Cold breeze caressed her bare legs as she trembled. Her hold tightening over the shawl as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She needed fresh air to think, to process everything. From being kidnapped in the middle of dinner, to know her sister was alive. It should not be this stressful, but it was not acceptable either. After Arden practically forcefully shoved the rules to her, she was anything but calm. The rules he made were outrageous. “What is this?” Arden inquired. His head aching the way Grace stood in front of him with a slip of paper between her fingers. A smile, which he’d definitely point as witty plastered over face yet he could not stop ogling at her. Leaning against the chair, he pressed his thumb over his temples and sighed.“Conditions, what else?” She sassed, letting the piece of paper dangle from her fingers. Arden took his time searching her face, and then grabbed it. Eyes soothed over every word written delicately with black ink. Line to line, word to wor
Grace stirred uncomfortably in bed. Her mind drifted back to Orion’s words and the kiss. It shouldn’t impact her this way, it should disgust her, revolt against her, but she just feels butterflies all over again. It wasn’t like it was she’d first kiss, but it was the very first time she enjoyed it. His lips were soft and addictive-She shook her head. She couldn’t get attached to him again after what he did. She was here only and only for Irene. She wanted to keep her sister safe and her too from an upcoming disaster. There were some things she was slowly realising, Azrael knew that she was alive. Her body suddenly tensed as she felt the chills. He would come for her soon. But Grace refused to keep this ruin the little world she had built without Azrael. He was dangerous. Grace tried not to think about him and closed her eyes. Thinking of everything that happened in these past few days. From Orion’s sudden truth to Maverick’s words to Azrael’s threat. It was all coming down. She gu
Her eyes followed Maverick as she walked to her seat. She watched as his hawk-like eyes watched her every single movement. She timidly took her sweet time. Her dark eyes moved to his stormy glare. If she had ever seen blue fire perhaps she had an idea of how danger transform into blue eyes.“I hope you’ve made your decision.” He tapped the edge of the pen on the table.Grace nodded. “I have.”She had spent hours pouring her possibility and thoughts into pondering all day. After breakfast, she confined herself to the room and skipped lunch and evening tea. She was startled when Arden said Maverick wanted to see her. He escorted her to Maverick before he gave her an assuring smile and walked away. Maverick leaned back, he crossed his arms across his chest. “Before you chose, I have some things you need to follow.”Grace frowned. “More rules?” Maverick blinked. “Yes, and they are not just some rules, they're restrictions.”She took a deep breath. He looked at her silently for a few sec
“It’s rude, you know.”Grace blinked her eyes, her naive eyes looking confusedly at him as little anticipation and anxiousness tingled with innocence, in its purest form, oozed through brown orbs. Maverick could spend his eternity just looking at her, despite the urge and twitch of his fingers he’d never dare to touch her.Cause he was the person who understood innocence once lost couldn’t be regained. And darkness once gazed upon, could never be lost.And Maverick seemed himself to be that darkness. When his darkness became his protective inner sheath, he was the servant of danger, bound in duty to obey his mind, the darkness became the softest of black velvets illuminated by heaven-spun stars. To him, she was the stars.“W-what?” Grace stuttered despite her courageous facade. Maverick noticed the tremble of her fingers and slight twitching of her jaw showing her unease and anxiousness. He inwardly smirked. So, he did have that effect on her.“To step inside someone else’s room, with
The conversation she had with Maverick didn’t exactly turn out to be like the one she had expected. A sigh left her mouth as she timidly walked to the dimly lit room. Last night she couldn’t get much sleep either, her thoughts were scattered and she was rethinking of what she did was right or not. Marriage wasn’t a thing to play with, but her life wasn’t anything but a game in itself. Not just her, but sheer fate also.Grace shook her head. Her fate must be laughing at her. She ran from Azrael only to land in the hands of a bunch of other sadistic psychos. One of them walked beside her with an unreadable look on his face. Hands rested in his pockets as he led her to Maverick’s office early in the morning. A dress that shows the best of her and left a little to the imagination was both cocoon and platform for her inner-butterfly. The dress sit upon her skin as soft petals, it was hue the many pinks of a rose garden. In the dress age was the blossomed flower, warmed in summer sun. Lace
“Maverick.” She stuttered. He pulled her towards the table. She kept looking at his broad back, anticipating his movements.“Bring the papers, Arden.” He muttered, his fingers tingling where his skin touched hers. Arden fixed his glasses, gritting his teeth as his eyes bore where Maverick touched her. Heart burning with jealousy. He placed papers in front of her, but his eyes not leaving the point where they touched.“Sign them,” Maverick said, sliding the papers with his free hand. Grace gulped, looking between them and nodded. She was now at the edge, there was no turning back now. It was something she had created for herself. A hell dug by herself, for herself.Her eyes looked over the words written there. She read them in her head. Slowly and making sure there was no–Her eyes widened when they landed on particular words. Snapping her head to Maverick, she asked with uncertainty.“W-what are these conditions?”“Few changes, nothing more.” His voice seemed to deepen as he glanced u
One year agoShe whimpered in pain. The raw possessiveness of his glistened over her delicate skin, marks of his ownership evident on her as he watched her body quivering. Her cries and sobs filled the entire room. Fragile she looked, the more he looked her way.His eyes raked over her body, desired in sinful ways, the white silk looked mesmerising on her, and the thin straps of the nightgown barely held over her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around herself and hugged her knees closer to her chest.She reminded him of a dove. Beautiful and elegant. Pure and naive. Every definition of innocence and every breath he took. She was engrossed in him. That’s what he liked to believe. But at this moment, in his eyes, she was a sinner. Someone who had questioned his claim raised a finger on his pride.A little bird, in a bold cap of golden feathers, alights upon the blossomed twig. Caged in golden cage. Singing on his tunes, to his accordance.His fists clenched further.But he would look
The morning came with commotion happening downstairs. Grace hardly had lifted a lid when she heard shouting from the lobby, where usually everyone sits around in the morning and evening. She groaned in annoyance as she shifted on the bed and draped the sheets over her head to block the sunlight and pressed her ears harder against the pillows trying to block away the shouts and yells. When she thought the commotion died down, a loud bang was heard from the lobby and her eyes opened widely. She remained still for a second before she fully swayed over the bed and swung her legs. Her heart almost threatened to explode and she hurriedly opened the door.Bare feet thumped against the marble floor as she rushed downstairs. What was happening? The closer she was getting, the clearer she could distinguish between the voices. Astonishingly, one of them belonged to Orion, the man who was avoiding her for the past some days for oblivious reasons. When she reached the door, with unsure hands she s
“Let’s get inside.” Maverick said pulling my attention from the beautiful marigolds. Interlocking our fingers, he lifted our joined hands and placed a sweet kiss on the back of my hand. “It’s getting colder.”The diamond ring shine in my ring finger as it sparkled under the dusky sun. It was indeed getting colder since this was mid-December and where we lived, winters were a lot cooler than average American winter. Two years ago, Mavwrick brought a house for us–not too large but manageable since there was only two of us and our golden retriever–Harry. He insisted several times to hire a maid but I refused. I couldn’t trust anyone. There was ocassional visit of Dr Olivia–a psychiatrist and a good friend of mine. I knew her since the time I was hospitalised in Italy. The family home of Evans was beiatiful, surrounded by a large garden and a little fountain in the middle. Not so long ago, Maverick brought few flower seeds and helped me sow them. He hated being covered with dirt but he h
His jaw tightened. He found the room in less than a minute as Zero followed behind him. Maverick tensed the moment he knocked the door down. Azrael was smoking when he heard loud bang. He slowly looked towards the door and smiled. “Evans…” he blew out a ring of smoke in the air. “To what do I owe this surprise?” Maverick gritted his teeth as he carefully looked around. The room was minimal with only one bed that was covered with red sheets. His gaze narrowed. It didn’t seemed like color but something-“Where is she?” Maverick felt his heart sinking in the pit of his stomach. Since there was no light in the room, it was hard to look around. Maverick couldn’t help but feel something terrible settling over his heart. Azrael’s hairs were disheveled, his clothes covered with blood and pants carelessly fastened. Yet he was a smile on his face. Smile without any emotions. Azrael’s grin turned knowing. Maverick remained silent. Azrael took a step forward, and then another. With his every st
The men left with Azrael and the cameraman. Grace was laying lifeless in a pool of her blood. Her torn clothes were taken away leaving her all naked. Her body had stopped shivering by now. She stared carelessly at the wall in front of her. Though there were thousands of cuts on her skin, she couldn’t feel anything. Her thoughts were slow and sluggish as if she was in a stupor. An occasional shudder wracked through her body. After undressing her, Azrael sliced her skin leaving behind red angry bloody marks. Though she was relieved he didn’t rape her or let his men do it, she knew her relief was short-lived. “I’ll be back, baby. And this time, it will be more than just a knife.”She shuddered remembering his words and the disappointment in his men’s eyes as they eyed her with negative gazes and lust. She was embarrassed and more than that she was humiliated. There was something more sinister going on in Azrael’s head. A little while later, she heard the door open once again. Cautiousl
As a couple of seconds dragged by, Grace couldn’t move or breathe. His presence evoked fear in her and all the memories of her last with him. She could remember everything, feel everything.“Don’t say you don’t remember me?” Azrael mocked jerking her. She gulped, fight leaving her body. There was no way, no way in hell. Azrael’s mocking brows raised and he pulled out something from his pocket. Grace eyed the object in his hand and panicked. The thought of him touching her made her revolt. There was a nose-holding quality to the way he treated her, as if his brain was some rotting fish and his thoughts were equally foul. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t, I’ll make you remember everything,” the smile was gone, replaced with the sinister glint of the devil. Before she could process it, he had already plunged the needle into her neck. The engine roared with life. In less than two minutes, she was starting to fade into darkness. The next couple of hours dragged by.When she once again rega
She stirred slightly in her sleep, eyes slowly moving behind her lids before she finally let out a groan and opened them. Maverick heard shuffling and groans. His heart rate quickened as he rushed to her side and helped her sit. “Careful.” He mumbled with gentleness placing his one hand behind her head and with the other he adjusted the blanket. Grace felt her blurry vision clearing and she tried to stop and remember what happened before she lost consciousness. But somewhere deep within she hoped none of that to happen, she didn’t want to recall those vile memories. Unfortunately, every detail came passing and she sighed. Maverick looked carefully at her face, her tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes. He felt something squeezing in his chest, painfully that it almost felt difficult for him to breathe. He was the reason for all this, he did it. Before she opened her mouth to say something, he interrupted. “She’s safe. Orion saved her.” Maverick’s words made her let out a relieved
“Grace!” Maverick growled running behind her. Grace couldn’t handle the pain anymore, her tears wildly running down and before she knew she felt herself storming into the park nearby the hotel. She was about to run when a body was slammed against her back and she was engulfed in warm embrace. Her struggle’s intensified and she managed to break free before glaring at him. “Let go!” She screamed and Maverick seethed in anger. “Come here.” He mumbled with anger slowly surfacing and an unknown fear that he never sensed before. Fera of unknown. Despite taking a step forward, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “Where is she?”Her breathing was hazardous in a panicked manner, fists clenching on her sides. Surrounded by thin tension and a chilled winter breeze, her whole body trembled, she couldn’t comprehend if it was a glacial touch of the season or the raged blood flowing in her. His eyes narrowed, palms fisting, he took a step in her direction making her step back.“Come h
“What do you mean?” She asked raising her chin. She hated that her voice sounded shaky and her hands frantically clutching her sides. The solemn curve of Maverick’s lips deepened, darkness dancing in his eyes. “Should I pretend? For how long?” Her insides twisted in something unknown that couldn’t be described as relaxation but something solely disturbing. Maverick arched his brow. “You certainly do not remember me, little dove. You know how much it hurts?” Her insides once again twitched and unsettled emotions. Simultaneously, her breathing quickened and her skin prickled with his every word. “W-what are you saying all of sudden?” She asked as evenly as she could. She didn’t want to delve deeper but something about him suddenly seemed so strange. His eyes gleamed sardonically. “Raina Enterprises, two years ago.”“W-what?” She clenched her teeth as a distant memory flashed in her head. How could she forget that night? That night changed everything for her. “You remember it, don’t y
As the city came out of the darkness of night, we crossed the Seine in silence. Without the traffic, we walked right down the centre of the street and not far away laid The Eiffel Tower, like a skeleton of metal projecting up into a sky that was rapidly becoming blue. A night like this should be foggy, misty at the least, but in contrast to our mood it looked determined to be a story-book perfect night in Paris. Just like I had promised him, I was accompanying him for the promised date night. Maverick had chosen an emerald green silk dress for me with long fur beige coat that reached my ankles. To keep me warm on a wintery night, he had also forced me to wear black gloves and boots. My hair slid down my waist and my head was covered with a solid fedora hat that matched my dark boots and the scarf around my neck. My eyes moved to him. He wasn’t wearing anything fancy, but a trench coat over his dark suit that hugged his body. Even with wearing heeled boots, I was shorter than him by
Maverick flinched as she slammed the door of the bathroom with unnecessary force. He stretched his neck and tilted it side-to-side. So much for asking for forgiveness. He scoffed, shaking his head not believing the little kitten had started to grow nails. He did not find her words a bit offensive but charmingly adorable. The way she huffed with anger, the cute little red nose and a pout on her kissable lips. He didn’t think it was possible to love his little dove more, but as he was getting to know her more, his feelings for her were both intensifying and growing deeper. He realised there was still a hidden part of her that he hadn’t witnessed, except that she was the object of his obsession. Grace was never truly relaxed around him. Now, he had seen a different side of her, and he adored every new trait and quirk he uncovered.His little dove was not some fragile woman, but a feisty one.He chuckled to himself.Still amazed by Grace’s words, he walked into the kitchen. Assuming his