Chapter Two
Serenity
It has been six months since I was beaten and raped within an inch of my life. I wonder often why I didn’t give up when I had nothing left to fight for.
I had gotten myself into a vehicle, used a different name, and drove myself as far as I could before passing out again and waking up in an ambulance.
I had a couple of cracked ribs, severe bruising, and a concussion. The swelling on my face was so bad that I could barely see. My ankle was broken, which made me think it was nearly impossible that I was able to run away as far as I had.
The doctors told me I was lucky to be alive. I can’t tell you how many times I heard someone say that an angel must have been watching over me because I should have been dead. I had lost so much blood, it was a miracle.
That idea makes me ponder the voice I kept hearing in my head. The one telling me not to give up. I must have been hallucinating, but that voice still won’t leave my head. The voice helped me feel like I wasn’t alone. It should have crept me out but, instead, it made me feel safe.
If only I knew what was making me feel safe after everything.
I had been holed up in a tiny apartment that I got myself.
I only leave to get food and coffee. A couple times during the week, I make a trip to a coffee shop that’s only a block from my apartment.
It feels like a treat. I get a coffee and a pastry that I eat there, and then order a coffee to take home afterwards.
Coffee is pretty much the only thing I need to survive. You don’t want to see me without coffee.
The place is busy when I walk in, and I try not to sigh in disappointment. Looks like I won’t be sitting here today. It would be a good time to people watch and make up stories in my head on how they met.
“You can share my table?” a deep voice says from the right side of me. I jump, not expecting anyone to be talking to me.
The man has light brown hair and pale green eyes. They look almost like a mix between green and blue. The colour is quite beautiful; I have never seen anyone with eyes like that.
“That’s okay,” I say, eyeing him warily.
He wouldn’t want me to just sit with him. There would be more to it. Besides, I am in hiding and don’t need complications, like a man, ruining that; no matter how good looking he is.
“Don’t worry, doll. I don’t bite,” he says with an easy grin that probably gets him a lot of attention. When I look around the room, I notice everyone is staring at him.
This guy screams “ladies’ man.” Everyone wants him. Heck, I even see men eyeing him like he’s a piece of meat they want to take a bite out of.
“I’m sure someone in here would love to sit with you,” I say, gesturing to his audience.
He smirks but shakes his head.
“They aren’t the ones I am interested in sharing a coffee with,” he replies.
“I have better things to do than spend time with some random man,” I tell him while moving up in line to get my coffee.
“Oh, sweetheart, I am anything but random,” he mutters lowly, but I hear him.
“I don’t know what you are playing at, but I don’t hang out with men I don’t know,” I tell him over my shoulder.
“We could get to know each other,” he says simply.
“I’m not interested. Find someone else to fill your bed,” I say dismissively.
“It’s more than my bed but, don’t worry, I have patience. I have been waiting centuries for this.”
He whispers the last part. I don’t think I was meant to hear him, but I did.
There’s no way he could have said centuries. I must have heard him wrong, or maybe he is one of those dramatic, romantic poet types.
I order two coffees and pastries to take home since this man won’t take a hint.
“Here, let me get that,” his deep voice says when I pull out money to pay. He grabs my hip and leans over me to toss the barista money before grabbing his coffee and looking over at me with a smirk. “I’ll see you next time, doll.”
I shake my head. I can’t believe that all just happened.
“How could you say no to having coffee with that man? He’s so perfect,” the barista asks with a lustful sigh.
“Easy. Men like that only want one thing,” I say before grabbing my order and heading out the door.
They always want control.
That’s not something I’m willing to hand over.
When I leave, I feel like I’m being watched. I really hope that I don’t have a stalker now because it wouldn’t be ideal to have two.
One is already trying to kill me, and he has to know by now that I’m not dead.
Now that I’m outside in the chilly air, I feel a burning sensation on my hip where the strange man had touched me.
I felt it when he first did it, but I ignored it figuring it was just because of his touch, but it doesn’t seem to be going away. I try to ignore it as the pain intensifies, but I wince as I walk faster to my apartment.
Did he do something to me?
When I get into my apartment, I place the coffees and pastries down before removing my jacket and pulling the left side of my pants and underwear down so I can see what’s going on.
I had a black spot there for a long time which I figured was a bruise from the attack, but then it had never healed. After awhile, I just learned to ignore it.
Now the spot looks like it’s glowing and forming into something. I stare down as it changes. It looks to be a black crown with red around it; almost like blood. What’s more baffling is the word ‘Lust’ has formed in the center of the crown.
What the fuck is that?
It had to be him. What did he do to me and why?
Panic takes over me. I feel my breathing pick up as I wonder what the fuck just happened.
I fall down onto the ground as I try to calm myself down.
He said he would see me again, and he’s right. I’m going to demand that he tells me exactly what the fuck he did. I know it was him.
I don’t know how, but I have always believed that there is something more out there than meets the eye and, now, I have a very strong feeling I’m right.
Silas
I waited at the coffee shop just like my dad suggested. I spent hours there waiting for her to show up. He just told me that’s where she goes a couple times a week, but he never told me which days so I have spent the last four days waiting and hoping she would come.
I rarely took my eyes off the door, so I didn’t miss her entrance.
I wasn’t sure how I would know it was her but, the second she walked in, I knew it.
She had soft, straight black hair that went down to the middle of her back.
She was looking around for a place to sit and, when she was close enough, I offered her to sit with me.
I wanted a chance to talk to my bride.
The rejection was a new thing for me. I’m not used to being brushed off like that and, strangely, I liked it.
Before she could have a chance to escape, I remembered what my dad said about her mark and the first time I touched her. I had to have some sort of claim on her.
When I left the coffee shop, I didn’t go very far. I watched her walking off and noticed that she was in pain, but I wasn’t sure from what. When I knew she was safe at home, I left to go back home as well.
In a flash, I am back in the main rooms of the house.
My brothers and father are all waiting there for me with eager looks on their faces.
“Well, how did it go meeting my daughter?” my dad asks with excitement in his eyes.
“She rejected me,” I state, making everyone look at me in shock.
“I told you she would be immune, and that you would have to work for it,” my dad says with a shrug.
“That’s right. I just wasn’t sure I believed you until I met her,” I reply.
“Well, anything else you can tell us?” my brother Jasper asks.
“She looked like she was in a hurry to get away from me. I touched her, and then when she was leaving it looked like she was in pain. I told her I would see her next time.”
“The mark would be changing to the family symbol, so it might have hurt her while it happened. I’m certain the pain will fade,” my dad says.
Anger takes over me. “Why didn’t you tell me it would hurt her?” I snap at him.
“Because then you wouldn’t have touched her right away. It’s a momentary thing and it will be gone; she won’t feel that pain again,” my dad says, grinning over at me.
“I don’t like the thought of her hurt or in pain. I know I only just met her, but she’s mine,” I spit out.
My dad gives me a smug expression.
“Of course, she’s your bride. Once you tell her about us and everything, you can bring her down here to meet the family,” he states.
I look at him with a shocked expression.
“Meet the family? I couldn’t even get her to sit and have coffee with me! I wouldn’t be surprised if I couldn’t get her to meet the family for years,” I exclaim.
“You just need to work on your game, bro,” Otis says with a cheeky smile.
“Our brother obviously doesn’t have any game. He’s the fucking sin of lust. He’s never needed game,” Fredrick says with a laugh.
“Maybe you should show up at her door with flowers,” Gareth says thoughtfully.
“That won’t do,” Jasper says while shaking his head with a sigh.
“And why not?” Gareth asks, looking at Jasper, offended.
“Because if he shows up at her door, he’s going to look like a stalker. She will freak out and likely move,” Jasper says.
“So, then he just follows her,” Gareth says simply.
Jasper rolls his eyes. “Yeah, that won’t make him look like a stalker. Follow her around the world because she’s trying to get away from you.”
I look over at my dad, and he’s rubbing his face with his hands. “How did I raise boys who don’t know how to pick up women?” he asks before letting out a disappointed sigh.
“We never had to try. They came running to us,” Leopold says with a smirk.
Our dad rolls his eyes. “That’s why you guys have to actually work to bring my daughters home.”
“I have a feeling she will come to me,” I tell them.
“What makes you say that?” Otis asks.
“Well, I touched her. As you said, the mark will change and she will probably have a feeling it was me. I’ll probably have to explain things sooner than later,” I say.
“You will have to figure out what to say. I imagine our brides won’t take it lightly finding out they are destined to be with an immortal man whose father is Lucifer, or that we represent one of the seven deadly sins, or that they were marked by Lucifer and will get their own powers,” Lorenzo says dryly.
“Thanks for summing that up. I had no idea.,” I grumble, rolling my eyes.
I have no idea how my bride is going to take this information. I hope she doesn’t run screaming in the other direction and think I’m insane.
As much as I want to claim her and have her here in our home, I think I’m going to actually enjoy the chase this time.
She’s going to be so fucking worth it.
I can’t fucking wait.