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  They were quiet most of the time but would always come to dress me of a morning and cleanse my body, and once again I’d feel aroused.

  Not that they’re not beautiful, but I sure hope they don’t think it’s them I’m turned on by. I’ve just been feeling rather horny as of lately, thinking about a certain sexy demon, and they scrub me so meticulously.

  I’m not sure why they cleanse me in such a fashion. It’s almost become a ritual, and I wonder if my father thinks I’m filthy in some kind of way. Maybe that’s why he won’t let me inside the house.

  I’m probably just being paranoid. He’s my father, he loves me, and he saved me from Lord Black. Besides, Leticia and Leila have been making me homemade soaps, and they’re all natural products too. So I’m hardly dirty.

  My father’s a fan of natural products after all. He stays far away from chemicals, and he doesn’t use bleach.

  The very robes that cover my body are made from hemp, as are his too. Everyone at the compound wears the same eco-friendly material. And like me, my father abstains from meat and grows his own crops on a pesticide-free farm.

  The blue-tinted windows in my rabbit hole are made from recycled bottles. All his products are recycled, and he doesn’t even use toilet paper.

  Again, all natural...

  He’s all about protecting the environment. He heats his houses on wood fuel and lives by candlelight. Though he does have one main outlet he uses occasionally to communicate with the outside world, but that’s about it. He’s strictly no technology.

  Lord White was a man of simple needs, always preferring to meditate in the woods rather than bother with the stresses of everyday life.

  And it shows on his blissful, wrinkle-free face. Father was actually fifty-eight-years-old, but barely looked a day over forty. He doesn’t even have a grey hair on his blond head.

  Lord Black, on the other hand, had had old leathery skin, no hair, and could have passed for seventy, even though he was three years younger than my father.

  Eli was lucky to have inherited his mother’s looks. She’d been a beautiful woman from what I’d seen in the oil painting. Much too good for Randall Black.

  Now that I’ve met my father, I find it hard to imagine he had been the one to kill Eli’s mother. He was too pure and noble to perform such an act, valuing all life in equal measure. So attacking a helpless young woman just wasn’t in his nature.

  The only reason he’d killed Lord Black was to protect me, his daughter. He’d had no other choice. Randall was about to kill me and Eli too.

  Eli must have truly been mistaken. My father hadn’t meant to kill his mother. It had been an accident, and probably one he regrets to this day.

  Yet Eli was adamant my father was a cruel, merciless man, and vowed to end his life for what he’d done.

  I just hope he doesn’t try anything stupid and plan to go up against my father any time soon, or ever. My father was a powerful man, even more so than his, and I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to him.

  I really don’t want to have to choose between my father and the man I love. It would be too hard.

  When I can, I will try to write to Eli to just let it be. Trying to kill my father would only end in misery for all of us.

  I currently tread through the woods of the White Estate. Father has summoned me once again to meet him by the waterfall. It’s where he goes to meditate, listening to the cool falling water as the woods echo around him.

  It’s great to be back in nature again. Something I had missed when in London. The scent of car fuel and loud noises can get one down at times, and not to mention the lack of personal space.

  Though I will go back to all that hubbub in September when I start my second year at college.

  But did I even want to go back? I finally had my father, and the thought of being away from him breaks my heart.

  I’m making up for the last twenty-one years.

  Besides, my father’s estate truly was a haven. Birds twitter in the treetops, and if I listen hard enough, I can hear the distant knock of a woodpecker.

  So enchanting. I really do feel like Snow White in a fairy tale, and the animals are so tame and friendly.

  A red squirrel scuttles down a tree to squeak hello, and I stroke its chestnut fur. So cute.

  You never saw red squirrels in London. Just the grey ones and they were always aggressive and overweight. One had even stolen my doughnut once.

  The ground starts to incline as I climb a steep hill, gasping for breath.

  The waterfall is just beyond.

  Eventually, I hear the sound of crashing water and wipe the sweat from my brow. Finally, I made it.

  I find him with his back to me, facing the waterfall as he sits cross-legged. It’s the pose he uses to meditate.

  The other day he had me channelling all my chakras, and I’ve been feeling pretty zen ever since.

  He has piled rocks around the pool, so I go over and sit down beside him.

  We listen to the cool falling water, with nothing but the sounds of nature around us, and I can truly feel my inner chi as he calls it.

  I feel at one with my soul, and it’s in these moments I can think in perfect clarity and forget my stresses.

  I can forget Eli and my yearning for his touch, forget the threat of his possible, impending attack, and forget the past several weeks.

  Heck, I can even forget the heartaches from the past several years, such as losing my grandma and trying my darn hardest to become an actress.

  I breathe out, letting all the pent-up air escape my lungs.

  At first, I’d found it hard to adjust to the simplistic life. I’d missed my phone, and I’d missed wearing makeup and shaving my legs. And not to forget deodorant too.

  I’d never realised how dependent I had been on all these things before, and it makes me feel so hollow, knowing what kind of an empty life I’d once lived before coming to my father’s estate.

  But I can see that all that stuff is superfluous now.

  This is how we are all meant to live. Not the hustle and bustle you see in the streets of London or any other major city.

  This was life.

  Father releases a heavy sigh then turns my way, smiling. The skin creases around his kind eyes, and a lump forms in my throat.

  I still couldn’t believe I was looking at my father...

  “Crystal... thank you for joining me,” he says, his voice soft and melodious.

  I smile back. “You’re welcome, Father.”

  He stands up and stretches, and I gaze at his back, imagining his wings.

  I had seen them when he had come to rescue me, and they had been the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on.

  Would I gain my wings one day too?

  “Walk with me, child...”

  “Okay.” I rise to my feet.

  My father strolls through the woods, and I try to keep up with his pace. He’s so much taller than I am, even taller than Eli at six foot four, but somehow I manage.

  The sun shines down on us, creating dappled patterns across the forest floor, and it’s all just so perfect, I’m afraid I’ll open my eyes to discover it’s all a dream.

  Yet I don’t. Even when a doe and her fawn emerge from the trees, greeting my father as if he’s an old friend, I still don’t wake.

  I truly am inside a cartoon.

  The fawn trots up to me, gazing up with such trusting brown eyes, and I stare mesmerised.

  It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.

  “It’s all right, Crystal. He trusts you. You are my daughter after all. So the animals of the forest know they have nothing to fear.”

  I stroke the fawn’s speckled coat, counting each white spot. He almost blends in with the sun-dappled floor, and I giggle when he nuzzles his black nose to mine.

  “As you’re well aware, Crystal, you will finally come of age in one week’s time.”

  I pull my attention away from the fawn and meet my father’s cool,
blue eyes.

  He’s right. In just one week, I will be twenty-one. The age I’ll finally come into my powers, and my heart pumps faster.

  Perhaps then I will gain my wings...

  “Therefore, I will be hosting a special ceremony to mark the occasion, or in other words an ‘awakening’. Your older sister, Freya, had one herself, and now it will finally be your time too. Hundreds of guests will attend the ceremony, guests from all various backgrounds and professions. Some you may already be very familiar with. As you know, I have many famous acquaintances...”

  My hand leaves the fawn as I gaze up, surprised. “Wh-what?”

  “So I must warn you in advance to not let your excitement get the better of you. I understand you’re still very young and may find it hard to control your enthusiasm, but as my daughter and future face of the White family, you are expected to act with respect and dignity. Many of my guests come here to escape the stresses of the outside world, and one guest, in particular, is very prominent in the media right now, but he’s really a very sweet boy. I helped him on the road to recovery after one such rough patch in his life, so again I ask you to maintain respect. We treat everyone the same when they seek the services of the White family, whether they be famous, rich, or poor.”

  I rise to my feet, wiping my sweaty hands on my robes. “All right. I will do as you say, Father.”

  I’m dying to ask which celebrities are coming, but I hold my tongue. My mind is running wild with the possibilities, and my heart starts to race again.

  I’ve never met anyone famous before (though I think I did see an actor from Game of Thrones once on the Tube, that’s about it).

  My father looks at me now, a new shine to his eyes, and I lose myself in their blueness.

  It really is like looking into a mirror.

  “Look at you... as beautiful as a dove. Just like your mother.”

  I feel my cheeks burn at the compliment, tucking my hair behind my ear. It’s the second time he’s mentioned my mother since I’d arrived or in other words his mistress. Of course, I was born of sin, but Father still opened his arms out to me, and let me into his home.

  I hardly remember my mother as she had left me to my grandparents when I was just a toddler. All I know about her is that her name was Tessa. That’s it.

  “Were you really in love?” I ask next before stopping myself, covering my mouth.

  Father laughs good-naturedly and takes me in his arms. “We really were, Crystal. Although I was fifteen years her senior, she was the love of my life, and I think about her every day since I let her go. But alas, it was never meant to be. I had my reputation to uphold after all as lord of the White Estate, but Freya’s mother still left us regardless.” He gives a sardonic laugh. “One of my greatest regrets in life was letting you both go.”

  I squeeze my eyes, holding back tears. His words tug on my heart, and I’ve never felt more overcome.

  He truly did love me and my mother after all.

  Father pulls me closer, and I bury my nose in his chest. “Don’t cry, sweet child. I know you’ve been through some tough times, especially living with that... that demon... But I’m here now. I will protect you.”

  My breath hitches when he mentions Eli, and I peer up. It’s only brief, but for a moment I see a flash of hostility in his eyes, and it fills my stomach with dread.

  He will not spare Eli and do what is absolutely necessary to erase him, just like he did with Lord Black, and I gulp, fearing for Eli’s life.

  Eli, please, if you can hear me, do not go up against my father. You will only get yourself hurt...

  My father rubs my back, and I close my eyes at the soothing sensation.

  “It’s all right, my child. That monster can’t harm you anymore.”

  I sigh and close my eyes, nestling my face into his chest.

  At least I finally have my father like I’d always wanted.

  4. Eli

  I hear Crystal’s plea, “Please don’t come after my father...”

  It’s not so much her words that I pick up on though, but the sentiment. Every so often I feel Crystal’s moods. Now I can not only feel when she’s horny, but I can sense when she’s happy too, and scared and confused.

  And it’s too much to take for one little angel, and all I want to do is find White’s compound and rescue her from his clutches, yet I’m powerless.

  I don’t know how or when I plan to attack, but it will have to be soon. Very, very soon. Crystal’s twenty-first is a week away. If I don’t act fast, Crystal will be lost to me forever, and White will poison her innocent mind.

  She’ll see me as the enemy, a thing to be feared, and I grow restless every day.

  I sit in the lounge of my new mansion, brushing my fingers through my hair. I’d moved in just yesterday, and despite its clean white interior, thirteen bedrooms, ten ensuites, indoor gym, swimming pool, and a casino (don’t ask), I’m depressed.

  Grand things all mean jack shit when you don’t have anyone to share it with. For one, it’s too large and empty; I’ll have to hire more staff soon enough, but for now, Olga and Giles will do.

  All I want is Crystal beside me, to hear her sweet baby voice, the one that always sends my heart into a spasm.

  I’d never thought anyone so adorably sexy could exist before, and my dick hardens just thinking about her body.

  Shit, not really the best time to be thinking about Crystal. I’ll ruin my new suit.

  Later, I will be heading to a press conference at Black Headquarters to officially declare my father’s death.

  News got out about Lord Black’s death in the end, and all the media outlets have been trying to hound me ever since. I say trying because after one look into my demonic eyes, they put their cameras away and fuck off back to whatever dark corner they came from. But not before I had my little fun with them first, and made them fight. Unfortunately, they got blood on the windshield of the car when we tried to move house yesterday, and poor James had to take the rest of the day off to get it washed.

  Just don’t fuck with The Devil, and you’re good, okay?

  The only highlight of the week was seeing the floods of “thank yous” and well wishes from all over the world to the anonymous benefactor of sick little Elijah. His parents even gave a teary video, and rumour has it they’re already on their way to America.

  I’ve been hailed a hero, a saint, and even an angel at one point, and I chuckle at the irony.

  If only they had any idea that the anonymous benefactor was the demon ex-playboy son of an evil tycoon, then they’d be questioning everything they know to be right with the world.

  I rise to my feet, gazing at my reflection in the mirror. I wear a formal navy blue business suit, looking ever the CEO in my boring arse tie. My cheeks are fuzz-free as I finally picked up a razor, and my hair’s smoothed back.

  I will be heading to my family’s tower soon for the press conference, then I’ll head on upstairs to present myself to all my new underlings.

  Honestly, I couldn’t give two shits about the running of my family’s company. I’ll just hire some arsewipe to do it for me instead, or more or less thrall them. Not that my father didn’t do his fair share of hypnotising to get ahead in the corporate world.

  Business is just not my cup of coffee. I did do a year at Cambridge, the most boring subject I’d ever had the grace of learning, but quit in the end just so I could party and bang chicks.

  Ah, to be twenty again...

  But now at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, I have to actually start acting like an adult. Well, at least to the world. At home, I can be my typical, broody, immature self.

  Olga gives me a once over when I leave through the door, making extra sure to check my breath. Lucky for me, I pass her inspections. I ask Giles then if he would like the honour of smelling my breath too, but he declined.

  Smart man.

  Then I slip into the car, placing a pair of sunglasses over my eyes so I can thrall the media on my way out th
e gate without risking exposure, then head to HQ.

  THE PRESS CONFERENCE was brutal, but it was a good job I put on my sunglasses. To the outside world, I just looked like the tired, hungover son of a late tycoon.

  They just kept on asking questions, and I could barely contain my demon the entire time.

  For one, what the fuck happened to my father’s body? Vaporised by an angel, but I couldn’t tell them that. Instead, I say he burnt to death in the house fire. I set up a fire to the remaining parts of the estate to make it look authentic, but it’s reversible magic. I’m a demon, and fire and flames are my playground.

  But it’s only a matter of time till they investigate further, but I’ll just thrall the authorities too until they leave me alone. I’m a grieving son after all. I need my space...

  One reporter brings up Crystal and asks if my father’s sudden demise has anything to do with Lord White. I finally snapped then and hypnotised the entire audience, and they packed up and went.

  Upstairs was an even duller affair. Inside the reflective doors on my way up the lift, I could see the popping vein on my forehead and cursed the entire universe.

  My father had the exact same vein. Shit. Maybe we were more alike than I realised?

  The many fake and smiling faces that greeted me on the other side of the doors was nauseating, but like with the press conference, I hypnotised them too and went straight to my late father’s office. They all hate my guts anyway, so what difference does it make? No point trying to win anyone over.

  I shut the heavy black door behind me, placing my back against the cool, polished wood, then release the biggest sigh my body has ever made.

  Thank god. Peace and quiet.

  I yank my sunglasses off then and rub between my eyes. It hurts to thrall people all day long, but at least I no longer look like an extra from the new Men in Black movie.

  My eyes wander around my dead father’s office. I’d only ever been inside it once ten years ago, but it still hasn’t changed. All shiny black décor and furniture, with a glass wall overlooking the city.