Everything Under The Covers (Plastic Wrappers)

The Duke

2016

A sudden blast of purple lighting flashed above me. I became terrified of being stuck in a lightning storm. I quickened my pace, heading for the service gate, when I heard low voices. It sounded intermixed with rumbling. My curiosity wore out my self preservation, as I followed the voices, terrified by the strange sounds and curious to see if any of the staff were around. As I turned the corner of the terrace, I suddenly spotted Devin seated on a lawn chair. Relief engulfed me as I hurried towards him, calling his name.

"Dev.. I was going crazy thinking I was the only person in the house."

He turned towards me and I recoiled at the look of fury on his face. No, it wasn't just fury. His eyes were completely black. They looked like endless voids.

He snarled at me " What are you doing here????!"

I moved back in alarm and tripped. Falling to the ground, terrified of this creature in front of me. He stood up, stalking towards me.

"I told them to take you away from here", he extended a hand towards me.

Shrinking back, I cried out in panic "don't touch me "

He looked taken aback, hesitating for a bit before he took a step back and gently extended his hands towards me. With his palms in front, he pleaded for me not to be afraid.

"I would never hurt you baby bear. But you need to stand up and leave this place. He looked behind him, as if searching for something "Hurry".

I stopped shivering after hearing his childhood nickname for me, reminiscent of goldy locks and the three bears. I looked at his face. And as he helped me up, I glanced at his face and noticed that his eyes were no longer black. He looked uneasy.

" You have to get goi...." before he concluded his statement, a voice rang out

"It's nice to finally meet you". Before us, a tall wiry man with a head full of silver blonde hair stood on top of the back steps. He had on a blue blazer suit and was very attractive. He wore a lopsided grin and his aura seemed dark. He came down and walked towards us and I unexplainably felt fear. I clutched Devin harder, instinctively mistrustful of this stranger.

"Young lady. Glad to finally be meeting your acquaintance". He extended his hand to shake mine with the same small smile that didn't warm his eyes. I looked down at his extended hands, debating if it was wise to clasp his with mine. I felt a vibration coming from where my right arm was situated, the one held by my stepbrother. His chest grumbled as he growled, his eyes were flashing with purple streaks. He moved me away from the offending hand. With a low voice he warned the stranger.

"Dont touch her." The man smiled again, then moved to sit down on the garden settee opposite where we stood.

" My apologies, young lady. It seems I made you uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention. I was just excited about introducing myself. I should have realized my cousin would be a tad possessive". He grinned bashfully.

I was mesmerized while staring at his face. He was a very attractive man. Although he looked older, I could feel some sort of pull towards him, especially his glacial eyes similar to those of Dev. My mind gained "his cousin" he said. No wonder I was drawn. He looked like an older, sinister version of the man still holding me in his arms. He was probably a distant family member from his late mother's side, that would explain the strange sensation of influence surrounding him.The way he sat down was reminiscent of a king. This man was an Alpha. He gestured for us to sit. After some minutes of internal conflict, Dev guided me to a pair of garden chairs to sit in. We sat facing his uncle, whom had a clear calculating gleam in his frigid eyes. I could feel his attention on me. With a stray shiver, I shifted my body to be closer to Dev. The atmosphere was tense, as I sat between the two men feeling the tension as it pulsed through the air. They didnt talk but I knew they communicated with their eyes. I peeked up through my lashes, silently observing the quiet standoff between them. The strange man turned suddenly to meet my gaze and my heart jumped in my chest, as he leaned forward.

"You don't look at all like your mother at all, except maybe the hair." He continued talking "you're still too young, but already so striking. No wonder the young prince here is so protective of you. Devilin, you shouldn't be so greedy, keeping her only to yourself."

I felt Dev's body tremble in anger at the mention of his full name, but his face showed no reaction but cold indifference, as he calmly replied.

'Unless you are interested in children, uncle. I wouldn't understand your sudden fascination with her. I'd prefer you got straight to the point instead of such frivolous talk."

"Always so serious, dear cousin. You already know why I'm here. I wasn't expecting her to join us as I understood that you dismissed your staff for the evening. But I do appreciate her presence, especially with the numerous opportunities it has sought." He laughed lightly, looking pleased with himself.

"I assumed they had taken her away with them." Dev gritted his teeth. "She doesn't need to get involved in this conversation. I'll send her on her way."

I was obviously confused as they continued talking. It seemed like Dev had sent the kendra, the support staff and security away in anticipation of this meeting. Knowing Ken. She had probably assumed I would be safe being left with him and hadn't bothered to wake me up as she left. My presence here was an obvious oversight on their part. I could sense I was somehow in danger the longer I stayed in the stranger's presence. I wondered if i was overreacting. The strange thunder booms and lightning flashes were no longer overhead. Everything was calm and quiet. "Was I suffering from a delayed stress reaction?" I had been terrified while trying to leave this house. Maybe this feeling came from the adrenaline that had pumped through me earlier. His uncle was scary. But he hadn't done anything apart from talk and look menacing.

I heard myself ask... "You're a relation from his mother's side, right? since he calls you uncle. "

"Yes, my gem. I'm a distant cousin of his family. He calls me uncle as a sign of respect. He added " "My name is..." He winked " I'll inform you about that later". He added charmingly.

"I've never met anyone from his side of the family before" I added witsfully.

His uncle smiled brightly, his full teeth flashing white. I now realized i should have kept my mouth shut. He had a row of sharp teeth like fangs.

"My dear, it seems you're very curious about our humble family. How could I possibly allow you to leave now, without you getting to know me more?" he purred.

He stood up and moved closer to us, staring at Dev. Offering his hand, he politely asked me to accompany him for a "short drive dear" to get to know each other better. I wanted to refuse,but his eyes simmered blue and purple. I immediately felt compelled to stand up and follow him. Dev grabbed my other hand as I moved up.

"Leave her out of this, uncle" he growled. "Your fight is with me." Another flash of lightning lit up the sky.

The hazy dream-fuzy feeling evaporated into horror as his uncle struck him violently with a blast of lightning. I screamed after Dev as his uncle yanked me after him. I continued screeching as I saw Dev's prone form lying still on the ground. We moved down the lawn towards the front gate. I tried to fight him but it was useless. I noticed that we were moving with unknown men that looked like bodyguards. Their faces were covered but I felt the menace behind them. They weren't there to help me. He pushed me towards the man standing close to the black limo car.

"We're moving. And she's coming with us," he commanded.