DESTINED, jasper hale [book 01] ✓

i. a strange man and woman

•─────────•°•❀•°•─────────•

𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃

❀ 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦: 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯

•─────────•°•❀•°•─────────•

𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞

     KAYA WATCHES AS A young girl — barely appearing to be in her second decade — walks past, eyes a vibrant ruby red in lustre, and skin as pale as snow. The dark haired woman smiles down at Kaya, lips parting to reveal slightly elongated teeth, and continues on her way. Kaya returns the smile without hesitation. Then she watches as the girl's gaze turns to a young man across the street, his eyes as red as the girl's, and his skin just as pale, but his hair a beautiful honey blond. He appears to be in pain, and, somehow, Kaya knows that it's not a normal pain.

     "Kaya Salvatore!" a woman screeches, causing Kaya flinch from her thoughts, and the two odd strangers turn their gaze to her. "Where are you? You were meant to be home over two hours ago, girl!"

     Kaya picks up her skirts and runs into the crowd, away from her mother, feeling the heavy gaze of the man following her. Making a sharp turn into a small alley, Kaya presses herself against the warm wood of a small house, chest rising and falling in exertion. Too caught up in trying to regain regulated breathing, she doesn't notice the man in the small space until his hands grip her wrists tightly and pin them against the wood. Instantly, every muscle in her body freezes and her terrified eyes meet his haze covered eyes.

     He's been drinking.

     The instant his right hand releases her wrist and his fingers brush against her lower abdomen, Kaya begins to tremble — unable to form a coherent thought or move in her state of terror. Fear pulses in her body as he begins to raise her dress, his skin brushing against the stockings covering the scarred skin of her left thigh. All she can do is turn her head to the side and let a few tears drop from her eyes as he rips the flimsy material, his rough skin running over her soft flesh. The contact makes her jerk, and that drives him to release her wrist and move his hand to Kaya's throat, a bruising force holding her against the wall.

     He leers down at her with lustful eyes of an indiscernible colour, and slowly trails his fingers down the bodice of her dress as his other hand dances across her lower abdomen underneath her dress. "Such a pretty little thing. I'm having such luck today."

     Kaya whimpers as he begins to untie her dress.

     "How about it, pretty? Want to have some fun?"

     She shakes her head. "No. Please, sir, stop. I have to get home to my husband."

     "You're too young to be married, pretty. Why lie when you can have some fun?"

     "Stop. Please, sir! I beg of you! I must get home."

     The drunken man presses himself against Kaya, pinning her to the wooden wall of the house, and she knows that there is no chance of escaping this. The ripped material of her stockings has given way on both legs, and now the rough material of his pants scrapes against her skin, making her flinch further back onto the wall. Before his hand moves between her legs, he is torn off of her and thrown against the wall across from her. 

     Kaya's knees become week and Ishe falls to the hard ground. Instead of hitting the earth, a rock solid body of ice is in its place. Looking up, she sees the honey blond from the street — his eyes almost pitch black in colour now — glaring at the man across from them. Following his gaze, Kaya sees that the young woman from before is holding the man against the wall by his throat, a sound like a vicious snarl leaving her parted pale lips. A moment later, a sharp snap sounds and she drops the man to the ground, his head lolling to the side.

     Turning back to the others, she kneels down, pushing Kaya's hair out of her face. "Are you alright, child?"

     Weakly, she nods.

     "He didn't hurt you, did he?" Her musical, accented voice soothes Kaya, but she feels as though there is more at play in this instance.

     Kaya shakes her head, sitting up. The male's hands don't leave her body, holding Kaya gently as she sways slightly once upright. Even then, once she's fine, he only drops one hand and keeps her in place with his right hand gripping onto her left arm, the cold radiating from his being making her shiver slightly. Right then and there, Kaya knows that because she witnessed the other girl killing that man, Kaya might not leave this alley alive.

     Fear pulses inside Kaya once again, and the man beside her flinches, causing the woman to look over at him. "What is the matter?"

     "She's scared of us," the man says, his voice making Kaya shiver. She's never heard such a deep voice in her life, and it makes her feel strange. "She believes we are going to kill her because she saw you kill him."

     Her red eyes turn to Kaya, and she smiles softly. "I am not going to kill you, child. However, there is something I require of you."

     Kaya relaxes at her first words, but tension returns to her body once the last leaves the pale girls' lips. "What is it you want?"

     "First, I'd like your name. I'm Maria, and this is Jasper."

     "Kaya. Kaya Salvatore."

     Jasper smiles slightly at Kaya, but pain shines in his coal black eyes. He knows what Maria is planning, but he has no way of stopping the young woman from getting what she wants. The pain in his eyes is also indicative of something else — something darker and more dangerous than anything Kaya have seen in this war stricken country.

     "Kaya, how old are you?" Maria questions, drawing Kaya's attention back to her.

     She frowns at the strange question, but answers anyway. "I am seventeen — eighteen in a few months."

     "Jasper and I will be leaving town in a few days, but we will return in two years time. When we return, you will find us in the church outside of this town — a place where nobody goes. Do not keep me waiting, or you will end up like that man. Do you understand?"

     "Yes, ma'am. I understand."