Ivan could feel his female prisoner's gaze on his back, penetrating deeper into his keen senses. He knew she was watching him from afar. And he was very much determined to show her his skills in battle. After all, he was just like the rest of the men who wanted to impress a lady. His lady. And since when did he start regarding the vampire captive as his lady? Since the day he accepted his fate and formulated his very own plan for vengeance.

The young elven lord who Ivan had a slight misunderstanding earlier, decided to seek his retaliation by joining Ivan and the rest of the warriors with their training. Only the mock duel seemed real enough when the elven lord sent his horse charging over him. And so, Ivan focused his attention on the battle at hand and brushed the thoughts about his female aside. He sent his horse running towards his foe, raised his sword to prepare to defend himself. Their swords met and Ivan held his weapon in a tight grip when his opponent placed too much force on his sword and was attempting to disarm the prince.

Ivan almost lost his head when his opponent suddenly slashed the sword, aiming for his neck. But he was able to duck and avoided getting beheaded. And when another swing of his foe's sword almost slashed his chest, Ivan decided this mock dual was a nuisance and he needed to put an end to it. Not to mention that all eyes were on him, expecting him to win in this mediocre battle with a young elf-lord. But the truth was he wanted his female to witness his prowess in battle; he wanted her to see he was strong enough to protect her. And later when he would visit her chambers, he wanted to see the admiration in her beautiful brown eyes.

And so, Ivan impatiently ended the duel by, again, knocking the young lord on his head and sending him sliding off his horse. The crowd cheered for him, but he was only interested in seeing his female's reaction. He reined his horse to turn about, and when he lifted his gaze to the high tower to where he knew the vampire princess stood, their gazes met and at that moment Ivan knew he already held the vampire's heart captive as well.

"Damn that was close!" Ana said loudly, as she rushed back inside her room. She did hope that the infuriatingly handsome elf did not see her ogling over his drool-worthy body. Oh! Now she'd been coining more positive words to his name. She had to get out of this place. Fast. Before she would start swooning over that—that... Oh and now she's running out of words to say! That elf really messed up her brains.

"Are you alright, Your Royal Highness?" Erien asked.

Ana almost forgot Erien was with her in the room. She sat on her bed and lifted her gaze to the elf. "I'm okay. Hey, Erien. I know that it's like a huge taboo or something if you'll call me by my name. But I would rather have you call me Ana instead. I mean if it was just the two of us. You calling me Your Royal Highness sounded so not me."

Erien gave her a hesitant look. "I will try. How about Princess Ana? Or Miss Ana?"

Ana shrugged. "Sure. Whatever."

"Would you like to have a bath, Princess Ana?" Erien offered.

Ana would really love a bath. The problem was she had no spare clothes to wear. So, she told that to Erien, which made Erien giggle since Erien was fond of giggling.

"Oh, that wouldn't be a problem. I can help you with that," Erien assured her. "Now just take a rest while I send someone to fetch us some warm water for the bath."

Fetch water? No indoor plumbing? Great. So primitive.

Ana lay down on her bed when Erien left the room. She closed her eyes and tried to gather her thoughts and whatever was left of her sanity.

What was that feeling? Why did she feel as if... as if she liked that elf? As if she wanted that elf. Oh damn! She was going mental. Was she attracted to that elf prince? Like what she had thought earlier that elf was drool-worthy. And yes, the elf did have awesome abs. Not that she had seen his abs, although it was pretty obvious, he did have great abs. But hadn't she felt it when her hand was sliding down his body when they were in the dimly lit corridor last night? Oh crap! Why was she even thinking about his abs?

But there was something else. Something that made her think and feel that way towards the elf...

Ana was pulled out of her reverie when she heard the door open. Erien must have brought the water for the bath. Where was she going to take her bath anyway?

"Erien, is the bath ready?" Ana asked eyes still closed while she remained lying on her bed.

"Bath would be good. I'd like to have one, too."

That masculine voice wasn't Erien's. No. That voice that caressed every nerve fiber of her being belonged to one person she wanted to avoid at this very moment. The very same person who was mindfucking her brains.

Ana rose from the bed and crossed her arms, sending a chilling look at her captor. "What do you want, Your Royal Ass-ness?"

He lifted a brow and said, "I wanted to see if you are faring well in your new room."

"Faring?" Ana repeated with a snort thinking how old he sounded sometimes when he talked. "I am doing fine until you came along."

The corner of his lips tilted to one side. "Am I to assume my presence causes you to be in such a foul mood?"

Maintaining a cold and aloof façade was so difficult, especially if the one who she was directing her dagger-look at was giving her one of his sexy smiles. "Oh, and here I thought you were stupid not to notice that."

"I saw you watching me from your tower," he suddenly said as he took a step towards her. "Were you happy I won the mock duel?"

Oh, she was. She was definitely happy that he was alive and with her right now. "I was betting on you falling off your horse."

"Were you afraid I was almost beheaded by that elf-lord?"

Oh, she was! She almost jumped out of the balcony just so she could try to save him. "Oh please. One dead elf prince is nothing to me."

He took a step forward. She took a step back. Ana was pretty sure they had already done this kind of dance before. He took another step forward, his lips curling up in a seductive smile. She took a step back, becoming very much wary over that sultry smile. Then the back of her knees met the edge of the bed causing her to fall back. Ivan stood towering over her, staring down at her with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

As Ana was trying to push her weight off the bed, Ivan dropped his body on top of her, his hands braced on either side of her head.

"Get off me you buffoon!" she demanded.

"I find being on top of you to my liking," he answered.

He gazed down on her—his amber eyes were hypnotic. As if his gaze could penetrate deep into her, undressing her very soul and making Ana realize she wanted this elf to be hers. She tried to shake her head to make her think clearly. But all she could think of was Ivan atop her, his lips looking incredibly sexy and his eyes stripping her of every wall she tried to place between them.

He lifted his hand and softly touched her face with the back of his hand. "Lovely..."

"You're not thinking clearly, elf. Remember how much you hate me."

He traced his thumb over her slightly parted lips, ignoring her words. "So soft..."

"You don't want to do this, elf. You don't even like me."

He inched his face closer to hers, his silky hair cascading down like silver curtains. "Don't you want to know how it feels to be kissed by an elf, vampire?" he said huskily, his voice sending shivers on Ana's arms, shunning the rational side of her brain to one corner.

"Ana..." she said, barely above a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"My name. It's Anastasia," Ana whispered while staring at those arresting amber eyes. "My friends call me Ana."

"Anastasia," he drawled, his voice caressing every syllable, touching every letter of her name, making it sound incredibly sexy as hell. "I'm going to kiss you now, Anastasia."

Ana sucked in her breath when Ivan's lips met hers in a slow sensual kiss. He molded his lips on her softly, lightly, as if teasing her that he could give more. The feathery light touch of his sultry lips was drugging Ana's senses, coaxing her to give in and let herself drown with the promises of Ivan's kiss. And when her lips melted and softened against his, his tender kisses deepened, becoming more intoxicating as he started tracing his tongue over her parted lips, seducing her to match his movements.

And Ana did. She slowly closed her eyes and yielded to the sensual pressure as his expert tongue gently probed in between her lips.

Jolts of wild sensation shot through her entire body as Ivan's expert tongue seek her own, exploring her mouth until the very last thread of her sanity slipped into oblivion and she touched his tongue with her own, matching every erotic movement of his lips.

Ana heard Ivan make a deep groan as he traced his hand on her bare arm, creating another bolt of hot electricity surging through her, immobilizing her to bask in the pleasure he was giving her. She felt his hands start roaming on her body, molding on her waist. She moaned when she felt the slow and sensual touch of her skirt slowly rising against her thigh. And a few moments later, she felt his warm palm slowly inching its way up under her skirt, seeking her very core...

A loud knock made Ana immediately open her eyes, and he heard Ivan make an irritating groan as he abruptly pulled his lips away from hers.

"Princess Ana? May I come in? I have brought the water for your bath," Erien's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Just a second!" Ana managed to say. She felt Ivan lift his weight off her. And as she pushed herself up, she saw Ivan's sultry lips curled into a triumphant smile, telling her he had conquered her and won the battle.