3. I hope it's a bad dream
I immediately pushed away both of them, and they let me because, well…they were shocked from the sudden noise of the strings snapping. Without wasting any time, I tugged at the coat that Damen was wearing, and pulled it over my shoulders.
“Oh my God,” Aiden started, “what the hell was that, Emerson? Don’t tell me, did your-”
“Shut up!” Damen and I exclaimed at once.
My face was burning, both from embarrassment and ugh, because I had to resort to take Damen’s coat. How low was I going to fall?
“Excuse me,” Aiden glared at Damen, “I never said a word to you.”
“Yeah, but you were going to say something about her,” Damen deadpanned, “I won’t stand for it.”
“Then, sit,” Aiden retorted.
Damen gave him a wtf look, “Have you lost it?...Oh wait, you never had it to begin with.”
“Both of you, shut the hell up!” I screamed, and then, feeling too exhausted all of a sudden, I automatically plopped down on the ground.
Aiden rolled his eyes, “When you are done being a drama queen, Emerson, go back to your home. Your mom is worried. I have to leave for some important work. I will see you tomorrow.”
“More like see you never,” Damen muttered at Aiden’s retreating back.
“I heard that,” I said from where I was sitting, looking up to meet Damen’s eyes.
“Good,” he said, crouching down in front of me, “now, you know what the future holds for you.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head, “I don’t and I don’t want to.”
Damen sighed, “You can’t just keep pushing the obvious, Lilith. I think you know by now, what is happening.”
“No,” I said again, trying to calm down my wildly beating heart, “I am just a normal human who is going to go to attend her classes tomorrow like everyday, and think of this night as a nightmare. Yes, I am normal. No one can get into my mind. I never met a stranger with beautiful eyes whose proximity does unspeakable things to my body. This is just a bad dream.”
Damen gave me an unimpressed look, “I don’t know if I should be flattered that you called my eyes beautiful or mad that you are calling the mate bond a bad dream.”
Before I could respond, his hand started reaching out towards me and I let out a shriek to stop him.
“Stay away or…or I will,” I glanced around, searching for…I don’t know what.
“Or you will what, Lilith?” Damen mocked in amusement.
I lay down on my back and stared up at him threateningly, “Or I will just remain lying here, in the middle of the road until a car comes and runs over me.”
Damen gave me a look that spelled that he was contemplating my mental state. Then, he started laughing. Freaking laughing! What was so funny?
“You know what, love, I think you need time to let everything sink in,” he said with the ever present amusement laced in his voice, “tell me Lilith, how much time you need?”
I immediately sat up straight and asked him hopefully, “Can you give me forever?”
His lips pressed into a thin line, before he stood up and suddenly smiled, “Why of course, sweetheart, you will get your forever, with me.”
Did he really just-
“I am giving you a night,” he finally said, “you can use this time to pack your stuff and say goodbye to your family and friends. I will see you in the morning tomorrow.”
I stood up slowly, my shoulders slumped, and I glanced at him seriously, “Is there really no way out of this?” my voice almost broke, and I hated it.
“No, unless you want another war between the realms.”
My parents bombarded me with questions and accusations, as soon as I got back home.
“Where were you Lilith?”
“How could you be so irresponsible and leave the party in the middle?”
“Are the rumors about you insulting the prince, true?”
“Lilith, I swear to God, if anything happens because of you, I am disowning you.”
“You are becoming more of a brat as you are growing up. When will you learn?”
“We have a reputation to uphold, Lilith. Don’t go about ruining it all the damn time!”
I simply walked past them and shut the door of my room behind myself. I slumped down to the ground with my back against the door. My heartbeat had just started slowing down…going somewhat normal again.
I can’t help banging my head on the door, over and over again. I closed my eyes and saw a pair of enchanting blue eyes that were threatening to mess up with my heart again. My eyes immediately flew open. Ugh, why? What had I gotten myself into? I never signed up for any of this…
I thought for a while and finally made up my mind about what I was going to do. I was going to escape Damen. No way, I was going to go with him. Like, what did he take me for? I had never once listened to my own mom, did he really think that I was going to listen to him? Ha! He thought!
The next morning, when I got downstairs, my mom, dad and Riley, my sister, turned to face me. As soon as their eyes landed on my outfit, they started sniggering.
“Are you actually going to wear that to college?” riley laughed.
“Yes, there’s nothing wrong with wearing a hoodie,” I rolled my eyes.
“There isn’t but you are not wearing a hoodie,” mom said, “You are wearing an oversized hoodie, which looks like it is swallowing you up.”
“Sweetie, are you able to see us, with that hoodie falling over your eyes?” dad asked.
“Yes, dad,” I replied, “and, that’s the point of this hoodie. You shouldn’t be able to see my face, only I am allowed to see you.”
“Can you get any more ridiculous?” riley burst out in loud laughter, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you this time.”
Well, she was better off not knowing. I had every plan of going to attend my classes and avoid being seen by Damen at all costs. If he couldn’t see me, he couldn’t take me. Simple.
My day was going incredibly well to say the least. I didn’t encounter anything suspicious the whole morning and damen had said that he would be coming this morning. It was way past afternoon now, and there was no sign of him, which meant I was safe. Perhaps, he finally realised that he was wasting his time with a brat like me. Good for him, he saved himself a lot of trouble.
I whistled happily as I walked across the campus quadrangle, where some students were hanging out, reading or talking in groups. I was thinking about throwing myself a pizza party after getting home, when I suddenly felt the air getting tense with heaviness and strange sparks. I looked up to see that the sky was clear. Oh gosh, then, why did it feel like a storm was on its way?
I glanced around like a madwoman, until my eyes landed on the source of my worries and distress. He was standing across the quadrangle, atleast a few feet away me, watching me like a predator ready to spring on his prey. My body became alert with a buzz of electricity.
He couldn’t recognise me, right? Right? I gulped, when I realised that the whole morning he was just laying out his trap, waiting for me to walk right into it. I took a step back when he lifted his chin up, as if he was daring me to run.
And, so, I ran. Man, did I run like a wild animal! I didn’t even know where I was going, all I was aware of was my hoodie flapping all around me, and the wind slapping my face.
I don’t know for how long I was running, but at one point I had to stop to catch my breath. I braced one palm against the tree that was in front of me. Wait, where did a tree come from? I looked up to see my surroundings. Shit, I had run deep into the forest behind my college campus.
I turned around, in a dizzy haze, to find him standing right there, some three feet away from me. a wolfish grin graced his face. I realised that he had me right where he wanted me. he was not even running. Wow, he did me dirty.
The grin from his face slowly melted away as he started walking towards me. My breath hitched in my throat when I took in his breathtakingly beautiful and sharp features that were more prominent in the broad daylight. His intense gaze left a burn everywhere it touched my skin.
The air sizzled with something indescribable, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his face. And, before I knew it, he had me trapped against the tree, and his head had dipped dangerously close to my neck. I reached out to push him away, but, he halted me with a growl.
That earth shattering growl scared the shit out of me and I cowered within myself. Mate or not, he was a beast, a supernatural who acted on his animal instincts, not on emotions.
“Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me,” I started chanting pathetically, only to be stopped when he looked up to meet my eyes. His eyes were almost naked for a second, gazing at me with hurt, accusation, and confusion before they hardened and he took a step away from me.
“My hands are meant for your protection, Lilith,” he said coldly, averting his gaze, “I would never hurt you.”
I took a deep breath, trying to push down the thoughts that were emerging in my head at the moment. I knew about Damen pretty well, way before meeting him in person. He was the beast that we were always warned about in bedtime stories as kids. His outwardly appearance was just an illusion. We were taught in our school textbooks what really lied within those beautiful features. This was one of the reasons that I resented supernaturals but just my luck that the one standing in front of me happened to be my ‘soulmate.’
I knew I was treading dangerous waters but, I couldn’t help saying what I said next.
“Why should I trust a monster like you? You have done nothing but kill thousands of innocents in the war. Do you really think that I believe in mate and all this bullshit? If you haven’t guessed by now, then, let me spell it out clearly for you, Damen: I fucking hate you. And, no matter what you do, I am never going to have even an ounce of emotion towards you. All I feel towards you is utter resentment.”
Shit, shit, shit, I said too much. I was not supposed to say all that. I mean, I got carried away…damn it!
Before I could take back my words, the damage was done. The snarl that came out of Damen’s throat ripped the tree behind me in two pieces and shattered the ground beneath my feet.
And, as for me…I passed out on the spot, but, not because of what Damen did. It was because of the unbearable pain in my head that came with the feeling of some powerful presence clawing at the walls of my mind.