Delta's Deceit [ShadowPack #4]

"Don't you worry. I don't have any girlfriend and if I have one, that lady will know it,"

The statement that left Damien's lips still lingered in her mind as Anika was trying to look around instead of being aware of the man that was driving her from the airport to Paphos. She should have thought better than taking a male tour guide but what can be done? It already happened when she was stepping out of the car when Damien told her that they have arrived in Paphos.

The small town of Paphos was quaint, for the lack of a better word. People were busying themselves to get to work and some were trying to haggle the price of the products that they were buying.

Anika smiled for she never saw what was people doing when she had to be at the studio most of the time and her groceries were being handled by her agent, Sasha. One of these days, I will be making my own grocery, Anika thought before Damien was taking her backpack on the backseat before holding it for her.

"You don't have to carry that. I can—"

"Nonsense, I would not let you carry your bag. I am here as your tour guide and as one of the rules, I will carry the luggage or in this case, your backpack to the room that you will be staying in," Damien said before he was smiling at Anika. She smiled back before feeling the butterflies in her stomach.

Do not get attached. You will be out of here and be in Italy in no time, she thought before she was nodding at Damien and looked around the small town square.

"This is exciting. I never see anything like this," she said as she was gesturing to the small business buildings that lined up along the streets and the people that were crowding the area. She smiled before Damien chuckled beside her.

"You really don't go out much, do you?" he asked before Anika shrugged. It's not that she did not want to be in the studio or be in her apartment after an exhausting day at work. It's just...she never had the courage to go explore on her own.

Not when Sasha was busy trying to make her name appear on the big billboard sign in Milan.

"What can I say? I am a busy person and I don't have vacation days. This is the first break I got after 3 years of working," she said as Damien was holding the door for her, her backpack in his other hand. He arched his eyebrow.

"And here I thought I was the workaholic one," he mumbled before Anika chuckled. He smiled before they went to the receptionist of the small in that Anika will be spending her week there.

"Hello," Anika said in English before Damien was clearing his throat and spoke in Greek. She never thought that she would find that language intrigued but the way that Damien spoke the words were shaking her to the core.

Perhaps I should find other things to think about other than my tour guide, she mused before Damien thanked the person behind the counter as he received the keys for her room.

"Alright. Your room will be 215. It's this way," Damien said as he ushered her to go right as she nodded at the receptionist. He did not even look at her.

"So, what is on our agenda for today?" she asked Damien as Anika knew that they have an itinerary for her stay there. He smiled at her before he gave her the keys and asked her to open her room.

"After you," he said before Anika unlocked the doors and she was looking at the most luxurious room.

"Wow, this is...this is beautiful," she said as she walked into the room. Damien followed her inside, putting her backpack on the bed before he was looking around, making sure that there was no act of invading her privacy or whatsoever that he was doing.

"It's clean. No hidden cameras and all that stuff," Damien announced as he walked out of the bathroom. Anika turned from looking out the window as she smiled at him.

"Thank you. I don't think that's in your description to check those for me. I can do it myself," she said before Damien was chuckling with amusement.

"And would you know where to look for it, Anika?"

She blushed. The way that Damien spoke her name was getting to her head. She cleared her throat before turning to look at the forest that was standing still in front of her outside her window. Anika can sense the body heat of Damien as he was standing next to her as they were looking out the window.

"Do you think they are out there?" Anika asked him before Damien turned to look at her, his grey eyes gleaming.

"'They'? What do you mean?" Damien asked her before Anika blushed. She should not be asking about the things that she read online at 2 AM but her curious mind cannot be stopped and she blurted it out to Damien.

He must be thinking I am an idiot now, she thought before Damien leaned toward her.

"Tell me, Anika. What do you mean by your question?" he asked softly before she turned to look at her tour guide. They were closed and Anika can smell his masculine scent. Pine and rainforest. She inhaled deeply before Anika sighed. She suddenly felt cold as she was rubbing her hands against her arms.

"Well...apparently there is this one article that stated Cyprus was a one-stop place for the ancient Greeks that was considered special that they have been killed by the Alexander the Great during the Ancient Time.

"And I think the term 'special' meant that they have some supernatural power and that is why Alexander was afraid of them that he had them banished and exiled to this island," Anika said as she tasted bile in her mouth.

She did not know what to think when she voiced out her knowledge. Damien can dissuade her for that information since he was from this island and had been living here since he was a boy. He can tell that Anika was lying about the island.

But Damien was silent as if he was being hit by a wrecking ball. Or so Anika would think.

"Damien?" she said as she reached out to him. The heat of their touch warmed her inside before Damien was focusing on her face. He blinked.

"Pardon?"

"I said something weird about this island and you just seem...blank out. Is everything okay?" she asked him before Damien smiled charmingly at her.

"Nothing. I was just recollecting my thoughts about the article that you read. Do you think you can tell me the blog post or the website that you read to me? I would like to check it out," he said before Anika smiled. She tucked her hair behind her ear.

"It's on Wikipedia. But I don't think it will stay up on that website for a long time since no one believed that crap," she said before Damien stiffened. Anika turned to look at him before Damien blinked and then smiled at her.

"Well, as much as I want to let you stay here, perhaps you would like to go around the town square? It is Farmer's market day and I would for you to look around where you can get fresh produce," Damien said as Anika beamed.

"Is that what is happening outside? Farmer's market? I have never been to one and I would love to see what they have in store," she said before her stomach took that moment to growl. Anika felt the blood was heating her face before Damien chuckled softly.

"Maybe we should go eat some breakfast first. I forgot that you might not eat on the plane before arriving here. I know a mean café that served the most delicious brunch in the town square. Are you in?" Damien asked her before she found that she was looking forward to spending more time with him. Anika nodded.

"Do you need to freshen up a little bit? Maybe use the bathroom while I go and talk to the receptionist about the service that you might require," he said before Anika's heart melted at his thoughtfulness.

"You don't need to do that. I'm sure I can do it myself later," she said instead of making sure that she was depending on him. Damien only smirked.

"Can you speak Greek, Anika?" he asked before she bit her lower lips. Then, she shook her head.

"Exactly. That receptionist doesn't know a word of English and I want your vacation to be the best of your life that you don't want to leave Paphos," he said before Anika was blinking her eyes at him. Then, his cheeks were pink.

"I mean...umm, what I meant was—"

"Thank you for your extra service then, Damien. I will be sure to recommend you to my colleagues if they decided to come to Paphos," she said before her heart ached with the thoughts of her friends to be clinging themselves to Damien. Something primal and ugly rose in her.

"Well, I better get going and I will wait for you downstairs. Take your time," he said before her stomach growled again. He shook his head with a smile plastered to his lips.

"Or maybe not. I see you later," Damien said before he went out of her room as Anika suddenly felt the loss of his presence in her room.