DAWN
I'd been unable to take my eyes off Dragos throughout the entire night. He looked incredibly dashing wearing a white embroidered traditional Romanian shirt that was open at the collar, revealing a hint of his chest, on matching trousers. On top of the shirt was a long brown coat that hung over his shoulders.
His silver hair was let loose and came down to settle on his neck.
As he moved to stand by his mother's side, with Azrael on the other end, they looked like a graceful, yet formidable force.
The two men stood by their mother like bodyguards, poised as warriors prepared to defend her against anyone who dared to harm her. Her ebony black hair stood out against her sons' immaculate silver locks, a contrast between darkness amidst light.
I stood there watching them, unable to look away from the perfect sight.
The aura around the family was somewhat angelic, yet there was also something present. Something sinister I couldn't quite explain.
After the banquet, I was alone in the quiet room cleaning up. Azrael had grown irritated by my appearance at dinner, causing him to dismiss the other staff members assigned to assist me. He then instructed me to single-handedly clear the expansive table.
Despite feeling exhausted, I had no choice but to comply to prevent further issues with him.
It was beyond frustrating, getting hated on for doing absolutely nothing.
Just as I had started to get to work, the large doors of the room swung open and Dragos strode in casually.
"Why are you doing this alone?" He asked with a frown, moving closer to me.
I shrugged tiredly "Lord Azrael insisted I do it alone"
The crease in Dragos' brow deepened and he cursed under his breath. "Azrael becomes a thorn in the side with each passing day"
He attempted to touch a plate but I made a sound of disapproval.
"Please don't, you'll only make him hate me more and I really can't afford that right now"
I stacked some plates on each other and proceeded to assemble the wine glasses.
"I didn't expect to be earning this much money without facing difficulties anyway," I said.
Dragos scoffed "Baloney"
He took off his coat and hung it on the handle of a chair. Then, he proceeded to loosen one more button on his shirt and roll up his sleeves.
The shirt was made of light cotton material, availing me the opportunity to see how slightly his firm muscles pressed against the clothing.
"I insist. You cannot stop me"
His voice interrupted my lewd train of thought.
I stifled a laugh "I'm sorry but do you even know how to clean up after a meal?"
Dragos' mouth gaped open in offense and I found his expression amusing.
"You really have to stop assuming the worst of me"
His hands came to settle on his waist "Just because I was born wealthy doesn't mean I'm incapable of handling simple tasks, Dawn. Your comment was rather insulting"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Thank you for helping me"
He lifted an empty crate to the table and started to pack the stacked dishes into it. "You seemed to have had a good time around the guests" he stated, changing the topic.
"Me?" I asked with a scoff, throwing disposables into a garbage bag "Me or you? Your wife-to-be is really pretty by the way"
My jaw was set as I fought back another wave of jealousy "Elizabeta" I dragged the name.
Dragos groaned— a sexy sound. "She's not my..." He stopped talking and started to watch me.
I was angrily throwing things into the bag, the memory of how Elizabeta had clung to him, infuriating me.
"I'm not even attracted to Elizabeta," he said softly.
"Well, she seems to be really attracted to you," I replied, trying to hide the tone of jealousy in my voice.
Dragos walked over to where I was standing and took the trash bag from me, a faint smirk spreading across his face.
"What?" I demanded, my cheeks rosy.
He shook his head, and replied, "Nothing"
Then he gave me a very slow once-over that left my body in tingles and added casually, "That dress belonged to Rose"
I was flabbergasted. "Oh!" I exclaimed "I-I'm so sorry, I never knew. Your mother... she never told me, I assumed it was hers when she was younger and..."
I fumbled like an idiot, not wanting to annoy him again. He seemed to be in a good mood and I didn't want to ruin it.
"Relax, it's alright" Dragos chuckled "Looks good on you anyway. Besides, you're better off with it. Can't let a beautiful dress like that go to waste in the dark, musty corners of a wardrobe"
He started to lift the large crate full of dirty dishes and I shouted, with a look of alarm, "Hey! Careful. You shouldn't do that alone, it's..."
I stopped talking and looked on in astonishment as Dragos went ahead to easily lift the heavy crate and set it on the floor.
"It's nothing" He replied with a wink "What's the essence of working out if I don't get to put it to good use?"
Moving over to my side, he took the two champagne flutes from me and smiled, exposing his polished set of teeth.
"Now let's get the rest of this over with. We wouldn't want to spend the whole night here, would we?"
"No"
As I stopped for a moment to sweep my hair up to prevent it from getting in the way, the complex fitting of the ancient gown made it impossible.
I let out a soft sigh of frustration. The dress was beautiful, but it was old, and I couldn't help but wonder why Darcia had insisted I got dressed in it. It was totally unnecessary.
Its tight fit at the armpit region made it difficult for me to raise my arms high enough to reach my hair.
Just as I was about to give up, Dragos noticed my struggle and smiled.
"Allow me," he said.
As he stepped behind me, I froze, my heart thumping so wildly that I thought I would collapse from hypertension.
Gently, he took the band from my hand, his pretty fingers brushing against mine and sending shivers down my spine.
Like an expert, Dragos gathered my hair, his touch on my neck, light and gentle, yet electrifying. I shut my eyes, inhaling the scent of his cologne as it enveloped me.
He always smelled nice. Almost like a blend of cinnamon and leather and something more. Something ethereal.
I wished the moment never ended but it did.
"There," he said softly "All done."
Then placing both hands on my shoulders, he turned me around to face him.
Our eyes locked for a moment, the emotions almost overwhelming.
His intense golden brown eyes stared back and I felt like I was losing myself in those eyes, yet it was too irresistible to look away.
I couldn't tell what he was thinking but he looked serious, and I hoped I hadn't offended him in yet another oblivious way, again.
"Thank you," I whispered, turning to busy myself with picking up a soiled dish, but Dragos' feet remained planted a few inches away from mine.
He wouldn't move, and he wouldn't stop staring.
When I finally mustered enough courage to glance up at him, he still stared back, his piercing gaze holding mine.
I would've found this behavior unnerving if it had come from anyone else, but this was Dragos.
He was different... and I liked him.
On noticing my discomfort, he stepped back. "You should keep your hair up, it suits you better," he remarked.
"Oh"
He placed his hands on the table, leaning his weight against it, his hair falling forward.
"I hate grand dinners," he muttered under his breath.
"Obviously" I replied with a chuckle "You were dour the entire evening"
Dragos scowled at another soiled plate, grumbling angrily, "Like their presence wasn't annoying enough, they eat like animals"
"Since you seem displeased about the entire thing, why did you bother to attend?" I asked lightly.
Dragos reached for more dishes across the table and assembled them. "I have to. It's a family thing"
"I see," I said, understanding.
We cleared the rest of the table in silence, the only sound made being the clinking of dishes and flutes. Once we were done, I watched, stunned as Dragos stacked two heavy crates filled with soiled dishes on top of each other and lifted them with ease, setting them aside at the end of the room.
"That settles it," he said "Or is there anything else you need help with?"
I shook my head "No, that's all"
He picked up his jacket and slung it across his shoulders "Good night, Dawn" Dragos said, striding out.
"Good night" I replied "And thank you, once again for your help"
He turned briefly to smirk at me before leaving the room. "Oh, don't thank me just yet, darling. You owe me one"