It was Monday and just like she promised the owner of the animal clinic, she decided to go there. She was in jeans and a black-neck sweater over it. It hid the scar on her neck while she let her hair loose, which helped her in hiding the wound on her face.
Her eyes looked so dead and deprived of any emotions. But, Elysia brushed all the negative thoughts away and focused on what she needed to do.
"Good luck for the day." Lauren brimmed. "Shall I drop you at the clinic?"
"No, I can just walk there." She knew that she cannot always rely on Lauren. If she wants to get out of this slump, she needs to do it on her own.
"Okay. Call me if there is anything." She reminded her before grabbing the keys of her car and stepping out of the apartment.
The empty place sent shivers down her spine. Elysia grabbed her things with haste and rushed out of them. Lauren has been taking days off for her sake. The sun was finally out after days.
The sun's rays were numbing the cold breeze and making it refreshing. Elysia closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply. It relaxed all the nerves in her.
She made her way to the animal clinic. Before, she could walk through the allies, but now she can't. Her senses were heightened and she always felt like someone would jump onto her.
Elysia made her way to the clinic. She did not lift her head because she did not want to meet the eyes of the people.
It was a huge relief that the day went by swiftly. She treated the animals and they brought her the biggest comfort in life.
Soon, the sky started to turn into the shade of orange as the sun was setting. The wind-chime rang when the door opened. Elysia did not look at the face of the person, but his perfectly polished shoes grabbed her attention.
"How can I help you?" Elysia heard her voice coming from the deepest pit.
''I need to get my dog vaccinated.'' His deep and intimidating voice made her tremble.
Elysia walked towards the counter and grabbed the form. "You will have to fill this." Her tiny voice was piercing his heart.
Sebastian took it from her and quietly sat in the sitting area. He was holding his 'golden retriever' with a leash. That was only when Elysia glanced at the man.
The sense of familiarity she felt.... okay, now it was cleared.
Sebastian could feel her eyes on him. So, he glanced at her. Her mouth agape, pupil dilated, hands quivering. He gave her his breathtaking smile.
''Should I consider that you have given me the honour of recognition?" Unlike his hard looks, he sounded really polite.
The wall which she had built around herself..... wavered. It was like she had found an oasis in the desert.
"How... how are you?" She hesitantly asked.
"Well, you saved me.'' He shrugged his shoulders, "And I promised you I would repay your kindness. Tell me, what do you want from me?" He put the form aside and turned all of his attention to her.
Elysia eyed his every movement. The tattoos on his knuckles and the back of his hands... she can make out the rest of them, as she had seen him shirtless before. But right now they were hidden under the fabric of his expensive black suit.
"I don't need anything." She softly refused his offer.
There was no one else at the clinic. However, Elysia wasn't afraid to be alone with him. There was something mysterious about Sebastian that was making her feel protected.
Elysia sat on her knees and ran her hands through the thick fur of the dog. The dog snuggled closer to her at the touch. She smiled at the attitude of the dog.
Sebastian clenched his fists when he observed the huge mound on her left cheek. She is so beautiful, even with the scar.... he wanted to kill all those Russians at that moment.
If it weren't for her trauma, he definitely would have fantasized about her being on her knees for him and submitting. However, there is a lot which he needs to take care of at the moment.
"Are your wounds okay?" He suddenly heard her. Just when he thought she was lost in her own world, she addressed him.
"They are." He pursed his lips in the thin line as he forced himself to keep his mouth shut from asking her about her wounds. They weren't going to bring any good memories.
"Please, give me the record of the vaccination, of...." She paused, as she did not know the pet name.
''Daisy.'' He commented.
''That's a beautiful name." She smiled and her smile made him roll over the pins and needles. She has been through so much.... and all because of him. The guilt of ruining her life, her innocence, was suffocating him.
''You will have to fill in the form for me to know about the medical history of Daisy." She explained.
Sebastian nodded his head like he was under some kind of spell. He picked up the pen and form. He filled it as per her instructions, while Elysia played with Daisy and gave her treats.
When he passed her the paper, she glanced over it and took the pet to the examination room. Sebastian also followed her.
She did the routine checkup and when it was the turn to give her an injection, Daisy got anxious. "Easy peasy, girl. I will make sure it won't hurt a lot."
The softness of her voice was melting the devil in him. All the while, his eyes danced on her face. He would feel alive after looking at it, but when he glanced at the wound, the beast inside him would threaten to come out once again.
"Can you hold her?" She had to call him for help. The assistant had to take care of some pets that were up for adaption, so Elysia did not call her.
Daisy got comfortable when she felt the touch of her owner. Although she has been with him for a day, the dogs are smart enough to realize to whom they belong within such a short span of time.
Within seconds, Elysia injected her with the vaccination. Daisy whimpered but she got comfortable with the little pats from them. "You did a great job," Elysia was saying.
"She is healthy. But since she is not vaccinated fully, please make sure she gets the shots on time." Because she was also getting comfortable, she said with a professional tone.
"Can you do that for me? Can't you?" The words slipped out of his tongue and it was too late to undo them.
''What?" She looked at him, puzzled.
"Can you have dinner with me? I have been wanting to repay your kindness for too long. I am sorry, I didn't get a chance earlier." He scratched the back of his neck.
Don't tell me that the 'Black King' is agitated in front of some vet.
"I told you, you don't have to." Elysia refused. Most importantly, she isn't sure if she is capable of going out with a man currently.
"I insist. I promise you, I won't take much of your time. Please give me a chance.'' He wasn't sure what chance he was asking for...
Chance to protect her?
Chance to redeem himself?
Chance to ask for forgiveness for the damage he has done to her?
Elysia chewed her bottom lip. She looked really nervous.
"I will protect you." He said in one breath.
For a second, she thought he had read her thoughts.
"I don't even know your name. I am not sure if I am capable enough of going out for dinner with you." If it was some other time, she would have immediately said 'yes' to a date. He looks deliciously lavish. Intimidating. Soft. Someone whose arms can make you feel protected.
"It's Sebastian." Before she could find another excuse, he told her. "Please give me the honour to take you out on dinner. Time will be of your choice."
Elysia was scared. She really was. She wanted to tell him, but how?
"Okay?" It came out more like a question.
"Okay." He smiled and his smile was to die for.
"How about tomorrow?" She could not find a way out of it.
"Done." He cannot let this chance slip away and pulled out his mobile phone, "Your number?"
Elysia sighed and typed the number.
"I will text you the location and time."
He looked damn excited and grabbed the leash of Daisy before stepping out of the clinic.
Immediately the reality hit her and she regretted agreeing to it.
Since the day had now turned into night and Lauren could not take the risk of letting Elysia go home alone. Before Elysia's working hours ended, she went to her clinic and waited until she wrapped up the day.They walked home together. "Lauren, something happened at the clinic today.'' Elysia suddenly broke the silence.Lauren's heart thumped badly against her chest. ''What?'' She hid the nervousness as she asked.''There is a man. I saved his life almost 2 months back.'' She started. Actually, she did not tell her friends about Sebastian before because she did not get the chance."He came to the clinic today and he asked me out for dinner. He wants to treat me as compensation." This is all she made out of his offer.''Really?" Lauren raised an eyebrow. She was sure that Elysia had refused her offer. She is currently going through trauma. She can't even make eye contact with anyone. Let alone going on a date. "What did you tell him?"She exhaled loudly in the air, "I said, yes.''"WHA
With a nervously beating heart, Elysia started to get dressed up for dinner. She could not name it as a date because he was just returning aa favour which she had given him. So, she dropped the idea of wearing a dress and instead settled on slipping inside the formal black pants with a grey button-up shirt and a long checkered matching coat and a scarf around her neck. It covered the wound on her cheek also. A little makeup and that's it. Exactly at 7 pm, a car horn grabbed her attention. She knew it's him and when the time was there, she started to get sweaty hands and the little droplets of water were also shining on her forehead. Soon, Lauren peeped inside her room, ''Your date is here.'' She wriggled her brow. "He is not a date." Elysia refused and wore a mask of confidence as she walked out of the room. 'Hope this night will go well.' She wished, but she had no idea what her time with him was holding for her. "I am dying to see him." Lauren followed her. The knock on
They ate dinner in complete silence. Other than the sound of their cutlery, there was nothing that collided with their senses of hearing. Elysia could not get the fact out of her head that she was being affected by his astonishing presence. But she treated this dinner as a friendly meal. 'You are not allowed to have feelings for anyone.' She scolded herself and did not dare to look at him. In a split second, the huge glass window shattered. Like this, it is a wall of sand and it floats away as the wave hits it. "F**k." Sebastian cursed under his breath and he immediately pulled Elysia towards himself. Without wasting a second, he hid her under the table. Elysia does not know what happened or what is happening.... all she knows is.... this doesn't feel real. She doesn't feel like a part of it. It was surreal. When Sebastian pulled a gun and started shooting, Elysia did not have the slightest idea. Her head was spinning, the vision was getting blurry and she swang in his arms and h
In the middle of the night, Elysia felt her skin crawling. Her body shaking intensely. ''Leave me.'' She murmured.''Let go of me." Her voice got louder.Sebastian was sleeping on the chair. His eyes snapped open when he heard her wails. He immediately walked to her. She looked like a frightened puppy. His cold heart started to thaw.''Elysia." He called her name ever so softly that he could not even recognize his own voice.Elysia started shaking her head from left to right and right to left. She was in a state of denial.''You are fine.'' He held her hand and at the touch, her eyes opened. In the dim lights, her pupil contracted to find him and when she saw a man sitting beside her... she screamed, "DON'T DO THIS TO ME. I BEG YOU.''His heart clenched. He imagined she would have begged that bloody bastard the same way.''It's me. You are safe.'' His voice was loud. He did that to pull her back to reality. But she wasn't listening to her. Elysia sat up in the middle of the bed and pu
Sebastian let Elysia talk to her friend. Because he does not want her to think that he is taking advantage of her. When Elysia confirmed everything with her own mouth and told her that she was fine, Lauren was finally relieved.Meanwhile, Ricci investigated the whole incident and, with their perfect skills, they got their hands on the sniper."Boss, he is in the basement." Ricci informed him.Sebastian folded the sleeves of his shirt till his elbows, his jaws ticking and the knitted brows... this was going to be the death of someone. Well, he knows who.He followed his right-hand man to the basement, where they usually keep their prey. The heavy metallic door opened and he found a man, dressed in all black, being tied up on the chair in the middle of the room.His ruthless eyes trailed Sebastian while his face was covered with a number of bruises and cuts. Even the blood was trickling down from the corner of his lip but he snarled."You bloody little thing." Sebastian punched right ac
Ricci had successfully incorporated spies into the Russians and they were given the task of finding the way to their secret hideout. Meanwhile, Sebastian was like a hungry beast who was waiting for the chance to rip those bloody Russians apart.A week went by and within that week, Elysia sensed noticeable changes in herself. The fear that kept her on her toes was nowhere to be seen. She felt safe and sound in his company. The shallowness was fading away and now she was getting better. However, she was concerned about one thing.''Sebastian, I cannot stay here like a prisoner. I have a life out there and I need to work at the clinic." She was frustrated. Her hands were running in the thick fur of Daisy.''I know. Just give me sometime." He had a sharp intake of air.He took a seat beside her and held her hand. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from getting affected by the terrible past. Then, his hand moved towards the 'M' on her face and he touched it. Although the 'M' was now d
Elysia stood in front of the window and watched the setting sun. The darkening of the sky with each passing second, was making her scared. The clouds were surrounding it too and soon, the thunder caused her to take a step back.These thunders have brought storms in her life and she cannot get rid of them. This time, the lightning lit up the dark sky with a loud roar and Elysia fell on the ground while she covered her ears with her hands to stop these voices from colliding with her senses.But they were too loud to be ignored by her. Absently, her hand touched the wound on her face and she started to scratch it. ''Please.'' She begged the demons that haunted her.''Don't ruin me." She whispered, her hand scratching the wound on her neck even harder. The stinging pain was reminding her of the smouldering. The tobacco scent engulfed her fragile body. The disgusting touch made her skin crawl.She loathed herself.She imagined herself getting out of his ruthless grasp but he threw her on
Sebastian turned the lights of the room dim. While Elysia laid on the bed. She was a trembling mess. He sat beside her and held her hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and kissed the knuckles of her hand. They were sweaty."Focus on me." He instructed. "Look into my eyes.''Elysia felt herself being hypnotized by his words. She looked at his handsome face and absently, she started touching his prominent jaw bone. Little stubble was grown and his thick facial hair was pricking her skin, but they were reminding her of who he was.Her hand moved down to his neck and she felt his Adams apple. The bone in his neck was beautiful. It bobbed up and down as she touched it. He let her touch him patiently. She needed to get familiar with him before he could take it to the next level.''You are not him." She whispered and for a second he thought he did not hear it."I am not." He leaned closer to her and placed her hand on his rapidly beating heart, "There is only one in the world for whom my h