Deceit

Chapter 7

DAPHNE

I came down the long staircase and as I reached the bottom I looked up to see Chao’s chiseled face. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was obsessed with him in school but he never made a move to talk to me. Why would he be here now?

“Chao?” I stated.

“Yes.” He said softly. His voice sounding like he has some authority but also very soft and sweet.

“Why are you here? You are the only one from school.”

“My job. But I’ll never leave you alone again.” He spoke. When he said it, I believed him. He sounded so sincere. Like he meant it more than anything else. I blushed. I could feel my whole body starting to heat up.

“Ok. Well it’s nice to….”

All of a sudden a stabbing pain erupted in my lower stomach. It was excruciating. I could not think or breathe. It took my breath away. All I could manage to let escape my mouth was a small whimper. Before I knew what was happening, I was being picked up by someone and carried away at a fast pace. I did not panic though, I did not feel as though I was in danger. I blacked out on the trip from the pain.

Something sweet was in my nose that made me feel so relaxed when I started coming to. It smelled strongly of cedar wood, wisteria, and whiskey. Sweet, but musky and intoxicating. Waking up felt like waking on a cloud. I was more relaxed than I had been in my whole life. I felt different somehow though. More alive somehow. I opened my eyes and smiled at the sight of this handsome man. His sunflower eyes warming my very soul.

“Hello, Chao.” I spoke.

“Hello, Daphne.” He answered.

I felt like an i***t. I just kept staring and smiling. He must have thought me uneducated.

“Do you remember what happened?” He asked tentatively.

“I do some of it.” I rubbed my head as to try and conjure the rest of the memory. I remember being in a lot of pain. It came over me so suddenly and hurt so bad. But then warm sparks started to engulf my entire body and I was being carried away quickly. As a matter of fact so fast, I don’t think even a car could have kept up with me.

“I was going so fast. And… I couldn’t see the stars… what happened?” I spoke in a shaky voice. All of the memories from last night were flooding back. When I saw all of those men at my party I thought maybe they were coworkers of my father’s. Then I noticed the way they all looked at me when I walked down the stairs in that beautiful dress. Everything was adding up now. Why my parents had been so happy when they obviously resented me, Evelyn buying me that dress despite never purchasing any clothing for me in the last 4 years, and the ravenous looks on all the men’s faces.

He looked at me like I might break any minute. I sat up and he reached out to help me. He grabbed my writs and side. Sparks erupted from where he touched me making me release a little whimper. When I looked back at him, his eyes were black. He was looking at me like a snack… similar to the look those other men were giving me last night. I was getting scared momentarily, but then he blinked and his eyes went back to normal.

I was still processing all of this. All of the evidence suggested my eighteenth birthday wasn’t a birthday party at all but an auction. My dad and Evelyn were going to give me to one of those men. I was feeling devastated. Not surprised that Evelyn would do such a thing, but my father? I thought he cared a little more than that for me.

“What is going on? Was I imagining things last night? Were my parents trying to relieve themselves of my presence and you, in my pain, took me away from that place in some manner of high speed?”

“I can explain. And I fully intend to do so. However, first, I have some questions for you. I-I want you to go look in the mirror.” He said in a commanding voice.

“Who says you get to tell me what to do? First you crash my birthday party! Then you carry me away to a house that I have never been to! What is going on!? Is this an actual dream? It must be! I have to go outside… I need to wake up…” I started to violently stand up.

“You will do no such thing!” His voice was harsh and deep. Full of authority. It made me want to obey him. He had not carried this tone before. “They will surely smell you if you walk outside. It is not safe.” Then I realized, I had involuntarily sat back down.

“Do you make it a habit to go around ordering people and telling them what is or is not safe for them?”

“No. But your birthday was not a party. I’m not sure what it was but it was not a celebration of your life. You were in danger. The Dark Fae do not come that deep for nothing. They hardly come out of the woods at all.”

“Wait, Fae…?” There was a pause.

“Yes, Fae. Dark Fae.” He said. “You really should go look in the mirror love.”

Out of pure curiosity and how insistent he was I let him lead me to a mirror. At first I did not notice anything different, but then… I noticed the ears pointing up out of my hair that was cascading down my body. I reached up and touched them in disbelief. What was this… what in the actual f**k was going on?! I was about to loose my absolute s**t… They were real. I couldn’t believe it. I looked to Chao for answers with tears in my eyes.

“Please tell me what is happening…” I begged.

“It’s ok kitten. You are beautiful and you are still you. Your just a Fae.”

“I didn’t think Fae were real. I thought they were just made up.” I spoke with sobs in between my words.

“They are real. And so am I.”

“What do you mean? Of course your real, you’re standing right here aren’t you?”

“Yes. But I am not what I seem to be. I would like to show you but I don’t want to overwhelm you.” He sounded like he had reservations. Before I could even say my next thought he stood up and began taking his clothes off.

“What are you doing?”

“Showing you something important.” He continued to take his clothes off… and suddenly I was in the presence of a god. His appearance began to change as some magical barrier was released. I was having a hard time freaking out anymore though. I had never seen him without a shirt on much less in nothing but his boxer briefs. He was a huge chunk of sexy muscle. He was ripped everywhere. You could see every muscle in his body. He was in just his shorts now and you could see almost every inch of his body. He was showing me himself without any shame. He was covered in tattoos. He had them down both arms, across his back, and up his neck. He was obviously comfortable, which he should be since this was his home. But he was so distracting. I couldn’t help but gawk at his beautiful figure. Like he was carved by Michelangelo himself. My eyes roamed to his face and I noticed that he too had pointed ears. He must be Fae like me. They had piercings through them all down the side, some with chains connecting them. I must have been staring because Chao broke my trance by saying, “Like what you see kitten?” His voice seemingly bringing me back from the dead I popped my head up to look in his golden eyes again. Heat built up in my cheeks at being caught staring at him. He had taken to calling me kitten. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. But I was choosing to pick my battles.

“I-I’m so sorry!” I was blushing, I could tell. My face was so hot. I instinctively looked down. My chin was met with a gentle hand lifting it back up. Chao took my face and demanded my attention. I looked in his eyes as he spoke and a strand of his straight black hair fell in front of his face.

“Never apologize for wanting what is yours.”

I was floored. I said nothing because I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know fully what was going on. All I could think about at the moment was the burning in the pit of my abdomen and the betrayal in the back of my mind. This man… My family… what were they doing to me?