Constance
"Mmmm.. no, papa, no!" The vivid images of my dream shake me to my core, enough to where I'm suddenly awake, on my ass, and taking in ragged breaths. My groggy mind takes a moment to process; the world around me is bright and unrecognizable, I've never been here before. My hands gently rest on the concrete ground and I look around. I'm sitting in a wooden gazebo, save for the concrete flooring. It's all made out of chocolate brown wood and the fences that go around the rim of it are shaped in an interconnected pattern of circles.
Across the gazebo, my eyes catch on a dark bench that holds a sole occupant: the man from the store! He's sat comfortably, his legs spread wide open, one hand holding up his phone and the other resting inches from his crotch - thankfully covered by black jeans. Before the ocean of panic sets in, it's like I'm stuck in an entrancement, stuck here staring at him. His eyes are a storm: powerful, and if you're not careful, you'll get snatched up and taken away by them. His muscles are still very much there, and very much bulging; it's like his clothes can barely keep him contained.
The sleep fog finally starts to wear off and I stop looking at him, instead looking myself up and down then looking around. I can feel the fingers of anger pulling me away, grasping at me, red seeps into the corners of my vision as I realize I don't have my bag, I don't have anything. My brain starts to swirl, trying to connect the dots of me being at the shop and then here now, how did I get here?
I can't remember the last time that I fainted for no reason, I wasn't feeling dizzy or off so there's no way that's what happened. Plus, if he were just "taking care of me" then he probably would've taken me to a hospital.
I suppose I should be grateful I'm not there, they would identify me and my Father would find me immediately.
A stinging sensation from my neck brings me back to reality and I rub it gingerly while I stare at him. His eyes flicker, following my hand as I raise it to my neck. At this, my rage boils even hotter; he must've taken me.
He could know who I am, if he took me then the chances of that are high. But if he does know who I am, and likely the price on my head, then why hasn't he given me back by now? Or could my Father simply be coming to us, too worried to chance me escaping again?
"Where am I?" I question raggedly, my face forming into an angry glare. I must not look as intimidating as I thought, as his face is frozen at a patient smile and his grey eyes, though enticing, are stone cold. The shaking starts at my hands but soon travels to the rest of my body until I'm shaking like an angry cat cornered by a rabid dog. I allow my fists to curl into balls at my sides but his smile only seems to grow, it becomes more amused than anything. "I said, where the fuck am I?"
I jump up to my feet, though the height difference is blatantly clear despite him still sitting. You can just glance at him and know that I would have no chance of getting past him, based on size alone. I push myself back against the fence of the gazebo, keeping him in my eyeline as I try to figure out a way out of this or at least figure out where my bags are.
"Where's my shit?" I seethe to myself, though loudly enough to where he can hear me. My anger slowly grows more, burning into a ball of fire in my belly.
He quietly chuckles, watching as I ball my fists up again and rub them on my thighs angrily. Glaring at him, I take off into the opening of the gazebo and off into the small forest surrounding us.
The trees are tall and overwhelming, the tops of them boosting off into a million leaves and branches.
He's probably going to kill me, all people who kidnap someone and take them in the middle of a forest are serial killers.
I walk in circles for a while, seeing the same trees and bushes and rocks over and over again. Soon enough, my feet started hurting and my face burned from me rubbing my tears off.
Turning around, I head back to the gazebo. The structure is illuminated by lit-up candles hanging from the side of the roof. Despite me waking up here for some reason (obviously kidnapped), it's really gorgeous.
I make my way into it and sit in my previous spot, my eyes never leaving the mysterious man's. It didn't take long for my cheeks to get soaked with tears.
Embarrassed, I turn around and curl into a ball on the floor, crying myself to sleep.
Ace
I slowly get up from my spot on the bench, stretching. The sun is long gone, leaving a very dark night in its place.
I walk over to the emotional girl; she's asleep and has drool trailing from her chin, dripping onto the floor.
Reaching down, I pick her up and place her on my shoulder, her legs automatically curl around my waist.
"She's so angry and small, adorable," I mumble, rubbing her back as I walk towards the gate of the small forest. "I'm surprised she didn't find the way out."
Noah stands outside the gate, loyally waiting for me to get back. A smile graces his face as I come closer. "She tired herself out, sir?"
I walk past him, making my way up the steep hill toward my house.
"Yeah, she cried until she passed out, I'm glad. I didn't want her to break anything in the house," I smile down at her sleeping face, she looks so peaceful compared to how angry she was. She suddenly moves and burrows her face into my chest, her thumb following it and slipping into her mouth unconsciously.
"I'm assuming she gave you a good impression?" Noah questions quietly, looking at her with a soft smile.
"Hell no," I chuckle. "She gave me a terrible impression, but I do like her. She'd be gone by now if I didn't."
We finally made it to the house, the porch feeling nice under our feet compared to the rough ground. As we approach the doors, two maids open the doors, holding them as we walk in.
I walk through the house, proudly. I can't wait until she wakes up and I can show her the house; though, I know she'll probably have attitude and be freaked out. Finally, I make it up the stairs and to our rooms. Hers' is a couple of doors down and across the hall from mine, not as close as I'd like, but the closest I could get quickly.
The walls are pretty and are changeable if she wants to change them in the end. But right now, they're purple with a ton of white "glow-n-dark" butterflies scattered around. The floor is a black carpet, just in case of stains. Her bed is a decent size, in case she wants an animal or something, and it's in the back of the room; it's circular.
Honestly, she'll probably be weirded out since I know her name, but it'll be okay; we'll work through it. Walking quickly to the bed, I place her down and cover her up.
"I'm going to head to bed," I say to Noah as I leave the room. "I want an overnight guard beside her door all night,"
"I can stay sir," Noah volunteers.
"No, you sleep for a couple of hours and if you feel alright, you can take a half shift. Put Gregory on, he's fine," I tell Noah, he's been up since 6 am with me, doing crap all day. We were finally going to be free, but thankfully, Kaitlyn called about Constance.
"Are you sure?" Noah asks, a worried look on his face.
"Yeah, her windows are locked so he won't have to worry about that," I say, putting a hand on Noah's shoulder. "It'll be alright."
"Okay," Noah smiles at me. "Sleep well."
I smile back and turn, heading to my room. The door squeaks quietly as I pull it open.
The light flicks on as I press the button; I walk in and strip as I walk, throwing my clothes into the basket.
Today was stressful, I'm worried about tomorrow.
Making my way into the bathroom, I finish getting my clothes off and start the shower.
I've always felt an attraction to the girl, hidden in the shadows from when I went with my father to meetings with the Italian Mafia. There once was an alliance between the Nocturne Crest Mafia and the Italian Mafia, but Constance's father came in charge. His first act was to have our main shippers knocked out; it damaged our income significantly.
We would have meetings, constantly, trying to fix the relationship. We needed a way to get our new shippers started but we couldn't do that without their help; we couldn't afford a territory war.
The room is filled with steam, and the mirror is fogged. You can see a blurred version of me, really only like a filled-in outline.
I quickly hop in the shower, wanting to get the dirt of today off of my body. Blood mixes into the water and trails the floor into the drain, swirling. I stretch my shoulder to wash the wound, it's only a knife but it still hurts.
Constance was touching it by accident when I was carrying her.
It doesn't take long for me to wash my hair and body, and conditioner too. Drying off, I make my way to my bed and lay down; I'm ready to go to bed.
Constance
The smell of new sheets wakes me up, it's new. I open my eyes quickly to see that I'm in a different place, again.
"I'm tired of not knowing where I am," I mumble to myself as I look around the room; it's adorable. I stand up from the bed and walk over to the door with more butterflies. Grasping the handle, I pull it open and see an almost empty closet. There's another door to my left, and it's a bathroom.
The bathtub is white and there's a pink confetti carpet, it also has other colors; white, blue, purple, red, and green.
It's super cute.
I close the door behind me, just in case someone comes in, and I lock the door. The toilet is small, so I'm able to put my feet on the floor, thankfully.
Using the bathroom quickly, I wash my hands and leave the bathroom.
As I walk out, I see the man from earlier.
I take a deep breath.
"Good morning," he smiles.
"Oh," I say, a frown on my face. "Now you want to talk?"
"Yes, I do," He chuckles. "I'm assuming you're hungry? Come on."
He walks forward and leans down, picking me up and setting me on his waist. I pause in shock, then panic seeps in.
"Put me down! What's the matter with you?!" I squeal, kicking my feet a little.
"Shush, please," he says gently, softly smacking my bottom. I bite my tongue, he smiles at my reaction and continues to carry me down the stairs and to the kitchen. "Stay."
I watch as he moves around the kitchen, opening various cabinets and pulling some things out.
"Do you like pancakes?" He questions as he turns to look at me, his eyebrow raised. I stay silent, looking away from him with a frown. "I'm taking that as a yes, which may be wrong, but it's one of the only things I'm amazing at cooking."
I can't believe he smacked my butt. I wasn't even doing anything wrong! I wouldn't have complained if he had asked, I mean. He's hot. What can I say?
"Hmmm..." He mumbles, grabbing some syrup and bringing it to me. "Syrup, bunny?"
I blush, hard. Bunny? That's good, it's nice.
He smiles and pulls it away, pouring it over my pancakes.
"Eat it," He mumbles, cutting a piece off and holding it in front of my mouth. I blush and open my mouth, taking the piece and chewing it. I smile at the taste, it's sweet and refreshing. He smiles and cuts another piece and holds it up, we continue it until the plate is almost empty.
"Where am I?" I ask as he goes to wash our dishes. He places them in the sink and turns around, leaning on the counter island.
"You're at the home of Nocturne Crest," He grins, waiting for my reaction. My eyes widen and I start breathing fast. He gets worried, circles the counter, and rubs my back gently.
"You won't sell my back to my father, right? Please! I can't go back there," I cry softly.
"Hey, hey, where did you get that idea? Why would I do that?" He questions sincerely.
I sniffle and stay quiet, not wanting to say anything. Questions swirl around in my brain.
"Then, who are you?" I ask, looking up at him.
"Ace Avelli, next predecessor of Nocturne Crest," He says gently.
"Why am I here?" I look into his eyes, they're almost black in the sunlight. He smiles almost darkly, his arm slips around my hips and pulls me into him.
"I just saw you, lost, alone, gorgeous. I couldn't help myself," He mumbles, moving a piece of hair out of my eyes.
Our eyes lock and I freeze, stuck.
What am I getting into?