She moans in pain as she sits upright on the bed. It took her a few
minutes to collect her bearings, at first she thought that someone had
struck her hard across the back of her head with a heavy object or
something which subjected her to almost seeing stars. It took her a
while to recollect her memories, remembering that she was poisoned.
She suspected that the water she had consumed from the bottle most
probably had been poisoned.
Lifting her head she stroked the part where her head hurt the most,
pressing her fingers lightly onto her temple, she winces as pain
immediately flares up. At this point, she couldn't even comprehend if it
was physical pain or psychological pain she felt.
A few minutes pass by as she sat on top of the soft mattress, as she
lifted her head and took in her surrounding she couldn't tell where she
was, or exactly what this place was.
The room was huge, painted a royal blue in colour, and curtains and
drapes covered the whole expansion of a wall, possibly to cover the
windows and give it a sophisticated look. Small antique-like sculptures
and fixtures. Even the furnishing had a sophisticated touch to it, with a
high queen-sized bed with a thick comforter and soft plush-like pillows
topped off with a canopy giving it a regal look. The lights were dim but
bright enough to see her surroundings and not hurt her eyes with its
brightness. A huge chandelier hung right on top of the high bed.
Everything around her looked like something out of the Victorian era, a
place built for Kings and Queens.
Confusion clouds her senses as she places her feet on the ground,
getting up from the high bed she woke up in, she looks around
confusedly around her. There were two wooden doors with intricate
designs climbing up the wood, plus another door; which she was sure
led to a built-in closet.
Moving towards one of the wooden doors, she twists the knob, it twists
open to reveal a huge bath, just as regal as the room. She manages to
get a glimpse of the Jacuzzi but closes the door immediately after since
she was looking for something else
Turning back around she catches the glimpse of a wooden door off to
the side, approaching it she grabs a hold of the knob, twisting it down
but nothing happens, no clicking open of the door is heard which leads
her to panic as she comes to the conclusion that someone had locked
the door from outside.
Panic-stricken she tries to turn the metal around again but it still
doesn't budge a bit. Running towards the huge windows, she moves
the curtains covering them away only to see bars made of steel running
horizontally and vertically across them, basically barricading her.
Looking outside, she finds darkness spread throughout the expanse of
her vision, she was kidnapped during the day, it's probably been a few
hours since she's been gone seeing how it was nighttime now.
Now she knew two things, first that someone had kidnapped her on
purpose, and secondly, they didn't want her escaping in any way, hence
why the windows were barred and doors locked from outside. Why else
would a huge, elegant-looking room have barricades in the form of
steel bars on the windows?
Not having any other choice she resorts to calling out to someone,
hoping that anyone walking past the room would hear her open the
door, the chances of that happening were slim but she was willing to
take the risk.
Banging on the wood of the door she tries calling out, "Hello, anyone
there?". Banging in between she continues on her pursuit. "Hello, Is
anyone here? I'm locked inside, I need to get out.â She gets tired after
being at it for minutes and being gone unheard didn't help either.
She hadn't felt so helpless in such a long time, tiredly with shoulders
dropped back in defeat she leans her head on the door, sighing
dishearteningly as she stares down at the ground just in time to see a
shadow appear through the tiny gap separating the door from the
ground.
She immediately steps back, letting the person behind the door to
open it first. She hears the jingle of keys and the satisfying click of the
door being twisted open leading her to sigh in relief.
The huge mahogany door opens, and she comes face to face with a
man who looks to be in his late thirties or maybe in his early forties, she
couldn't tell; from what she could tell that the man wasn't a
supernatural being, she couldn't get anything from his scent because
he basically smelled like a human being and not a supernatural
creature. This piece of information mildly astonishes her seeing that
humans were not supposed to know about the supernatural beings, let
alone stay among them. She was sure she wasn't in the human territory
since she could feel the magic around her, something was preventing
her from using magic, or else she would've escaped this place easily.
The man standing in front of her was wearing a butler's outfit leading
her to believe that he was the servant that worked in this huge palace.
The man had black hair with some strands turning grey, paired with
green eyes that looked lifeless and hollow.
"Ma'am please follow me, Master is waiting for you at the dinner table,â
The man says monotonously stopping her from asking him any
questions seeing how he even refused to meet her eyes, keeping his
gaze glued to the floor.
She just nods her head in reply, causing him to turn back towards the
door with his back facing her, he walks back outside the door, and she
follows after him this time with no questions asked.
Walking down the dark hallways sent a creepy feeling down her spine.
The hallways were spacious and huge in size with the same antique-like
designs the rooms seemed to have, matching the theme perfectly with
the antique fixtures present here and there. The dark painting hung on
the wall. The hallways were dimly lit which brought forth an eerie
feeling inside her. The man of whose name she didn't know walks down
the hallways, not even turning back to look if she was following him or
not. What she found more strange was the strange marks around the
manâs neck, it appeared to be old and healing but it still left a few scars
in its place.
The nameless man continues to walk for a few more minutes, and
taking a sudden turn he stops walking. She comes to a stop beside him
to see a huge dining hall spread vastly before her. The dining hall was
just like she had imagined, huge just like the rest of the place, with
crimson red and antique gold shaded designs adorning the walls,
making her gape at its beauty.
While admiring the beautiful but dark theme of the place, she failed to
notice a figure sitting at the head of the long mahogany table, When
she finally takes notice of them, she finds them already staring back at
her.
"Place take a seat miss" The butler beside her speaks up, but she never
breaks her stare that was fixed on the man seated at the head of the
table. There was something about him that set her mind into some kind
of alert mode. She felt like she was supposed to know him for some
unknown reason.
Finally breaking her stare, she goes to take a seat at the other end of
the table, directly opposite to the stranger, just when she's about to sit
a voice stops her.
"Come closer love" his voice that of a deep baritone, his voice startled
her for a moment, his voice was deep but raspy at the same time, it felt
like he wasn't someone who spoke very often. There was just
something so eerie about him
She was hesitant in following his order but did it anyways not wanting
him to think that she was intimidated by him, she doesn't know what he
was capable of. She might use her powers if he tried anything on her,
thus catching him off guard.
Now that she noticed, there were food items of various kinds placed
before him and where she was supposed to sit initially, seeing how
there was a plate placed in front of the seat beside the stranger.
Quietly, she sat beside him, she was thankful because she didn't have to
sit too close to him since he was sitting at the head of the table. Taking
a seat on the soft cushiony chair, she stares at the food placed before
her, the aroma of the various dishes was heavenly and made her
stomach rumble lowly. When the stranger's lips tilt slightly upward, she
realizes that he had probably heard her stomach aching for food; a faint
blush appears on her cheeks.
The piece of steak placed on her plate was calling out to her, but she
was hesitant. She didn't make a move to lift up the silver cutlery that
helped in cutting into the meat.
âIt's not poisoned if that's what you're thinking" the stranger speaks up
again causing her head to snap towards him. He just basically replied to
her unvoiced question.
Why would she ever eat something her kidnapper was giving her?
Besides, wasn't he the one to poison her water in the first place?!
She was a hundred per cent sure that this man was behind the
kidnapping, even though he was an imposter in her mate's body. Since
the butler had called him his master and this man seemed to look at
her knowingly, which confused her all the more.
"Who are you? And why am I here?" She immediately questions him,
not being able to hold back her questions and confusion anymore. The
pounding she felt when she had woken up had lessened, but it still
made her jumpy and disoriented.
Hazel eyes stare back at her, appearing more green than brown;
glinting with some unknown intention. The lavender colored eyes she
had seen were gone...
"Curious little one, aren't you Jade?" he asks her with a secret smile
appearing on his face. he cuts his steak perfectly with the knife and
fork, she watched as he took a bite of it, waiting for him to speak, give
away anything.
"How do you know my name?" she asks him curiously.
"I'l answer two of your questions after you finish eating your dinner. I
don't like my guests sleeping on an empty stomach.â
"Such hospitalityâ she mutters under her breath, but her words seem to
be heard by the stranger as he smirked at her words while cutting into
another piece of his steak.
Feeling hungry herself, she slowly cuts into the steak placed on the
plate before her, taking a sceptical bite at first, almost moaning out
loud at how it tasted heavenly to her taste buds, catching the smug
expression on the stranger's face she knew that he knew how much she
found the found delicious despite her containing her moans of
appreciation.
She hadn't noticed it at first but she did after she had finished
devouring her food when she lifted her eyes, they met a pair of hazel
green ones, staring at her blatantly, he had been staring all along at her
and she had no idea, he watched her with fascination, his eyes looked
so unreal with how the green in them seemed to glow, it sent
involuntary shivers down her spine.
"Staring at someone while they're eating is considered to be rude,â she
tells him, looking at him square in the eyes.
"It's also considered a sin to look this pulchritudinous while devouring a
piece of steak.â comes his swift reply.
"Pulchr-di? what? it sounds like some sort of disease" she tries
pronouncing the word he had just mentioned a few moments before
but fails terribly at it. Her failed attempts at pronouncing had the
stranger's lips tugging upwards yet again, which infuriated her to no
end.
"Quiet the opposite actually. Pulchritudinousâ he speaks slowly so she
could catch the word properly this time "It also means being
breathtakingly beautifulâ he finishes.
"Are you trying to flirt with me?" she asks him with her head cocked to
the side.
"Take it as whatever you may wish" he spoke in riddles, not exactly
agreeing with her but tip-toeing around it.
Just before she could reply to him, he swiftly motions his hand in the
air, causing someone who had been standing all along in the corner to
come forwards so that they could be seen in the light, Jade was
surprised at the sudden appearance as she thought it was only her and
the hazel-green eyed stranger in the huge dining room all along.
The person was a young girl, probably in her early twenties, her brown
hair appeared dull with blue hollow lifeless eyes that dared not stare at
anything but the ground. Jade couldn't catch any particular scent from
the girl that linked her to any supernatural, she comes to the realization
that this young girl too was a human like the butler that had guided her
to the dining room.
It all happened so, what the young girl next did make Jade's eyes widen
in shock. The girl had her wrist outstretched, her other hand holding
onto a silver knife with razor sharp edge that glinted under the lighting
of the room. The next thing Jade knows, the girl had sliced her wrist,
slitting it open, letting her blood drip onto the silver wine glass with
intricate designs on it. The girl didnât even wince once while the sharp
knife cut through her skin, what shocked Jade more was the
innumerable amount of scars visible on her wrist, almost like this wasn't
the first time she was doing this, this wound was just adding up to the
past scars. she held her wrist above the glass until it was half full,
bowing her head at the green-eyed man, she takes her to leave, leaving
as quietly as she had appeared.
All along, Jade sat there baffled at the events that just took place
before her very own eyes. Her eyes followed as the stranger lifted the
silver glass to his lips, sipping the contents inside like it wasn't blood he
was drinking but some expensive vine.
Jade felt her stomach churning, twisting and turning as she watched
him drink it. She felt like she was going to puke the amazing piece of
steak she had just devoured moments ago. Not being able to watch the
scene before her for another moment, she stood up from her seated
position abruptly.
The realization of the situation finally sinks into her mind.
She bolts towards the direction the butler had guided from, running as
fast as her legs could take her, she ran blindly through the hallways
which were so dimly lit even to her enhanced vision, the wind howled
near her ears, as something appeared before her, or rather someone;
halting her in her footsteps.
Her eyes widen when they meet a pair of hazel-green ones, turning
back around the way she came from she tries to bolt yet again, only
this time the stranger was quick in his actions, one of his hands had
caught her elbows before she could escape, he had a steel-like grip on
her arms, she struggled in his arms, trying to trash around and loosen
his hold but her tries were futile for the man was far more strong than
she was.
"Leave me" she grits out while trying to pry away his hands from hers.
The man retrieves something from his pant pocket, Jade hadn't noticed
it yet in her struggle until she felt a sharp object pierce her skin. She
instantly felt her body giving up its struggle, her motions halting as the
contents of the syringe kicked into her bloodstream way too fast for her
to comprehend.
"Leave..." her words come out slurred as her mouth and tongue started
feeling numb too
Her body falls forward, onto the stranger's body. he catches Jade just as
she starts to fall sidewards.
"Shh, Shh, it's okay sweetheart" he coos at her like she was some
toddler, his hands stroking her hair as her eyes dropped shut.
Turning her sideways, he hooks one of his arms under her knees while
the other supported her upper body, lifting her up bridal style, he starts
walking with an unconscious Jade in his arms, towards the room she
had woken up earlier.