Deadly Affair With My Brother Inlaw

I stirred on the bed and then my eyes flipped open. Glancing around, my eyes slowly adjusted to my surroundings. My head throbbed a little, and my hand went to my temple, and then it hit me. I wasn't sleeping. I was under the influence of alcohol, barely aware of what was going on. The only thing that mattered was the heady mix of alcohol that plagued me and the forbidden emotions that thickened the tension in the room.

The man kneeling over me on the bed undid the buttons of his shirt and peeled it off, his eyes fixed on mine, sultry and burning with desire. I blinked as his image doubled-tripled, before coming back to form one person-my brother-in-law. The thought of who he was should keep my conscience in check, but it didn't.

I wanted him. Now. And that's what mattered.

He arched towards me slowly, his hand grabbing the back of my head as his warm lips met mine. My breath caught when he began, slow at first, before the kisses grew more passionate. His free hand trailed down from my cheek to my neck and chest, leaving trails of fire in its wake. Almost of their own accord, a hand travelled to the small of his back, while the other one threaded through his hair.

I returned the kiss with the same fervour as his weight leaned against me, and when he broke away, tracing the kisses down my neck, my breath caught in my throat...

Six Hours Earlier

I watched my reflection in the mirror as tears trailed down her cheeks, staring back at me with hollow eyes, looking defeated.

"I miss you dad," I whispered, the emotions within me bubbling forward. I clenched my jaw as more tears ran down. Then I heard footfalls echoing in the distance, growing closer.

Piper's reflection appeared at the door, clearly irritated. "You're still not dressed up?"

I hesitated for a brief moment before I turned to her. "I've told you before-"

"No!" She snapped. "You don't get to tell me anything as it has to do with my orders." She took a few menacing steps towards me.

I opened my mouth and words failed to come out. She continued without a pause.

"How many times do I have to remind you that you're a Pearson?" Her voice came with weight and command.

"I know that-"

"No, you know nothing!" She shut me up, her trademark scowl taking over her face. "Because if you do, you'd know that part of your responsibility as a part of the Pearsons is never having to question my instructions!"

"I'm willing to marry anyone else," I pleaded. "I just don't want Luther Williamsburg, please."

"You don't get to make that choice, Elena," she took a few more steps into the room, her voice reducing to a low purr. "The Williamsburg are the most powerful families in all of New York, and they control Wall street. You're lucky they even want you."

I frowned, my hands clenching into fist by my side. "So, you're using me as a pawn? You're using me for your own selfish gains and-"

A sharp sting landed on my cheek before I could register the action that caused it. My hands went to my cheek, eyes stinging with warm tears as I staggered a little.

"That's not how you talk to Piper Pearson," she hissed with disdain. "I own you, and you owe me! I saved you from your worthless family that Vladmir Eldridge almost wiped out. You're living because of me, and you owe me the honour at least."

She started pacing the room slowly like she owned the place, circling me like a vulture eying its prey. "You'll marry Luther, or I'll send you back to the street. And trust me, by the time I'm done with you, you'd wish we never met in the first place."

Her words stung harder than the slap still ringing in my ears. My heart raced and my knees almost buckled.

"I don't have to remind you again," she huffed, still circling me. "You have five minutes. If I have to come up here again for you, well, you don't need a soothsayer to tell you the repercussions." She strolled towards the door and disappeared through it.

The door slammed harder than I expected, and I trembled, my body burning despite the cold temperature of the room. I sank back on the chair before the dressing table, my face going to my hands as I let it all out. My body trembled with sobs as desperation clawed at my chest.

I need a way out.

After a moment, I struggled to my feet, staring back at a sorry version of myself at the mirror as I struggled to draw the zipper of the elaborate dress Piper had chosen for me. It was too tight-that I thought I'd suffocate. My fingers grabbed the zipper and pulled, but it wouldn't bulge. I groaned.

The light flickered and went out.

I glanced around, wondering what was wrong. Hurrying to the window, I could see light rays from downstairs. The light issue must be from my room, I thought.

A soft creak snapped me at attention.

I stilled, glancing this way and that way. Sure that I heard something, I walked towards the closet, pulling one of the leaves open. My dresses on the hanger stared back at me. I made to close the door when a strong hand clamped my mouth shut. I trashed against his grasp when his other hand wrapped around my waist, holding me steady.

"Shiiii," he hissed. "I won't hurt you."

Slowly, I stopped struggling and bobbed my head so hard, my chest pounding. Slowly, he let go of me and I turned to meet his gaze. I couldn't make out his features clearly in the dark, but I could tell the man standing before me had a strong jawline and his hair was dark.

"Who are you?" I hushed.

"I-" A sharp knock from the door stopped him. I flinched.

"Ms. Elena," a voice came from the door. "Are you ready?"

My head went into utter chaos as panic surged through me. It was no surprise what Piper would do to me if she realized that I was still stalling. I glanced this way and that way before my brain came up with an answer. I blurted it out without thinking.

"Uh...I'm still dressing," I yelled, my voice shaking but convincing enough.

Waiting with bated breath, the footsteps retreated after a while. I released a sigh, amazed at how unfazed the man looked while all of these went down.

He held my gaze, his hand going delicately to the zipper at my back, grazing my skin as he clutched the zipper and pulled.

"Relax," he muttered. Zipping the dress slowly, his touch lingered just a second too long, travelling from my back to my shoulder before trailing down to my waist. Then with a subtle smirk, he took a step back.

I tried to make out his face clearly as my mouth parted to start shooting questions, but he was already at the door.

"Stop," I said and he froze at the door. Then I added. "Who are you?"

He shot me one last glance over his shoulder for a brief moment and pulled the door open, walking out.

My knees buckled as I sat on the edge of my bed, my heart racing. The lights suddenly came back on and I flinched, glancing at the door, the partially visible image of the man coming to my mind. Who was he? How did he make it in here unnoticed?

I was about to put my head in my hands, already frustrated at the day my evening was going when it had barely even started when I noticed a glint on the floor. I paused, taking a closer look. A golden key sparkled in the light of the room.

With a scowl, I rose to my feet and made for the key. Picking it up, a string tied to the key suspending a small sheet of paper. Turning the paper over, my blood ran cold at the message scrawled at the back in precise handwriting.

"Find the truth behind Piper Pearson, or end up like your family."

The key shook in my hand like a leaf in the wind until it fell off my hand, my knees buckling and my heart racing at the weight of the message.

What in the world does this mean, and who dropped this message here?

When I joined the party downstairs, it was in full motion. Soft music played in the atmosphere as different kinds of people dressed in elaborate regalia moved about, mingling with each other. I stood uncomfortably at the edge of the large room, my mind in utter chaos with each second that passed.

Piper's grip on my arm was iron-worthy, and her face etched a well practiced smile that didn't quite reach her eyes just as a figure walked into the room in an immaculate black tux, his head held high like he owned the place.

Luther Williamsburg.

He was as commanding as the tabloids described. His aura made every other person's aura appear like a joke, his face a perfect arrangement of sharp features in the right places. He looked in our direction and we greeted, and I hunched over in a small bow.

When I was up, Luther's eyes were on Ivy, Piper's daughter.

"Ivy," Luther closed the gap between him and us, cupping Ivy's cheek with one hand, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You look lovely." Reaching for her hand, he made a show of pressing his lips to it. Ivy giggled coyly.

The mere sight of it made my stomach churn.

Clenching my fist, I willed myself to calm down. My anger simmered just beneath the surface, irrespective of everything I told myself to keep the anger at bay.

Still struggling with my anger, the doors opened and the aura in the room shifted drastically. I turned to the door to meet the gaze of the one with such commanding presence and my heart stopped.

It was him.

The man who'd sneaked into my room when the lights were out, zipped my dress, and possibly had left me the cryptic message for me before leaving. He strode into the room like he owned the place, and the air around him exuded calm confidence, stopping nearly everyone in their tracks. His sharp, dark blazer, unbuttoned to reveal a light blue shirt swayed from side to side as he walked in, doing nothing to mask the raw power he was exuding.

Then I noticed it, apart from the security standing at different points in the hall dressed like men in black, the only difference being their silver long ties that shimmered in the light like fish scales, the mystery man was the only one who didn't wear a tux.

Luther turned to face him, his face clearly annoyed and uneasy. "Ethan, it's quite a surprise having you here."

From the way Luther's vein throbbed behind his neck, I could tell that he didn't mean a word of what he just said.

Ethan's gaze subtly breezed past Luther's shoulders to meet mine, a flicker of something I failed to comprehend behind his eyes before they darted back to Luther.

"My sincere apologies," he said, his voice calm, crisp and collected. "I had an incident earlier."

The gaze of everyone in the room was blank until he gestured to his arm, where a faint scratch peeked out from under his cuff. "I need first aid, and I'll like the nurse to help me." He signaled at me.

My heart thrummed against my ribs hard as every face in the room turned to me.

This is not good, this is not good, my mind constantly echoed now.

"Elena?" Piper's grip on my arm tightened so hard that I flinched slightly. "Why Elena?"

"Surely there are a couple of other nurses who could help with your condition, Ethan," My mother glared at Ethan.

Luther raised his hand, making a small wave as the air in the room thickened with tension. Turning to me, he narrowed his gaze at me for one brief moment, as if studying an art piece. Then he gestured towards Ethan.

"Alright, Elena," he said. "You can go with him." Turning to the rest of the crowd, he plastered a wide smile. "Well then, shall we continue with the engagement party?"

The party came back in motion, the soft music in the air slightly increasing in intensity. As Luther strutted away, I was able to tell that he was bristling, despite the facade he just pulled seconds ago.

"Elena," Ethan called, snapping me back. I realized that Piper had let go of me. I held his gaze for one awkward moment before hurrying off, breezing past him and heading for the stairs, dying to get out of the tense room, Ivy's wolfish smirk appearing in my head as I left. Luther had acted like I never existed, yet his brother was trying to pull me into his orbit.

Up the stairs and in the hallway, I led Ethan into my room, the space suddenly feeling impossibly small. I closed the door behind us with shaky hands as Ethan walked into the center of the room, turning around to look at me.

Feeling awkward for no reason, I gestured to a single couch by the window. "Sit."

He made a face with a shrug before obeying, sitting down. I knelt before him, holding his arm by the sleeve and using my other hand to pull the cuff open slightly. A bloody gash stared back at me, but wasn't bleeding.

"Does it hurt," I managed to keep my voice even.

"Not anymore," he shrugged with a shoulder. His voice, though soft, was laced with a layer of something I couldn't quite place, sending a shiver down my spine.

Rising to my feet, I hurried to my closet, pulling the down cabinet and pulling out a first aid kit. My job required I had it nearby, as no one could tell when it would come in handy. Hurrying back to Ethan, I popped the box open, picked a few items and attended to his wound.

Closing up the wound with a piece of cotton and some medical tape, I packed my supplies. "You should pull the tape after a few hours."

Backing him, I hurried back to the closet when I put away my kit. When I turned back to him, I stilled.

Ethan's dark eyes trailed every line of my face before going to my neck, reaching the curve of my shoulder before coming up to meet my eyes. I got the message immediately.

Ethan wasn't just giving me a look, he was daring me for a challenge.

Straightening my back, I cleared my throat rather awkwardly, refusing to let him rattle me. "You can leave now, Mr. Williamsburg. I'm done."

He blinked, tilted his head ever so slightly for a brief moment. Leaning back in his seat, his lips grew into a knowing smile.

"Why are you afraid of me, Elena?"

"I'm not afraid of you!" I retorted. The quiver in my voice gave me away.

His smile grew and he rose to his feet. Closing the gap between us with a few measured steps, the air around us grew thick with tension. He leaned towards my ear, his breath ghosting over the skin just below my jaw.

"You should be, hmm," he purred, his voice intimate. I frowned.

Tucking a small lock of my hair behind my ear, he slowly leaned away as my breath caught. My frown grew deeper as I forced myself to snap out of whatever spell he was trying to use against me.

"You should leave," my voice was very firm.

When he hesitated, I thought for a moment that he would resist. With a smirk, he backed away from me, his eyes raking my body again before he breezed past me and headed for the door. I turned, my eyes following his movement.

He pulled the door just a crack and glanced behind his shoulders, murmuring. "Midnight. Don't forget. Look at the card for directions."

As soon as he walked through the door, I sank into the bed, the note with the key suddenly heavyweight in my pocket.

After a moment of trying to make sense of all that was going on and failing, I rose to my feet, adjusted my dress and hair, and with one last look at my reflection in the mirror, I headed out of the room only to bump into Piper in the hallway. Her cold, calculating eyes gave me a quick once-over.

"Piper," I said, summoning courage. "I need to talk to you about Luther."

Her gaze was blank for a moment, and she didn't reply.

"Please, listen to what I have to say," I pressed.

She glanced this way and that way before quirking a brow at me, unimpressed at all. "What about him?"

"I can't marry Luther, and I won't," I said, my voice firm, before it trembled. "Please, there has to be another way."

Piper's gaze grew slightly wide before a cruel smile tugged her lips. "Sorry love, but there isn't another way out of this. You have to marry Luther to stay alive."

I frowned at her, even while my heart was racing hard.

"Vladimir Eldridge is still looking for you," she continued. "He's smelling blood in the water at your mysterious escape, and he won't rest until he finds you and sniffs your life out. Did you assume I had kept you hidden all these years out of the goodness of my heart? Think again."

"Vladmir Eldridge," I echoed after her as the name sent my body on edge.

"Your father killed his daughter," Piper leaned closer, her voice dropping to a low purr. "And that's why he killed your family, and right now, will not stop until he kills you."