Part 13 (2/2)

”You thought he hated you?” I wanted to say ”Well durr!” But I refrained.

”Yes of course, you do remember how he used to treat me...don't you?”

”Well that's interesting. I guess I didn't see it because I just remember all the obsessing he did over you and all the endless research. He wanted to know everything about you and without access to your mind this frustrated him greatly. I remember when he came back one night from watching you sleep. He was in a rage because you had woken up and he realised he could no longer get away with being near you this way. It was the first time you started to really block him out. If I recall he destroyed the dining room in the west wing, fireplace included.” She was grinning at the memory and like this it was clear to see Sophia as a Demon not an Angel. She looked like an evil doll, one that would have ripped Chucky a new behind!

”It is still hard for us to accept that our powers do not work over you but I can imagine no one finds it harder than Dom. This has most definitely never happened to him before.” Again, she sounded smug with glee.

”Is he... very powerful?” I asked feeling nervous for the answer. She turned to face me and with a serious eye she scanned my face.

”Yes. He is the most powerful of our kind by far but he is, after all, King.” My reaction made her jump.

”WHAT!” I screamed out and started shaking my head as though this had to be a dream...What the h.e.l.l...he was king? Was she friggin' kidding me!

”Yes of course, but wait... you didn't know? I would have thought it would have been obvious. You have heard him being regarded as My Lord, have you not?” She actually looked shocked.

”Yeah, but I just thought that was like a Lord of the manor type of thing but not like a.... Like a King!” I said the word as if it was made of acid or something. It was just crazy to think of him that way and even more crazy to think of him choosing me! Sophia laughed till there were tears in her beautiful eyes.

”Oh Keira, there is so much you still don't know but I am surprised this was not one of them. Oh dear you have gone pale, please don't tell me this is another thing you are going to overreact about...Dominic will not be pleased at me breaking you.”

”I'm fine...I'm just....umm... a little overwhelmed with it is all.” I was still shaking my head and I noticed Ragnar smiling to himself. I guess my last statement to him about Queens not keeping their mouths shut had him thinking I believed I was one! Well at least now he knew he'd been wrong. No wonder he was smirking.

”King?” I said again in disbelief.

”Yes, but not in the conventional sense. You have only history to gauge the ideas on but it is not that way at all. His importance lies in the laws of our ways and how he chooses to enforce it. He is not your King Keira, he is simply your boyfriend and that is all you need to concern yourself with.” Ha, well that was certainly easier to say than do.

”Ok, tell me something else that will take my mind off all this king stuff.” This turned out to be another big mistake.

”Ok, you really want to know what Dominic gave me earlier?” In hindsight I should have said no but of course in true Keira fas.h.i.+on I nodded and she said something that made my pulse race with a near blind panic about the experience I was about to endure...

”He gave me his credit card.”

Chapter 14.

Shopping With a Demon Shopping with Sophia was a mix between shopping with an artist and a very spoilt child. She was a perfectionist in every aspect and eyed every item I picked up as though it was never good enough. Each shop I chose to go in, was then followed by a very expensive designer store. Here Sophia was in her element. She would get the different sections closed off just by showing a black bit of plastic which I presumed to be Draven's credit card. As soon as the a.s.sistants took one look at it, their eyes would bulge wider and we would get star treatment. In one shop we went in we even got champagne!

I looked so out of place that I felt like Julia Roberts out of Pretty Woman when she went shopping and started to get funny looks. Ok, so I wasn't in a mini skirt and a crop top but you get the picture. Next to Sophia it looked as though she had found a homeless person to spoil. She would try and get me to try things on that she picked out but I would be adamant that spending over a thousand dollars on one item of clothing was just silly and pointless...well, for me anyway.

”And how much do you think one of Dominic's suits cost?” She asked me when coming back out from behind the curtain in a gorgeous white summer dress which was backless showing off her silky skin.

”I don't even want to think about it.” I said stubbornly before continuing, ”I like that one,” nodding at the dress she wore but she was smiling at my response and no doubt to the first thing I said. It was true, I couldn't think about how much money he had. The thought made me feel queasy just like the word KING did! I couldn't help but think I was playing a game I just couldn't win. I was dating someone so far out of my depth that I sometimes felt as though I was going to drown. Everyday I seemed to find out something else about him, that instead of making me relax, it was making me even more nervous to be around him. So I did something very out of character when Sophia re-emerged.

”Sophia, where's the best place to get some s.e.xy underwear?” Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands.

”Now that's more like it!” She pa.s.sed the dress to the a.s.sistant who already had arms full of outfits ready for her to try on.

”I won't try on the rest but I will take them all” She said waving her clutch bag at the pile. The women looked as though she would drop down and kiss her feet. After all the clothes were rung through the till and the women told Sophia the price I gulped down the five figure number. I coughed and the a.s.sistant shot me an evil glare. Sophia just thought it was funny as always. She handed over Draven's credit card and I noticed it was a black American Express card, the ones that don't have a limit...another gulp! Ok, so if I was trying so hard for my normal life and to be with Draven at the same time, then maybe a shopping trip with Sophia wasn't the best way to go. I found myself still shaking my head as we walked out of the store.

”What? Well if you refuse to use it then I might as well.” She smirked and I couldn't help but laugh with her. She was most definitely a Demon and the book 'When the Devil wears Prada' came to mind.

She didn't carry any shopping bags, oh no, not Sophia. Instead she would have someone from the store take them down to the limo for us. I was in awe at how the other half lived. Of course the stores that I bought my clothes from didn't offer such a service and I wouldn't let Sophia ring up the driver to tell him to come and get them for me. She ended up calling me stubborn for most of the day but I just laughed it off every time.

I was actually surprised to find that I was really enjoying myself and I did get quite a lot of things I needed. But now I was out of my league as Sophia linked my arm and pulled me into Victoria Secrets.

Ragnar had followed my every move but whenever we went into a shop he stayed outside and this one was no exception. It was the first time I think I saw him blush... rather that or he just had wind. I giggled to myself and I think Sophia thought I was just being shy.

She pulled me over to the really fancy stuff and now I was the one blus.h.i.+ng. She picked up something that had more gaps than material. Then I spotted the most beautiful set and I was surprised with myself. I had always just stuck to plain white or black before and I hated red on me thinking it looked cheesy with my blonde hair but this was different. It was black satin covered in blood red roses and a vine that was made from black ribbon. It circled the corset and tied to the thong at either side. At the back it tied up with a thick red cord that crossed over so it could be pulled tighter. Everything matched including the suspender belt, stockings and amazingly the set included full length satin gloves.

The design was called 'Temptress' and I didn't think it could get anymore more perfect. I bit my lips at the thought and Sophia waited beside me not saying a word but when I turned to her and asked what she thought, she just smiled and held up Draven's credit card.

In the end I bought the stuff with my own money much to Sophia's dismay. I also bought some more underwear sets and some nice stuff to wear to bed, which were more of the comfort variety then s.e.xual. I picked one set of pyjamas because the t s.h.i.+rt had a pair of red lips with fangs protruding from them and underneath it said the words 'bite me'! I thought Draven would get a big kick out of these and if he didn't then, I most certainly would when I saw the cla.s.sic Draven frown. Sophia thought it was funny anyway but no surprises there. After we had made our way round half of the shops my stomach started to cry out at me.

”You haven't let Dom pay for anything! My brother won't be happy.” She looked serious but seeing as I didn't agree to any of it, I could imagine that Draven would already know that I would be stubborn on the matter. Did he really think that Sophia would have been able to break me?

”Sophia, your brother knows I'm not the type of girl to just spend someone else's money w.i.l.l.y Nilly. But I wouldn't say no to lunch...will that make you happy?” She rolled her eyes at me and said, ”Well it's a start. Come on, I know a place.” Her face made me regret not picking the place first.

”Ok but nowhere fancy...right.” She winked at me and my dread doubled.

After a short limo ride we pulled up to a huge hotel with an all gla.s.s front that reflected the cold but clear day. The door man opened the limo door and another in a red jacket opened the entrance. He did a double take at me and Sophia, making me giggle at what a pair we must have looked like. Her beauty being absolutely flawless and I must have looked like her personal beggar flagging behind. To make matters worse I tripped over my own feet and the guy had to steady me. When I thanked him I was surprised when he winked at me. I blushed and scuttled in after Sophia.

”Sophia, why have we come to a hotel?”

”Keira really, hotels do have restaurants and this one just happens to make the best Strawberry Daiquiri's in town.” She walked straight past the queue and walked right up to the bar as if she owned the place. I followed like a red faced sheep. Once there she got served immediately and ordered me the same as she. I sat next to her with disbelief clear on my face. Then a very tall thin man dressed in a black suit approached with a lowered head. His gold name badge told me he was the hotel's Concierge and his name was Claude.

Claude looked at Sophia like she was royalty but I noticed he wouldn't make eye contact.

”Miss Draven, how kind it is of you grace us with your presence. You look breathtaking as always.” He was close to drooling and I couldn't help but cough back a giggle. He shot me a look as though he was going to have words with the doormen for letting in riff raff.

”Miss Draven, is this person bothering you?” He asked Sophia and I laughed again only I was the only one as she whipped round in her seat and gave him a heart stopping look that stunned me to silence and had Claude almost cowering. She looked utterly insulted and for a moment I thought she was going to bend him over her knee and give him a good spanking. (And not in a nice naughty way!) ”How dare you, this is my very good friend Keira and if my brother were to hear of this grave insult to his future bride then I doubt he would look kindly on his investments within this hotel!” She sounded like a viper spiting out her disgust. This had him nearly grovelling at my feet in seconds and I was so embarra.s.sed that I got up off the bar stool.

”My dear.... I am so, so sorry, please forgive my ignorance and....” I cut him off quickly said, ”It's fine, already forgotten about really....Sophia excuse me.” I left when she nodded and Claude was now singing his apologies to the unimpressed Sophia. I noticed the sign for the restrooms when I first walked in and I stomped off in that direction. Once I was inside I let out a frustrated swear word and didn't realise there was someone already in there until she hurried out without was.h.i.+ng her hands. Oh great! First I looked like the homeless and now I'm an angry nutter! Ok, so he had insulted me but come on, it was an easy mistake, I didn't exactly look like the type that would even be staying in this hotel, let alone a friend of the ridiculously rich Sophia, whose family were shareholders of the place. And what had been with the 'Bride to be' comment? I know they viewed me as being born for Draven but come on, we hadn't even been dating a week!

I calmed down for a few more minutes before going back out there and I hoped the rest of the guests had forgotten the little episode. If there was one thing I couldn't stand it was causing a scene and getting all the stares that went with it. I knew that the Dravens were used to this but it didn't mean that I would have to be.

When back outside Claude was waiting for me and I swallowed a sigh.

”Miss Williams please allow me to escort you to your table where Miss Draven is waiting.” His thin features twitched at his discomfort at having to be in my company again. He must have thought that I would go running off to Draven and tell him what a nasty man he was to me. He was smiling but I could see the little beads of sweat form while I followed him into the restaurant. I could almost hear his silent pleas to keep his job.

He pointed to the table with the best view and was about to leave after nodding to me when I stopped him.

”Thank you and you don't need to worry about earlier, I won't be mentioning this to Mr Draven.” He looked surprised but ecstatic and I doubted very much he would be making the same mistake again.

”Thank you, and once again, I am extremely sorry for the offense I caused you.” I shook my head and said it was fine again before going over to take my seat opposite Sophia.

”Have you finished wigging out?” Sophia asked grinning but I just folded my arms trying to be stern.

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