Hunt down Velma

"Derrick",Amber said coldly. Why did she keep running into him? Was he stalking her?

"Good thing you remember my name",Derrick said and moved closer to her, making her take a step backwards.

"What do you want?",Amber demanded harshly.

"I'm a student here too",he said innocently, but there was a mischievous smile on his face. "I'm just saying hi to an old friend"

"We aren't friends",Amber snapped at him.

"Don't be so rude Amber",Derrick said with a sly grin. "Remember that night we had at the Casino?"

"The one you lied about me running off with another man?",Amber shot back irritably.

Derrick chuckled. "Don't tell me you're still pissed off about that. It was a white lie. And besides, you're married to Draco Birmingham now. So in a way, it wasn't really a lie. You did run off with him"

Getting really annoyed, Amber ignored him and tried to walk past him but he grabbed her arm and held her back.

"Let go off me",she demanded.

"I'm not done talking",Derrick said and pulled her closer to him.

Students who were hurrying to class stared at them curiously and Amber began to feel uncomfortable.

"I saw you first Amber",Derrick continued. "It was supposed to be you and I. Not you and him"

"I would never be with someone who takes advantage of innocence girls",Amber snarled at him.

Derrick laughed mockingly. "Innocent? You think you looked innocent in that dress that almost drove me crazy? I would have had my way with you if that bas... if Draco hadn't interrupted us"

Amber was finding it hard to control her anger. "Let go off me, or I'll cause a scene"

"By all means, do so",Derrick said and smiled smugly at her. "We're all students here Amber. No one would care if I kiss you out of the blue"

"You wouldn't dare!",Amber glared at him.

Derrick's eyes gleamed in challenge and he started to lower his head towards her.

Suddenly someone grabbed hold of his shirt and shoved him backwards.

Derrick flew through the air and landed on his back with a painful grunt. He stared up in shock, and his gaze fell on the man that stood before Amber.

He was a mass of muscles and thick biceps, dressed in a dark skintight t-shirt, combat army pants and boots. There was a pair of dark sunglasses covering his eyes. His hair was tied in a bun atop his head.

Now there was a little crowd gathered a few meters away from them, watching the scene play out and anticipating a fight.

The man glared at Derrick for a while, and even through the dark shades on his eyes, the glare was totally fearsome.

Then he turned and stared at Amber. The moment his gaze fell on Draco's beautiful wife, his eyes softened.

"Are you alright Mrs Birmingham?",he asked in concern.

Amber was caught off guard by his sudden appearance. She only refocused when Derrick was a few feet away from her, on the ground.

"I'm fine",she said and looked up at her savior. "I'm alright. But how..."

"My name is Deucalion",the man introduced himself.

"You're one of Draco's bodyguard?",Amber asked.

"More like his trusted bodyguard", Deucalion said and flashed her a friendly grin, his teeth a bright contrast against his tanned skin.

"Nice to meet you Deucalion",Amber said shyly. The man was incredibly handsome. But not as handsome as Draco, she thought, and blushed deeply.

"The pleasure is all mine Mrs Birmingham", Deucalion said and bowed with a flourish.

Amber giggled. She already felt comfortable with him. "Please call me Amber",she said with a smile.

"Alright Miss Amber",Deucalion said, then he turned to Derrick who struggled to climb to his feet. "Was this boy giving you any issues?"

"Yes",Amber said and her eyes shot daggers at Derrick. "He grabbed me and wouldn't just let me go"

Hearing that, Deucalion marched up to where Derrick stood and grabbed him by the collar. The crowd was getting bigger now as the students waited for a fight that would occur soon.

"Are you aware that you manhandled a married woman?",he asked Derrick in a cold fearsome voice.

"I'm... I'm sorry...",Derrick stuttered. "I'm an old friend of hers and..."

"Save your lame excuses boy",Deucalion cut him short brutally. "Let this serve as a warning to you. I won't be so nice next time. Stay away from her"

"Sure... sure thing",Derrick stammered. His eyes were wide and fearful as Deucalion nearly lifted him off his feet.

"Good. Now scram!"

Derrick didn't need to be told twice. The moment Deucalion let go of his shirt, he took off.

The crowd that gathered groaned unhappily as the prospect of a fight died down. Slowly, they dispersed and went their various ways.

"Did Draco ask you to look after me?",Amber asked when the bodyguard walked back to her.

"Master Draco cares a lot about you", Deucalion said, instead of answering her question. "He wants to make sure no one tries to disturb you while in school"

"That's very thoughtful of him",Amber mumbled. She could feel her heart tugging at Draco's sweet gesture. She remembered what he told her that morning, about starting their relationship over. Draco clearly felt attracted to her, despite being married to her for certain reasons.

And she was already falling for him, there was no denying that.

He was being so nice to her now, and this made her conflicted. She really wanted to figure out what secret he was hiding. But could she do it? Now when her relationship with him was going smoothly, would she ruin it by digging up something that was clearly none of her business?

Would she like what she would discover?

She had to think about it. She needed to be sure if she should continue with uncovering Draco's secret or pretending that everything was normal.

She checked her watch and discovered that she was ten minutes late into her first class. And she still had to go to her faculty to retrieve her timetable.

"Um, thanks Deucalion. But I have to go now",she said.

"Don't worry miss Amber",Deucalion assured her. "The Master has his eyes on you. I'll take my leave now"

Amber watched him walk away until he disappeared round a building.

What did he mean by that? Draco had his eyes on her? Did he station his bodyguards around the school to watch her every move? Did he suspect that she still had her memory intact?

She looked around, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. Who knew how many eyes were currently on her now?

And why did Deucalion's words sound like a warning to her?

Shaking her head at her thoughts, she continued hastily to her faculty.

Today was the first day and yet things were already happening.

...

From the top of one of the high skyscrapers in the university, Draco sat hunched with two men flanking him. He had his eyes on his wife as she walked towards the faculty building.

He had seen the boy from the Casino, the one that tried to harass her. And he was satisfied with the way Deucalion took care of the matter.

He finally looked away when Amber disappeared from his sight.

"What now Master?",Arty asked from beside him.

"Keep an eye on her, along with Deucalion", Draco said. "Make sure no one tries to trouble her. And don't let her wander into unwanted places. You know what I mean"

"Yes Master",Arty nodded. Then he added curiously. "I thought you erased her memories"

"Her memories are still intact",Draco said. "I had a hunch about it, but now I'm sure. When I used the hypnosis on her, something from her blocked it. And when she collapsed, I knew it didn't have an effect on her"

"People don't collapse from hypnosis",Arty said gravely.

"My point exactly",Draco agreed. "Now she is going to be overly suspicious about everything. I can't let her discover what I really am"

"I understand Master",Arty said with another nod.

"Amber isn't human",Draco added. "And whatever she is, that's what blocked my hypnosis from affecting her. And until I find out what she is, I don't want her to discover what I am"

Afterwards, Draco straightened and walked away from the edge of the roof.

"Make sure she is well protected and safe",he said without turning back to the men behind him. "I am going on a hunt. I will be back by nightfall"

"Hunt for a new hostage?",Arty asked.

"No",Draco shook his head. "I'm going to hunt down Velma and put an end to her"

After saying that, he took off from the roof, his form blurring with his inhumane speed that not even the human eye could see him.