Shouldering my bag, I walked into the bathroom near my next class. I was almost done for the day, and then I planned on going to the library to do some research for the paper I was writing for my history class.
After doing my business, I walked to the sink, hearing the door open and close behind me. I caught the flash of black in the mirror before an arm went around my neck and yanked me back. I stumbled back with the person and we crashed into the stall behind us.
Panicking, I clawed at the arm that had a firm grip on my throat, knowing that I could die in this bathroom if I didn’t start to counter this attack.
My mind blanked for a second as the arm tightened, my pulse racing. I didn’t want to die in this bathroom.
I wasn’t going to die in this bathroom.
Stamping my foot hard, I collided with the attacker’s foot, the movement catching them off guard and giving me a chance to throw an elbow into their stomach. The grip lessened and I got out, barely taking two steps before my hair was nearly ripped from my head, halting my progress.
Oh God.
I reacted without thinking, twisting my body and ignoring the fiery burn of my scalp as I was able to break the hold on my hair.
The blow came out of nowhere and I grabbed my jaw, the splintering blast rattling my teeth and causing blood to pool in my mouth. The room blacked out briefly as I fought for consciousness, clawing my way out of the black hole that threatened to overtake me.
I couldn’t give up.
When the attacker launched on me again, I pushed at them hard and ran past, blindly trying to get out of the bathroom. My hand clenched the door handle and I pulled it open, running out into the busy hallway, pushing past people as I did so.
I had gotten out, but for how long?
***
Johanna held my hand as I sat on my bed, my entire body shaking. “Are you sure you don’t want to go see the nurse?”
I shook my head, pulling the blanket closer to try and ward off the chill that had set into my body. My jaw ached something horrible and my throat was sore, but otherwise I had come out alive, which was probably more than my attacker had planned on.
The door opened and I didn’t bother looking, knowing who it was. Johanna had called the kings.
Arthur crouched in front of me, his touch gentle as he forced me to meet his eyes. “Anna,” he said softly, his jaw set. “Are you all right?”
I couldn’t answer him. No, I wasn’t all right. I was scared to death, worried now that I had let my guard down that someone would go after me.
Johanna squeezed my hand and proceeded to give the details I had given her, listening to her speak softly about my injuries. By the time she was finished, Arthur was pale, and I could hear Royce swearing in the background. “You can’t stay here unprotected,” Arthur finished.
“She’s not alone,” Johanna answered. “I’m here.”
“A lot of good you did.”
“Stop,” I whispered, glancing at Royce, who looked like he was made out of stone, he was so still, his expression hard. “It’s not Johanna’s fault.”
“Besides,” Johanna shot back, eyeing Royce. “I have every class with Anna this semester. I can walk her to and from each one of them. No one would dare mess with a Prussian princess.”
“It’s not enough,” Arthur argued as my head started to hurt. “She needs to be protected.”
“Shut the hell up,” Max growled. “Can’t you see that we are torturing her? Jo, get her ice for that jaw. She needs sleep.”
At that moment, I could have kissed Max. I did need rest and some quiet for a while. “I’m good,” I finally said, forcing myself to look at the kings. “Johanna can accompany me. End of story.”
They didn’t look happy about it, but I didn’t care. I was tired of relying on them to fix my problems. I hadn’t died. I had fought back, and that was what I was going to do.
Fight back.
***
Two days later, I had another setback. “This is not fair!” Johanna cried, throwing the letter on her bed. “I don’t even want to be married until I finish the academy! My father knows it.”
I glanced at the letterhead, wondering who sent a letter overnight to their daughter when they could easily text or call. “Maybe he’s found someone you will love, Johanna.”
Johanna fell onto her bed in a huff. “Not likely. He has had no interest since I broke things off with Arthur. I think someone has interfered with my life.”
I had about a 99 percent chance of knowing who that could be, which meant Isauros was prepping for something. First the attack in the bathroom, now taking away the one person that could be witness to, well, anything. Without Johanna here, I would be alone, a sitting duck.
Swallowing my sudden terror, I focused on the present. “When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow,” she stated, the glint in her eye not at all friendly. “I’ll be gone for a week or more. Oh, Anna, I’m letting you down already.”
“It’s okay,” I said, gathering her in a hug. It wasn’t her fault at all, and she had no choice in the matter. I didn’t want to get in the middle of a family war, not with Johanna. “I will be just fine.”
She hugged me back. “You have to tell the kings, or a king at least. Who do you want me to call?”
I sighed. “You pick.”
The next morning, Johanna left for home and I waited to see which king would show up. It was Saturday, meaning no classes, and I had nothing planned but to stay in this room. Isauros had really pulled out all the stops to box me into a corner now that I had survived her attack and I wasn’t about to make it easy for her.
A knock sounded on the door and I cautiously approached it, wishing the damn door had a peephole or something so I could see who was on the other side.
I grabbed the closest thing I could find as a weapon and then laughed as I realized I had just grabbed one of my textbooks. What the heck was I going to do? Quiz them to death?
Deciding I could at least give them a massive headache, I held the book up high over my head as I wrenched the door open.
“What the hell, pauper?”
Lowering the book, I let out a sigh. “Royce.”
He glared at the book in my hand. “Was that really how you were going to defend yourself?”
“It was part of it,” I admitted. “But I remembered your training too.”
His eyes traveled to my face and he stepped forward, taking my bruised jaw in his hand, his touch surprisingly gentle. “Bloody hell, that’s a fucking ugly bruise you got there.”