The Divine and the Damned

Dragos exhaled, as though mentally drained. "Humans," he muttered, sounding irritated as he rolled his eyes. "You break far too easily."

Before I could figure out what he meant, Dragos did something surprising.

He placed his hands around my shoulders, drawing me to himself, and lifted me off the ground with ease.

A rosy blush immediately coated my cheeks. I was in Dragos' arms, pressed against his magnificent chest, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

He smelt like a dream, and I didn't know butterflies existed in my belly until they started to flutter.

"Thank you, sir," I said shyly as he carried me out of the orchard.

My gaze flicked to his impeccable jawline, running down to his unblemished skin, and I thought to myself, how one human could be so flawless?

"What are you doing here, Dawn?" he asked casually.

"I told you, sir, I came to check out the orchards and..."

"No," he interrupted, "I mean, what are you doing working for my mother?"

"Oh," I paused, a bit confused.

Why did anyone work, if not to make money?

"I need the money, sir"

Dragos didn't say anything afterward.

"Thank you for helping me," I said again, breaking the silence.

Things were growing tense between us, especially after last night. Or maybe it was just me.

Suddenly, Dragos stopped walking and looked at me "What exactly did you see last night?" He asked seriously.

"See?" My brows arched in confusion.

"My eyes" he clarified, sounding almost frustrated. "What did you say happened to my eyes?"

"I do not know, sir. They just seemed a bit weird" I answered, peeking at him. His eyes were so beautiful. Too beautiful to be natural. "Do you use lenses?"

He seemed insulted by the question and glowered, the crease in his forehead deepening. "No, I do not use lenses. My eyes are quite unique"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you"

"Who says I am offended?"

"Your tone"

I couldn't help but glance down at his feet again, surprised at how beautiful they were.

"I like to feel nature" he spoke up, noticing how glued my eyes were to his feet. "Nothing beats the feel of the earth underneath your feet"

I watched his mouth as he spoke, unable to look away. "I agree"

The mansion started to come into view, and I dreaded it. I wanted to remain in his arms a little longer.

"You need a doctor," he said "That doesn't look good"

Dragos was referring to my ankle.

"I'll have Renfrey call a driver to take you to the hospital"

I was too busy inhaling his smell, giddy with the excitement of being in his arms and not paying attention to what he was saying.

Dragos stopped walking and glanced down at me, his golden eyes meeting my gaze.

"Dawn?" he called my name flatly, snapping me back to reality. Embarrassed that I'd been caught, my cheeks flamed.

"I-it's just a sprain" I fumbled "I'm sure I'll be fine in a few days"

Dragos' face was set in a frown "It doesn't look fine. Do you intend on hobbling around the house on one foot?"

"No, my Lord"

He stiffened and corrected through his teeth "Dragos"

As we neared the mansion, Renfrey noticed us coming and walked up to us.

"Is anything the matter sir?" The old man asked, looking at me with a displeased expression.

Dragos shook his head "Nothing much, Renfrey. Get the car and a driver ready. She sprained her ankle and would need to see a doctor"

"I see" he looked calmly irritated but extended his arms to take me, and I instinctively held on to Dragos tighter. There was no way the feeble old man was strong enough to carry me in his arms, besides I preferred the warmth and feel of Dragos' chest to the man's cold exterior.

"It's fine. Tell Gordon to bring the car around. I'll wait here" He instructed.

A curt nod and Renfrey left on orders.

Dragos turned his attention to me, his gaze lingering on how tightly I was subconsciously clutching the collar of his shirt.

"Sorry," I muttered quickly, letting go.

Suddenly, another jolt of pain racked my ankle and I winced silently.

"Your heart is racing," he said, his eyes looking into mine "Be calm"

Dragos was staring at me intently and his eyes had started doing the strange thing they did the night before.

Now, I was too certain it wasn't a reflection, instead, it almost seemed like he was trying to do something to me. Perhaps he was trying to flirt with his eyes, which was going wrong, or perhaps he just had an eye disease.

"Sir…" I began "It's extremely hard for me to be calm in this situation. My ankle throbs with pain, it feels like it caught on fire or something"

Dragos arched his brow and tilted his head, a deep crease crowding his forehead as he peered at me.

"Strange" he muttered to himself, a slight wave of worry washing across his face.

"What?"

"Nothing" he dismissed and then asked thoughtfully "Physical pain... what does it feel like?"

Before I could reply, he threw me up and caught me in his arms. He did it twice, and as effortlessly as throwing a newborn.

"You humans are such lightweights"

I clung to him, confused for a moment and a bit disoriented, still trying to recover from the spontaneous throw.

"You sound like you've never been hurt before?" I said, incredulous.

"It's been quite a while" he responded "So long that I've forgotten what it feels like"

"Well, lucky you" I muttered, enjoying our banter "But it can't have been that long. You make it sound like it's been a couple of years, which is impossible"

Dragos smiled, exposing teeth. I got to see his dentition for the first time, and they were perfect. Spotless, with his canines sharp and polished, almost like he'd filed them.

"Dawn, you have no idea what's possible," he replied.

Unconvinced, I pressed on. "Statistics have shown that the average person experiences a minor injury at least once a month, either it's a cut or bruise. And that's not even counting more serious injuries, like fractures or even concussions"

Dragos listened without interruption and I continued "I'm not exactly sure about the figure, but at least over 30 million people are rushed to the ER for 'unintentional' injuries. That's like over what?"

My head quickly did the math "Over eighty-two thousand people per day, if my math is correct. And you really expect me to believe you've gone what? Maybe months or years without getting hurt?"

Dragos' eyes locked with mine "You're very passionate about statistics" he remarked sarcastically "But, as I said, you have no idea what's possible."

There was something about his tone that discouraged me from pursuing the conversation any further.

It was at that moment the car came around, pulling to a stop right in front of us. Without wasting another second, Dragos opened the door, dumping me inside.

"Wait!" I uttered quickly as he turned to depart. "I need to inform Mrs Vlad about what happened and..."

Dragos didn't let me finish before cutting in. "I'll handle it"

"Thank you sir" I expressed with gratitude.

Quietly, I watched him walk into the mansion, staring at his back as the car sped away.

The drive to the hospital was short and plunged into silence. The driver, stiff and unfriendly, only spoke when he was spoken to. When we arrived at the hospital, he helped me out of the car and into a ward where a doctor, on special request, immediately attended to me.

"I am Dr. Richards," he said professionally, slipping on some gloves "I got a call not too long ago from the Vlad mansion"

The doctor inspected my leg seriously "Be rest assured we will do our best to provide you with the best treatment during your stay here"

"Thank you, Doctor"

"Does this hurt?" he asked, poking some areas in my leg.

The sharp pain made me wince.

"I'll need to get an X-ray to ensure there's no bone damage or more serious injury. Sprains can sometimes hide underlying fractures," he explained. "In the meantime, we'll give you something for the pain."

A young nurse entered, carrying a small tray with a juice box and some medication in a plastic cup.

"This is Nurse Linda. If you need anything, press the call button next to your bed," he gestured to a button on the bedframe, "and Linda will be right here."

"Thank you, Doctor."

He nodded. "Take the painkillers. I'll be back in a few minutes to conduct the x-ray"

I swallowed the pills and waited. After the X-ray was completed, Dr. Richards returned, holding the radiograph.

"Good news, no fractures," he began, pointing to the image. "However, in the event of the fall, your ligament got partially torn, meaning you've sustained a moderate-to-severe sprain. That's why you're experiencing such intense pain and swelling."

He pointed to a specific area on the radiograph. "Given the extent of the ligament damage, it will take a few weeks, give or take, to heal fully. You'll need rest and some physical therapy to regain strength."