As Kat stood in place, paralyzed with fear, the metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils, increasing her anxiety, her legs began trembled uncontrollably beneath her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly lifted her head.
She was met with a sight that sent her heart plummeting: Lucian's eyes were no longer the usual dark grey nor were they like that of vampires Kat had seen so far. Instead, they glowed a deep, swirling red, as if a tempest raged within them.
She gulped hard, her throat suddenly feeling dry. The intensity of his gaze felt like it pierced through her, staring at his eyes she could see and feel the bloodlust and rage coming from him. Kat was getting overwhelm by the sense of panic, yet she found herself rooted to the spot, unable to scream or flee.
The air crackled with tension, and a part of her anticipated the end of are life at any moment. She wanted to run, to escape, but all she could do was stare into those haunting eyes, feeling the weight of an unspeakable darkness hovering just behind them.
"Lucian..." she crooked out again, in hopes of pulling him out of whatever madness had consumed him. Her voice barely audible. She wasn't sure if he could even hear her, or if he was even in his senses at the moment, he didn't look like he was.
Her gaze roamed over his disheveled appearance. His dark hair was ruffled, like he had been constantly running his fingers through it, could that had been the same reason this morning, the thought crossed her mind, her eyes further moving across his face. His dark hair framed his face, shrouded in shadows. The flickering light from behind him danced across his features, casting an eerie glow on the edges.
The man who she had always seen to be aloof and indifferent as though nothing In the world could ruffle his feeders, now looked frustrated, he showed a lingering sense of desperation like he was trying hold back from something.
Kat's eyes dropped to his shirt. The white shirt, had smudges of blood from his shoulder downward. The stains was like a bloody hand had tried to grip his shirt but slipped down.
Lucian's chest heaved, his rapid breaths matching Kat's. The sound that escaped him was a low growl. "Why the bloody hell are you here Katherine?" she finally heard him speak, his voice low and husky with a edge of fury.
Kat's body quivered, and she gulped "I....I.. came to ..." Unable to speak clearly she stumbled over her words, she had never heard Lucian curse no matter how angry he got, he seemed like a whole different person now she couldn't get anything but bloodlust and anger emitting from him.
"It's all because of you," he whispered, the words chilling her to the bone. "All of this…" Kat couldn't understand what he meant, she got a glimpse of his fang's picking out, the corner of his lips was smudged with blood.
He leaned closer, and Kat could feel his breath against her skin, warm and dangerous. she shivered, her heart pounding louder in her ears.
'I'm going to die' she thought, to think she wouldn't be able to hear anything over the sound of her own rapid heart beat. But she could hear every word that came from him crystal clear, like it sank into her bones.
" Do you know what it feels like to crave something in your reach, yet you cannot have? No you don't"
Lucian's words were confusing and she couldn't grasp what he meant, what did she do? How is this because of her? Her thoughts raised both in fear and confusion.
Lucian's hand holding her wrist suddenly let go and slammed violently on the surface of the door by side her head. Kat gasped at the suddenness, and she took in a sharp breath.
"Katherine?" he called out. The sinister edge in his voice still permitted and Kat found it harder to breathe with each passing second, she would have never thought hearing her own name being called could invoke such terror within her.
She turned her face away to the side and could feel his breath on the shell of her ear.
"Ever since the fucking day I got the taste of your blood..." He trailed, letting out a shallow breath.
"I have tried everything fucking thing, to get it out of my head. But every time I tried to feed, every other blood taste disgusting "
Though Kat couldn't see his face, she feels the depth of his turmoil in his voice. The sound of desperation and longing, the more he said the more she felt she was going to die by his hands.
"I'm starved, I can't think of anything but the sweet taste of your blood. And you... It's like you attached yourself to my thoughts, you are a constant torment lingering at the edge of my mind, and now." He paused.
" A vampire can stay a weak or two without feeding, yet I haven't fed since a month before I met you and when I fed on your blood, I haven't been able to feed since then, I have never tasted anything like it."
"I have been famished, The second you are close to me everything feels amplifies. Every time you speak all I can hear is the constant sound of your heart beating, pumping blood through your veins. The way it skip's, the way it speeds up. Oh how many times I have wanted to rip it out of your chest."
Lucan finger trailed up from her collar bone finding it way to her neck, stopping just on the pulse of her neck. "How many times I have wanted to sink my fang's in your skin and drain your of every last bit of your blood"
"The pulse of the blood flowing through your veins is torture to my ears, remaining me of my intense hunger.
You have been lucky enough to have lived this long unfortunately for you your luck run out the moment you stepped In front of my door, don't think of this as me just killing you think of it as repaying what you owe, I saved your life and now I want it back"
Lucian's last words came out even more cold and ditched and Kat's chest hived up and down, his fang's brushed her neck and the threat of death felt closer than ever.
Kat had already resigned herself to death by the hands of this psychopathic vampire. Her mind was foggy with fear, her body drenched in cold sweat. She didn't know when tears had started to slip down her eyes, she didn't want to die. At least not like this, helpless, alone and at the mercy of this monster. She tried to mellow down her sob, still trying to be brave in the face of death but her tears betrayed her.
She couldn't hold back anymore—the tension broke through and her sobbing filled the silent room. She was shaking, her tears flowing uncontrollably, she felt a Sharp pain in her neck which she could already tell to be Lucians fang's about to drain the life out of her, she winced between her sobs, that only got louder, when suddenly, she felt Lucian pull away.
His movement was sharp, almost instinctive, and for a brief second, time seemed to stand still. She dared to open her tear-stained eyes, and turned to look at him seeing his face. That wasn't what she saw some moment ago, the blood lust seemed to have drained from his eyes but the rage still lingering with a mix of what she could tell was confusion or bewilderment. Perhaps both.
His eyes kept her teary gaze. completely out of place. His fierce, unwavering composure had cracked. For the first time, she saw him bewildered and struggling.
One moment she was prepared to die by his hands the next he pulled away staring at her.
Lucian stared at her, his eyes no longer burning with hunger but with a different kind of intensity. She was disheveled, completely broken, sobbing uncontrollably in front of him, as much as she hated to die like this in fear and tears she couldn't stop. And perhaps it threw Lucian off. For a brief moment, he was caught between anger and confusion.
Just as quick the rage resurfaced. With a thundering voice that echoed through the room, he shouted at her, "Get out!" His words cut through the air like a blade, but even as he yelled, his hands continued to shake, betraying the turmoil within him to stop it he tugged on his hair frustrated.
Kat, still trembling, forced herself to move. Her legs barely supported her as she stumbled towards the door, her hands fumbling to open it in that brief moment she looked back her eyes caught something she hadn't noticed before, by the side of Lucian's bed a maids layed on the floor motionless, blood smeared over her, and around her.
Horror sized kat, her chest choking. The sight triggered her trauma and she found it hard to breathe. In her panic, She ran out, her cries echoing down the cold, empty corridor.
Lucian stood still for a moment, the room now unbearably quiet, save for the rapid pounding of his own heart. His hand ran through his hair in frustration as his eyes caught the letter lying by the door. He bent down, picking it up absentmindedly. His fingers brushed against it, leaving a streak of blood across the paper. He didn't bother to read it—he just dropped it to the floor again and the door slammed shut behind him on its own.
The tension in the room suffocated him, and without thinking, he made his way to the bath. The massive pool of water was still and cold, steam no longer rising from it. Lucian walked straight in,still cladded in his clothes, letting the icy water engulf him. He sank deeper and deeper, until everything around him felt as cold as the rage and confusion swirling inside his mind. The world above was muffled and distant.
Meanwhile Kat ran through the castle's dim corridors, her heart racing as panic threatened to overwhelm her. Her steps were uneven, she had been sprinting for what felt like an eternity, her thoughts spiraling as she dodged past her room, too consumed by her anxiety to notice where she was headed. Eventually, she found herself on one of the courtyard stairs, collapsing onto the steps. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to catch her breath, the weight of her emotions crashing down on her.
The sight of the maids dead body was enough to force her into a anxiety attack. Kat's hands clenched into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms as she struggled to breathe. Her chest constricted, each inhale feeling like a weight pressed upon her lungs. The courtyard's sounds – distant whispers, rustling leaves - amplified, overwhelming her.
Her heart pounded in her ears, the more she heaved she felt dizzy, the stone steps beneath her blurring, she felt she was going to loose consciousness.
But just then in the distance of her consciousness, a faint whisper pierced the chaos.
'Katherine dear' the soft voice of a woman whisper to her "blow out your candles, come on."
The voice was distant, a memory from long ago. Her mother's soothing tone, used to calm her childhood fears.
Kat's subconscious responded, her lungs obeying the familiar command. She inhaled deeply, holding the breath and letting it out.
"Come on, there are still remaining..." The voice encouraged, its gentle urgency guiding her.
Kat exhaled slowly, feeling a slight reprieve from her panic. She inhaled again, deeper this time letting the breath out.
"Last one..." The voice whispered.
With a final, shuddering breath, Kat released her tension. Her body relaxed, calm seeping into her frazzled nerves.
The voice faded, leaving Kat gasping softly, her heartbeat slowing. Tears still streamed down her face, but her breathing steadied.
After a few minutes, she began to regain her composure, wiping her eyes and taking deep breaths. Now realising where she was, she wanted to return to her room. But yet she couldn't get her mind of the fact she was the cause of the maid's death.
She stood up, placing her hand on a Piller to steady herself, before walking up the few stairs. The corridors were cold and quiet, yet it wasn't that far into night yet, but Kat didn't notice this. As she started to make her way back, a familiar voice echoed behind her. "Miss Kat, are you okay?"
Relief passed through her momentarily, and she turned to clean her eyes, trying to mask the tears. "Umm Sabastian, I'm fin..." But before she could finish, her words caught in her throat. Squatting in front of her was a creature unlike anything she had ever seen.
It had grey, mottled skin that looked almost human but was disturbingly deformed. As it rose to its full height, it towered over her, its hunched back nearly brushing against the ceiling. Even as it stood upright, it moved on all fours, a strange combination of limbs that made it seem both agile and menacing. Kat's gaze followed its movements, her heart pounding as she took in the twisted form of the creature. Hollow sockets where its eyes should have been glimmered with an unsettling light, hinting at a cruel intelligence within.
The creature opened its mouth, revealing rows of sharp, glistening teeth that seemed to shimmer in the dim light, and a low growl emanated from deep within its chest.
As the creature repeated Sebastian's words, "Are you okay, Miss Kat?" its guttural growl morphed into a hauntingly gentle tone, a jarring contrast to its twisted, corpse-like face.
The creature's hollow sockets seemed to gleam with malevolent intent, as if it took pleasure in mocking her. Kat instinctively took a step back, fear flooding her senses as it loomed over her.