Thorns And Roses

Chapter Fourteen

Demi couldn't contain his excitement as he walked down Main Street of Authfield city. His sights and determination are set on finding a tie for Theo. After a lot of trial and error and a month-long of nothing but fighting and arguing, they finally stood on neutral ground.

He didn't have to go everywhere with Theo now and he was allowed outside on his own. Of course with bodyguards and a warning of his departure. Demi couldn't just go without doing either of those things.

Demi window-shopped a little as he walked down the sidewalk. Vincent and Victor were no more than five feet behind him. Demi had forgiven them a long time ago.

He came to a stop by a men's department store and walked in. The partons of the store eyed him up and down. Demi was starting to get used to the stares aimed his way.

It reminded Demi of what Theo told him the last time they were out together. That they were just admiring how beautiful and amazing Demi was. The reminder made him blush. Vincent and Victor followed close behind him, keeping an eye on everyone that came in and out of the store.

Demi went to the tie section, picking one up that was a solid dark blue color. There was one sitting beside it that was close to Demi's eye color. He picked that one up too. Comparing the two items in his hands. Which one would Theo like more?

"Can I help you, Sir?" Demi startled at the female voice beside him and he turned his head to look at the saleswoman who stood there. He gave her a shy smile as meeting new people was never his strong suit. She probably thought he was an Alpha anyways.

"Just picking out a tie for my mate." He mumbled to her. Demi's eyes went to the name tag on her vest, saying it in his head first before he said it out loud.

"Okay. Well, I can point you towards a cheaper brand if you would like." The sentence made Demi blush but not because 'Jessica' thought he was poor but because he remembered Theo's words before he left to go shopping.

"You better come back with so many bags of so much expensive shit that it makes me reconsider giving you my credit card." Those were Theo's exact words.

"Umm, no. That's okay. This will do just fine. Thank you though." And with that, Demi dismissed the women altogether. He didn't need her breathing down his back while he shopped anyways.

He set the dark blue tie down and picked up a blue that was lighter in color. Not like the other one he held, more like a sky blue. Would he even like blue? What if Theo wanted a different color other than blue? Like black or maybe even gold like his eye color instead of Demi's.

"What color do you guys think I should get?" He turned to stare at his two companions asking for their opinion on what tie he should get for their boss.

"He would like the one that matches your eyes." Vincent voiced but Victor disagreed.

"He would like that one but he would also like that black tie." Demi looked down at the tie that Victor was pointing to and picked it up. He examined it.

"Why not get both? I think the boss would like that better." Vincent had a point. Demi met the eyes of the saleswoman who hadn't moved more than three feet away from him and held up both ties.

"I would like to get these please." The woman gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and regraded Demi with almost a sneer on her face.

"These are a very exclusive brand, Sir. Only reserved for VIPs." Demi wanted to growl at her but instead, he took out his wallet and pulled out Theo's credit card. He showed her the name stamped into the bottom of it.

"Is Theodore Mateo one of your VIPs?" The shock that marred her face made Demi grin. She quickly covered it up with another smile before she told him to follow her to checkout.

Demi left that stupid store with both ties and a brand new wallet for Theo that he saw at the checkout line. Another VIP special. He rolled his eyes at how ridiculous it was. He shoved his wallet back in his pocket and turned to look at Vincent and Victor.

"Would you guys like to get some food?" They both gave him a nod and they set sail on finding a place to stop and eat. There were so many options it was hard to choose and Vincent and Victor had very different tastes in food.

As he stood on the sidewalk listening to them argue, his phone went off. Demi pulled it out of his pocket, smiling when he saw that it was Theo calling him. He hated to admit it but Demi was starting to fall for him.

"Hey, babydoll. How is your shopping trip going?" Demi blushed at the pet name as soon as he answered the call.

"It's going okay. Between the judgy salespeople and Vincent and Victor's differing tastes, I couldn't be better." He honestly told the other man as he continued to stare at the fighting duo.

"I'm sorry you're having such a hard time with the salespeople, baby. And there's not much to do with Vincent and Victor. Their twin brothers after all." Demi rolled his eyes again as the fight soon started to become a little physical. Meaning they were slapping and hitting each other.

"The salespeople aren't bad, especially when all I have to do is pull out your shiny credit card. After that, they give me whatever I want." He pulled the phone away from his mouth to scold the two brothers. "You two stop it right now. You're embarrassing me." Demi could hear a chuckle come from Theo on the other end.

He brought the phone back up to his mouth so he could finish talking to him. Ignoring the men that stood in the middle of the sidewalk fighting between Greek food or Italian food. Aren't they the same?

"I'll be okay. We're going to get something to eat, then we'll head back to the office. We should have dinner tonight, just the two of us." Demi said the last part quietly, so the two blockheads wouldn't hear him. He didn't want to endure their teasing.

"We should. Where would you like to go?" Theo asked. He sounded bored. Not with the conversation that he was having with Demi but just in general.

"Anywhere that isn't Greek or Italian. Which I thought were the same thing but apparently there not by the way Vincent and Victor are fighting." He paused to look at the two again and sighed. The slapping, which was all fun and games was quickly becoming a fistfight.

"Okay, baby. Once I get off of here, I'll call Vincent and tell them to stop fighting. Their there to protect you, not fight with each other." Demi could hear how over Theo was with his two bodyguards.

"Thabk you. I should get off of here so we can find a place to have lunch. I'm going to shop around for a little bit longer. Haven't maxed out your credit card yet." Another laugh was Demi's answer.

"I'm already regretting my choice of letting you use it." Theo softly growled, sending a shiver down Demi's spine. The dominant dragon liked it when he acted a little bratty.

"I didn't say you had to give me your card. You're the one that just handed it over." As Demi looked up to see what Vincent and Victor were doing, a different type of shiver went through him. A shudder of pure unadulterated fear. His eyes scanned the area around him but didn't seem to find anything out of place.

"You okay, baby? You stopped talking to me." Demi barely paid attention to Theo as his eyes looked behind him. He didn't realize that they stood right in front of an alleyway. A very dark and suspicious alleyway.

"Yea-." He was cut off as a rag-covered hand came to wrap around his mouth and one around his stomach. The limbs came straight from the black pits of the alley. Demi dropped the phone in his struggle to escape, his eyes trying to catch either Vincent's or Victor's. Neither of them was looking at him.

The scream he let out was muffled as he breathed in the sweet scent of chloroform that drenched the rag covering his mouth and nose. He fell into the body that was holding him. Demi tilted his head back to see the face of his capture but his eyes were too foggy to make out a clear picture.

"Struggle all you want. Your Alpha can't save you now."