"You need to find someone else to marry, Larry." Mr. Stones said to Larry.
"What?" He beat his fist on the couch and rose to his feet. "I've loved Jasmine since I was a teen, and we had an agreement that she's mine. Nothing can stop me from her, my wife." He said and left Mr. Stones' study room.
He saw Damon and Jasmine heading out of the house, he was filled with rage, pain, and betrayal.
"You'll be mine soon, Jasmine." He vowed and walked away.
Mr. Stones let out a deep sigh as he watched Larry retreat from his study room, it broke his heart to break his promise, but he had to save him name and family first.
Damon had been working for him since six years ago, and he had handled all Mr. Stones' dirty work, and secrets. Secrets that could ruin him and his family. He had to bow to Damon's wish.
~~~~~~~~~~
Damon helped Jasmine to the car, helped her settle in, and he was about to close the door when she gripped his wrist, his eyes tailed her hand to her face.
"I'm still going to marry Larry in the end, you don't have to pretend too much." The weight of her words marred her face.
Damon smiled, "You're mine, Jasmine. Keep that in mind." He said and closed the door.
"Let me have the key, find your way home." He said to the driver.
He got into the car and revved it into motion.
"What are you doing, Damon? Where's the driver?" Her voice was jolted by a tiny, hideous smile.
"Doing what I'm supposed to do, Cherub," he smiled at her through the middle mirror.
He drove her to a beautiful meadowy sight, and they stepped out of the car.
"Wow! This is beautiful," she smiled, her face glowing.
"Wait for the real surprise in....." He looked at his wristwatch. "Five minutes."
They stood there staring at the beauty of nature and five minutes later, the most beautiful sunset Jasmine had seen was in sight.
Her lips gasped in surprise, she quickly grabbed her phone from the car and took a picture of the scene.
"How did you know I love sunset?"
"Your room says it all, different pictures of sunset. I guess this would help put a smile on your face."
She blushed softly and leaned against his chest while he pulled her closer to himself. "It's getting late, we should head home now," She said with a smile and turned toward the car, he gripped her dress.
"Larry…. What do you think of him?"
"What?" Confusion etched her face.
"Do you think of him as a man?" He turned to make eye contact with her, she gulped down her saliva slowly.
"Of course not."
A soft sigh escaped his lips, and they headed into the car, both sitting in the front.
"What about me?" He asked, his hand on the wheel.
"Pardon?"
"Do you think of me as a man?" He stared blankly ahead, his eyes flickering vividly.
"We just met, Damon. Besides, none of this is real." She chuckled.
"Sure," he faked a smile and drove off.
They had just stepped into the living room when Damon's phone rang, and she turned back to him, watched him as he answered the call.
"Yes? What's going on?"
"Where did you find the mark?" Meir asked, his voice alarming and urgent.
Damon's eyes met Jasmine's glowing face, "Why? What happened?"
"Anyone bearing that mark is dangerous, they can kill even without knowing they ever did. Tell me you did find the mark on someone."
"Do your job! I'll see you tomorrow," he snapped and ended the call.
"Who was that? Did something happen?"
He meant to walk away from her but altered his next step and turned to a confused Jasmine.
"How did you get that mark?"
"I have no idea, it showed up a few days to my wedding. Why do you keep asking about the mark?" His gaze fell on the floor, betraying his intention.
"What is it, Damon? Is something wrong with me?" Her voice broke, pleading for an honest answer, but he walked away.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Jasmine woke up, but Damon wasn't by her side. She crawled to a sitting position.
"Damon? Are you in there?" She called out toward the bathroom, but there was no reply.
She got out of bed, checked the bathroom, and he wasn't there.
"Did he leave already?" She muttered as she approached the corridor.
Peeping at the garage, she saw that his car was gone.
"He already left," she nodded with pouted lips and walked back into the bedroom.
Damon drove to his gamble house, where he and Meir had agreed to meet. Meir was already waiting when he got there.
"What do you have?" He asked, barely settling down.
Meir opened a particular journal and pointed to the end of it, "Here." He tossed it toward Damon.
He took the book and read it aloud, "The mark was something unique to the Arcane family, one to bond us to and prove our bloodline. The next for leadership gets the mark, but there are consequences to pay..."
He slammed the book on the table, "What consequences?"
"As you can see, the next page was ripped off and that's all we have."
"Why then is it dangerous to be around someone with has the mark?"
Meir flipped open another journal and stopped at a folded page, "July, 23rd, 1997. I was late and wandering lonely on the street when I saw a man. Suddenly, I felt the urge to talk to him, something I wouldn't do on a normal day. He turned out to be one of them and I killed him, though I never wanted to. I had never wanted to be part of the Fallen of Arcane."
"And so? How is that related to the mark I sent you?" Damon growled, his eyes narrowing.
"I had gotten the mark for about a month now, but had been hiding it. They would force me to be the leader if they find out," he continued.
"Thinking the man was the only one who I killed, I found out that the recent victims who were murdered were killed the same way I killed them. Though I had no idea of them. And they were all related."
"So the mark makes the leader kills, without knowing it?"