*****Thank you all for your patience with me. My MacBook Pro fell ill when it came into contact with a glass of water and it’s had a long road of recovery. I feared I’d lost my MacBook Pro during those first few days. But after powering it off faster than superman can stop a speeding bullet, opening it up, removing its hard drive, and giving it a month of bed rest to air-dry. Bravely I took it off life support and with baited breath, after putting it back together again, I waited to see if it would breathe on its own or make its final exit into the electronic afterlife. I pressed the power button and sighed with relief when it finally opened its eyes showing me the most beautiful apple screen I’ve ever seen. But we weren’t out of the woods yet. Next came the login screen and then YESSSSSS!!!! It’s alive! It’s ALIVE!!! Thankfully, those days are behind it and it is right as rain…well…almost. My ENTER and H keys do not work, but a USB keyboard will solve that. As of last night…I am free to update stories and chapters at will!!*****
“Where are you taking me?” I asked.
Darius blindfolded me and is leading me by hand through what I can tell are the halls of Draven Manor. He opens a door and immediately the smell of grass invades my sense of smell. Cold air kisses my skin, blowing my hair away from my face.
“Seriously, what are we doing? Where are you taking me?”
“You can see for yourself in a few minutes,” Darius replies.
After several more steps encased in darkness, we finally come to a stop. Darius takes my blindfold off. The morning sky is a dark shade of blue that grows brighter as the minutes tick by.
“Is this…?”
“You said you’ve never seen the sun rise before,” he smiles, “everyone should see at least one sunset in their lifetime.”
A peace offering. That’s what this was. I pressed Darius for details about what happened with his family the other night and he refused to answer any of my questions. He just kept saying he handled it. He wouldn’t even tell me how. With my family’s lives on the line, now that his family knew who they were, I stopped talking to him out of frustration. It irked me that he wouldn’t tell me. Since then he’s tried many things to get back into my good graces. But this…this…damn him.
“You win,” I sighed, “I’ll stop giving you the cold shoulder.”
“Its about time.”
Gazing out at the sky from our private retreat, I watched with baited breath as the sun began to rise. Darius walked up behind me. In a bold move he slid his hands over my sides, lacing his fingers over my abdomen, pulling me into him. His close proximity reeked havoc on my pulse.
Silently we watched as the sun peaked out from the horizon, slowly bringing everything to life and signaling to the world that dawn has arrived. I loosed a breath at the breathtaking site and clasped my hand over Darius’.
I turned, meeting his gaze and said, “You don’t have to tell me what happened that night, but going forward, I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. If we are to become one, then all cards need to be on the table.”
“And what if you can’t handle the truth?”
“Then help me understand it. Explain things to me.”
“Giselle, there will be things I can’t elaborate on. There will be things about a life with me that you won’t like.”
“Don’t you think I know that? I’m not expecting things between us to be perfect Darius. Our union isn’t easy on either of us. I just want the lines of communication between us to be open. I want to be kept in the loop.”
“Everything I do is for the good of our family. I’ve been in politics all my life and I need you to trust me.”
“I do trust you. That’s the scary part, because I barely even know you to trust you as much as I do. Even when you drain me within an inch of my life to exert your dominance.”
Darius’ eyes flicked past me to the rising sun. “Soon, you and I will be married,” his eyes flicked back to mine, “And speaking of our impending wedding, why don’t you take one of the cars, go into town, and pick out a dress for you and your bridesmaids.”
“That should be easy, I won’t have any bridesmaids because I don’t have any friends.”
“What? Everyone has friends.”
“Not me. I just have my family and yours.”
“What about Cara and April?” He asked. “Aren’t they your friends?”
“You own their lives, which makes the line between them being my friends and your offerings blurry.”
“Then I’ll give them some extra incentive to be your friend and you can take them with you,” he sighed.
“They’d find that insulting Darius. I’m insulted for them. They’re not cattle, they’re people.” God he could be so insensitive, “Would it kill you to be nice to them? I was once your offering and you managed to treat me well. Minus all the biting.”
Darius lips curled into a smirk as he said, “Well in the words of this blind seventeen year old spitfire…you were no ones offering.”
I laughed, and then quickly fell deep in thought. “Do you really want to marry me?”
“What I want and what I’m obligated to do are two different things. I gave my father my word and I intend to keep it.”
“It’s that simple for you huh?”
“Unlike you humans, we value our spoken arrangements.”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean…what about love?”
“What about it?” His brows pursed together.
“Wouldn’t you rather marry for love?”
“Love is overrated,” he huffed.
Shocker…not really, rolling my eyes I said, “Let me guess, you night-dwellers don’t believe in love.”
“Should we?”
I tried not to look as disappointed as I felt that he didn’t believe in love. How could I marry someone who believes love is a load of crap? What kind of existence would we have for that matter? Ever since I was little girl I’d been groomed to marry the man I loved. Only, to Darius, marriage is nothing more than a good business arrangement. I want more than that. Maybe it’s foolish of me, but I want the Fairytale.
“Darius, if we’re to be married then I want more than just an arrangement with you. I want love.”
He eyed me incredulously and said, “Even with me…a night-dweller? Just not too long ago the thought of marrying me made you want to puke, and now you want love?” He scoffed, “You knew what this was going into it.”
“No, I knew we were to be married. I didn’t know I was walking into a loveless marriage or I would’ve said no.”
“Well it’s too late for that now, isn’t it. Besides, loving a human…especially after all your kind has done to us…I could never truly love a human. Not completely. Even one as beautiful as you are.”
Beautiful…he called me beautiful…focus Giselle…FOCUS! He just said he could never love a human and guess what…you’re human…
“Never say never. That’s what my father always says.”
His lips curled into a full on smile this time, “Smart man.”
Curious, I asked, “What am I for you then? If you’re incapable of loving me then what are we doing? What does that make me? What am I to be to you?”
“My wife, the mother of my children, and my political partner.”
“Your access into the human communities,” I corrected him. I’m not stupid.
He laughed, but he never broke eye contact. A cunning negotiator. His resolve was stronger than reinforced steel. He gave nothing away.
“I want love Darius.”
“Mm…I love it when you beg,” he teased. My mind went completely blank and my cheeks flushed red. Throwing me off my game was effortless for him. “There you go with the L word again. Love his a human invention. And from what I’ve seen the notion of love only seems to complicate things.”
“Then I suggest you get acquainted with complications.”
Darius cocked his head to the side and looked me over. “Aside from the fact that you’re human, I can’t give you what you want.”
“Why not?”
“Because my heart already belongs to someone else.”
His confession caught me off guard. How could his heart belong to someone else? Who? And then it hits me…“Aria?”
“Yes,” he nodded, “my engagement to you changed things for us, but she still has my heart Giselle.”
And she’s a night-dweller. That’s the part he left out. He felt free to love her because they were the same, but what he afforded her he would refuse me. He’s content with me being nothing more than a piece of furniture in a room, or another decoration to make him look good in others’ eyes.
“You’re upset,” he noticed.
“I just don’t want the first time I get married to be a lie.”
“You humans and your sentiment,” he sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.
“It may mean nothing to you with the long list of girls you’ve probably slept with, but this…you and I…it’s not just my first marriage. You were my first kiss, you’re my first boyfriend-and not a very good one, I might add. Once we’re married you’ll be my first…you know.”
“Sexual experience,” he blurted out the words.
“Yes. So forgive me for hoping it would mean something.”
“It does mean something,” Darius pulled me into his arms, “And when you’re out there fighting for human rights, you can tell them all about how you sacrificed your virginity for them and hope they care as much as you want them to.”
“Ass!” I shoved him with all of my might. He went nowhere. Darius laughed harder than I’ve ever seen him laugh before. “I’m a joke to you aren’t I?”
“Is that the same as entertaining, because you’re definitely entertaining? It amazes me how someone whose been jilted by your own kind as much as you have, could still have faith in them. You’re even willing to crawl into bed with me-so to speak-to save humankind.”
They aren’t the only reason I’m willing to climb into bed with him…
“Would it kill you to have a heart for five seconds?”
He didn’t respond. He shook his head and left. When our bedroom door opened again it were Cara and April. Darius gave them instructions to take me shopping for a wedding dress. I knew if I didn’t do as he asked he’d punish Cara and April, so I complied. He’s good at that…using your weakness against you.
My heart felt heavy as I tried on dresses. This was all a lie…my wedding…my relationship with Darius…they were all lies.
My heart felt even heavier after finding and trying on the perfect dress. My dream dress. It was white and it cinched at the waist then puffed out into a full floor length skirt. The top of the dress was all lace with beading and rhinestones that made it sparkle. This dress was perfect in every way, but I’d be wearing it to carry out a lie. No. I wouldn’t get this dress. Not for this.
“Can I please get something more plain and insignificant?” April and Cara exchanged glances.
“What? Why? Your face lit up just now,” April stared at me like I’m crazy.
“I agree with April. This is the dress,” Cara backed her up.
“Look, I just want something else.”
Reluctantly, Cara nodded to the sales associate who left and came back with a dress that was both plain and uninspiring, much like my sham of a marriage. I bought the dress and we headed back to Draven Manor.
“Are you alright?” Cara asked.
Before I could answer, screaming invaded my thoughts followed by the loud sound of crushing metal. My body thudded against concrete after being thrown from the car and glass rained down around me. The world around me was spinning. No…I was spinning. Several spins later I came to a stop, with my eyes meeting the sky. Pain shot through my body. I couldn’t move.
A figure emerged from the blurred parts of my vision and knelt down beside me smiling. Asher. “Hello love. I think it’s time you and I get more acquainted. Don’t go dying on me just yet.”
Too injured to protest, I did nothing as he lifted me up into his arms, carrying me from the scene. I began succumbing to my injuries and blacked out.
When I came to my eyelids were heavy. Too heavy. It took a tremendous amount of effort to open my eyes. The last thing I remembered was the crash and then Asher standing over me. I quickly shot up and regretted it.
“Welcome back to the land of the living,” a voice called out to me from the shadows in a corner of the room.
Footsteps. They came closer and closer until Asher stepped out of the shadows into full view. “I told him I would get to you,” he smiled.
“And you think this is a good thing. Tearing your limbs from your body is nothing compared to what he’ll do to you if you don’t let me go.”
“A human? I highly doubt that,” he chuckled, “no offense, but Darius isn’t particularly fond of humankind.”
“Why kidnap me then? If you believe he doesn’t care then kidnapping me is futile a t best, so why bother?”
“My interests in you are…personal.”
“Personal?” My brows rose, “What could you possibly want with me?”
“More than you know,” his eyes traveled down the length of my body.
“I doubt that.”
“There’s a reason Darius didn’t want me anywhere near you the other night.”
“Yes, because your fathers have been at odds since Viktor won your aunts hand.”
“He didn’t win it, he stole it. Like father like son I suppose.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can ask your future husband when you see him again.”
“Does this mean I’m free to go?”
“Not quite. I’ll let you go, but in exchange for your freedom I want something in return.”
“Like what?”
“I’d like to spend one day a week with you.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Tell me…does your compassion only extend to your people? Or would you be inclined to help me mend the fence between my father and uncle? Surely you can see the mutual benefit of a united family?”
“Why not go to Darius? Why come to me?”
“Have you not seen his temper?” Asher huffed, “Besides, uncle Viktor has him convinced we’re all evil opportunists. He won’t listen to me.”
“Well I hate to disappoint you, but Darius doesn’t listen to me either. Nothing I say or do matters to him.”
“Or so he leads you to believe. You’ll soon find that my cousin can be full of surprises, full of…secrets.”
“How would you know? As far as I can tell you and Darius aren’t exactly close.”
“No we’re not, but I’ve dealt with him enough to know how he operates. Now do you accept my offer or not?”
“If I don’t, what will you do to me?”
“Use your imagination.”
Taking in a deep breath I examined all possible ways to get away with my life in tact. One night a week wasn’t so steep a price to pay for my life, right? “I agree to your terms,” I caved.
“Good,” Asher held his hand out to me, “Your hand please.”
I placed my hand in his and he punctured my palm with his razor sharp thumbnail. I flinched, “What the hell?” I shouted. He punctured his own palm, and pressed it against mine. The moment our blood mixed together there was this tingling sensation. Then my eyes felt heavy. I blacked out for the second time.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
