Chapter 12

Madness claimed my uncle, Aturro, when he was a mere forty years of age. Father said it was a broken heart that sent him crazy. I never understood how that could possibly affect someone so severely.

Until now.

The need to see her was like a constant itch in my brain. After getting caught following her by the blackmailing princess, I resisted going anywhere near Vienne for a solid week, but my resistance began to run thin.

I paced my room most days, feeling like a wild animal that had been caged and was slowly being starved to death. And she was like my food, my sustenance. As soon as I broke free of this stupid restraint I was implementing on myself, I had a bad feeling I would try to feast on her like a savage beast.

But with that thought rose the fear that I would come on too strong and frighten her in my desperation, scar her permanently, and possibly even endanger her unborn child. So I locked the needs in even tighter.

Except being trapped inside my own head was driving me cr