CHAPTER TWO
Jewel didn't know what to think at the moment. Who were those people? And why were they climbing up the sides of the house? Where they theives?
Jewel could feel fear slowly creeping on her, she had heard of this scene before, watched it on TV. Masked people crawl up the wall into the house and kill it's occupants.
"Jewel!" A voice called and she immediately turned from the window, startled. Looking around, she realized no one was inside and she had locked the door, so immediately putting her shoes back on her feet, she rushed to the door and open it in time to see the face of her mother.
"Mother—"
"Are you not ready yet?" Her mother asked in a worried tone, her eyes trailing down to Jewel's neck to see that she had not even worn her necklace. "Where's the necklace? Jewel!"
Jewel sighed as she looked away, "I'm already overly decorated as it is, is there any use for that?"
Without answering her, Hilda grabbed the necklace, walked up to her and placed it on her neck. "Hurry up, Jewel. I'll be outside" and she hurried out of the room again.
Jewel tossed the necklace on the floor as she went to the window again. The masked figures, where were they?
As she looked below, she wondered if the people had climbed through a window or if it was just perhaps, a figment of her wild imagination. Sighing, she turned around to freeze in shock at the sight before her.
There was a man in her room! She looked at the stranger in shock, his features registering in her mind. She couldn't scream, out of utter shock.
Who was this person? She thought.
"W…wh…who..?" She stammered, suddenly losing her voice.
"Geez," came his deep and smooth voice, "I was honestly expecting a scream" the man said, "are you this used to strange men walking into your room?"
Jewel gulped as she tried to talk, wondering why she was acting so stupid at the moment. Was it because of how this person looked? His eyes were like pure silver, glistening beneath dark lashes, lashes as dark as his hair, his whole face was perfect, jawline and all. He was tall, obviously towering above Jewel and he was dressed in black. Black, the uniform of theives and burglars.
But this man looked too good to be a burglar, Jewel thought. But what if he was a murderer instead?
Her heart started racing as she immediately snapped out of her trance, and noticed his eyes roaming around her body.
"Who are you and what are you doing in here?" She asked. Suddenly finding her voice. The strange man smirked and took a step forward.
"You're the bride aren't you?" He asked back, "Daddy's little princess getting married to a Momma's boy?"
Jewel immediately remembered her predicament and scoffed, "Don't remind me" she rolled her eyes.
"Oh, wow…now here's something you don't see everyday. What is it princess? You don't like your prince to be?"
Jewel frowned at this strangers words but suddenly realized the situation she was still in, "I asked who you are. If you don't answer me, I'll scream"
Instead of looking worried like Jewel thought, this man laughed, his laugh was so captivating that for a second Jewel forgot what she was doing.
"Go ahead," he mocked lightly. "You didn't scream the first time, what makes you think you'll scream now"
Jewel blinked. Was that some kind of threat? Was he going to stop her from screaming by perhaps, cutting her tongue or something…?
"Stop shivering, you look like a chicken when you do that" his voice came again.
"You…you rude—" she muttered angrily, the fear and panic of a few seconds ago disappearing.
"What was that?" The Man asked but Jewel frowned hard and rolled her eyes again. "What a fiesty little princess" the man chuckled.
Before Jewel could respond, a loud gasp was heard and she turned around to see her mother standing at the door with a hand to her mouth.
Oh, no. How will she begin to explain herself? Here she was with a man, some stranger who just randomly walked into her room and instead of her to scream for help or be scared that he might be a murderer for all she knows, she was here…engaging in a conversation with him.
"Mother, I—" Jewel paused. Wasn't her mother supposed to be screaming in anger and calling others right now? Why was she standing there with an expression that reads fear? Before she could even ask any questions, her mother ran away. Literally ran away.
Jewel was confused. She glanced to the man by her side and saw a calm expression on his face like he was patiently waiting for something. Why was everyone acting weird?
"Jewel?" Jewel turned at the sound of her name, shocked to see her father at her door. He too looked scared. Jewel was going to walk towards them when she felt cold hands on her shoulder, she looked up to the see the smirking face of the man.
"Hello, Philip." He greeted her father casually. Jewel was surprised, nobody called her father by this first name. What was going on?. "You have such a beautiful daughter" he added.
"Please.." Jewel heard her father say, "I'm begging you Damien, don't kill her"
Wait, what?! Did her father just say…kill?
What the hell was happening and who is this man? And was her father asking him not to kill her?
Jewel's heart began to thump wildly in her chest as fear began creeping into her bones.
She looked at her parents with evident dread in her eyes, "Father, what's going on?"
Her father didn't reply to her. He kept staring at the man, fear etched deeply in his face.
"Please, Damien" he continued to beg. "Just let her go—"
"You know very well, that I can't do that" came the cold voice behind her and Jewel flinched visibly. His grip on her shoulders was not hard enough to stop her movement and Jewel thought she could escape his grasp. Taking a deep breath, she launched forward only to stop, when she felt his hands wrap around her waist, pulling her till her back was on his hard and broad chest.
"Where are you going, princess?" He asked, his voice echoing in her ear and causing Jewel's breath to hitch. She felt tingling sensations travelling from her ears to disperse around her body.
Damien looked at the red haired beauty in his hand. Who would have known that Philip Clandestine, this shrewd and toad looking man would be able to produce such a beautiful daughter. His gaze swept over him to land on his shivering wife by his side. He could see where the girl got her beauty from.
"Philip" he called, the man taking a step forward. "You shouldn't try to stop me" he said with a deep sigh.
"But, just give me time. Looks, she's getting married soon and—"
"I don't care" came his quick reply and Jewel could only stand there, confused and scared at the same time. "We had a deal. You couldn't cut her ties with me so I'll have to do it myself"
"What are you guys talking about?" Jewel snapped frustratingly. She wiggled out of Damien's grip and stood a few steps away from him, annoyance and fear on her face.
"Father," she said, turning swiftly to look at him, "what is going on here?"
Before a word could be said, laughter erupted in her ears. She turned to see Damien laughing mockingly before his silver gaze landed on her father.
"You didn't tell her did you?" He asked in a matter–of–facts kind of a way, "Ofcourse, how typical of you." he scoffed.
"Tell me what?" Jewel asked, looking at him this time with deep confusion in her green eyes.
Damien took a step forward and smirked at her, his eyes roaming around her beautiful face.
"You, my little feisty princess has already been promised to me" he said, his long fingers reaching out to play with a ringlet of her red hair when she took another step backwards.
"What are you talking about? What does that even mean?" She asked before turning around to look at her father, "What is he talking about, father? And who is he?"
Jewel watched as her father stuttered and stammered over his words. Something she had never known him to do. Her father was one of the coldest and most selfish person she had ever known and that selfish gave him an air of certainty and pride. But right now, fhe looked so scared like he actually cared about what would happen to her. Jewel began wondering what exactly was going to happen to her as she looked at her father, waiting eargerly for a response.
"He…he's Damien Oberon.." her father said and raised an eyebrow. Damien Oberon? How was his name going to help her in finding out who he was? Or what he wanted with her? As if understanding the expression on her face, her father continued. "He's your…mate."