Lauren walked into the conference room and announced to the three that her teams were ready to leave..
"You will be riding with me agent lauren" Damien said before walking pass her and her team.
"Oh my god Lauren, riding with such a gorgeous human specimen, oh I suddenly wished that I was the captain of this team, such wonderful privilege" Stephanie whispered excitedly.
'Oh how I wish, riding in same car with him has anything to do with captain privilege' lauren said in her mind.
The agents were blown away by the fleets of cars parked out at the agency.
"Are we going to war" Frank, one of the agents at NDI asked.
"Exactly how much do they even worth, my god" Stephanie asked astonished.
The NDI agents entered one of the SUVs provided, Apex agents entered the one they came with, while Damien entered his limousine.
Damon tried to sneakily join damian in the limo but was dragged on the collar by Derek into another car..
"Derek com'on now, I wasnt going to say anything, I would just sit there in silence and listen to them talk that's all" Damom said in his defence.
"Yeah yeah" 'who does he think he is deceiving'
Lauren took a deep breath before going into the car. As soon as everyone was ready, the car engine purred and the cars took off..
Damien shut his eyes and kept his head on the car headrest, he didnt need to open his eyes to know that Lauren was the one that got in as her natural lavender body scent filled the air in the limo.
Lauren was busy browsing through the information in the files she came with and often times would take a peek at him and wondered what was going through his mind.
'He looked awfully quiet' she thought."I know you have a question to ask, come out with it and stop staring, I know you like what you see" Damien asserted with a smirk.
"Haha, such a narcissist" she said smirking.
"But I didnt lie though" he said and finally opened his eye and stared at her.
She was for a moment mesmerized by the beauty of his eyes, how his lashes fluttered and opened...catching herself, she coughed and looked away.
"Anyway what I wanted to ask was....mind you, this is not me being nosy or anything.....oh well this is me being nosy but anyways, what exactly is your relationship with the president" she asked and instantly regretted how she worded the questions..
"You can choose not to answer its perfectly fine" she said, trying to salvage the situation, he smiled at her failed attempt of acting like she wouldnt like to satisfy her curiosity.
"We have a life long relationship that has gone on for over centuries....between us and the family of the president" he said..
She stared at him for a full minute, unable to fathom how someone could tell such an absurd story with a straight face. He saw her incredulous expression and chuckled, a smooth and comforting sound that made her heart skip a beat.
"You don't believe me, I don't blame you," he said, a half-smile playing on his lips as he rested his head back on the headrest. His eyes sparkled with mirth, crinkling in the corners in a way that made her want to come closer and take a peek into his thoughts. She tried her best to remain composed, despite the butterflies in her stomach.
"It would have been ok if you just said you couldn't share the information with me, instead of spouting such preposterous stories," she complained, going back to her work with a huff.
'What does he take me for, a child?' she thought, unconsciously pouting.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and instead channeled her energy into focusing on the task at hand. Still, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of disappointment, knowing her silly question about the bull crab had been answered with a joke.
He watched her browsing through the files with determination and made a mental note to ask her later why she switched careers
"How are you though" he asked....she stopped abruptly and looked up at him, for some reasons she knew exactly what he meant.
"Honestly I dont know, seeing him every day at the office and working with him in every case would be such an inconvenience" she said sighing heavily..
For some reason or maybe because she was "his destiny'' (whatever that means), he gets uneasy whenever he sees her sad and would want to do anything to make her happy.
'That not being emotionally attached is it?' He thought.
"I can make a call and get him reassigned to another team or even remove him from NDI totally if it bothers you so much" Damien said as a matter of fact.
"Hmm, why are you so interested?" She chuckled, looking up at him in confusion. "We hardly know each other. No offense," she added, her gaze now more intense.
He smiled, his mind flicking to the prophecy. What would she say if i told her? Maybe she'll think I'm a creep, he laughed to himself.
"If I told you," he said, a hint of a smile playing at his lips, "You probably wouldn't believe me."
"Try me," She said.
"Oh, like when I told you I was a vampire, or when I told you the relationship between us and the president's family had been going on for centuries? Nah, I'll pass this time."
She stared at him, her countenance dropping as he finished speaking. It was as if she was looking at an absurd painting in a prestigious museum.
"The sheer absurdity of what you just said....Oh my God, I can't even," she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation and making a cute pout. He laughed heartily before reaching out to pinch both of her cheeks.
She was momentarily stunned when his cold fingers touched her face, and his laughter rang like a lullaby in the air. It stirred some foreign emotions in her heart, causing it to skip a beat.
His gaze was mysterious and captivating, like a magnet that drew her in. His scent was just as alluring, hints of wildflowers and musk in the air. The moment was euphoric, like stepping into a dream that she would never want to wake up from.
"Down to earth Human Lauren," Damien said, his bright hazel eyes twinkling as he waived his finger in her face.
"Stop!" she laughed, stepping back and jokingly pushing his hand away.
She couldn't help but admire his effortless charm, as if he had a magical hold on her. The subtle scent of musky cologne wafted in the air and filled her senses, making her feel completely relaxed in his presence.
The two conversed and battered each other till they got to the private airport and bordered his luxurious private jet, Bombardier Global 7500, one of the most expensive jets in the country which features three living spaces, six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a full kitchen, and several other luxurious amenities. It even offers the latest high-tech equipment and the largest windows of any private jet.
"This jet is insane, my goodness " one of her agents voiced out...
"You can find me in the room upstairs if anything comes up, also you can rest in the room opposite mine when you want to sleep." Damien said and went upstairs.
"Sure" she replied and went to her fellow agents.
The NDI agents and those from Apex spent an hour going through informations they gathered so far on Mazariou and his men, and mapped out strategies to go with every scenarios.
"Agent Lauren and her friend, would you mind a tour of the jet" Damon asked smiling down at the ladies.
Stephanie was hypnotized by that devilish smile and nodded unconsciously. Lauren chuckled at her partner who was already smitten by Damon, honestly who wouldnt, he and the two others were such an eye candy.
"Why not" lauren said and went with him and Derek of cause who for some reason had been staring at her for a while.
They went to the luxurious bar, checked out the mini gym inside the jet, the hot steamy sauna and finally rounded off at the dinning table.
Everyone rounded the dinning table and started to dig in except Lauren who couldnt help but notice that Damien wasnt on the table.
"Uhmm,What about Mr Voltorie" Lauren asked Damon who was sitting beside her on the table.
Damon had a mischievous glint in his gaze as he gave her an amused smile. "Oh, you want to know if he's eaten? Don't worry I make sure he has his special meals."
Alex heard the conversation and felt a flicker of annoyance. How could these two men He suspected to be Damon's brothers treat her like they know her before? And also couldn't help but wonder if she and Damian were really dating.
It was already midnight , so she decided to call it a night and went up to one of the room upstairs.
She got to her room that was just directly opposite damiens' , took a hot shower and changed to silky red nightie..
"He has some taste I see" she said as she wore the pyjamas.
Unable to sleep too so she walked out of her room, looking opposite her room she noticed that his room was slightly opened which was odd as it was closed a moment ago.
She had to pass his room to go downstairs but stopped when she heard voices in his room, for some reasons her legs seemed to have a mind of it's own that before she knew it, she was already in his living room, following the voice dhe found her self in his bedroom.
Lauren stood in shock, taking in the sight before her. Damien lay in his bed, his body slick with sweat, mouthing words that only Lauren could hear. His voice was weak and shivering -- he was muttering promises of revenge for his father.
She reached out and touched his shoulder with a gentle hand, attempting to rouse him from his nightmares.
"Damien, get up," she whispered softly, but still the horrors of his dreamscape held him fast in its grasp. Lauren pressed her ear to his mouth, trying to make out his muffled pleas.
"Papa...papa...I will avenge you, I promise," he said, his voice trembling. Lauren stepped back from the bed, her mind flooded with emotions and possibilities.
What had happened to his father to provoke such a vow?' She wondered.
"Damien, get up!" Lauren shouted, shaking him gently in an attempt to rouse him from his nightmare. In a sudden burst of energy, Damien awoke and reached out, grasping Lauren by the shoulders. Before she knew what was happening, he had flipped her onto the bed and was atop her, straddling her body.
Lauren felt a wave of panic wash over her, but as she took a closer look at him, she could see that his expression was not one of rage, but of confusion. His raven black hair scattered across his face, obscuring the piercing golden eyes It was unmistakably him -- the man with the golden eyes. But as she squinted closer, she noticed something else -- two glistening, sharpened fangs protruding from his mouth.