The Divine and the Damned

Dragavei had been absent from the house for several days, leaving Alina troubled.

She continued to ponder whether she had unknowingly done something to upset him the night before.

When he eventually returned, he was accompanied by a bunch of whores, which left Alina feeling both stupid and enraged.

Had the kiss in the library meant nothing to him? Perhaps she had misunderstood his actions.

Perhaps she had misconstrued the way he looked at her.

Alina cursed herself for falling for him especially when he had a notorious reputation for bedding all sorts of women every night. Perhaps, that was the case here. She was just like the other women. A booty call. Except they had only kissed.

Would this have been the same case if they had done more than that? Would he have left her cranky and heartbroken the same way? Alina shuddered at the thought.

The pattern persisted for a while, with Dragavei refusing to communicate with her. Eventually, he departed from the house once more without any word of where he was headed nor when he would be back.

In the days that followed his absence, Alina found herself growing fond of the gardener, Constantinos.

He turned out to be a dashing young man who was just as smart and shared her interests.

They often spent time in each other's company in the gardens after he was done with his duties, having discussions about history and other shared passions.

Although she missed Dragavei, Constantinos had a way of making her feel happy.

Then, one day, just as they had finished setting up a blanket on the grass, Alina ambushed him with a kiss, and to her delight, Constantinos did not resist.

"Alina" he pulled back and looked into her eyes, inquiring wordlessly if she was certain about what she was about to do.

She placed both hands on his shoulders, sitting on her haunches "It's quite simple, Constantinos" her voice had taken on a seductive tone, her eyes locking on his "Make love to me here in this beautiful garden or leave"

The gardener started to feel himself grow erect. Only a fool would pass the opportunity to bed a woman as delectably beautiful and smart as Alina.

Constantinos didn't think twice before kissing her back.

The kiss with him felt lacking in comparison to the one she had shared with Dragavei at the library. However, Alina quickly forced the thought out of her mind and savored the present moment, concentrating on who was before her— a man whose hungry mouth devoured hers and slid over her neck while his desperate hands loosened the strings of her blouse.

She tugged on his head that his tongue left her neck, and brought her mouth to his, kissing him passionately, while imagining Gavy in his place.

Constantinos' right hand had found a way inside her blouse, and her legs had started to dampen in between. But just as a moan slipped from her lips, the gardener suddenly got pulled away from her.

The force of the jerk drew a worrisome gasp from her and Dragavei's furious face came into view.

Alina sat up.

He grabbed Constantinos firmly by the back of his collar and flung him in the opposite direction of the garden with such incredible force she was sure he had broken something if not everything. Alina screamed and scrambled to her feet attempting to run to him but Dragavei moved, blocking her path.

He was mad with rage, his eyes appearing even darker and more intense than their usual colour, his fists clenching and unclenching tightly.

His teeth gritted so hard against each other, she could see them strain against his jaws.

He was breathing hard, no doubt holding back his wrath. But Alina was too consumed by her own anger to be afraid of him.

"Are you out of your mind?!" She demanded in a vexed shrill, attempting to go around him but he blocked her path, yet again.

"Let me through, what has come over you?!"

"What has come over me?!" The question came out in a growl, his flinty gaze locking on hers "You let him touch you!"

Alina was infuriated beyond anything, her entire body shook "How dare you get jealous?!"

Her hands came to rest on her hips, to steady the tremors "You left without an explanation after you kissed me, and brought in whores the morning you showed up!"

Her hands left her hips and went flailing in the air "I couldn't see in any way, how I deserved the silent treatment you so harshly meted out to me, so I kept wondering what I'd done to offend you. In the end, I couldn't come up with anything because I'd done nothing wrong. Do you know how I felt, Gavy?"

In her anger, she'd forgotten to redo the loose strings of her blouse, The front part slightly gaped open, hinting at the creamy beauty of her breasts.

Dragavei's eyes wandered there, and amidst his welling, maddening anger, he felt himself grow hard.

Her lips had started to quiver "I felt like a FOOL!"

The first tear dropped and then the other. Dragavei stiffened. Tears meant nothing to him, but this was Alina.

"Why would you do that to me and then come here to act jealous?! You were gone for days! The agreement was that you'd take me along with you on whatever journey you embarked on but no, you just took off, eager to be rid of me!"

She removed her shoe and threw it at him angrily, the tears pouring down her eyes unrestricted "Why do you hate me so?!"

His voice had quietened, his rage gradually abating "I do not hate you, Alina"

"Then why?!" She yelled, "Why do this to me?"

She removed the other shoe and threw it at him, stalking forward to start to deliver blows to his chest.

Shallow, ineffective blows that hardly left an impact on him.

He grabbed both her slim wrists to prevent her from hitting him any further, and she struggled for her freedom but failed.

"I am sorry," he said softly, his anger fully dissipated "Forgive me"

She continued to struggle and gently, he let her go.

"I'm leaving!" She announced in a sob "I'm leaving for home... I-I should've listened to my mother and sat to think about it"

Alina turned her back to him, sobs racking her entire body "I should've never come here! Should've never followed you!"

"Alina..."

"Stop!"

She hated that when he called her name in that soft manner, it still appealed to her emotions and messed with her senses.

Whirling around sharply, she faced him again, eyes red in anger and sorrow.

It was like a stab to Dragavei's heart and he didn't like seeing her this way. He was utterly displeased with himself that he had hurt her so badly.

Inhaling a shuddering breath, she gained control of her nerves and said, "I shall be gone by morning"

He remained where he was, staring at her. "I do not want you to go"

"Then what is it that you wish?"

Her voice shook in frustration, with her face mirroring her exasperation. Her shoulders were sunk in defeat.

A moment of silence ensued between them, and then suddenly, Dragavei strode towards her and smashed his lips to hers, capturing her mouth in a furious kiss.

His tongue dived, and Alina melted, her body relaxing and surrendering to his.

She gave, he took.

This was what she needed, what the kiss with Constantinos lacked— that spark, that fire that consumed her.

His hand held the back of her head, digging into her hair, the other grabbed her waist, pulling her closely to him, while his tongue invaded her mouth.

Dragavei had never felt the urge to be possessive of anything or anyone, however, when it came to Alina, he felt an overwhelming desire to claim her strictly for himself. Seeing his gardener touching her had sparked a furious rage within him, and he had wanted to do more than just fling him away.

Reluctantly, she broke away and fell some steps back breathless.

No, no she would not be swayed by this... by him. Not anymore.

He was staring at her wantonly, his chest heaving, his dark eyes still fixed on her lips, no longer clouded over in anger but desire.

"Why did you hurt me?" She demanded. "Why did you leave?"

Dragavei started to step forward but she held a hand out to stop him. She could not trust herself, nor her body when he was near.

He was quiet for a moment before speaking up "I am scared of what I feel for you"

He inched closer and Alina didn't put up a protest, surprised by his confession.

"It is unlike anything I've ever felt for anyone and I thought putting distance between us and bedding as many whores could quench that emotion"

He cupped her face in his hands, a soft crease in his forehead "Alina... I think I have grown to love you"

His confession warmed her heart, and she was about to admit she felt the same way too, when she remembered Constantinos. Frantically, she moved away from him and stared into the far distance in which Dragavei had flung him, but he wasn't there.

She turned to look at him, scared.

Dragavei read her eyes and answered, angered at her concern for the gardener "Radu took him"

She had been too caught up in her emotions to notice his twin take him in.

"Will he be well?" She asked worriedly.

Dragavei sneered "Do you have feelings for him?" He asked evasively "And how long has this... tryst been going on?"

Alina sensed his rising anger and wanted to tell him there was no tryst and they'd done nothing but then as a form of retaliation for the pain he had caused her, she chose to keep him on edge.

Ignoring his questions, she bent and began to pack up the blanket and basket of food.

She was giving him a view of her backside, unknowingly teasing him and it was working.

Dragavei wanted nothing more than to have her in that position. However, the question he had asked weighed heavy on his mind.

Grabbing her hand and twirling her, so that she faced him, he spoke once more "Answer me, Alina. Do you have feelings for this man?"

His eyes hinted at his desperation to know.

Stubbornly, she replied, chin raised "And what if I do have feelings for him?"

He went quiet for a while before speaking through his teeth, "Then he's a dead man"

Before Alina could voice her disapproval, he kissed her once again.

His hands grabbed her roughly, his tongue working wonders in her mouth.

Dragavei knew Alina was different because he had never wanted anyone so badly before.

"You cannot have feelings for Constantinos," he said after breaking away.

It didn't come out as a question, it didn't come out as a mere statement. It came out as a command.

She wanted to hate him but couldn't, wanted to tell him it wasn't in his place to tell her whom she could be affiliated with or not, but she couldn't. Because she wanted no other person but him.

"Alina" he said, calling her attention. "You belong to me" his voice was strained with desperation. "Say it"

"I belong to you"

His eyes darkened as he shifted closer to her "Say it again"

Alina looked into his eyes and repeated in a whisper "I am yours, now and forever. Today, tomorrow, and for all the days to come"

Dragavei knew there and then that Alina was going to be his bride.