Deceived

Prologue | An Unexpected Proposal

Be afraid for you have something to lose

Hold close the sword and chose

Will it be the pride or the greed

Hold onto the love for that's all you need.

 ⚜️

"Marry me." His husky voice wrapped around her like smooth silk, sending shivers down to the very core of her being. She stood silent in his arms as he gazed at her with emotions so raw, it made her gasp for fresh air.

How could this be happening? She hadn't even found the basic stability in her life and here she was confronted to the thoughts of marrying a man that she hardly knew. 

As his vivid gaze had her stuck stone still, in his arms, a stranger, she was left gulping with deranged thoughts.

Only if she had known her life would never be the same again...

Walking down the sidewalk to her favorite Barista, Alethia was greeted by the addictive smell of the one drug that kept her running through the day; caffeine. A smile clocked in upon her face as she watched the silver haired old lady cross her path, like every day. Her lips tinted red, turned up to greet the familiar faces on the sidewalk out of habit. Bright freckles glittered under the slight rays of sun that filtered through the graying clouds to fall upon her pale skin. Her tiny steps were punctuated by the sway of her tall pony tail along her hips. 

Wearing her deep blue over coat and warm little gloves she turned right, pace quickening to reach her destination to gather up some much needed warmth. One hand tightly wrapped around the bundle of manuscripts she was carrying, she moved forward pushing upon the glass doors of the tiny cafe.

Alethia's heels clicked loudly against the marble floors. A thousand thoughts were flitting through her head at once, all related to the day she was expecting to have ahead at work.  She was so engrossed in her head; she never noticed the icy blue eyes following her from the entrance to the queue. She missed the jump of recognition the man cleared into. She missed the slow walk that he took towards her as his eyes swept down her full figure and landed upon her fire bright hair. All of this was irrelevant to her until her heart started pounding within her ears.

A sudden electricity ran through her body, down her spine and to the tips of her fingers; a sweet jittery feeling within the bottom of her chest, swirling into a storm and making her blush. It was so sudden she didn't know what to do. It had happened before and every time it had happened before, he had been there.

Her head automatically turned around, her honey eyes meeting his cold blue ones immediately. It was an instant click, a single beat and they were one within that moment. He could see into her soul, the loneliness, the yearnings for so much more and the pain of the past. She could feel his domineer warning her and wrapping around her like a soft plush weave of shield relieving every nerve in her body and protecting her from any pain that could ever greet her broken doors.

His ruggedly handsome face melted into a soft smile, making the scar upon his right cheek vanish. His black hair fell upon his face in light tumbles giving him the complete look of an inhuman creature. Everything about him was so perfect except for that one scar running from the edge of his nose to his chiseled jaw line. It never bothered her previously but today she just wanted to reach forward and touch it, caress it and make him forget any pain that could have ever caused it.

His blue eyes were wavering from hers to the tiny constellation of freckles that decorated the bridge of her nose and cheeks; it made her look so much more beautiful. There were slight wisps of her hair falling upon her face from every which way making her eyes shine brighter. She had those full lips, red and inviting; they always made him want to grab her and kiss her till sundown.

That one moment, it was always perfect. It felt just so right. It was meant to be, always.

Until a ping awakened her from her dreams and made the trance fade away as quick as it had come. She became even more flustered, turning a shade of bright red as she realized she had been staring into the eyes of this stranger while blocking a row of very angry and impatient office goers.

She fumbled with her manuscripts, dipped her head down and moved to the counter to order the two sets of coffee she always did. Her head was a mess and she was trying to remember her usual order of cinnamon buns for her boss. Somehow the words did fall out in a frenzy as her heart started to pace back to normal. She breathed in and out trying to avoid the perfectly flawed creature she had just had a gaze affair with.

She was embarrassed, moving out of the line and waiting for her coffee to come. This was not the first time she had met this man. His name Nathaniel Damon and he was one of the clients she had met a few weeks ago with her boss.

They had had flirtatious exchanges at the office then and thereafter Alethia bumped into him in her dreams almost every night. He was everywhere. She had started to doubt her mental health because of him. Every time they met she ended up in this trance, this whirlwind of emotions she had no name for. It took her breath away and it made her want to fall right into his arms. He made her feel safe, happy, content, all in just one look. She could never understand how that could ever be possible. She hardly knew the man!

Tapping her nervous fingers against the glass counter she kept her head down waiting for the order. A slight tap on her shoulder made her cringe in knowing. She turned around to find Nathan, tall and stunning in his dark suit and silver tie. His hands were casually residing in his pockets as he smirked down at her.

"It's always a pleasure to meet you, Miss Foss."

She smiled up at him and nodded. She was completely out of words.

"You have a beautiful name Alethia.." He looked at her with those eyes again; searching for something in her face. He could never tell what this force was that always drew him to her. It was strangely pleasant and it confused him beyond his knowledge.

"Thank you Nathan." She smiled a pretentious smile looking right back at him.

Her order was suddenly placed close to her hand and she found the easiest excuse to leave. She didn't know what else to do.

She mumbled a goodbye and hurried out of the cafe, skipping on steps to get away from him. The moment she stepped out, the cold air slapped across her face and she came back to her senses. She ignored everything and set her head straight about all the things she still had to do. As she was about to cross the street somebody caught hold of her elbow and pulled her away from her spot.

 She wanted to protest but all her words were stuck in her throat as she looked up at her captor and realized it was the same man as before. Nathan was dragging her along the Manhattan side walk and into a dingy alley, next to the cafe.

It should have frightened her. She should have screamed and ran for her life, but she felt so safe with him. His touch felt like home and she had never known home.

She let him drag her into a dark corner. He made her stand before him, against the wall, looking deep into her eyes. His blue eyes were speaking of things that the both of them couldn't understand. There was something hurried in his stance. He looked like he was in pain, he was lost. It melted her heart to see him like that.

She slowly reached out to him, hand quivering, caressing his scarred cheek softly. He bent forward, pressing his forehead against hers, watching her carefully.

It was so right. Everything felt so perfect. Alethia breathed in his musky fragrance, closed lids. She wanted all of him. She wanted to know what it felt like to finally be home.

His hands gently wrapped around her waist as he dipped his head down, closer to her. She lost all thoughts and let everything she was holding onto fall to the dirty floor. Their lips were inches apart; their breaths mingling into one. In that moment she was his to behold. It was all so perfect yet so wrong. A sudden urge met them both as he leaned into her and their lips met for the first time.

Nathans lips touched hers with such tenderness, such sweetness; she could feel her heart give way to a swift flood. Softly and slowly their lips danced the rhythm of need until their bodies caved into one. She was pressed harshly against the wall and taken for whatever breath she held.

His lips were biting down on hers, teasingly as his hands raced up her back and into her hair. He pulled her hair out of its restraints and let his hands gently reach out to her, pulling her into him.

Their bodies were in sync, his tongue licking her bottom lip with such fire, it made her insides burn and yearn for so much more. It felt like it would never end, it was so beautiful and full of passion; she had never felt this way before. She forgot to breathe and had to push him a slither to get some air. She was still pressed up against him, in his arms, looking into his eyes trying to catch her breath when the world fell apart. 

"Marry me." He said in a husky voice. It wasn't a question or a request, it was an order. Her insides quivered with the authority and yet the statement puzzled her.

"What?" She asked confused and completely out of the trance that had been wrapped around them like a brick wall, heavy, close yet not restraining.

"Marry me." He repeated unwaveing. She pushed him away a little, looking at his face trying to decipher if it was a joke or the reality of the insanity that she had just let happen.

His eyes spoke of no humor, in the darkness of the alley they had changed to a shade of red over the breathtaking hues of blue before. His face spoke of absolute determination and it made reality sink in faster than ever. Her mind told her to run away from the surreal insanity but her heart spoke differently..

What was she supposed to do?

⚜️