Sloan
Rage.
That was all that was clouding my brain right now, and all that I could see on closing my eyes. I was so furious that my hands shook from the force of it. My hands were currently wrapped around the boy, who had clearly fainted after drinking a cup of my tea. The more I stared at his face, I realized that he hadn't just passed out for a few seconds, he was completely unconscious. His chest heaved as he breathed and it sounded like he was struggling to get each exhale out.
Someone had tried to poison me.
This has almost never happened before. The last time it did, had been about a decade ago. I had only asked the boy to drink because it looked like he needed a little something to calm down a little and not because I wanted him to actually confirm if it was poisoned or not. If I had known it was poisoned, I'd never have asked him to try it first. My hands tightened around the boy while anger flowed through my veins. Whoever it was that was responsible for this, I was going to rip their head from their shoulders.
I wouldn't be this angry if I had drank the poisoned tea myself. But dragging this boy into it? That was so enraging, and I couldn't even figure out why but I was so angry.
I cradled him in my arms and gently laid him in the middle of my bed. He didn't even stir, and that made my heart stumble in my chest. Was he badly hurt? What kind of poison was in the tea?
The tea was a herbal medicine prepared by a witch, who claimed the tea was to help keep my beast under control. I genuinely didn't believe anyone could dare poison me considering how everyone was afraid of me. I guess I haven't been doing a lot of killing in my human form and that's definitely about to change…
I walked up to the bedside table and picked up my phone then I put a call through to my butler, ordering him to be here this instant. As expected, it wasn't up to two minutes before he showed up, breathing hard and sweaty like he ran all the way here. His bald head was glistening than usual today. He bowed in greeting and was about to speak when wordlessly cut him off by jerking him into my room and then pointing him in the direction of my bed..
"Go fetch the palace doctor this instant. Someone poisoned my tea and this boy is currently unconscious after drinking it." I said sharply and my butler quickly sucked in a sharp breath on noticing the boy in my bed.
My hackles quickly rose and I threw a sharp glare his way.
"What?" I barked and he bowed his head before speaking.
"It's just… your highness, someone is in your bed…" he trailed off as my glare deepened.
"So?" I demanded sharply and he flinched.
"No one has ever been in your bed before." He tentatively responded and I suddenly wanted to punch him for choosing to point that out right now. I was fine with ignoring that fact right now and choosing to focus on the more important task at hand, which is ensuring the boy was alright.
"Go. Fetch. The. Doctor." I bit each word out and my butler sucked in a sharp breath one last time before nodding fast.
"I- of course, your highness. Right away." He bowed before leaving fast, and I let out a long sigh once he was gone.
He wasn't the butler I grew up with. This one began to see to my needs about three years ago. I never fully liked him and I couldn't figure out why, but I never liked anyone so I didn't think about it much. He's in charge of everything that concerns my beast, along with a gtoup of people that answer to him.
I began to pace around my bedroom while waiting for the doctor to arrive. I soon realized that what I was currently feeling was worry and concern for this human. Those are emotions I didn't even know I was capable of because I never even feel them for myself.
I let out a long sigh and dragged a hand over my face just as a knock sounded on my door then it was getting pushed open to reveal my butler and the palace doctor. He quickly gulped as he stepped into the room with my butler and I scowled at him as I pointed at the bed.
"Get on with it, and see that he's alright! If he dies.,," I didn't need to finish the sentence. The doctor grew paler as he hastily nodded before slinking up to the bed and depppsd his supplies at the side of the bed.
My butler clasped his hands and stood before me. "My prince, someone here in the palace poisoned you. This is a serious issue and I suggest we…"
I held a hand up before he could finish.
"None of that matters yet. The human needs to be checked out first." I snapped out before walking past him. I didn't even recognize my own voice. I was usually very calm, and I never raised my voice.
"Of course, your highness." My butler muttered behind me but I was no longer focused on him. I was focused on the doctor who was currently touching the boy, and as seconds passed, my chest began to tighten, then a bitter taste settled across my tongue the more I watched. The doctor was pushing his shirt out of the way, his hands pressing right into the skin of the boy, and rage soon exploded behind my eyes.
I knew I was being illogical right now. The boy needed to be checked out. He was in a critical condition right now, but my beast was beyond furious within me. He didn't want any man's hands on the boy and I realized that I didn't want the same thing: the sight was making me angrier and my hands shook beside me as the seconds stretched into a minute.
I was at the side of the bed, gripping the doctor's wrist just as he was about to touch the boy's throat, my teeth gritted as I spoke, my voice unrecognizable.
"Do not rough him with those filthy hands."
"Your highness, t- the doctor is only doing his job. He isn't doing anything to the boy." My butler spoke gently behind me and I got the sudden urge to snap his throat as well.
I remained in the same position as the seconds went by, then I reluctantly let go of the doctor's wrist. The doctor looked faint at this point, and his hands shook as he resumed examining the boy. I let out a harsh breath and turned away, feeling quite unstable on the inside. I don't understand why I was feeling this way, this on edge.
After about thirty minutes, the doctor cleared his throat and I turned to regard him and my butler who were now standing side by side.
"Your highness, t- the boy is fine. The poison would have some side effects, but n- nothing life threatening. He needs to take these drugs three times a day, and h- he needs lots of rest." The doctor explained and I gave a tense nod, dismissing him. As he bowed and left the room, my eyes returned to the bed.
The boy looked paler than normal, but at least his breathing pattern was normal right now. I noted the bunch of drugs at the bedside table just as my butler came to stand before me, his head bowed.
"Now, I'll have the boy transferred to the Slave quarters…" my butler was still speaking when I growled.
"The boy stays here." I snapped almost immediately and my butler flinched before nodding tensely.
"Of course, your highness." He said with a bow and I wanted him to leave right now so I could finally be alone with the boy.
"About the person who poisoned you, your highness, we should go find the culprit…" He suggested tentatively.
I let out a long sigh. I want to refuse, to tell him that I didn't care, but I knew that was only logical. I also want to actually catch the culprit so I could rip their head off, for bringing harm forth this fragile human…
~~~~
I stood right in the middle of the room as all the workers in the kitchen filed out in a straight line. After I gave my butler a go ahead, he went to share the news of the poisoning issue.
I looked from face to face, trying to figure out who it was that was responsible. I had a feeling it had to be someone who was walking here in the kitchen, because they're the only ones permitted to touch anything in there.
"Who poisoned the Prince's tea?"
My butler demanded sharply and all the workers in the kitchen shifted uncomfortably as the question rang through the air.
They all trembled and none of them responded.
"The culprit should fall out right now!" My butler yelled and they all shook again.
I let my eyes slowly drag over the faces of everyone's lined up, then I noticed one of them was trembling more than the others. It was a girl, and she looked like she was almost about to pass out.
She was definitely the culprit.
I stepped forward and gripped her throat tight, instantly lifting her off the ground while the rest of the workers gathered all gasped and filed away. The one flaring in my grip was gasping and choking and coughing, legs kicking in the air while she struggled to breath.
Tears streamed down her face, which made me angrier. She looked no older than eighteen. Why the fuck would she poison me tea? She's the one who hurt my little human currently unconscious in my bed.
My little human.
Where did that even come from?
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" She desperately gasped out through her tears but those words only made me angrier and I snarled as my grip tightened even more.
"Your highness, please don't kill the girl, we have to have her questioned first so we can fish out those working with her." My butler spoke tentatively behind me
I didn't want to listen. I was beyond enraged, but once again, I knew my butler was right.
Which was why I threw the girl down and turned away, hand still clenched tightly with the urge to strangle her to death.
"Do that, but leave her breathing. I have to kill her myself."
With that said, I pocketed my hands and left the room, knowing everyone was watching as I left.