*Danika*
Throughout the trip to the beach, Alonso kept throwing side glances at me through the rearview mirror-he had to drive us to the beach instead of Luther. I knew it was because of the presence of Paisley that he wasn’t badgering me with questions or attempting to stop me from drowning in my own head.
Getting to the beach was a major comfort to me-as I wanted to get out of their presence by all means, I climbed down and strutted to the shimmering blue depth to look out, my flair nude-colored skirt flying around me.
A whoosh of air passed behind me and before I would regain myself, Paisley collided with me from behind, her hands wrapped around my waist, against her front. “Hey, Danika. Are you okay?” She questioned, as I rolled my eyes and tapped her hands to let go. She eventually pulled off and I whirled around to gawk at her, but my eyes caught Alonso unhurriedly strolling to us from the car, his hands inside his multicolored knicker shorts, and shirt of similar material, his hair flying about his head wildly, and his creased face bowed a little, shielding his already black shade clad eyes.
“Why are you staring at him like that?” Paisley’s voice drifted to me and I jumped slightly and swallowed at a loss of words. I have been so caught up in admiring Alonso that I had almost forgotten we ain’t alone. Damn! This man is sinful. With his bulky body occupying space, his Alpha King’s imposing aura couldn’t be mistaken nor was his carriage and charisma, even though he looked leaner than his usual body build and his face more sullen.
“I-I’m just shocked.” I shrugged and quickly faced the beach, wishing Paisley would disappear from my presence and not pester me. She seemed a little too rambunctious today more than on other days. It would look like she just hit the jackpot. When isn’t she, anyways?
“Shocked about?” She wrapped her hands on my waist once more, stifling air in my lungs. Why can’t she just keep her hands to herself? Gad!
I bit back the remark at the tip of my tongue and rather, answered her question. “I have never seen him in that kind of wear and I didn’t notice back at the palace because I wasn’t that attentive,” I replied, partially candid. I had been so engrossed with my present predicament that checking out Alonso had been the last thing in my head. It is so bad that even our bond these days suffers. Unlike before, the chemistry between us is very prominent when we are close to each other. These days, we hardly have time to think about our emotions.
“Paisley, stop!” Alonso materialized beside us to save me from her. She rolled her eyes at him and held on tighter.
“Paisley–”
“Fine!” She let go. “I don’t know what is eating your ass out! Is it still because of the attack? I told you it’s nothing. Those idiots would be dealt with at the right time, so chill out!” She displayed her hands out, seemingly not perturbed by our present predicament.
I avoided meeting his eyes, knowing he wasn’t of the right mind and not needing anything that would bring any attention to ourselves.
“C’mon Danika! Let’s go over there. I want the water on my legs!” She gripped my hands and pulled.
“Paisl-”
I started running with her as a result of not wanting Alonso to fight with her over me. Something tells me they seem to have had a brawl about me in my absence cuz the way he has become possessive with me around her wasn’t as it used to be. The air is now somehow denser when the three of us are close and that is very strange.
Allowing Paisley to touch me is more than strange to me.
“Hey! You have to smile, you hear me?! I don’t understand why you are allowing what happened to get in your head. You two are making these things very complex!” She was already at my face when we got there.
“You are not bitter about everything that is going on?” I queried her, lifting my brow at her in bewilderment.
She snorted and flapped her hands in my face and strolled to the front to dip her legs in the water, letting out a loud delightful squeal before replying.
“I’m not, to be frank with you. I have told Alonso for us to get married fast so that my father can support him in stopping these people. My Dad has a lot of affiliation with the Vampires.” She faced me with a spread of her arms, the lower part of the red gown getting wet and reviewing a lot more than the eyes are supposed to see in public.
However, that wasn’t what I was thinking about, it’s what she said. Her father has affiliations with the Vampires? How is that even possible? It’s rare to hear that werewolves have any affiliations with the Vampires because they are not our go-to neighbors. We hardly have anything to do with them! How come her father has connections with them?!
If her father knew the Vampires then he would also know the Vampire King and maybe he might help speak to him to leave me alone. I can ask her; for once try to manipulate the feelings of someone into doing something for me. I’m desperate right now. The more I think of everything Alonso told me, the more anxious and helpless I become!
Come to think of it, if her father is affiliated with the Vampires’ that means very soon they would tell him about Alonso and me, and our cover would be blown. We are fucked on every side. I will be disgraced and possibly by then not even Alonso can save me. They would not believe he is the cause of it all nor that he compelled me into agreeing to play along, they would see it as my fault. They would call me a liar and all my friends would leave me!
“Danika?!”
I jolted back a little, taking note of the dampness in between my brows and my hands slowly trembling. I fluttered my eyes in her direction with a mild beam to cover up my inner turmoil.
“I have been asking you for a long time now, are you sure you are good? You seem to drift off often and you are growing pale.” She came up to touch my forehead. I took the time to steal a slight look to the side where Alonso seemed to be far in his thoughts, not paying any attention to us this way.
“I’m fine, just thinking…” I flashed her a senile smile and trotted off. She came after me. I went on, “You are not the one who was nearly kidnapped in the middle of the night, so you won’t know what it means to be in my shoes,” I concluded, folding my hands on my chest. I cussed within when a giant wind blew and my hair went off its bind and scattered about my face, blocking my view until the wind ceased.
I skimmed my orbs to the side and saw Paisley laughing her heart out. “Oh, my Gad. I wish I had captured that moment! I had been so entranced in watching you that it slipped my mind.” She squealed with obscene admiration in her eyes. I blushed and averted my gaze, hiding my tinged cheek away. “You are a true image of beauty, Danika, especially when you are pouting like this.” She pointed at my face.
I rolled my eyes and rubbed my lips together. I didn’t precisely know I was pouting. “Stop saying those kinds of things, Paisley. I told you I don’t do women!” I reminded her, accompanied by another eye roll.
“So bad, girl…” She flipped her hair off her face and examined her nails, her laughter dying down. For someone who is powerful and a Hybrid like they say, she is too vain. Something struck my mind and dared to ask.
“Hey, which other powers do you have?”
She replied without hesitation as though she was expecting my question. “I’m a witch… It runs in my family. My mother was a powerful witch and so was my grandma and my great grandma. It runs through our maternal bloodline. Why asking?” She crooked up her well-defined brows in mischief. “I don’t act like a witch, huh?” She smiled. She was a beauty in her own right. Just that she is with my man, and I don’t share. I wish the engagement would break off, and then I might consider liking her and that is if she still sees me in the same light after finding out who I am to the King.
“You don’t behave like a Hybrid generally,” I said bluntly.
To some other person, she might have gotten angry and charged at me. But she didn’t do any of that, instead, her face grew in glee and she spread out her hands and tilted her face up to the sun to savor the afternoon air, her brown hair falling behind her. Perhaps it’s because I’m the one. I have seen her enraged, so I know she isn’t as calm as she appears. Just that she knows how to conceal her emotions so well in a way I envy.
“I simply learned as a child to never show off. I remain my best until someone steps on my toes,” she eventually replied, her sharp gray eyes latching at me with her polished gleam still intact.
I shrugged and looked ahead. When I later turned, I didn’t see Alonso, and we have walked far from our initial position.
“Hey, I wanted to ask you something,” she said and I gave her a nod of approval. “Since I will be getting married soon, yunno, why don’t we-we experiment.”
“Experiment?” I asked in perplexity, drilling holes at her with my forehead furrowed in discomfort.
“Yeah. I keep thinking of what it would feel like-”
“If you are asking me to sleep with you to assuage your curiosity, I can’t. I d-”
“Let’s go! Alfred is back!” Alonso materialized from nowhere, his voice rudely interrupting what I was saying to Paisley. I exhaled aloud in solace and walked ahead, internally grateful to him for bringing an end to such a ridiculous request from Paisley. Getting married indeed! Experiment my ass! What the heck is wrong with this girl? How did I move from the girl that was hardly noticed by others to becoming the center of everyone’s sexual attraction?
Anyways, I can’t wait to see Alfred, I’ve missed him so badly. I will have his hide for this unhealthy stunt he pulled. But, wait a minute, Alfred is kind of a very strange person. Where has he been all this while?
…