Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.

Leilani.

Morning came faster than I would have liked and I can tell you for free that I wasn’t so pleased when I rolled out of bed only to remember that the first thing that I had to do was meet with Darius today.

Darius of all people.

The thought of the meeting—even though it was my idea— filled me with apprehension and in annoyance, I grumbled under my breath as I peeled the soft blankets off my body. With a stretch, I dragged my lazy feet into the bathroom, cleaned up in about twenty minutes max and walked out with my hair dry, my undies worn and my heart still thumping fast against my chest.

It was that bad.

However, I hated that I was this paranoid. That I was this worried. I hated that a little voice at the back of my head kept reminding me of Darius’ psychic abilities, and for the first time in my life, I feared that he would be able to see through me. That he would sense my lie from a mile away and destroy me for it.

"He won’t." My wolf snarled, snapping me back to focus, and even though I didn’t fully believe her, I let her words settle in my mind until it grew wings of its own.

My body still trembled as I slowly draped on my clothes for the day which was a cashmere beige blouse, a brown pencil skirt that stopped mid thigh and a jacket matching the skirt.

I finished the look by wearing my brown pair of Louboutins, and after styling my hair into the highest possible ponytail, pulling every strand of hair away from my face, I stepped out of my room and stopped in my tracks when... I found the triplets waiting by the door.

"Oh," I gasped in surprise— maybe a mini shock, my eyes roving lazily along their lean bodies.

They were all leaning against the wall facing my door with their eyes dragging along the length of my body as if to take in my full fit.

The heat in their gazes made my body go warm in places it shouldn’t experience any kind of warmth and lowering my gaze, I drawled;

"How do I look?"

Kael gulped. Caelum lowered his head and Zevran smiled.

"You look fantastic."

I smiled.

I wanted to ask them why they were waiting by my doorstep by this time of the day. I wanted to know the thoughts flying across their heads as they stared at me like I was some sort of eye candy. But looking at them... like this... with their tank tops hugging every inch of their well toned bodies, I could not force out the words so I settled for a grunt.

"Be careful." That was Caelum. His voice seeped into the haze clouding my mind, jolting me out of my thoughts.

I smiled sheepishly at him and nodded because for some reason, my throat was still tight. My eyes still wouldn’t peel away from their skins and my body was heating up... quickly at that.

Suddenly, Kael stepped forward to press something against my jacket’s breast pocket. My eyes snapped open at the sudden contact only to thin when I noticed the tiny black device now resting on top of the material like it was a part of it.

I frowned.

"What is that?"

"A tracker." He answered. He was straightforward without a hint of hesitation in his tone and with his eyes darting downward to take a look at the device, as if admiring his creation, he added; "just in case."

I tilted my head to the side. "Just in case what?"

"Just in case things go south. Just in case Darius decides to act funny. I want to be able to locate you with ease."

The sincerity in his tone made my throat close up even tighter. Tears for no reason, burned at the corners of my eyes, but blinking them back, I closed my eyes, went on my tippy toes and did something I never should’ve done...

I kissed him on the lips.

And goddess, as soon as my body pressed against his, I felt him stiffen. However, just as he started to lean into the kiss, I moved away, pressed my lips to Zevran’s and Caelum’s lips, and then I strutted away before my knees could buck.

As I walked away, I felt their eyes— sharp and unrelenting— drilling holes into my back. But I did not stop because I knew that if I did, then I wouldn’t be able to take my hands off them.

Which would be a disaster considering the fact that I was going to Darius.

Darius who could sniff people from a thousand miles away.

—

The soft click clacks of my heels as they hit the stone floor were the only thing that kept me going. It echoed like the sound of doom, reminding me of how eerily quiet and dangerous this parking lot was. But I didn’t let my fear show on my face.

My hands were balled into fists, pressed tightly to my sides as I walked over to the navy blue Ferrari parked at the extreme end of the lot— Darius’ car.

The car’s headlights were on, and I was sure as hell that he could see me because it soon began to blast its horns over and over again as if in a rhythm with my footsteps; and when I arrived at the spot where the car was parked, he was already standing outside with his arms crossed over his chest and his back leaning lazily against it.

Something about his overall look made my heart flip in my chest. He looked like a predator waiting for its prey— me. However, his posture was so lazy it made his intimidating aura feel even more dreary. And then he smiled.

A real blinding smile.

"Leilani!"

His voice was light, too light, it almost sounded like he was excited to see me, and for a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder how different life between us would have been if he wasn’t so greedy and evil and everything else in between.

His eyes found mine and held with an intensity that made my knees buckle. I drawled;

"Darius."

"Yes, my lady." He answered softly— too softly. I turned away. But as soon as I glanced away from him, he clipped his finger under my chin and lifted my head to meet his gaze.

"You asked to see me," he drawled, his warm breath fanning my face, "so I’d appreciate it if you would look at me."

I wanted to respond but for some reason, the words wouldn’t form. They died in my throat, making my chest feel tighter. So I found myself looking into his eyes, getting drawn into the unique purple swirls that were his eyes.

They were mesmerizing... almost hypnotic.

I rasped; "Yes, I wanted to see you."

My response made him smile at me and with his fingers trailing soft lines along my chin, he asked; "Why?"

But I didn’t answer right away. I wanted to appear conflicted... like I was turning over my request in my head over and over again even though I had it all planned out.

A moment of silence settled between us before he finally leaned down to press a kiss to my chin, and with his voice so soft and so quiet, he drawled;

"You can ask me anything, Leilani... anything at all."

That was my window. My opportunity.

I looked up at him with a look of feigned frustration plus resignation, and then I whispered;

"Marry me."

He froze. I was also shocked by my request. Mind you, I had planned this out from the get go.

"Leilani—?" He began to speak but I quickly pressed my index finger against his lips and shook my head, stunning him further.

"I want you to marry me," I continued, my voice louder. Sharper. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

I saw the moment those words hit and goddess I was not ready for the blinding smile that immediately appeared on his face.

He drew back from me to study my face for a second, and just when I had begun to think that he could see through me, that my facade had been exposed, he pulled me into a bone-shattering hug, pressed his lips to the top of my head and sighed;

"Yes!"

I was stunned. He agreed too quickly. "Yes, I will marry you! It would be my honor!"