The Devil's Lover: The Wish (3 page)

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The limousine slowly approached the
driveway and parked at the entrance of the hotel. The driver slid
out of his seat, making his way around the car and opening the door
for her.

"We're here, Miss," the driver said
with a polite bow. He offered a hand and guided her out of the
vehicle. As soon as she was safely standing on the crimson carpet,
he returned to his driver's seat and drove away.

Many reporters and paparazzi were
crowding the sides of the entrance. They gathered every year to
catch a glimpse of the children of the rich and famous that
attended the prestigious school. It was quite uncomfortable walking
down the path, and the crowd murmured with indiscreet whispers
asking which famous parents were hers.

Before her grandmother passed away,
she had arranged for her to enroll in this school with the tuition
paid in full. Her grandmother’s connections were a mystery to Kali,
because they weren’t rich and definitely were not famous. What
confused her even more was her grandmother’s animosity; she had
never seemed to care for her only grandchild. They barely spoke to
each other unless it was a necessity. Still, enrolling Kali in this
prestigious school was the one nice thing her grandmother had ever
done for her. She supposed her grandmother can't possibly hate her
as much as she seemed.

She would be lying if she said felt
like she belongs here. It was quite difficult to think that way
with the constant looks that told her she shouldn’t be here. It
didn’t matter anyways. She graduated in only two more years, and
she was looking forward to it.

She felt a light tap on her shoulder
and turned around. Hana wore a deep sapphire gown that was quite
tight in the bodice, but the color brought out her brown eyes
perfectly. Her hair was curled with studded with tiny diamonds
among the brown curls.

"That dress fits you better than I had
hoped," Hana gave her a hug.

"I didn't realize we wore the same
size," Kali replied. "Hana, your gown matches your eyes
beautifully.”

Hana's attention returned to her gown.
"Do you love it? Papa had it imported and tailored for me. Come
on," Hana grabbed Kali's hand and to lead her through the crowd, "I
want you to meet somebody.”

"Who?"

As they passed through the swarms of
students, Kali noticed the grandeur of the interior. The ceilings
were very high, domed, and painted with puffy clouds and naked
cherubs. In the center of the dome’s ceiling hung a massive crystal
chandelier. Rich scents drifted through the air, the perfumes of
the other girls’ lingering to mix in an invisible fog of
scent.

Suddenly, her attention was diverted
to a tall young man standing in the back of the room. His eyes were
noticeably and unabashedly fixed on her. He had on a very thick
pair of glasses, but she could tell that his eyes were a beautiful
pale blue. She had a strange feeling that she had met him before,
but she could not recall specifics.

“
Who is he?” Kali tugged
on Hana’s hand to stop the girl. 

“
Who?” Hana followed
Kali’s gaze to the raven-haired man. “What are you talking about?
That’s just Lucien. He’s been in our class since the beginning of
school year.”

“
Are you sure he’s not a
transfer student?” Kali stole another glance at him. “I don’t
remember him being in our class at all.”

“
Well, I can’t blame you.
He practically blends in with the background. If it wasn’t for his
height, I wouldn’t have noticed him either.”

"Are you sure we're seeing the same
person?” she could not see the person Hana was describing in the
handsome young man before her. "I don't think I can forget a face
like that.”

"You're right. I don’t think we’re
seeing the same person,” Hana resumed tugging on Kali's hand.
“Either way, he’s not important.”  

Perhaps she had been neglecting her
social life. She couldn’t even remember a classmate who had been in
her class for the entire year. She stole another glance at him and
this time, she caught a haughty smirk from the corner of his lips.
She quickly turned around and resumed her composure.

"His name is Velox," Hana introduced a
tall, good-looking man with light brown hair. "He's Papa's
associate's son. It was a last minute sort of thing.”

"Hello," he took her hand and kissed
it in a polite gesture, "you must be the Kali Hana’s talked about
so often.”

"Yes, how do you do?” her attention
was still distracted by the young man from earlier. She could see
him from the corner of her eyes. There was something about Lucien
that was both familiar and intimidating at the same time. She was
sure they had never met, or if they had, it hadn’t been in a
classroom. With an aura like that, she would remember. Without a
doubt. 

"You’re staring, again," Hana
whispered, shaking Kali by the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, what were we talking
about?"

"Never mind," Hana wrapped her arm
around her date. "Velox and I are going to dance. You should get
something to eat.”

It wasn't a bad idea. She hadn't eaten
anything since she’d arrived home. As she made her way to the
buffet table, she noticed everyone's attention was pulled to the
tall young man dressed stylishly for the occasion. He had a
charisma that seemed to stir up the crowd. They could only stare
and admire his jet black hair and amber eye, which appeared almost
golden. As her eyes moved up to his face, she nearly choked on her
drink.

She hadn’t even recognized him! The
sky must have fallen, because that's what it takes to get him into
a suit, she thought. The crowd slowly and steadily moved aside to
make way for him.

"You look really good, Chevalier," she
complimented him as he stopped before her.

“
You noticed that just
now?” he laughed softly.

"You are also conceited," she
playfully pushed him back.

He took her hand in his, his other arm
wrapping around her waist. He led her onto the dance floor. "Just
follow my lead.”

"You didn't have to come.”

"I didn’t want to let you go alone,"
he confessed.

"I would have gone home, anyways,"
Kali gestured toward Hana and her date.

"I'll be your ride home, then," he
said as he pulled her closer, "right after this dance.”

“
I’m glad,” she said. Her
smiling eyes looked up at him. “You’ve been avoiding me for the
past couple of years, even though I live in your house. I thought
you didn’t care about me anymore.”

“
I wasn’t avoiding you,”
he denied. “I’ve been so busy working. We’ve never had to chance to
talk much.”

“
Don’t lie to me,
Chevalier,” she accused. “You have been acting distant for years
now. When I still lived with my grandmother, you visited less and
less frequently. I thought you were busy, but ever since I moved in
with you, you’ve been acting strange. I’m actually surprised that
you even touch me now.”

He frowned. “I don’t like your
accusations.”

“
They’re not accusations,
and you know it,” Kali sighed. “I don’t know what I’ve done to
upset you. But… it feels nice.”

"What does?"

"Even though you distance yourself,
you always look out for me,” she smiled. "It makes me want to get
into more trouble.”

He looked uncomfortable at her
compliment. "Kali, I…"

"Kali, may I borrow your partner?”
Hana interrupted. "You don’t mind, do you?"

Kali looked up for Chevalier's
permission. His face was visibly red from embarrassment. "I don’t
mind,” she backed away to let Hana sidle up to
Chevalier.

As Chevalier and Hana danced to the
next song, Kali slipped out onto the balcony. She could breathe
easier when she wasn’t surrounded by prying eyes. Taking in a
satisfying breath, she noticed the beautiful full moon on the
cloudless sky. It seemed so much closer to her than usual, and
there weren't any stars in the sky that could outshine
it.

"Who is it?” she immediately spun
around, convinced someone was approaching. He stood only a few feet
away. His raven black hair blended in with the cloudless night, and
he wasn’t wearing his glasses anymore. She could see his eyes very
clearly now; they were intense, almost mesmerizing. Her eyes
usually trailed to different parts of the face to the most
noticeable features, whether it was uneven skin tone or slightly
larger nose. She didn’t find herself doing that with him. His face
was perfectly balanced and harmonious. Her eyes could not see a
single flaw. She caught herself staring and diverted her
eyes.

He approached her casually, and
wrapped his arm around her dainty waist. His other hand reached for
hers, and strangely she didn’t pull away. They began to move with
the rhythm of the entrancing music.

"Do I know you?” she asked shyly, her
voice soft.

"In time, you will,” he said. Even his
voice was pleasant to the ear. It was smooth, cool, and lacked the
deep vibration she found annoying in most men. However, his
confidence was nothing short of Chevalier's. In fact, it was even
more so. Maybe all good looking men have a conceit about them
because of how effortless they attract women. It seemed to Kali
such men should be avoided at all cost.

She felt the impulse to push him away;
but when she did, it was awkward to explain.

"The song ended..,” she mumbled
lamely. Fortunately for her, the song had ended at just the right
time. Something else distracted her. The right strap that was
holding her dress up was straining her shoulder, and with a pop,
suddenly snapped. The heavy materials of her dress suddenly
dropped, weighing it down. As it fell, it exposed her full
breast.

She let out a shriek, automatically
pulling her dress to cover her chest. She looked up to meet his
eyes and felt a wave of heat rose to her face. She was going to die
of embarrassment!

"Kali!" Chevalier yelled out her name
as he ran toward the balcony. She ran into him as she darted
through the door into the ballroom. Her eyes were shiny with tears.
He held her by the shoulders.

 
"Kali, what's
wrong?"

His eyes immediately noticed her hands
holding up her dress. It was enough to make his blood boil. He
rushed out to the balcony.

"What did you do to her?” he shouted
at Lucien, rage glittering in his eyes.

She held him back before he could
physical launched himself at the suspicious-looking man. "No,
Chevalier, he didn't do anything!"

He turned to question her. "Then
why…"

"The strap broke..,” she said, her
voice half-choked by sobs. 

He took off his jacket and placed it
over her shoulders. "The strap?” his anger quickly dissipated.
"Come on, let’s get you home. My motorcycle is parked just
outside.”

A gentle breeze passed through
Lucien’s raven black hair as it suddenly bleached to
platinum.

"Soren," he demanded an
answer.

"I am not responsible, my lord," a
voice replied to him from darkness beyond the balcony.

Chapter 3: The Way It
Never Was

She was haunted by last night’s scene
repeating over and over in her head. Kali had never felt more
embarrassed or exposed in her entire life. Fortunately, it hadn’t
happened in front of a crowd of people, but still, he saw! She had
walked by him today in the hallway and had wanted to crawl into a
hole and die.

“
You're acting strange,"
Chevalier said as he parked in front of the school. "You’re distant
and your face keeps flushing. Is there something you want to talk
about?"

She shook her head and climbed onto
the back of his motorcycle.

"It's nothing," she said.

He could tell she was lying. "Is it
because of what happened that night?"

"No!" she retorted, too
loudly. 

She was definitely lying. He shouldn't
have believed her when she held him back and said her strap broke.
He should have just beaten the shit out of that bastard just
because he’d looked shady. He couldn't figure out what she was
trying to hide if Lucien hadn’t done something to her.

"Actually," she said as he handed her
a helmet, "there is something I need to talk to you
about.”

She had his full attention.

"Hana has been obsessed with you since
the ball. The girl can't stop talking about you and she asked me if
I would…”

"That's a definite ‘no,’" he cut in
right away. Chevalier knew all too well what she wanted to
request.

"If you're going to continue to go out
with random women, one of them might as well be her.”

"I'm a twenty-two years old man. I’m
not going to date some fifteen year old girl. Besides, she falls
short of my expectations," he made a curved shape with both of his
hands, "...like this.”

Curves.

She found herself wrapping her arms
defensively around her breasts.