A Bride Worth Billions

by Morgan, Tiffany

  She was here yesterday, and just like any ordinary day, she had lamented on how her days in the cafe had become tiresome. And she remembered Kara giving her a few minutes off the counter because she was slacking off. That’s when she went out through the back door and started getting dizzy.

  “You don’t look well Leila. Are you okay?”

  Yes, she wasn’t feeling any better. The headache was giving her difficulty in focusing on whatever Kara was saying. She was drifting somewhere, somehow, like a strong pull was weakening her, which was the same feeling she had with that one good looking but mysterious customer.

  “You high on something?” There was a hint of irritation on Kara’s voice.

  “What? No! It’s just.. I don’t remember being away for five days from work. In fact, all I know is I was here yesterday and had to take a few minutes off the counter because my head was hurting.”

  “Oh no. I didn’t think you were this far into drugs and stuff.”

  “Will you stop saying that? No one is a druggie here, okay? Not you and definitely not me.” Drug related topics get on her nerves like a mosquito bite.

  “Fine. But you owe me an explanation. Over lunch. Your treat.”

  “Ah! Aren’t we a pep talker?”

  “It’s a deal and I don’t take no for an answer.”

  Both of them returned to the working area and worked in their own working station. The day went well as far as the cash register was concerned, however, Leila started feeling dizzy again. She had to stop wiping the table when the now familiar pull of an invisible force had her feet a little wobbly again.

  She leaned on the table for support as she looked outside through the glass walls. It was already dark outside, the windows on the office buildings across the street had one by one grew dark since the working hours had ended. The sight outside and the thought of going home to her comfortable bed lessened her dizziness.

  Looking around, the shop was tidy and clean, and now the time for her to lock up and head back to her apartment. She had gathered her things and went for the door when it swung open and a man in a business suit went in.

  “Please come back tomorrow. We’re closed.”

  Leila backed away a little after she realized who the man was, and there’s that familiar pull again. The headache was gone but she was still light-headed. Her hands went cold while thinking of the possibilities of being alone with a stranger and the grave consequences from any action she would take.

  “Leila.” He whispered her name.

  The moment she heard his voice, gruff but sensual, she felt weak and tired. Her thoughts had become clouded she could no longer comprehend what was happening and what was about to happen. She just stood there and gazed at him, helpless and entranced.

  “I mean you no harm. Listen to what I have to say.”

  His eyes glittered as it reflected the street lights. He moved closer while Leila stood motionless at the edge of the counter. There was a part within her that was screaming to her to run away but it was just a small part, not enough to keep her up and on guard.

  “My name is Vincent. And I’m here to help you.” He walked closer towards her and he could easily see how far the spell had affected her. She needed help, fast.

  That little voice in Leila’s mind had been screaming to her to run away but she couldn’t move. As he moved a little closer, she felt weaker and more tired, barely standing up. Her eyelids were dropping, getting too drowsy by the minute. Then, she collapsed in his arms.

  Her skin felt the softness of the satin silk wrapped around her while the delicate breeze of the morning air brushed away her sleepiness. Leila stirred a bit to look for a better position since she plan on sleeping some more, but a low humming of an instrument she couldn’t figure out in her light slumber was keeping her alert and her eyes opened in an instant.

  She came in contact with a closed wooden door which looked heavy judging from the large hinges that kept it attached to the wall. On her right was a couch, two single cushioned seater and a glass table. There was a glass of water on top of it. On the other side was a huge built in closet and a dresser with an almost life-size mirror. Then there’s this door which she guessed was for the bathroom.

  But this wasn’t her room. Definitely not! She didn’t have that much luxury on her small apartment located in one of the less populated and productive blocks in San Francisco. Her place is full of people just like her, living everyday on whatever they had left from yesterday’s budget, which was meant to last until the next payout.

  Leila jumped out of the bed, worry and confusion started to sink in. She had so many questions on her mind, but she needed to get out of the place before anyone else finds her. Seeing that there was no one on the other side of the door, she walked tiptoed on a long stretch of marbled floor before taking a hesitant turn. It leads her to a huge hall which had nothing but big stained glass windows, the ones she usually see in horror films. A vampire’s lair? The question popped in her head. But, she didn’t believe in the supernatural world, however the idea horrified her.

  Footsteps echoed through the hall and Leila dreaded the idea of what will become of her if she was found out. She quickly searched the room and luckily found a regular sized exit door discreetly placed behind on one of the gigantic ornaments at the back of the hall. When the knob turned she pushed the door with all her might but she need not to since it swang open the moment her hands touched it. The excess force she had put on the door made her dive outside and landed on a hard-toned muscled chest. Strong arms held her close to prevent her fall and she held her breath when she saw who it was. His blue eyes, ever so enticing and captivating were starring at her with concern while his arms tightened a bit to keep her secure in his hold.

  Leila felt the invisible pull again making her wobbly and dizzy, the same feeling she always had whenever he was around. No! He may be a vampire, the same vampire ready to suck on her blood. Om my God! She used what was left of her strength and pushed against his chest as hard as she could. Surprisingly, he let her go without her giving her a hard time.

  Once on her own feet, she staggered and nearly fell but he caught her again. His touch made her ill to a point her vision was blurry and she started seeing black spots. Oh no! She was slipping to oblivion again, just like what happened last night. Last night? Yes, this man was with her on the cafe before she lost consciousness.

  “Let go! Let me go!” She wriggled her arms to free herself.

  But he didn’t let go. Instead he scooped her up and went inside the mansion through a different door. Leila wanted to break free from his firm hold but she was getting weaker the more she struggled, and now her head was throbbing pretty bad.

  “Relax Leila. You’ll drain yourself more if you struggle.” He whispered softly.

  And she did. She needed to regain her strength if she wanted to escape. Closing her eyes, she leaned on his shoulders and listened to the fast beating of his heart. He has a heartbeat? It means his alive. A sigh of relief came out knowing he was not vampire but a human with a beating heart. But this knowledge didn’t grant her safety.

  He gently placed her down on the soft bed, the same one she had awoken from. After a few minutes, Leila opened her eyes and saw two other people inside the room aside from them. One was a man about the same age as Vincent, with a dark brown hair and light blue eyes. He was of similar built but Vincent looked bigger. The other was a woman with long reddish curls and light blue eyes. She wore a tight leathery jumpsuit, a red lipstick and a beautiful smile.

  “She’s getting weak.” Vincent turned to them.

  “The Mistress is preparing the detoxification spell for her. It should be ready within the day.” The woman answered.

  “Hi Leila. I’m Therese. This is Kyle, my brother and you probably know Vincent.” She winked with a flirtatious smile.

  Her light aura was contagious and Leila smiled back. She tried to sit up but f she was far too weak to move, she collapsed back on the bed.

 
; “Easy now. You don’t want to totally drain yourself that way.” Vincent helped her settle back.

  “What’s going on? Why am I here? Who are you.. Why do you know me?” She finally had the right thoughts together.

  “Last night, I said you are under a spell, something that shouldn’t be brought upon you. Damn it!”

  Vincent clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. A different glint had appeared on his eyes and made him look dangerous and frightening. Leila’s eyes grew wide when she saw two of his lower teeth grew in what looked like fangs. Oh no!

  “Vincent! Not here, not while Leila is here.” Kyle tapped his shoulder’s to calm him down.

  He relaxed and his features looked normal again. He looked at her and Leila held up her breath. A werewolf? No way! She gave one frightened look before she dozed off.

  It was already dark outside when she woke up. The room was lit only by a night lamp beside her bed. She blinked a couple of times to adjust her vision and she saw Vincent seated on a grand chair at the foot of her bed. He was staring at her with an expression she had not seen before.

  Leila got up and was glad she wasn’t as dizzy as she had been this morning, though she still felt light-headed. Vincent was right by her side in an instant.

  “How are you feeling?” He asked, his voice laced with concern.

  “I little better I guess.” She answered with a hoarse voice.

  Vincent handed her a glass of water and she gladly gulped down the content and emptied it right away. She didn’t realize she was this thirsty. She leaned back against the headboard and looked at him.

  “Now, can you tell me what’s going on?” She asked calmly even though she was shaking underneath the satin covers.

  “Allow me to apologize for everything. If I hadn’t imprinted on you that day, none of this would have happened.” He looked really sad and a bit angry.

  “Imprinted?”

  “Yes. It’s a werewolf thing. Once we imprint on someone, we are bound to protect and love that person for as long as we live.”

  She just stared at him not fully comprehending what he was saying.

  “Believe it or not, werewolves exist and they live among us. We live in packs and function just like an ordinary human would. My father is the current Alpha and I’m in line to succeed the title when his no longer able to protect the pack.”

  He paused and watched how she would react. But Leila remained motionless, just staring at him. She blinked once urging him to continue.

  “From time to time, rivalry occurs between packs. It usually happens when another pack intrudes into the territory of another. Or when a successor imprints on his mate.”

  “So, you imprinted on me, should protect me from other werewolves and I’m your.. Mate?”

  “Yes.” He answered with a strained voice.

  Leila pondered on it for a minute before smiling, which turned into a giggle. Why was she giggling? She didn’t have a clue. It just felt right to laugh it off, like how Kara would when faced with a situation that was ridiculously absurd. The best prank she’d ever heard in her twenty four years of life.

  “That’s a reaction I wasn’t expecting.” He smiled, amused.

  “This is crazy. I’m I on a TV show or something? Let’s see...”

  Leila looked around for possible hidden camera. Maybe it’s on the huge cabinet, or the ceiling above her perhaps. She looked up at the white ceiling and saw nothing. She tapped the wall behind her hoping that there were people working behind the scenes as they edit the videos for public viewing.

  When she didn’t find anything notable or unusual she looked up at Vincent.

  “This has got to be a prank, right?” Tears had started to swell from her eyes.

  It should be. There was no other logical explanation to all of it. She didn’t believe in the supernatural at all, it’s non-existent. No, it can’t be true. But how would she explain the sudden changes Vincent had earlier. The change in his aura, the glint in his eyes, the fangs? Were they actually real? It can’t be.

  “You’re kidding right? Is it Kara? She’s behind all of this, isn’t she?”

  She grew scared now that there really was a possibility that everything was true. No! Leila got off the bed to run away but she collapsed upon the first step. Everything around her was spinning, her head ached so much it felt like it was about to explode.

  “No! Don’t touch me!” She pushed his hand away.

  “Leila..” He whispered.

  “Did you drug me? Why am I feeling sick all the time whenever you’re around?”

  She sat on the floor with her head in between her knees. She wanted to pull her hair out because her head felt like it was being split in half. Leila wailed in so much pain.

  “What’s wrong with me?” She asked while hitting her own head.

  “Stop it!”

  Vincent grabbed her hands and pulled her up. He had to help her get up and lie on the bed.

  “Leila, stay with me. You can’t doze off. Not this time.” He said with urgency.

  But Leila was limp and sore. Even a small movement from her finger was laborious, and she was grasping for air. It felt like she was dying. And she was about to succumb to the darkness again when she heard Vincent shout her name.

  Vincent held her close to him, almost panicking as the color in Leila disappeared.

  “No! I’m not going to let you go.”

  Leila was dying right before him and the detoxifying spell wasn’t ready. If he does nothing right away, he will loose her. And although it was forbidden, he could only think of one solution. There is no guarantee that he could successfully do it because if looses control it would kill Leila instantly, but he just got to give it a try.

  He leaned down to kiss her. Her lips were dry against his but it was soft and intoxicating. He parted her lips with his own and shared his life force with her. The warmth of his body glowed a bit and flowed into her own. The color on her cheeks returned and the energy flowed all over her. He could already feel the warmth of her skin and he was tempted to give her more.

  Leila felt it too. She felt the firm but soft lips against her, the energy oozing out from him and the life that came with it. She saw memories of his family, his friends, of her. The thoughts he had about her when he bought coffee. When he took care of her for days when she was unable to get up on her own , when she was too weak to remember everything he did for her in a short span of time.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at him. The kiss had ended but she could still feel his lips on hers.

  “So it’s true.”

  He smiled at her knowing exactly what she was referring to. Kara was telling her the truth . She didn’t show up at work for five days because she was unconscious and Vincent was with her the entire time. He cared for her and protected her though she didn’t remember.

  “Vincent..” She whispered his name with cry.

  He pulled her again for another kiss. This time it wasn’t for the sake of giving her a part of his life, he was kissing her.

  Leila kissed back. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder, asking for more and he happily obliged. She melted in his arms as the kiss went deeper. Her cheeks were flushed with desire, her skin felt like it was burning due to the inexplicable sensation running all over her system. She groaned when his tongue was seeking for hers.

  A subtle jolt of electricity sting her with pleasure as Vincent ran his hand up and down her back. It made her arch her body demanding for more of his touch.

  “I want you, Leila.” He whispered in her ear before biting it.

  It made her groan again and she fell on the bed. Vincent was on top of her while cupping her face with his big hands. His stare was that of a man full of desire for the woman he so adore, the sight made her look at him dreamily.

  He kissed her again but this time with force, demanding for her not to refuse him. His hand slipped under the seam of her shirt and rubbed his thumbed on her belly. The sensation his touch b
rought to her made her grasp and she continued to do so as his hand reached further up.

  “I’ve often dream of this, with you in my room, making love to you on my bed.” He murmured at her neck. “But I never imagined I’d get drunk by your scent. You’re making me loose control.”

  “Go on.” She urged him.

  He was about to pull her shirt up when someone called out Vincent’s name followed by a knock on the door.

  “Vincent, the Mistress is here.”

  Vincent sighed before rolling off her.

  Leila basked under the morning sun on a secluded beach which was part of the many estates Vincent’s pack owned. He was rich and known for his craftsmanship in architecture and design. She had no idea they existed or how much power and control they had over their subordinates, until the most recent events.