As Kat drew closer, about to pass them, she walked with confidence, hoping the men would fear she's very important and would retreat.
Just as she was about to pass them, one man blocked her path, and she swiftly sprayed his eyes with the pepper spray. The man backed off, a painful cry escaping his lips. Kat took the chance and hurriedly ran towards the exit. "You bitch!" the other man cursed, and just before she knew it, he was in front of her, his face foaming with rage.
Kat staggered back at the sudden clash with the man, her heart racing intensively. "Don't come any closer; I'm acquainted with the king. If anything were to happen to me, you won't live to see tomorrow," Kat threatened, stepping back. The man sneered, "Humans are always so pathetic, you would say anything to save yourself" The man said, swiftly closing the gap between them, he pushed her against the wall his hands coming forward and he grabbed her neck.
His large palms gripped Kat's neck as his eyes changed to blood red. "Vampire," Kat choked out, the impact of the wall vibrating through her body. her hands tried to pull his hand from her neck, but his grip was too strong. "You wouldn't have had to suffer like this and would have just died with a few neck injuries, but you chose this, to be honest I always liked my meals drenched in sorrow, and this will do just fine" the man said pitifully. Kat thrashed and scratched his hand, trying to get out of his grip, but she was losing her strength, and her vision was going blurry, starting to feel tears well up her eyes blurring her vision further. "Let... go," she chocked.
But the man didn't, his grip tightened, and he began to raise her up by her neck, her feet leaving the floor.
Kat's vision began to fade, and she felt herself being lifted higher and higher, her neck straining against the man's grip. She tried to struggle, but her body felt heavy and weak, her movements mere flails. The man's face was inches from hers, his breath cold and rank, his eyes burning with hunger "humans are nothing but food for us"
The other man also came forward as the effects of the pepper spray wore off. He was angry and intended to give the girl a painful death for hurting him. "You bitch, I will fucking kill you!" He spat in rage.
"Now that isn't a way to treat a lady," a voice spoke from the entrance of the alley. Everyone's attention turned to the source of the voice.
The two men turned to face a man, their eyes narrowing in hostility. "Mind your own business, stranger," one of them growled.
The newcomer smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I'm making it my business," he said, his voice firm but calm. "Didn't your mother not teach you how to treat a girl? You should let her go."
Both men laughed. "What do we have here? He wants to play the hero for the damsel in distress" they mocked.
Kat struggled against the man's grip, but he held her tight. The newcomer took a step closer, his hand tucked in his pockets, a smile still playing on his lips. His eyes were fixed on the man's hand that held Kat. "It's fun to play the hero sometimes, don't you think? Well, I am quite busy at the moment, so if you could please let her go now, we can forget this ever happened," he suggested casually. "Huh, what do you think?" he asked with a charming smile.
"I've had enough of this," the other man said, coming forward to punch the stranger, who didn't flinch. In the next moment, the man who tried to punch him was sent flying away with great force, his back hitting a wall five feet above before falling face-flat to the ground. The stranger retreated, dropping his his leg he had used to kick the man with his hands still tucked in his pocket.
Kat felt herself being dropped, and she stumbled to the ground, her hands coming to her throat, which hurt intensely as she continued to gag and cough.
The man left Kat and stepped back, his face contorted in disbelief as his friend, who was stronger than him, was flung like a ragdoll against the wall. "Who is this man? No, it can't be a pureblood. Why would he ever stop to help this girl, unless she's truly acquainted with the king as she said?" His gaze moved back to the girl who was still coughing, his legs trembled with fear. 'He will kill me,' he thought, and made a run for it, darting into the alley and leaving his unconscious friend behind.
"Are you alright?" the man asked as he held his hand out for Kat to take, and she took it.
As Kat glanced at the stranger who had just saved her, she noticed he stood tall with a confident posture, his dark, smooth skin gleaming. This was the first black person she had come across. His chiseled features and charismatic smile hinted at a quiet allure. His black curly hair cascaded in tight coils, framing his face with effortless style. Each curl seemed to have a life of its own, adding a dynamic flair to his appearance. His hair, jet black and lustrous, bounced with every movement, exuding a sense of vibrancy.
"Thank you, I'm fine," Kat said, letting go of his hand. The man stepped back, his deep, dark eyes holding a hint of kindness, contrasting with his strong, yet gentle presence.
Kat turned around to the direction where the vampire had run off to. "It's a dead end, and he would have to jump over the fence. Don't worry, he isn't coming back," the man said, and Kat nodded, her hand still rubbing her throat. "Does it hurt?" the man asked, stepping forward, but Kat took a step back. "No, it's fine," she replied. Just because he saved her didn't mean she trusted him; he couldn't be human anyway.
He nodded understandably. "Please don't wander off into places like this, miss. It's dangerous," he advised. "I followed a little boy to help his mum. I should have known better," Kat explained, to which he stared at her. "I see. It's okay to be kind, but be cautious next time."
"Well, I know that now," Kat muttered before remembering she had dropped her pepper spray when the man grabbed her. She looked behind her, and there it was. The stranger simply stood watching her. Kat turned around, picking up the canister. "Umm, thank y...." Kat couldn't finish her words. When she turned around, the man was gone.
Kat's brow furrowed, but she wasn't surprised; people here were really weird. She straightened her dress, putting the pepper spray back in her pocket, and stepped out of the alley, walking back in the direction she had left the guard.
"My lady!" she heard someone call out to her ahead. It was the guard. He rushed over to her. "Where did you go? Are you okay?" he asked. Scanning her, Kat nodded. "I'm fine. Let's head back." The guard felt something was wrong but didn't question the lady further.
As they walked back to the carriage, Josie was already waiting by the carriage, waving at Kat when she saw her from a distance. "You must have really been buying a lot of things; I mean, what took you so long?" Josie said when Kat approached her. "I couldn't help it," Kat laughed.
Josie noticed something was off and asked, "Are you okay? You look a little pale." Kat nodded, "Of course, I'm fine, just really hungry." Kat lied to Josie, knowing that if she told her what happened, Josie would get worried and blame herself, ruining their whole day. Thanks to Kat's dark skin, the red mark on her neck wasn't obvious and could barely be noticed.
They went to have lunch at a restaurant, and Josie couldn't have been more right; the food was exquisite. After lunch, they explored the market a bit more before deciding to head back to the castle. Overall, the fun they had recently made Kat forget about the events that took place earlier. She now sat in the carriage, smiling ear to ear at Josie, as they spoke about their day.
When both girls got back to the castle, they let out a tired sigh as they made their way into the castle. As they walked through the entrance of the corridor, they met Lucian and Sebastian walking towards them. Josie tugged Kat's arm and made her way towards them. "Good evening, Lucian, Sebastian," Lucy greeted, and Kat did the same. "How was your day ladies?" Lucian asked, his face unlike usual is expression was always calmer when he spoke with his sister.
"Oh, it was great; we had a lot of fun. We bought so many things," Josie continued to say. "I thought I had a problem with shopping, but next to Kat, I'm way outmatched. You should have seen her; she's a shopping addict." Kat was in a good mood and satisfied with her day, and her chest puffed out in mirth. "What can I say? It can't be helped."
Lucian and Sebastian's gaze moved from the girls in front of them to the guards and maids carrying a bunch of boxes and bags into the castle. "Oh my, you really bought a lot," Sebastian commented. "Oh no, there's a whole carriage full of things we bought, though a majority of them are Kat's," Josie said, failing to notice Lucian's narrowing eyes.
"oh I have to do something really quickly, I will see you guys later. Bring them to my room" Josie instructed the guards to bring the items to her room. Kat didn't see any reason to stay there and took a step forward also wanting to take her leave, when Lucian spoke. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Kats eyebrows drew together "What do you mean? I'm going to my room," she replied calmly.
Lucian's gaze narrowed further. "And my money?" he asked. Kat was taken aback y the sudden question. "Huh?" she frowned her brows.
"Who's money do you think you used for all your splurging?" Lucian asked, tilting his head. "Splurging? Don't you think you're over exaggerating? I mean, it was just a little shopping Kat stated with her eyes darting to the side to side.
Just then, three guards walked past them with a mountain of Kat's so-called 'little shopping.' Lucian raised a brow, and Kat gave him a sheepish smile. "Okay, maybe it was a little more than that, but I'm sure it didn't cost that much..." Kat trailed off she had bought so much but didn't think of this.
"What is the smallest amount you spent today?" Lucian asked. Kat gave a thoughtful look, muttering to herself like she was trying to think. "Oh, two gold coins on a pair of shoes," she responded. Kat didn't know if she said something wrong, but at her words, Lucian's gaze could almost cut through her skin.
"And do you know how much two gold coins are worth?" Lucian continued to ask. Kat glanced at Sebastian before shaking her head. "Sebastian, how much is the highest salary of lets say one of the best governors?" Lucian asked and Sabastian responded "Two to three silver coins, my lord." "And how much could buy a fully built house for an average man?" "That would be twenty silver coins, my lord."
Lucian clicked his tongue in distaste. "So, our dear Katherine here spent what could be a person's years of savings on a pair of shoes."
Kat's eyes went wide "Wait, then how many silver coins make one gold coin!?" Kat asked sarbastain " a Hundred" sabastain responded and kat gulped " oh my god". ' I must have spent a fortune, oh no Josie where did you go, gets back here' Kat cried internally. Lucian cleared his throat pulling her out of thought "umm technically, I didn't know how much the currency was worth so it wasn't my fault" Kat pointed out She took a step back, her hands raised defensively as Lucian's words.
Lucian's gaze seemed to pierce through Kat's soul, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She knew she had overspent, but she couldn't help herself. The thrill of shopping and the excitement of buying new things had gotten the better of her, besides why does he need to make a big deal out of it, after all he is the king. Kat thought to herself that Lucian was just finding a reason to step on her toes, but she couldn't talk back cause she did spend a lot even more than Josie did.
Kat bit her lips, trying to think of a way out of Lucians trouble, yes she would just push back at his words "And besides, I was put under your care meaning this should be your responsibility" she smiled sheepishly.
Lucan scoffed at her response" I think you are mistaken there Katherine, I'm to keep you alive and additionally on good health, you wear clean clothes provided by me, food also provided by me, sleep under my room. Each of this being to keep you healthy and well, and another thing that isn't adding to that is nun of my concern" Lucian deadpanned " but it is!"
Kat huffed " how so?" Lucain asked "well as you said yourself.. you are responsible for my health and shopping is good for my mental health sooo... Yeah, it your responsibility!"
Sabastain stood watching the scene before him and tried hard not laugh, the girl really was a hand full.
" I have no business with your mental health"
" Well what do you want me to do. fine I will pay you back when I get back to my world, with gold's and diamonds if you wish" Kat tried to reason with Lucian. " No" came Lucians Sharp response.