Thorns of her Reality

Their First Date.

Damien gently led me back to his car, opening the passenger-side door for me. I went in, feeling the comfort of his scent as it calmed my nerves. I looked different, felt different. Maybe I was even acting differently. I have to admit my new look sure was confidence boosting, but I was a little ashamed to admit that it was because I now felt like I was worthy enough to stand by Damien's side. Was that why he did this for me? Doubt started to seep into the cracks of my mind and for a moment I felt like this was all because he wanted to change my appearance for himself. The driver's door to the car opened and Damien climbed into the driver's seat, pulling me from my awful thoughts. I flashed him another smile quickly, but why? Am I trying to reassure him that I am ok or am I trying to reassure myself?

Damien started the car and began driving, to where I am not sure, he hadn't told me where he was taking me. I didn't know if I was relieved or not that we didn't need to speak whilst he drove. I didn't like distracting his attention from the road, but unfortunately, I was sat here, staring at him in complete wonder about why this mate bond chose me for him.

"Penny for your thoughts, Isabella?" He asked softly as he drove. I blushed, a little embarrassed. I hadn't noticed that he knew I was staring at him in wonder. My mind drew a blank with nerves and I was unable to form the words. He shot me a glance, eagerly waiting for my response. I pushed myself to muster the words, "I don't feel worth it." He slowed the car down, pulling over to the side of the road. I gulped, I didn't know what to expect next. He slowly turned his body to face mine, catching my gaze in his own.

"Don't be ridiculous, Isabella. You are more than worth it. I have been searching for you since I came of age and now I have found you I will do anything to keep you. You are perfect in every way, no matter what you look like. It was as if the moon goddess created you herself, every part of you designed with flawless perfection. You could wear a bin liner and you would still be the most magnificent and beautiful woman on this damn Earth. I will show you a life worth living, Bella. I will do everything in my power to give you the happiness that you deserve. I will never let any harm come to you. If you would just give me a chance, please Bella."

His voice was soft, almost pleading. I sat there fixated on his beautiful eyes, blurring slightly as my own filled with tears. My heart skipped a beat and my breathing hitched. I couldn't argue with such beautifully meaningful words and I was even more delighted that he had given me a nickname. At that moment, I saw him in a completely different light and everything in me wanted to kiss his perfect lips. I glanced down at them, soft and supple.

Everything around us began to melt away and I just saw him. I didn't understand what I was planning to do but I could feel myself leaning in closer towards him. He gently pulled his hand up to wipe a stray tear from my cheek. I snapped out of the trance I was in, pulling me to my senses.

"I know you want to kiss me, Bella." His words struck through me like lightning. I was embarrassed that he even pointed it out. My cheeks burned into an ember of red and I quickly averted his gaze.

"I want to kiss you just as much, but not here. It will be your first kiss and I want it to be just as special as you've probably ever imagined." He added softly, easing my embarrassment. I glanced over to see his soft grin as he started the car once again. I gazed back out of the window, repeating his words in my mind. My cheeks were still burning and my arousal had begun to flare as I imagined us kissing under the stars above. It wasn't long before we pulled up outside of the most beautiful building I had ever seen. It was in a secluded area and I wasn't sure if we were still in the city. The night sky had drawn in above us and the lights on the building gave the entire view an emanating glow. There were carved concrete posts leading up to the restaurant and a red carpet from the car to the front doors.

Damien got out of the car, surprisingly, leaving the engine still running. He walked over to my side and opened the door for me, holding his hand out and bowing as I took it. He gently helped me out of the car to my feet. A man came walking over to us, "Mr Lawson, welcome. Miss." He said, giving us a curt, welcoming nod.

"Take care of her." Damien muttered, handing him his car keys. The man took the keys and handed Damien a little red ticket. I was a little confused about who he was referring to until the man got into the car, pulling away. I flashed Damien a puzzled look.

"He is a valet," he reassured me, but alas, I didn't know what that was, so I remained confused. "He parks the cars." Damien added, to which I finally breathed an "Ahh" in realization. My education wasn't the best growing up and, if I am being honest, most of what I saw today looked like alien life to me. We began to walk down the red carpet towards the front doors where another man stood waiting patiently, holding the handle. It felt as if I was one of those movie stars that Rhonda used to watch on TV. As we approached the doors the man opened them, holding them for us whilst we entered the building. The sight of the inside was just as, if not more, breathtaking than the outside. I imagined that it was like walking into a beautifully lit palace with magnificent crystal chandeliers. Everything sparkled.

"Damien, Welcome." Came a woman's voice, approaching us. I turned my head to see a blonde woman with her hair flowing softly on her shoulders in beautifully bouncing waves. She wore a uniform that looked very neat and professional. Her features were flawless, with her eyes glowing a beautiful blue in color and her lips in ruby red. My stomach churned a little at her obvious gaze at Damien and her incredibly sharp smile cut like a knife when it dropped at the sight of me. Her informality clearly meant they knew each other well and were possibly closer than I would like to imagine. My presence also seemed to bother her. I stood my ground, tightening my grip slightly on Damien's hand and shuffling closer towards him. I didn't know what came over me, but I had a feeling that I needed to show some kind of dominance.

"Gabriella!" He exclaimed with delight, letting go of my hand and pulling her in for a hug. Fire burned within me and I struggled to maintain normal composure. Who the hell is this b***h? I thought with rage. She gave me a menacing smile from over his shoulder as they embraced one another and immediately I felt an inferno erupt in the pit of my stomach.

"Come, let me get you seated." She said softly with a pleasant voice. I disliked her, even if she seemed kind. Damien tried to regrasp my hand but I pulled away discreetly, avoiding his gaze as we followed the mistery woman to our table. She gestured with her hand for us to sit at the beautiful table in the centre of the restaurant. Damien followed command, taking a seat and gesturing for me to sit next to him. I sat across from him, relishing my slight defiance. Damien glared at me for a moment, then began to smirk slightly, holding my gaze.

"Thanks, Sis. We will order drinks soon." Damien said, his eyes never leaving mine and immediately I felt incredibly stupid. She walked off to busy herself elsewhere whilst my face dropped, which only seemed to entertain him more. Oh Isabella! How could you be so stupid? I wanted to slap my hand onto my forehead so badly at that moment. What a fool I had made myself look. Jealous, over his damn sister! This was a new low, even for me. My cheeks could burst into flames from the total embarrassment I was feeling right now.

"Wait, you didn't think?" Damien said, so obviously, letting out a laugh at my expense. He knew exactly what I thought and he knew before he asked.

"No, of course not." I quickly blurted out a lie trying to pull the attention away from my big mistake. Damien continued to chuckle at my expense, angering me a little more.

"She didn't seem to like me very much." I muttered, finally trying to explain my reasons.

"That is because she doesn't know who you are. She's been against me dating anyone that isn't my mate. She is a firm believer in loyalty to the mate bond.", he finally admitted. His voice seemed a little deflated, as if he knew how to reflect on his sister's beliefs now.

"Well, that's one thing me and your sister can agree on." I let out a sarcastic laugh and now it was Damien who bared the look of embarrassment.

"Time for a drink." He quickly muttered, gesturing his hand for his sister to come back. I froze for a moment before saying, "Please do not tell her I am your mate." Damien looked at me puzzled but obliged my request. I didn't want to tell him the reasons why, but if she was so struck by him being with his true mate. I didn't want to disappoint her that it was me. His mother and father were so disgusted by that fact and I was spearing myself anymore pain of rejection from any other members of his family.

Damien ordered drinks for us and then we ordered food. The night was going incredibly well this time and I relished being in Damien's company. The only downside was his sister's evil glares from across the room. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable at times, but the reason behind it eased my tension. I could feel myself falling for Damien a little more with everything I learned about his life. I wasn't very forthcoming with my own life story. There wasn't that much to tell and I didn't like talking about it. Damien was respectful on the matter, and didn't push me for any answers that I didn't want to reveal. I guess I just wasn't ready to talk about it. I did find out, however, that Damien is a billionaire. It didn't phase me much. I wasn't interested in his money, but I did find it a little intimidating. I had such a poverty-stricken background and not because Rhonda was poor, but because I wasn't allowed to know what it was like. I had such a restricted and abusive childhood. She took pleasure in seeing me suffer in everyway possible.

After our meal, I needed to visit the little girls' room. I excused myself from the table, making a B-line across the restaurant to the toilets. Once I had relieved myself of my impetusously small bladder, I washed my hands. Ignoring the sound of the door opening behind me. I looked up into the mirror to check on my makeup, jumping at the sight of Gabriella standing right behind me. She was glaring at me with pure evil in her eyes. I spun around to see her face to face with me.

"Didn't mean to make you jump. Or did I? I can't quite decide." Gabriella muttered with a deep dark tone in her voice. I could see the blue of her eyes begin to swirl into black just like Damien's and sounded a loud gulp in response.

"G-Gabriella... Please." I stuttered in fear, hoping to god that Damien would find us here.

"Please what?" She snapped. Taking another step towards me, her breath could now be felt on my face. "Listen here b***h, Damien is meant for someone so much more than you! I see him waltzing around with tarts like you all the time and I have had enough of it!" She took in a deep breath of my scent and I stood there paralyzed with fear.

"A human no less. A new low for him indeed! Take your tarty-self and get as far away from him as possible or you will have me to answer to! Got it?!" She growled in my face and her canines lengthened before my eyes, scaring me half to death. I nodded profusely hoping I could get out of the situation as fast and pain free as possible. She stepped back, giving me some space to breathe.

"W-what about D-Damien?" I stuttered.

"Don't you worry about him! You can go through that window over there! He won't even know you'll be gone and you can take a hike back to wherever it was you came from!" She began spritzing me with a spray all over my body and then shoved me towards the window across the room. Tears filled my eyes and I couldn't stop them from falling down my cheeks. Humiliated and scared for my life. I began to climb through the window to the bathroom. Once outside, I was faced with nothing but forest and darkness. I had no idea where I was and no way of finding my way home. Regardless, I knew one thing and that was that I needed to get out of here fast. I took off towards the tree line, muffling my hysterical sobbing as I ran, never looking back.