Emma was in a room she did not recognize. As she took a step backward, she almost tumbled onto the perfectly made bed behind her. She looked down to adjust herself and it was then that she realized that she was in an ivory white bridal gown.

"My bride, my wife, I've been dreaming of this moment since we were promised to be married."

The familiar voice echoed throughout the room, but she could not see the person that the voice belonged to.

Then in an instant, Prince Brindley was in front of her and she was completely bare for his viewing pleasure. She pulled her arms in front of her to try to cover up, but Brindley gripped her wrists and would not let her.

"No need to hide, Emma. Now I can see who you truly are."

He slowly pushed her down onto the bed. She didn't fight it. She didn't feel the need to. Her body soon met the cushy bed beneath her. As Brindley hovered above her, she took in his innocent face and his bare chest. She wanted to run her fingers across the defined lines of his muscles, but her nerves wouldn't allow it.

She flinched when he moved his hand to stroke her face and which causes him to smirk, his cheeks reddened slightly.

"I promise to be gentle. I would never dream of hurting you."

His words practically made her melt into the sheets beneath her. The only response she could give him was a nod and a smile. Then, his lips met hers in a gentle, loving kiss. Soon, their lips were moving against one another at a ferocious pace. She felt his tongue press against her lips, asking for permission, and she gave it, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth and tangle with her own. At the same time, Brindley's hands moved up the sides of her body, reaching her breasts and his thumbs brushed over her nipples. They rose with arousal.

Emma detached from his lips in order to release a gasp at the sensation of him playing with her breasts. Her eyes were closed, but she smiled and she's not sure how, but for some reason, she could tell that he was smiling as well.

She felt his lips meet her jaw with small, meaningful pecks and as he worked his way down her face to her neck, his kisses grew more sensual and sloppy. His hands were now settled on her hips, his thumbs pressing into her skin slightly as he sucked on her pulse point. She turned her head to the side and her eyes snapped open as she released a loud moan. And that's when she saw it.

There's a mirror in the corner and in the reflection she sees herself, standing there, watching the whole scene. It was her, Emma could see that much, but there was something different about her. Her eyes were black, her hair was black, everything about her was dark. She was staring into her own dark, soulless eyes when something came over her. Her reflection's mouth was moving, but she could hear her own voice in her head chanting "Do it. You have to do it. Do it for him. It is the only way."

Do it

Do it

Do it

In a second, Brindley was on his back with Emma straddling him. Her knees were on either side of his hips and her hands were forcefully pressed into his shoulders. He was smiling at her, but Emma only felt power and determination. With her right hand, she traced his jaw with her finger. She moved down his neck and onto his chest just above his heart, where she laid her palm open, feeling the rhythmic pumping.

She ground against his hard arousal. She felt him shudder and heard him groan. This was the moment. She knew it.

As she looked down at him, they shared a smile, but the reason behind hers was much more sinister. In one fluid motion, she lifted her hand and with all the force she could muster, she shoved it through his chest and clutched onto his beating heart. Blood erupted from his chest due to the force. Emma was soaked and so were the sheets. His eyes were wide open in shock, but no sound left his mouth.

Slowly, she removed the heart from his chest, but what Emma couldn't understand was why it was still pumping and how he was still breathing.

He then shoved her from him and she fell from the bed, hitting the floor with all of her weight.

"You witch!" He accused as he loomed over her, blood still pouring from the open wound in his chest. "You're just like her!"

She didn't want to hear him say those words to her. She couldn't stand it. Purely on instinct, her grip on his heart grew tighter and she watched on as he clutched his chest. That only made her grip grow tighter and tighter. He fell to his knees as he gasped for air.

She gritted her teeth as she continued to crush his heart. Blood dripped from her fingers. Brindley was crawling toward her, his movements considered nothing far from pathetic. All Emma could do was laugh. It was a shrill laugh. The sound was almost inhuman. It filled the room, but in the distance, she heard her name being chanted and it was in a familiar accent.

Emma

Emma

Emma

Emma woke from her dream with a start, startling Brindley, who sat beside her. He reached for her hand and stroked it lovingly. She met his gaze and the pounding of her heart lessened.

"It was just a dream, my love. You are safe." He assured her and placed a kiss at her temple.

She sighed in relief, but a bump in the road caused her to lift from her seat and take in her new surroundings. She was in a small carriage, but how she had gotten there, she had no earthly idea. Her head ached terribly and the light burned her eyes. She moved to the window of the carriage and looked out, watching as they passed by rolling hills. As Emma looked up, she realized that the sun was almost to its highest point in the sky. How long had she been asleep for?

When she turned back to Brindley, he was smiling at her. His eyes were shining as bright as the sun in the sky. It filled Emma with a sense of warmth and comfort.

"I was afraid that you would never wake up." He said as he stroked her cheek. "Our world doesn't have room for another sleeping princess." He joked.

"How long was I asleep for?" She asked.

"Hours," He stated as if he was afraid to divulge too much. "I did not want to overstep my boundaries, but I did not think that it was a wise idea for you to witness that sentencing today. It proved far too much for you."

Her body tensed and her jaw pulled tight at his words. "You're absolutely right. You would have overstepped your boundaries."

An awkward silence set in the carriage.

"I've arranged for us to spend the night at an inn not too far from my kingdom. Merely a few hours ride."

Emma felt her heartbeat quicken and her palms became slick with sweat. She didn't want to waste any more time traveling. She needed to arrive at Brindley's kingdom as soon as possible in order to figure out what she was going to do to free Graham.

"Is there any way we could ride through the night? I would really feel much safer if we made it to your kingdom as soon as possible."

"I assure you, Princess, where we will be staying is perfectly safe. Guards from my palace have already been sent ahead to make sure there is no threat to you."

"I have no doubt that what you say is true, but I am most certain that I will not feel safe until we are behind your castle walls."

She stared at him for what felt like an eternity before he sighed and kissed her on the nose.

"As the Princess commands."

He then leaned forward and knocked on the front wall of the carriage to get the driver's attention. When the carriage finally came to a halt, Brindley exited and all Emma could hear were muffled voices. The conversation was brief and soon the Prince was back in the carriage by her side.

"Our chauffeur is less than pleased and we will arrive in my kingdom very late, but we will be at my kingdom tonight none the less."

Irritation was evident in his tone and for that, Emma felt guilty. Her reasoning for wanting to be in his kingdom by tonight was purely selfish. She just could not afford to waste any more time.

And that was something that always seemed to be between her and Graham; time. From the very beginning, time was an unwanted presence in their relationship. It was there when Emma had waited patiently for him with a basket full of goodies. It was there when Emma had waited for him to return from lands she had never been allowed to see, for an amount of time that was never consistent. And time was there when he returned after being gone for so long, so long that she was worried that he would never come back.

The time that was there was a tease. How long she had waited for him and when he returned the time they were given to finally be together was cut short by the promise of her hand to another.

But she would not allow herself to waste any more time, not when there truly was so little left.

Emma reached for Brindley's hand and stroked it lovingly.

"I feel like such a burden. You should just toss me from the carriage now and leave me to fend for myself. Save yourself a life of disappointments." She joked, hoping to ease his annoyance.

When his lips twitched slightly, she knew she had succeeded.

"Emma," he squeezed her hand. "You are not a burden. I should have been more empathetic to what you have been through these last couple of days. You were attacked in your own home. How unnerving that must have been. It's no wonder you are fearful for your own safety."

His speech was making her feel even more guilty and selfish. What she was doing was so wrong, but she had no choice.

"Your safety is of the utmost importance to me and if that is in my home, behind my castle walls, then that's where I will take you without hesitation."

She hated the way his words moved her. She hated the way his words made her feel; so loved and cared for. She wished she didn't feel the way she did about him. She wished that she could hurt him. She wished that she could hurt him without it hurting her. But it wasn't possible. What he felt for her, she felt for him and it was so overwhelming in that moment that she had to act on it.

She forcefully grabbed his face with both hands and brought his face towards hers so that their lips met in crushing passion. From the stiffness of his lips on hers, she could tell he hadn't been expecting her to react the way that she did and for a second, she was worried what she had done had been too much, but then she felt him respond. One of his hands tangled itself in her hair at the back of her head while the other wound around her waist. Both worked together to bring her closer to him while his mouth moved against hers causing her to open for him, his tongue slipping past her teeth and colliding with hers.

She trembled as his thumb caressed her hip and a familiar ache began to grow between her legs. When his mouth left hers, she whimpered from the loss of contact, but then he latched onto her neck and she released a desperate moan. His hands moved against her again and when his fingertips reached the skin above her dress it was like her skin had caught fire. She was glad that there were so many layers between them or he was sure to know the physical effect he was having on her.

She needed more, so she moved above him, hoping he would catch on that she wanted him beneath her. He lowered himself until his full length was against the seat. She moved against him and though he could not feel her arousal, she could now feel his.

It was then that she suddenly snapped back to reality. In an instant, she pulled back from him and he groaned. She scrambled from on top of him until she was on the other side of the carriage. From the look on his face, she wasn't the only one that had come to a realization.

What she had just done with Brindley, it had felt so right. She could have gone so much further. She had wanted to go further. And that's why it had also been so wrong. All she could see now was Graham. What she had just done and what she could have just done would have broken him beyond repair. It was hard for her to think that he could possibly be hurt more than she had already hurt him, how things could get worse for him, but being like that with Brindley, the way she had only been with Graham, would make her unreachable to him. She couldn't do that. She wouldn't.

She looked over at Brindley who was still catching his breath. He returned to an upright position and adjusted his clothes. His hair was disheveled, quite unlike his usual smoothed down look. He ran his hands over his face and sighed.

"Please, forgive me for my actions, princess. My actions were very unbecoming of a Lord and someone that is to be your husband."

She was shocked that he was taking full responsibility for what had just transpired between them. She had initiated it after all and yet he felt that he was to blame. The absurdity of it all!

She didn't deserve him, she knew that deep down. Her actions and emotions had only made things worse for herself; a fact that ultimately did not surprise her. She never seemed to do anything right.

"We, or rather I, cannot let that happen again." He clearly states. "The way you make me feel, Emma, by God, I lose all reasoning and to be true to you I cannot do that."

She had no words. If she were to open her mouth, her emotions would come flooding out in an uncontrolled mess. So, she kept her mouth shut (for once).

"I think it would be best if, for now, we keep our distance. This carriage is far too small for us to keep our hands to ourselves."

She nodded again, keeping to her personal promise of not uttering a word.

The guilt had grown far too much for her to handle. Deceiving Brindley, betraying Graham; she could feel the pressure in her chest. She wanted to cry and being able to look the prince only made the feeling worse. She chose to turn from him so that she was facing the wall and she curled in on herself, willing her body to fall asleep.

The Lord's constant shuffling and grunting along with the rustling of the carriage made it difficult, but eventually, Emma was able to leave the world of the conscious, to which she was grateful.