He closed his eyes and disappeared from the carriage.
A few seconds later, he reappeared, hovering above the moving carriage. He addressed the driver below him. "Drive safely...the lady is sleeping," he ordered.
"Yes, My Lord!" the driver of the carriage replied.
The guy in the hooded cape floated in the air, followed by his ten companions. They were hovering in the air trailing behind their leader. Their long flowing cape floated behind their back, such quite a spectacle to behold.
A few hours later.
The mysterious guy knows that they're approaching the inn, their final destination, which would be in the next road, more or less, two hundred meters ahead.
He went back inside the carriage to wake up his passenger.
He stared at her face for a few minutes, getting intoxicated by her irresistible beauty.
He blew air on her face to wake her up and nudges her elbow gently. "Laura...wake up," he said.
A moment later.
Laura opened her eyes and saw the guy's masked face. She sat up straight. "Did you put me to sleep again?" she glared at him.
"Yes, because you are behaving badly. You are trying to get off my mask from my face. Don't you know that if you happened to see my face, I will take you away and bring you to my place, and I will add you to the growing list of my harem? Is that what you want?" he told her, teasing her. A burst of deep throaty laughter erupted from his lips.
Laura pouted and rolled her eyes.
"Go ahead... If you want to become my woman, take my mask away. I dare you!" he said, challenging her. This time he was chortling, amused by her reaction.
Laura loses interest in taking off his mask after he revealed the condition. She's not looking forward to going with him. She needs to go back to his father as soon as possible!
The guy continues smiling. "Get ready...we're arriving at our destination..." he said. A minute later, he grabbed a bag from the floor. It is the loot bag where the bandits put all the valuable things they had stolen from the people who are eating inside the eatery. "Here's your things...the bag where the bandits stored the stolen items," he said.
He put the bag on the floor in front of Laura.
"Where are we going? Where are you taking me?" she asked worriedly.
The guy saw the fear in her eyes. "Don't worry...we're going back to the Sanctuary Inn. Your father is already waiting for you there," he answered.
"Thank God!" Laura said as huge relief washed over her. She looked at him. "D-did my father hired you to rescue me from the bandits?" she asked curiously.
The guy shook his head. "No. I rescued you personally without anyone telling me to do it," he replied.
"B-but why? Who are you?" she asked again, feeling confused about the reason why he put his life in danger, just to rescue her.
"I chose not to answer your question, dear Laura," he said.
"D-do... I know you?" she asked again.
"Next question, please..." he said.
"H-how can I repay you for saving my life from the bandits?" she asked him.
The guy chuckled. "Oh...so you want to repay me, eh?"
Laura nodded her head. "I will ask my father to give you money as your reward for saving my life," she spoke, offering him a reward for his heroic act.
The guy shook his head. "Ah, don't bother about giving me money. I have lots of money already," he said.
Her brows furrowed. "So... what do you want?"
He shrugged. "Nothing... but you owe me one," he said with a smile.
"Okay...I owe you one," she said.
"Good, it's nice to know that you acknowledged that you're greatly indebted to me," he said. "One day, if our path will cross again and I will ask for your help, would you help me?"
Laura nodded her head. "Yeah, sure!" she answered readily.
"Good!" he said.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped moving.
"My Lord, we finally arrived at our destination!" the driver announced in a loud voice.
"Okay," the guy answered. He stared at Laura for a few minutes. "Lady...we finally arrived at the Sanctuary Inn. You may go out now. I'm sorry I can't escort you to your father," he said.
"Thank you so much for saving my life!" Laura said sincerely. Although he had kissed her forcibly, it's all because she angered him. But despite that, he's still a lesser evil compared to the bandits. She was sure that if this guy didn't rescue her on time, her body will be violated by the bandits beyond recognition. She will be dead before the night is over.
"Wait...are you that poor guy that the bandit shoot with their rifles?" she asked.
The guy shook his head. "No, that was one of my men," he answered.
"W-was he alive?" she asked worriedly.
"Yes. Don' worry about him. He has seven lives and can't die easily," he replied in amusement.
"Thank God!' Laura said. Before she will leave the carriage, she needs to ask him one final question that was bothering her mind ever since their path crossed. She knows that these men are not ordinary humans. She wants to know the guy's real identity. "Who are you?"
"I'm not gonna tell you my name..." he said, refusing to divulge his real identity.
"I know you're not going to answer my question. Just tell me, what is your name?" she asked.
"Why do you want to know my name?" he asked.
"B-because... how am I going to address you if we suddenly meet somewhere," she asked.
"Lady...I have my mask on my face right now. I can assure you, Even if we stumble on each other on the road, you won't' recognize me. But if I will see you, I'll recognize you easily because you leave an imprint on my lips. If I'll say hello to you... or... if we will see each other again, that entirely depends on me," he said haughtily, amused at her pouting lips.
Laura blushed and pouted. Hmph! This guy is playing hard to get. Why can't he tell her his name? Sighing, she fully accepted that he's a discreet guy. But she has one more question to ask before she will leave. She cleared her throat. "I know that you and your men are not ordinary human beings. What exactly are you-? A demon? Vampires? or what-?" she inquired curiously.
The guy sighed. "No need for you to know what kind of person I am. None of your business, my dear," he said. "Go on...leave the carriage and go back to your father!" he said, shooing her away.
He opened the carriage door so that she can leave.
Laura grabbed the loot bag and left the carriage without looking back at the guy that was staring at her back.
"Drive now..." the mysterious guy instructed the driver.
"Yes, My Lord!" the driver replied.
The carriage was moving away, leaving the vicinity of the Sanctuary Inn.