The Phantom's Princess.

Ch. 1

The rough voices of the men from the van dominated the background as they complained about how Alexis had scratched and kicked at them and how she was lucky they hadn't just knocked her out.

"Well, that's lucky for you that you hadn't," the voice of the man who had just entered came again.

It was more refined than the two men from the van - softer, yet serious. "I don't think my boss will be happy with this as it is."

Somehow, that silenced the thugs from the van, and their complaints turned to pleas, claiming they had no choice but to use a heavy hand on Alexis as she was 'a fiery little one', as one man had said with a rough laugh.

Alexis remained huddled in the corner, too scared to move as she listened to the back and forth between the men until, eventually, there was quiet, and that man knelt beside her.

His hands were gentle as he took her hands in his and untied them before loosening the cloth the men had tied over her eyes.

She squinted slightly when the brightness of the room hit her and immediately tried her best to focus on the face in front of her.

"Hey there," he said in a soft voice. "I'm Ren."

Gently, he pulled the cloth from her mouth and offered a small bottle of water, which she took and quickly gulped down a few small mouthfuls mainly to wash the foul taste from her mouth that the cloth had left.

Then, when he lifted his hand to her again, she flinched and pulled away, her eyes widening as she stared up at him.

"Hey," he said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He raised his hands in front of her, showing his open palms for a moment before placing them on her head.

Alexis grimaced as he inspected her head, combing his fingers gently through her messy, afro curls before raising her chin to look deeply into her eyes. Her jaw visibly tightened as her stomach churned from his unwanted, yet gentle touch.

She hated physical contact in the best of times, especially the touch of men, due to the memory it resurfaced. She had no way to make out the intentions of the man who now touched her, though she sensed no malice from him - but then what could a group of men who had dragged her from the streets want with her?

"Have you been eating?" he asked in a soft voice.

Alexis shook her head and pulled away from his grasp.

He doesn't look scary, she consoled herself. Waves of golden strands cascaded along the top of his head and were better kept than most women she knew if she judged it by its volume and shine. Its vibrant blond dyed colour created a beautiful harmony when contrasted against his flawless ebony skin and golden brown eyes. His suit looked expensive too, like the kind you saw in those magazine adverts, and he smelled so good, it was a stark contrast to the men who had grabbed her. She couldn't help but inhale the woody, spicy aroma deeply and hope it washed the smell of other men away.

Ren wasn't like any of the men that she was used to being around. Her father was fond of surrounding himself with men more similar to the thugs who had grabbed her. She rarely saw men of Ren's grandeur, except for the few times she'd seen her father grovelling at their feet. They were the type of men her father swore looked down on him, and would regularly curse, but they were also the type of men that he feared the most.

"I just want to check you over quickly, darling," he said as he gripped hold of her face and pulled gently at her eyelid.

Alexis remained silent as he scrutinised her with his gaze, first peering into her eyes, then checking her teeth and gums. Then, he lifted her hands to inspect them, paying extra attention to the rawness around her wrists which had been caused by the restraints the men had used.