me, this one is more impressive. Jump in," I nodded and watched with open mouth as he jumped into the pool, now soaking himself completely.

I stood there for a long time, not knowing what to do. I wanted to get out of there because I had no intention of jumping into the water with him, knowing that he was naked but before I could turn around, my legs started to go towards the pool by themselves. Screaming, I started to resist but it was too late, he was already at the edge and grabbed my ankles when I was dragged into the water.

Choking because of the water, I went into panic and felt like I was going to drown until one or two seconds passed and two arms caught me by the waist when I was pulled out of the water so that we were both above it now, gently swaying.

"You idiot! I can't swim!" I started to hit him while coughing but my arms were grabbed and now I was flush against him, my legs wrapped around him. Then I discovered something and I stopped moving as I heard a low groan from my captor.

"Shit, Evelyn," he cursed to himself, his hand lifting my chin up to look at him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you couldn't swim but please don't move much," he warned, noticing that his eyes were much darker than before.

The moment seemed to stand still between us. His eyes started darting from my eyes and then to my lips. My heart started beating like crazy.

I closed my eyes from fear or anxiety, I don't know, I was waiting for what would happen if what I thought would really happen but then someone's phone rang and the moment was ruined.

*Damn you, phone!*