The captain — or rather, Xander, as I should probably call him from now on — released my hand and stood tall again. That air of careless arrogance returned in full force. He noticed the suspicion in my eyes and smirked at it, leaving it to dangle unanswered like bait in still water.
He brushed a hand along the table before dropping into the chair behind him, elbow propped on the armrest, chin resting lazily on his palm, legs crossed in a leisurely fashion as he waited for me to sit.
I lowered myself into the seat cautiously. Xander chuckled under his breath, mockery laced in every syllable.
"No need to be that stiff, Princess. I won't lay a finger on you, at least not until I hand you over to the King of Verelen."
Easy for him to say. Try being in my shoes, see how calm he'd be.
I forced a smile, keeping my tone polished and polite, though my words cut sharper than any dagger.
"I'm already headed to Verelen. Was it really necessary to use such dirty tricks to kidnap me?"
