2. Tug of strings

My breaths were coming out in gasps as I ran on the deserted streets. Not a single soul was to be seen in sight because most of the people were at the celebration. After all, it was to honor the end of a five hundred year old war. Took those fools long enough to stop fighting over something that could have been solved over a pizza.

I mean, can you believe that they waited for Clario to die to end the war?!

Clario was the SNR member who had started the war with the human realm. Apparently, the SNR peeps believed in soulmates, destiny, love at first sight and all that bullshit. Now, I don’t really have the inside information but, I have read in my school textbooks that they were usually mated within their own realm. Like mermaids could be mated to elves, or vampires could be mated to fairies, or any such bizarre pairing that was possible. But, poor old Clario happened to be the first supernatural who was mated to a human. Now, humans absolutely refused to let him take one of their own. And, long story short, a war ensued over this, which only ended with the death of Clario.

But, all this freaking didn’t matter right now! What mattered was that I insulted the royalty of the SNR. And, I would be lying if I said that I was not close to shitting my pants. Oops, not my pants, my super shimmery gown actually. I blame Clario for this. That cray cray old man started everything in the first place, which led to many things and then, this! How dare he?!

I paused to take a breath. I leaned against a lamp post and slid down to the ground. My phone started going off in my hand, and I checked it to see that Aiden was calling me. I was debating whether or not to take it, but, then, my curiosity interfered and I pressed answer. I was not in the situation to say anything, all I could do was huff heavily over the phone.

“What the hell?!” Aiden all but screamed over the phone, “Why are you panting like that? Oh my God, are you-”

“Shut up,” I stopped him before he could say something dirty, “what’s the situation there? Have they announced a prize money on me? Have I been declared a legal criminal?”

“Geez, don’t think that highly of yourself, Emerson,” Aiden mocked playfully, “I don’t know the situation. That blue eyed freak stormed out of here after you, but, his sister stayed behind and said that everything was okay, so, I guess, we don’t have to worry.”

“He stormed after me?!” I stood up, bracing one hand against the lamp post, “oh my God, he is gonna come and kill me himself.”

“Stop over reacting,” Aiden said, “he knows he can’t just kill you. It’s against the law. If he does decide to kill you, then, we will have a war at our hands again. By the way-”

“Listen to me very carefully, Aiden,” I cut him off, “if I don’t come back home, then, you can tell my sister that I was the one who pulled out the hair of her precious doll, and made it bald. Also, tell mom that I forgive her for making me wear this dress and the heels. Tell dad that I broke his favorite glasses and buried them in our backyard. And, last but, not the least, I expect you to revenge my death from the stormy eyed freak.”

I disconnected the call after that, and checked my surroundings. There was still no one in sight. I twisted my hand to reach the back of my dress and loosened two to three strings so that I could get some breathing space. Then, I glanced down at my heels. Without thinking, I kicked my left leg in the air and the heel came off, landing at a distance with a satisfying thud.

“Ha! Take that, you bitch of a heel!” I screamed in the silent night.

Then, I did the same thing with my right heel, and waited for the thud so I could deliver another amazing dialogue. But…the thud never came. Suddenly, the silence became even more silent…if that makes sense. The air around me seemed to have become chilly and I shivered pathetically, my teeth chattering.

Shit, something was definitely wrong…

I slowly lifted up my eyes to see what was in front of me. My heartbeat started picking its pace when my eyes landed on the grey mist flaring up from the ground. I knew what was happening but, I was not ready to accept it yet.

Where was the bloody heel?

As if to answer my question, the heel suddenly materialized in the mist. I gulped when I realized that it was not on the ground but in the air…which meant only one thing…

I took a step back, as the mist started clearing and the silhouette of a man was revealed. I almost lost my footing when a pair of stormy eyes concealed beneath a purple mask, became visible in the foggy air.

He slowly started walking forward, while I was frozen on my spot. And, before I knew it he was just inches away from me. He dropped the stupid heel in front of me, before reaching towards his face and taking off the mask from his enchanting eyes.

Thick, lustrous dark black hair ruffled with a few silky locks fell carelessly across his forehead and his perfectly arched dark brows. He had wonderful symmetrical features with prominent cheekbones, a high bridged straight nose, and a sharp angular jaw. He blinked and I had to inhale a sharp breath when my eyes fell on his thick, long dark eyelashes that were accenting his already magical eyes beautifully.

Snap out of it, Lilith! You can’t let him affect you like that!

“If it makes you feel better, you affect me the same way,” his deep, rich voice traveled towards me and wrapped around my ears like velvet.

I was not sure if he was trying to make me feel better or pull me into a deeper trance.

He took a step forward, his lips forming into a small smile. I licked my lips to wet them, because I was pretty sure that they were looking worse than a desert right now. Wait, why did I care?

Fuck! Something was definitely messing with my head!

I took a deep breath to compose my senses, then, gave him a big wide smile.

“Hey there,” I started, “you stormy eyed fr- I mean, y-your highness, how are you doing today?”

“I have been better,” he replied, arrogantly.

This stormy eyed son of a-

“My name’s Damen,” he interrupted my thoughts, “you better start calling me that or else-”

“Or else what, huh?” I tipped my chin up, “what are you gonna do, stormy eyed freak?” damn, where was this confidence coming from?

He suddenly seemed too intimidating for my liking, “I will simply have to invade your mind a little deeper and tear up all the memories and thoughts into shreds, and then-”

I screamed, I literally screamed just by imagining the scenario. What the actual hell?! How could he even do that? Just how powerful was he?

“You are better off not knowing that,” he said, as if reading my mind- wait, he was actually reading my mind…

“Get out of my head,” I almost begged him, “please,” I added for a good measure.

His eyes took on a deeper intensity and he got closer to me, if that was even possible. “That’s not how it’s done, Lilith,” he pronounced my name very slowly, very carefully, and very gently, making a shiver run down my spine, “if you want me out of your head, you need to kick me out, not beg me to get out.”

I almost thought that I had heard him wrong, because my senses were overpowered by his breath fanning my face, and his otherworldly smell was completely overwhelming me.

“You can beg me now, and maybe I will even listen,” he continued, “but, what happens when you are in the supernatural realm and someone else tries to do this to you. No amount of begging is going to work.”

“I-I,” I met his eyes, trying to keep my voice steady, “why will I go to SNR? I am a human, and my family lives here. Why would I leave them?”

His eyes softened for a second, “Unfortunately for both of us, fate has different plans. I think you should have figured it out by now…”

No…no, no, no! I wasn’t going to even think about it…as long as I didn’t venture my thoughts there, I was safe…I was going to be safe. He couldn’t fool me with his bullshit.

Before I could tell him to leave me alone, he had suddenly turned his back to me, letting out an inhuman growl and making me jump back in shock. He was standing in a protective stance in front of me, and that totally puzzled me. I took deep breaths for my own sanity and then, tried to take a peek above his shoulder. Damn it, he was towering above me! I had to stand on my toes to see what was going on.

I saw Aiden standing a few feet away with what looked like a weapon, in his hand.

“Oh, that’s just Aiden,” I face palmed, trying to come out from behind Damen. But, Damen held me back with one arm and turned around slightly, to give me a warning look.

Suddenly, I had trouble breathing, and I took a step back, or at least tried to, seeing as how Damen had one arm around me. His touch was causing my skin to buzz with awareness and electricity and I was not liking that.

“Hey, um, will you excuse me for a second,” I started nervously, “I need to talk to my friend Aiden, after that we can discuss about um,” I gestured between us, “whatever this is and find out a way to get out of this.”

Damen’s eyes flashed with hurt, and he turned around to say something but Aiden was quick to interrupt us.

“Hey, there, buddy,” Aiden called out from where he was standing, “it’s getting late. I am here to pick up my friend. Could you release her?”

I don’t know why, but, I was scared for Aiden, especially when I saw Damen closing his eyes and trying to control himself. Before I could comprehend anything else though, Aiden had walked up to us and was carefully analyzing the whole situation.

Damen looked up to meet Aiden’s eyes, and his arm around me tightened. “This is the first and the last time I am saying this, hunter,” he said calmly, “stay away from her.”

The fuck?!

Aiden obviously didn’t like this either, because the next I know, he had grabbed my arm and pulled me to his side. The only problem was that Damen didn’t really release me, and…the brunt of the tug of war was borne by the strings of my dress that I had loosened. Yes, you heard that right. Three strings came open, and well…the rest is history.