Chapter Two

                                 Daphne 

I crouched to inspect the damage the stranger had done to my boyfriend and I was glad I stepped in, kilan would have been unrecognisable if I didn't. 

The man stood and removed his hoodie.I dragged my eyes away from Kilan and looked at him. The black shirt hiding under the hoodie came to view.

The soft light from the moon and the slight blur in my eyes didn't give me a clear picture of the man before me, but I could still see some of his features. The man was tall, very tall. His slightly messy black hair shone under the moonlight, looking like still waters at dusk. His face was firm and he looked like he was trying to suppress anger. His chest heaved slightly, the black top doing little to hide the lines of his physique that flexed with his movements. He was…enchanting but gave off a dangerous aura. 

He moved to my side and his eyes fixed on me, I couldn't make out the colour of his eyes in the darkness but I knew they bore no warmth. He inspected my face and body as though searching for an injury. When he found none, he draped the hoodie over me, as a mother would wear her son a cloth.

Why did I let him handle me like a child? I didn't know. Perhaps it was because he saved me from my boyfriend who tried to rape me. Yes! That must be it. When he stepped back, his warmth against my skin was gone. 

The hoodie covered down to mid thigh and the biting cold eased a bit.

He looked at my face again and his eyes caught the cut Kilan had given my lip from the hard bite. He trailed his finger on the spot, something about the way he touched me was sensual, almost intimate. His hand dropped by his side to form a fist. 

“Can you walk?” He asked. His voice was a mixture of velvet and rumble. I swallowed the knot forming in my throat. 

“Yes.” I said curtly. I crouched back to Kilan’s level and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Thank you, but I never asked for you help.” I said still looking at kilan, the pain from the news must have shaken him. 

A group of men ran into the alley and I shrunk back on instinct. 

“Toss him in a hospital.” He said with a disgusted tone. The men lifted him and scurried from the alley. 

“I'll take you home” his words were finite as he strode out of the alley. I sighed and tried to follow but my knees buckled and I crashed to the ground. The next second he was beside me. He cupped me under the knee and along the back, lifting me up bridal style. I should have fought again, but I didn't. The effects of the drug hadn't worn off and the scent of lavender from him was a sedative I couldn't fight against. My eyes fluttered close against my will. The sound of him carefully placing me on a seat and closing the car door was all I heard before my sense of hearing slept too. 

                             …

“She would need these in the morning” that sweet voice woke me from my short nap as my eyes opened. I looked around and figured I was in Dad's mansion already. I struggled to get down from his hold. I wasn't going to let Dad see me in another man's arms immediately after he announced an arranged marriage. 

The man must have read my thoughts because he placed my feet on the ground. I backed away from him. 

I narrowed my eyes at him because what happened, wasn't a mere coincidence. First of all, he saved me from Kilan's outrage, next he dropped me off at my house. Nothing was adding up, how did he know I lived here? Did he know me? 

I opened my mouth to ask. 

“Daphne, are you alright.” The calm voice of my stepsister, Calla, made me snap my head towards her. I saw a bag of things in her grasp. She noticed my line of sight and said. 

“This nice young man said you drank a little too much at the bar, he bought it for you.” A smile lit her face. I turned to face the stranger and the light from the mansion helped me see his features a little more clearly. His dark eyes weren't dark but a deep blue. I had seen blue eyes but never have I seen eyes as beautiful as his. His long lashes fluttering as though he knew I was eyeing him. 

“Thank you for today.” I said and let out a smile.

He watched Calla lead me towards the house. I turned around to see his retreating figure. Who was he? 

I hadn't had the time to process if I knew him or not because a slap swept across my face the minuite I stepped into the building. The second slap in a night. I blinked as my eyes watered. My palm came to the area I was struck as I faced the striker, it was Dad. 

“You whore!” he roared. I staggered backwards, partly because of the slap and partly because of the effect of the drug. 

“In some hours you'll be a wife and you still go around with that stupid boyfriend of yours.” His voice was loud, it rang in my ears. I had told Calla to cover for me, but I'm sure Dad forced the truth out of her. She stepped in front of me immediately and spread her hands in a protective pose. 

“Dad please, she just needed to ease her nerves for the D-day. I'm sure, no one saw her.” She tried to plead on my behalf but I was writhing in anger. I nudged her to the side and faced dad. I tried blinking out the dizziness but it didn't work. I knew my steps were shaky but I looked at him with as much awareness as I could muster. 

“I agreed to this fucking marriage because you threatened to put Calla in the same torture if I didn't.” I shot back at him. My own words making me stagger. 

“A few drinks to clear my head before I get sold off to the man who murdered his first wife. Isn't a few drinks a good bet?” I was enraged at this point, my voice lashed out and suppressed his. 

In a day, I had learnt of my arranged married to Dante, a notorious mafia enforcer, with records of rape, pedophilia and murder. He even murdered his wife. In a day my boyfriend of two years tried to rape me. In a day I met someone who tried to kill my boyfriend and I didn't understand why, but felt safe around him as though I was hypnotized or charmed. How much worse can this day get? Warm tears flowed down my face as I stormed off the living area to my room. Crashing against things occasionally. The dizziness in my head almost made me spin around.

Fuck you Kilan. 

Calla called out to me but I didn't care to look back. I'll apologize tomorrow. Tonight, I needed to cry myself to sleep. 

“So you decided to fuck Salvador? “ I froze in my tracks.