Dark Secrets


      Author: Aria


      Rated: UnRated



      Chapter 2
      Serena was aware of the overwhelming sense of contentment when she awoke. 
      Under her cheek and wrapped around her were sheets of the finest satin, 
      smooth and wetly scented. The bed was incredibly soft and smelled of 
      roses. Serena rolled over and inhaled the sweet scent and sighed. Then 
      panicked quickly burned out the pleasure. This wasn't her bed.
      Alarm streaking through every nerve ending, Serena sat up and looked 
      around. She couldn't remember what had happened the night before. All she 
      could remember was that she had been with Mina at the bar. She had had a 
      few drinks with a blonde man, and after that everything was a blank. 
      Serena shuddered. She had never drank so that she couldn't remember the 
      night before. The very strong possibility that she was drugged came 
      charging to her mind. Serena flung the sheets back. She had to get out of 
      here.
      Serena leapt out of the bed. Thankfully she still had all her clothes on. 
      Surely if that blonde had assaulted her, he wouldn't bother with 
      redressing her. She quickly looked around the opulently decorated room, 
      trying to determine where she was. Eighteenth century furniture graced 
      every nook and cranny. Some of it looked much older and she had to 
      forcibly stop her self from running her fingers over the rich fabrics that 
      upholstered the chaise next to her. Bouquets of roses and lilies sat, 
      dominating the tables lending the room their delicate scent. Serena took a 
      sniff and smiled when she found what she was looking for.
      She had almost made it to the window when she heard a shuffling sound 
      outside the door. Quickly, she dove back into the bed and feigned sleep. 
      Serena forced her breath to become slow and even though her heart was 
      thudding so loudly she was sure that she'd give herself away.
      Through her lashes she could see a tall dark figure walk into the room 
      carrying a tray. Serena watched as he poured some wine into a crystal 
      glass. His jet-black hair fell over his deep sapphire blue eyes, which his 
      long fingers quickly brushed out of the way. Serena's eyes swept over his 
      features. Chiselled cheeks, straight nose, strong chin and the rest of him 
      was just as magnificent. Broad shoulders filled out the burgundy v-neck 
      sweater wonderfully and long legs were encased in black trousers. She 
      watched entranced as he knelt, her eyes glued to the way that the fabric 
      pulled taut over his hard thighs.
      He stood up and turned towards her. Serena quickly shut her eyes again. 
      She almost snapped them open when she heard a chuckle.
      "I know you're awake." The deep gravelly voice wound its way around her, 
      caressing something deep within.
      Stubborn, Serena continued to fake sleep. Maybe she could convince him she 
      was really unconscious.
      "Get up." His voice was one that was used to being obeyed and the command 
      rang loud and harsh even in the gorgeous surroundings.
      Indignant, Serena sat up slowly and pushed herself over as far from the 
      man as she could without falling out of the bed. Even with the large 
      expanse of bed between them, Serena still felt too stiflingly close to 
      him. "W...who are you? What am I doing h...here?" Serena was angry with 
      herself for letting her voice sound so weak. Even then she found it very 
      difficult. No, damn near impossible to keep her eyes off the infuriatingly 
      beautiful man. She gazed at him more. There was something familiar about 
      him. She had a strange feeling that she knew him from somewhere. But she 
      never would have forgotten someone like him.
      He ignored Serena's questions and stood near the door just staring at her 
      for a moment before reaching for the tray. There was a flash of sadness 
      and something else that Serena didn't dare identify before he quickly 
      masked it. Composed once again, he placed it on the bed and he lifted the 
      lid off the plate to reveal a succulent meal. Nodding at the food, he 
      asked, "Are you hungry?"
      As the aroma overwhelmed her senses Serena could feel her stomach start to 
      gurgle. She clamped down the urge to gobble everything up and instead 
      looked at the tray dubiously. She wasn't about to take anything from a 
      stranger again.
      Again the low chuckle rumbled bringing Serena's eyes to clash with his. 
      "It's not poisoned or drugged. I assure you." He took a slender baby 
      carrot in his fingers and brought it to his lips. He ate it easily. "See? 
      It's very good."
      Serena watched every moment carefully but still refused to acknowledge her 
      hunger.
      His luscious lips curled wryly. "I don't blame you. You really should be 
      more careful about the people you associate with. You could have really 
      gotten yourself into trouble." He took the tray back.
      Serena kept silent. She realized that and she didn't need him rubbing it 
      in her face. And how did he get involved in all this?
      "I saw what was going on and intervened before they could take you."
      Completely shocked at how he could read her, Serena jerked away from his 
      outstretched hand. "H...how did you do that?"
      He slowly shook his head. "It's time that you got home." He retracted his 
      arm when it became clear that she wasn't going to take it. "There is a car 
      waiting outside to take you home. You may make use of it if you wish. If 
      not, call a cab. Just remember nothing is as it seems. Be on guard at all 
      times." Having said that, he swept as magnificently out of the room as he 
      came in.
      Serena realized she'd been holding her breath for quite some time and 
      released with a sigh. God! Who was that? Slightly trembling from her 
      encounter with him, she noticed that he left the meal along with the wine 
      on the vanity near the door. Grateful that he at least left that, Serena 
      quickly walked over and picked at it, eating a little to assuage her 
      stomach's obvious discomfort. He was right it was very good. Taking 
      another quick nibble, Serena spotted her shoes in the corner of the room 
      and went over to put them on.
      She opened the heavy, ornately carved, oak door quietly and stuck her head 
      out into the hall. There was no one in sight. Serena listened for a moment 
      and heard absolutely nothing. The entire house was eerily quiet. Maybe he 
      left? Serena dared to hazard a tentative step into the glowing hall. 
      Candles sat nestled in their very expensive looking holders lining the 
      wall giving the entire length a warm inviting feel. She ignored the 
      invitation and ran down the winding stairs, strangely knowing exactly 
      where she was going.
      She didn't stop to think about it and kept going until she was outside. As 
      he had said, there was a black sedan waiting for her. She pat down the 
      sides of her coat but knew she wouldn't find anything. Serena distinctly 
      remembered leaving her phone at home just in case Alan decided to call. 
      She looked around. Everywhere she looked was trees. They weren't anywhere 
      near town.
      She weighed her options. She could walk from wherever she was to the 
      nearest gas station, but the notion of walking for an unknown distance in 
      the dark until she found civilization was not appealing. She could go back 
      into the house and ask to use the phone, but she really didn't want to 
      face that man again. There was just something about him that wasn't right. 
      Or, she looked at the car again, she could take the car he provided. He 
      seemed trustworthy, he wasn't lying about the food and he didn't attack 
      her or anything. He even saved her from the blonde man the night before. 
      Serena quickly decided that it would be ok to catch a ride back to the 
      city.
      An incredibly tall man with flowing blonde hair appeared at her side and 
      opened the door to the car and bowed. "Ma'am."
      "Thanks." Serena gave him a shy little smile and climbed into the back.
      The ride back into the city was quiet and very relaxing. The novel 
      experience gave Serena a chance to think about the man with the beautiful 
      blue eyes. Who was he? And how did someone with such obvious breeding 
      happen to be in a bar in time to save her? Things were just getting too 
      weird. In her musings a thought came to her. What if those guys who tried 
      to drug her were involved with Lita and Raye's disappearance? Hope 
      suddenly flared. If she could find them then she'd be able to find the 
      girls! But she would need some help. Then a thought occurred to her. 
      Serena sat forward. "Excuse me?"
      "Yes?"
      "I assume you work for that man back at the house?"
      "Yes."
      "I was wondering if you could tell me who he is so that I can contact 
      him." She caught the sceptical look in his eye in the rear-view mirror. 
      "Just so I can thank him for his kindness." She added, hoping it sounded 
      sincere.
      Saying nothing he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small 
      white business card and handed it over his shoulder to her.
      Serena was about to thank him when the car stopped suddenly. They were in 
      front of her apartment. How did he know...? Serena just shrugged. It was a 
      waste of time to worry over another strange episode. At least she was 
	home.
      "Thanks." Quickly she got out of the vehicle and watched it speed away. 
      Flipping the card over in her hand Serena took a look at it. It read: 
      Darien Hollingsworth CEO Hollingsworth Pharmaceuticals. The Darien 
      Hollingsworth? The multi millionaire? Wow! Pocketing the card, Serena ran 
      up the steps and into the building. So that was Darien Hollingsworth. My 
      goodness was there anything that man didn't have? He had a huge house, 
      cars, and he was gorgeous. Serena thoughts of the dark man at the house 
      filled her mind until she got into the building. She slowed down as she 
      got to the top of the stairs.
      The closer she got to her apartment the more uneasy she felt. By the time 
      she was arm's length from her front door, Serena felt as if she was 
      suffocating. Something told her to get away now.
      Forcibly putting the unsettling feeling aside, Serena cautiously opened 
      the door. What she saw had her running back down the stairs. The room had 
      been upturned indiscriminately. Her shelves were smashed and all her books 
      torn to pieces. Her sofa was torn the stuffing had been strewn all over 
      the room. And everything else had been thrown on the floor after being 
      shredded. Serena could only guess what the rest of the place looked like. 
      Grabbing her phone off the floor next to the table by the door, she ran 
      back outside and down the street.
      Serena hid in the first alley she found. She dialled frantically and 
      waited for an answer. "Come on Mina! Pick up!" No answer. Serena jammed 
      the phone back into her pocket and ran down the alley. At least she still 
      had the samples. It was the only thing that she could think that was worth 
      breaking into her place for.
      She ran toward the large crowd of people coming out of the theatre and 
      mingled among them, slowing to a walk to catch her breath. Breathing a bit 
      easier she reached into her coat pocket. It was empty. She stopped and 
      searched her other pockets. They were gone!
      How could they have disappeared? The only time they were out of her sight 
      was when she was unconscious... Damn him! Hollingsworth had them! It had 
      to be him!
      Furious, Serena looked out into the crowd looking for a way out. Somewhere 
      she could possibly hide. She searched the area and froze when she saw him.
      Standing not 10 feet from her was Darien. He gazed at her intently looking 
      as devastatingly handsome as ever in his long black cashmere coat. He 
      stood casually with his hands in the pockets of his coat but the tension 
      in his shoulders was telling. He was anything but relaxed.
      For a breath, Serena stood mesmerized by his presence, peering into his 
      calm features. Then his eyes flickered; obviously his attention was caught 
      by something to her right. She turned to see what it was that held his 
      interest. Her eyes widened when she saw a man, no something else, 
      something infinitely more terrifying heading straight for her. His teeth 
      were bared and she could hear an animalistic snarl as he lunged for her.
      Without warning, she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and before 
      she knew it they were moving down the street at an incredible speed. In 
      two breaths they were outside of the city and back at the mansion.
      "Let me go!" Serena tried to untangle herself from his arms but to no 
      avail. He was just too strong for her. "Let me go right now!"
      Ice blue eyes turned to her, full of humour as he set her down gently in 
      front of him. "Are you all right?"
      "Yeah, no thanks to you." Stumbling trying to regain her balance, Serena 
      rubbed at her sore ribcage.
      "I'm sorry." He reached out tenderly but she stepped out of his reach.
      "What are you?" eyes narrowed, Serena was determined to find out what was 
      going on. "How did you do that?" Things were just getting too weird for 
      her. "Tell me."
      He ignored her questions something else had his attention. He put his hand 
      on her shoulder and guided her toward the dark building before them. "Come 
      inside. You must be freezing."
      He was right again. Shivering almost uncontrollably, Serena followed the 
      silent figure into the enormous house. He led her into what looked like a 
      library and stood her in front of the fire. He walked over to an old table 
      and poured golden liquor into crystal brandy glasses and handed one to her 
      while keeping one to himself. "Here."
      Serena accepted it and took a sip. The liquid eased a warm trail through 
      her chilled body. "Thank you." she watched him while he drank. He 
      definitely didn't look dangerous. She opened her mouth to question him 
      again but was cut off by his sensuous voice.
      "You will stay in the third room on the right," he pointed at the stairs. 
      "See you in the morning." he walked out the door leaving Serena standing 
      stunned in his wake.
      She finished her drink and headed to the room he indicated. As she climbed 
      the stairs, she found herself wondering where Darien would be sleeping. 
      She looked at the rows of doors. A person could easily get lost in this 
      place, she thought. She walked into the room and kicked off her shoes. 
      Sudden fatigue came over Serena and she gave in, falling into the bed and 
      into sleep almost simultaneously.
      ----
      She awoke the next morning completely rumpled but rejuvenated. And hungry. 
      Serena climbed out of bed and walked to the door. In the hall, she was 
      reminded of what she was going to do before. Looking around and seeing no 
      one, Serena decided to start her exploration in the room next to hers. 
      Taking another quick look and breath, she turned the knob.
      "You don't want to go snooping around do you? Someone might question your 
      upbringing." Darien stood at the top of the steps and it looked like he'd 
      been there for quite some time, though she hadn't noticed.
      "I wasn't snooping." Serena felt her chin go up a notch. He chuckled and 
      mumbled something under his breath that sounded like 'never change' or 
      'hasn't changed'.
      He bowed and swept his arm to the side gallantly. "Your breakfast awaits 
      milady."
      Serena decided that he couldn't be all bad if he kept showing up to help 
      her. Even though he managed to do it in some spectacular way.
      He gently put a hand at the small of her back and guided her down the 
      stairs, through the enormous foyer and down another heavily decorated hall 
      to a gigantic dining room. Serena's eyes widened as she took in the 
      opulence of the room. The table alone could seat a dozen people with room 
      to spare.
      He pulled out a chair for her before making the trek to the other end of 
      the table and seating himself.
      Almost immediately a small woman walked in and placed a tray full of the 
      most wondrous smelling food beside her. She unloaded Belgian waffles, 
      fresh fruit, and juice before doing the same for her companion. It was her 
      favourite breakfast.
      Serena poked delicately at her food, trying to think of something to say. 
      "Thank you." She said.
      "Excuse me?" his dark head was raised now to pay attention to her.
      "I said thank you." She raised her voice so that she could hear him. Her 
      voice echoed off the cavernous walls and she ducked her head back to her 
      food so that he couldn't see her blush.
      His smile was amused. "For what?"
      "Huh?" Serena could barely hear him.
      He stood up and shook his head. "This is ridiculous. We can't get 
      reacquainted when we can't even hear one another." He picked up his food 
      and sat down indecorously next to her. "That's better. I can see your face 
      now."
      And she could see his very clearly as well. His darkly handsome good looks 
      had her heart beating double time. She really had to struggle to remember 
      what they had been talking about. Her voice was tight when she replied, 
      "What were you saying?"
      He tapped his fingers on his lips, the ones she couldn't stop staring at. 
      "You know, I don't remember." He stuck out his hand. "Let's start again. I 
      am Darien Hollingsworth."
      She let him grasp her hands in his much larger ones. "Serena, Serena 
      Carson. Thank you for saving me..." she started to count how many times 
      he'd saved her in her head.
      He shook her hand gently and "It was my pleasure. I just wish you would be 
      more careful."
      Serena noticed the way his hand lingered on hers. Not that it bothered 
      her. She stared into his eyes for a moment. They were warm and happy, with 
      a hint of something else. There was something so familiar about him. It 
      was like she had seen that exact same look in his eyes before. Of course 
      she would have to have seen his eyes before. Then she remembered what he'd 
      said. She shook the feeling off and eyed him cautiously. "What do you mean 
      get reacquainted?"
      "Pardon me?" he rested her hands on the table and casually sliced some of 
      his waffle with his fork.
      "When you were coming down to this side of the table you said that we 
      couldn't get reacquainted when we couldn't hear each other or something."
      He shook his head, his eyes clouding over with an emotion she didn't have 
      time to name. They cleared instantly when he looked at her again. "No, you 
      must have misheard me."
      Serena considered that for a moment. It was certainly possible in this 
      football field of a dining room. She took a bite of the scrumptious 
      looking waffle and sighed. "This is incredible!"
      "Marta is a whiz in the kitchen," he chuckled. "Actually, she's great at 
      everything."
      Serena nodded in agreement as she gobbled the rest of the waffle. She 
      hadn't realized that she was so hungry. "Most definitely. I haven't ever 
      even bought anything this delicious!"
      Darien chuckled and watched her eat; enjoying the gusto she exuded when 
      she went about the task. He wasn't about to hide his pleasure either, 
      laughing with delight whenever she tried something she liked. It was 
      wonderful to spend time with someone so full of life.
      She finished up not too long later and Darien led her to the large study 
      she remembered being in before. She let her eyes glide over the volumes 
      that covered the walls from top to bottom astounded by the sheer number of 
      books he had packed into the one room. Unable to curb her curiosity, she 
      walked over and pulled a book off of the shelf. She flipped it open and 
      immediately noticed that the book was very old. So old in fact that she 
      was afraid that the pages would crumble under her touch. Serena was about 
      to close it when a scrawl inside the cover caught her attention. Gasping 
      for a breath she turned to Darien. "Is this what I think it is?"
      The corner of his mouth curled wryly. "And what do you think it is?"
      Serena read the scribbled signature again. "This is Shakespeare's 
      signature!" she fingered the name in awe. "How on earth did you get this?"
      He winked. "I have my ways."
      Serena reverently put the book back in its place and moved to the next 
      one. She looked over her shoulder at the books' owner and squinted 
      speculatively at him. He couldn't possibly have any more like that. His 
      stare dared her to continue, so she did. She picked up a volume of Byron's 
      poems and found another signature. Spurred on, she grabbed another and 
      another, all of which were signed by their respective authors. She was no 
      expert, but he had to have millions of dollars worth of books. Slack jawed 
      she turned back to him, "This is an incredible collection."
      "Thank you." He leaned casually against the sofa and crossed his arms. 
      "You're welcome to peruse them whenever you like."
      "Now it's my turn to thank you." Serena ran her fingers over the spines as 
      she walked past. "You must have over a thousand books." She half turned to 
      him. "Have you read them all?"
      "Yes." Came the simply reply. "I have."
      "You must be a fast reader." Her hands moved from the books to the 
      furniture now. She marvelled at the magnificent craftsmanship of the wood 
      and leather seats. They looked old, but they looked so well preserved for 
      that they couldn't have been as old as they looked.
      "They are, but we take good care of them." Darien's voice came from over 
      her shoulder.
      She jumped a little. She wasn't startled, but having him so close was a 
      little unsettling. Serena felt such a strong reaction to his closeness 
      that she was thrown off balance.
      He caught her by the elbow and held on until she was steady again.
      Serena blinked up at him. Didn't he just read her mind? "How do you do 
      that?"
      His expression grew puzzled, "What catch you? It's easy. You're not that 
      heavy-"
      Her eyes lavender flashed, "You know that's not what I'm talking about." 
      She took a step back and eyed him cautiously. "You read my mind."
      "What? That's preposterous." He took a step closer.
      Serena retreated again feeling very uneasy. "You did. You replied to 
      something I said in my head."
      "I didn't." There was something else in those eyes, those beautiful 
      sapphire eyes, which begged her to believe what he was saying. His eyes 
      were so steady on hers that Serena wanted to believe him.
      She blinked and broke contact with his hypnotizing eyes. They were too 
      mesmerizing, too distracting for her to look at for long. Serena cleared 
      her throat. "What was I saying?"
      His lips twisted. "You were calling me a liar."
      Serena gasped, "I did not." but she thought about it and to get to the 
      gist of it, she had. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call 
      you a liar. There's just something about..." she paused and looked at him. 
      "Have we met before?"
      Darien moved over to her, as graceful as a panther stalking it's prey. He 
      stopped just short of being able to touch her. "Yes, the other night."
      Serena shook her head, sending her hair into her eyes. "No. Before that. I 
      feel as though we've met before."
      Darien looked thoughtful as if he were searching his memory for her, but 
      shook his head. "No we've never met before that incident."
      Serena shrugged, but really she was wracking her own mind trying to place 
      him. She knew they had met somewhere before, but she couldn't put her 
      finger on it. But she knew that she knew Darien Hollingsworth from 
      somewhere.
      "Maybe you've seen me in a magazine? Maybe read an article about me?" he 
      offered.
      That certainly was possible. She knew someone in his position would be 
      interviewed and photographed to no end. So it certainly was a possibility. 
      "Maybe. But it doesn't explain why I feel like an insane amnesiac when I'm 
      around you."
      Darien shrugged. "That's probably it. You saw me in a magazine or 
      something." he offered her his arm. "Shall we take a look at the rest of 
      the house?"
      She nodded absently and took his proffered arm.
      Serena let him lead her throughout the sprawling house showing her his 
      incredible collection of antiques and art. It was incredible, but never 
      once did he seem like he was bragging. Other men she'd been out with 
      showed her their cars and their other possessions as if they had made them 
      with their own bare hands. But here it was more like he was sharing 
      everything he had with her. Darien went through each item one by one 
      giving her facts about the object's history and such, adding more if she 
      seemed interested, leaving things out if she already knew it.
      Serena looked up at the man next to her and felt a warm, fuzzy feeling 
      seep through her. He certainly was a nice person. Handsome and charming 
      too. So what was he doing here with her? He should have had and army full 
      of women after him. She snuck a look at his handsome face, or at least a 
      significant other or two she thought mischievously. He could have the 
      biggest and best of everything. So what did he want with a nobody like 
      her? She looked at him again and realized that he was talking to her.
      "What do you think of this?" he was holding out a small amulet carved out 
      of turquoise and inlaid with lapis and ebony.
      Serena focused her attention on it and smiled. "I would say that it's 
      Egyptian. And very beautiful." she gazed at the worn stone. It looked as 
      though it was eroded from handling, though it did nothing to detract from 
      the beauty. It was carved into the shape of an eye. "Sa meket wedjet..." 
      she breathed not realizing she was speaking in a language that was long 
      dead.
      Serena held out her hand for it and he gave it to her. A flash of light 
      blanked her vision for an instant but it cleared almost immediately. She 
      blinked and she wasn't in Darien's home any more. She could suddenly see 
      people lounging in the blazing sun clothed in thin linen. She walked past 
      the strangely dressed people and noticed that someone was fanning her with 
      a long handled ostrich plume fan. She closed her eyes against the slight 
      breeze it created. She could smell strange spices carried on it, mixed in 
      with the thick scent of the land. Ignoring the scornful looks she could 
      feel were on her, she kept walking. Her duties to him were more important 
      than cowering to a few ugly looks. Parting heavy white linen curtains, she 
      walked through an archway and looked over. She could see a man standing 
      naked in a shallow pool waiting for her, his face obscured by a shadow but 
      she could clearly see the rest of him. The water lapped at his waist 
      teasing her by barely hiding what was beneath the shimmering surface. He 
      was perfectly formed, a man in peak condition and she could feel her knees 
      weakening in response to his masculinity. Ducking her head respectfully, 
      she took a step into the cool water and smiled at the refreshing coolness 
      on her toes. The water got deeper with each step; finally stopping around 
      her waist by the time she reached him. She began to wash him duteously 
      with a wad of linen, running it and her free hand over his hard muscles. 
      He moaned after a moment as if her touch was too much for him. He grabbed 
      her, pulling her close so she was pressed up against his chest, growling 
      into her neck something in a foreign language. Still, she knew what he was 
      saying. "So beautiful." he whispered in a husky voice. " I love you. 
      Nothing will ever keep us apart." "I love you too." she replied. "Always." 
      He kissed her until all of her muscles liquefied. Clinging to him, she 
      leaned back looked up into the face of her lover. She found herself 
      looking up at Darien's face.
      Serena blinked and looked up at Darien's intent face. She was in Darien's 
      house once more with her arms wrapped around his chest. What had happened? 
      Pleadingly, she looked at him, still reeling. "What just happened?" she 
      extricated herself from his strong embrace and sat down on the edge of a 
      chair.
      Darien was busying himself with pouring her a glass of water from a 
      crystalline decanter she was admiring earlier. "I don't know. You just 
      seemed to blank out. Like you were in a trance." he handed her the drink.
      Serena took it gratefully. "Thank you." she sipped at the cool liquid 
      wanting to both remember and forget what flashed through her mind. She 
      turned her bleary eyes to the amulet she dropped on the plush carpeting 
      and leaned over to retrieve it. The tips of her fingers traced the smooth 
      lines as if by habit. Serena closed her eyes, the motion calming her.
      Darien sensed the change in mood and knelt in front of her and peered 
      intently into her eyes. "What did you see, Serena?"
      She shook her head, missing the expectant look on his face. "I don't know. 
      I'm not sure what I saw." she closed her eyes and remembered. "I saw a man 
      in a pool" she flushed when she remembered the next part, "and for some 
      reason I was washing him. Then he said he loved me and I said I loved him 
      too, always." Serena looked up at Darien again. "Then I turned around and 
      I was looking at your face."
      "You mean his face." his eyes hadn't left hers.
      "No, I mean your face." she rubbed at her face with her hands. "Or maybe 
      it was his face." she peered into his again feeling so confused. "But I'm 
      sure I saw your face."
      Darien pulled her down to the chair when she started to weave. "Are you 
      going to be ok?"
      Serena was sure she was never going to forget those images, or the 
      feelings that they invoked in her, ever again. Such incredible passion. 
      She'd never felt anything so powerful. She rubbed the amulet against her 
      cheek before she realized what she was doing. It was so cool. She looked 
      at it again and saw how well it fit into the palm of her hand. Serena 
      hatred to part with it, it felt like it belonged to her, but she held it 
      out to Darien.
      He put up his hand and shook his head. "No you keep it. You seem to like 
      it more than I do."
      Serena looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you sure? It must be very 
      valuable." she tried to give it to him again and again he refused.
      "No, I want you to have it." he closed her fingers over it and looked at 
      her again, but instead of their usual intensity, his eyes looked haunted, 
      sad.
      Serena's entire being responded. She wanted to hold him, to comfort him. 
      Before she could act upon the impulse she shook it off. Where was this 
      coming from? Sure the guy saved her a couple of times but it didn't mean 
      she had to...had to...touch him.
      But she itched to touch him. Her fingers twitched and even her toes curled 
      trying to get her closer to him. The urge was so powerful that Serena gave 
      in. She had no choice. It was either give in or slowly go insane.
      She took a tentative step forward before hurtling herself into his arms. 
      Serena buried her face in his chest. She felt as though she was coming 
      home. Like this was where she belonged. Where she was meant to be. She 
      inhaled the mixed smell of fresh cologne and Darien and buried her face 
      deeper. Serena let her body lead the way; it seemed to know what was going 
      better than her mind. Her arms wound themselves around his waist and his 
      came around her shoulders, holding Serena tight against him.
      The hug he gave her was thankful, relieved...almost desperate. He held on 
      to her as if she was the part of him that was missing all of his life.
      Tears sprang to Serena's eyes. It felt so good to be held by him. So good, 
      in fact, that she set aside her better judgement and held on for dear 
      life. He was whispering something to her now, over and over again like a 
      litany. But his voice was so low and light that she couldn't make out what 
      he was saying. His voice was so hoarse and his touch so intoxicating she 
      didn't even care. All she wanted to do was be here in the circle of his 
      arms like this.
      He pulled back after a long time and looked into her eyes. "You will stay 
      here with me. You cannot go back after what happened yesterday."
      There was no question that this was where she wanted to be, but what about 
      all her belongings? Well what was left of them. Serena knew she wanted to 
      know more about the man before her but did she know enough about him to 
      move in with him?
      Darien ran along finger down her cheek. "I will send my men to retrieve 
      your things." He waved his arm around, "I'm sure we can find somewhere to 
      put it all." He joked.
      She smiled. She had to be insane, but she nodded. "That would be great. 
      Thank you."
      He grinned, "I guess damsels in distress are my weakness."
      Serena gazed up at him. And she was a sucker for a mysterious man with 
      brooding eyes and a charming manner.