The Divine and the Damned

Dragos wiped the edge of his mouth with a paper towel. "The outside world doesn't interest me much." He answered. Under the lighting, his beautiful hair appeared even more dazzling.

"I've never been one to cherish the company of others exactly"

It made sense why he spent so much time in his room and the orchards. You'd expect someone with his wealth and influence to live a flashy life, surrounded by supermodels and constant parties, but he was the complete opposite.

That only made me admire him more.

"Doesn't it get boring for you? Being holed up in your room?" I asked, amused.

"No. As a matter of fact, I cherish the quiet" he responded sincerely "It soothes my soul"

Dragos took a sip of his shake and smiled at a waitress who passed by.

I had seen many men smile before, but none was as entrancing as Dragos'. Or maybe I was just blinded by the crush I had on him.

"Do you know what soothes my soul?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Humor me"

"Dancing"

An amused brow went up on his face. "You don't exactly strike me as the dancing type"

"That's because I'm terrible at it" I admitted with a silly laugh. "But it's something I enjoy doing. It makes me feel better. You should try it too"

He looked out of the window, his face taking on a sad glow. "I haven't danced in a long time"

I knew I'd struck a chord, and I knew it led back to Rose. It wasn't my intention to dig up memories from his past, so I tried to salvage the situation.

"There's a karaoke machine around back, we could sing some songs," I said quickly, trying to lift his spirits.

He shook his head "No"

"Why? Don't tell me you're terrible at singing, Lord Dragos?" I goaded.

His head turned sharply to look at me "As a matter of fact, Miss Carter, I sing quite beautifully"

Of course, he did. Was there anything this gorgeous man wasn't good at?

"Then..." I shifted my chair back and rose to my feet, extending a hand towards him. "...come with me"

Dragos stared at my hand blankly, fighting back a smile "No, Dawn"

"It'll be fun" I tried again.

He chuckled. "Dawn, you could stand there, hand stretched out towards me, and name a hundred reasons I should go with you. My answer is still going to be no"

I sighed in surrender "Alright, I won't force you"

Dragos took another sip of his milkshake. "You couldn't, even if you tried, darling"

I huffed, shaking my head "You know this attitude of yours makes me wonder if you even have friends"

He shrugged " I have Rafael"

"Just Rafael? No wonder"

"No wonder what?"

Just then, one of my favorite songs started to play on the speakers and I swayed on my feet in excitement.

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DRAGOS

"Omg, I love this song so much. I'm going to dance!" She said excitedly, and I watched her prance off to the little space in the middle of the small restaurant where a couple had already started dancing.

She was breathtaking, giggling happily as another middle-aged man took her hand and spun her around.

How could she possibly be an agent of destruction? She was naïve and delicate and... human.

She was Dawn Carter.

As I watched, I realized I wasn't ready to lose her. I would protect her at any cost, even if it meant taking down anyone who threatened her. 

She was the threat here—at least to my kind—but that didn't matter. Things were far from clear yet. What was certain, though, was that anyone who tried to harm her would meet a painful end.

My thoughts were interrupted by the stench of lust. Slowly, I turned to see a guy keenly staring at Dawn. His smile was lascivious, barely hiding his thoughts.

Instantly, my hands balled into fists.

As the man stood, heading her way, I stood too. But Dawn, oblivious to whatever was going on, carried on dancing.

The man on reaching her, tapped her shoulder lightly, causing Dawn to turn around. When she saw him, she let out an excited squeal, pulling him into a hug.

"Liam?! Oh my god, Liam, look at you. I haven't seen you in a year"

"That's right, darling. How are you doing?" He asked happily.

I chose that moment to announce my presence, brushing past Liam to stand beside her, my expression hostile.

"Dragos" She was still smiling "I see you've changed your mind about dancing"

I wished she didn't smile so beautifully all the time, attracting perverts like Liam.

Ignoring her, I continued to glare at Liam till things got uncomfortable between all three of us.

Dawn cleared her throat. "Liam, this is Dragos. I work for him. Dragos, this is Liam. A friend"

"Indeed" I muttered indignantly.

"Hey, man. How are you doing?" Liam stretched his hand for a shake but my glare made him drop it. Uncomfortable, he shifted his attention back to Dawn.

"How's life going for you, baby girl? You've bloomed"

"I could say the same for you" She reached out to touch his chin-length hair "I like what you did to your hair."

He smiled "Yeah. I wanted a new look. How's your mum?" He sounded worried.

Dawn shrugged "She's... surviving"

"I'm so sorry, Dawn. I wish I could help, you know I would if I could"

She nodded "Yes, Liam. I know"

He stole a glance at me again and shifted nervously on his feet.

I knew he found the way I stared at him unsettling.

I refused to look away, and with each passing second that I didn't, Liam started to perspire.

"Are you free tonight? Or on any other day? I return to Malaysia next week and I was thinking we could..."

"She's not free" I cut in, answering on her behalf.

Both of them turned to stare at me.

"Sorry, who are you again?" Liam asked in a peeved tone.

Before Dawn could say anything on my behalf, I swept her behind me and stepped forward.

Silently, I loomed over Liam, my stature and size giving off an intimidating presence.

But I could tell what was more disturbing, was my eyes.

Though my stare was naturally intense to the point it could almost be felt, in my anger, it became a force of its own. And now, I was staring at Liam in that manner.

I could sense his discomfort, his fear, and his growing realization that he was in the presence of someone truly menacing.

He shifted back in retreat, getting the message.

"I'll, uh... I'll catch you later, Dawn. T-take care"

She nodded "Um, yeah. Sure, Liam"

After he walked away, Dawn fired me a questioning glare.

"Why did you do that?" She moved to stand in front of me "You were unnecessarily mean to him"

"Unnecessarily?" I scoffed "If only you knew"

"Knew what?" Her hands came to rest on her waist, her head slightly tilted in anger.

I fought back a laugh. She couldn't be angry. At least not looking like that.

"Is this how you usually look when angry?"

I asked, suppressing another laugh and the frown on her face deepened.

"It's not funny," she scolded.

"Oh, but it is" I finally released a chuckle. "You don't even in the least bit look scary"

"Yes, and I'm quite content with that" she retorted "At least I don't look like I'm seconds away from torching someone for no reason when I'm mad."

We were the only ones standing at the center of the diner, and when she was about to leave, I grasped her arm.

"Liam's intentions towards you aren't pure" I stated. My face had turned serious "I suggest you disassociate yourself from him"

Dawn shook her head in disagreement. "I've known Liam for two years now, I don't think..." she crossed her arms, peering at me inquisitively "And how do you even know that?"

In response, I surprised her by stepping closer, my hand finding its way to her waist.

As I drew her closer to me, her breath caught in her throat, eyes widening in surprise.

Emerald-green eyes gazed back at me.

"Oh, Dawn. Your naivety is one of the things that make you so appealing. Can't you tell, the thoughts he has towards you are purely those of sexual intent?"

She stared back at me blankly, still mildly enchanted by the beauty of my eyes, and I continued "You should stay away from people like that, they're no good"

One of my fingers stroked her hair slowly "Their only goal is to get between a woman's legs, and after that, you're just another conquest. Forgotten."

The only person who got to get between her legs was me.

Her eyes fell on my lips as I continued to speak. "Liam isn't any different"

Even I knew my voice had slipped into its most seductive state—sweet as music, as mesmerizing as magic, and as intoxicating as the finest wine.

"Do you trust me?" I asked in a whisper.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Good." I smiled "You should. I've been in this world for far too long to notice how evil the human heart can be"

Dawn managed to collect her senses and tore her eyes away from my mouth "What are you? Like a hundred years old?" She asked jokingly, and I smirked, "Well over five hundred, darling."