Lucian sat in his bath, warm water soothing his tensed muscles. His face was void of emotion, staring blankly forward, lost in thought. Time passed, marked only by the gentle lapping of water against the tiled walls.
Why didn't he kill her? he wondered. He was sure he would, and yet...
Lucian's brow knitted together, perplexed by his actions. He felt a strong need to go after Kat when she ran out, frightened. Unsettling questions swirled in his mind, making him feel like a stranger in his own head.
His gaze settled on the marking on his wrist, shared with Kat. Does it have something to do with the bond? he wondered.
Fear, panic, and desperation still lingered, irritating his calm. He had motives for saving her before, but now she drove him to the edge without trying.
Annoyance flashed across his eyes, replaced by an unsettling calm. Lucian's lips parted, releasing a groan.
Another wave crashed over him – stronger, more urgent. Kat's fear intensified. A part of him wanted to check on her, but he knew it would only frighten her more.
Unmoving, he let the emotions wash over him. Finally, he rose from the bath, water cascading down his body.
Upon entering his room, The fire place had completely died out, leaving the room chilly, carrying the faintest hint of winter's bite.
The moon's silvery light being the only source of light, streaming through the window cast eerie shadows on the walls, it's light reflecting of the shattered glass.
Lucain dried himself and walked towards his closet, crossing over the lifeless maid laying in a pool of blood. His movements were casual, despite the gruesome scene.
Things were shattered across the floor, and blood splattered across the bed sheets. The room reeked of blood, its metallic tang clinging to every surface.
The maid's blood disgusted Lucain, so he escaped to the balcony, wearing only trousers. His hair was tousled, and his shirt clung to his damp muscles.
He leaned on the railing, closing his eyes to shut out Kat's emotions. Time passed, but her panic and fear persisted.
Irritation simmered, but he remained detached, focused on his calm.
Suddenly, a jolt hit him, and his eyes snapped open. Kat's distress intensified, accompanied by a faint call of his name.
Not sparing a second, Lucain left his room to search for her. Along his way he came across, smashed wall, claw Mark's across the walls and floors and things shattered, hinted at the chaos, he could already tell by the smell in the air what was responsible for this.
He came across the corpse of the dead maid and click his tongue. "What trouble have you gotten yourself into now Katherine" He muttered, glancing down at the mark on his wrist, to see it was still there indicating she was still alive.
Lucian's gaze narrowed as he took in the scene before him. Kat's hand gripped the creature's, its limbs crumbling beneath her touch. She had her face turned away from him, but he didn't fail to catch what she was doing to the creature, his gaze narrowed and he stayed still with a mix of curiosity and bewildered flashing across his gaze.
The creature tried to flee, but Lucian reacted swiftly. Two black daggers materialized in his hands, slicing through the air with deadly precision. They struck the creature, and it crumbled into dust.
But what caught Lucian off guard was when Kat gaze met his, her eyes glowing a now faint white. Lucians gaze held hers bewildered, but Just as quickly as he saw it, it vanished.
Before she could hit the ground, with inhuman speed, Lucian closed the distance between them. He caught Kat just as her legs gave out.
She fell forward, her body colliding against him; whatever power she used must have drained the remainder of her energy. He looked down; Lucian's eyes locked onto her closed ones. Her limp body felt fragile in his grasp, a stark contrast to the fierce woman he knew. Her hand clung to his shirt as if her life depended on it.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," he muttered under his breath before lifting her in his arms.
Lucian carried Kat back to her room; he could hear her heart racing rapidly, but he couldn't tell if it was only because of the creature or himself also. Sometime between their walk back to her room, Kat's eyes fluttered open; her heart still pounded in her chest, but she felt safe now—ironically, in the same hands of the person who intended to kill her.
Opening the door with ease, Lucian gently set her down on the edge of the bed, mindful of her injured leg, (which Kat didn't catch). Kat sat, weak and lax, adjusting her leg to avoid discomfort. Her eyes had gone back to being closed, her chest rising and falling with slow breaths.
As Lucian released her, Kat's hand lingered on his shirt, her fingers clutching the fabric. She felt a sense of calm wash over her.
Lucian stepped away, attending to the fireplace. He added more wood, stirring the embers to life; the flickering flames cast a golden glow. But it would still take some time before it could warm the room.
Kat watched, her eyes half-open. As Lucian moved to shut the windows; the cool night air seeped out as he closed them.
At the last window, Lucian paused, his gaze drifting outside. His eyes narrowed; his expression indifferent. For a moment, he stood frozen. Then, without a word, he shut the curtains, plunging the room into cozy warmth.
He walked back toward the dresser; Kat's gaze followed his every move. Lucian poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the dresser, handing it to Kat without a word.
She took the glass, her eyes locked on his, and raised it to her lips, drinking slowly and steadily. The cool liquid soothed her parched throat.
The silence between them stretched, heavy with unspoken queries.
She finished the water, her gaze still on Lucian; his figure loomed over her, but his eyes scanned the room. He seemed to have felt her gaze and looked back at her; his face steady, returning to its usual indifference.
As usual, Kat couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling; it was like the person she encountered in his room wasn't the same person standing before her now.
He moved away, starting to light the candles. Then he went back to take the glass from her (which Kat felt wasn't necessary; the dresser wasn't too far from her reach).
Next, he walked over to her wardrobe, picked out a thick blanket, and draped it over her shoulder. He continued searching for something else.
Finally, Kat snapped, unable to take the silence; his actions made her feel weary.
"Why are you being so nice?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Lucian paused, asking himself the same question in his mind. Yet, he offered only a cryptic response:
"Would you rather I try to feed on you instead?"
Kat fell silent; no, she wouldn't.
The image of the dead maid flashed in her mind, guilt plaguing her once more.
"Is the maid dead?" Kat asked tensely, glancing at Lucian.
"Injured but alive," Lucian responded calmly.
At Lucian's words, Kat let out a relieved sigh. Though he was a horrible person, so far she trusted he wouldn't lie to her about it; he never hid his evil deeds. If anything, he took pride in being the heartless beast he was.
And for some reason, she wasn't frightened by him as she was in his room at the moment. Maybe it was because she couldn't sense any bloodlust from him as she did then. But his words still replayed in her mind: "It's all because of you."
Kat was strong in many ways, but she couldn't bear the guilt of hurting anyone who didn't deserve it—let alone the guilt of someone's life. She could only blame herself if the maid had died; it would have been because of her.
If only Lucian hadn't saved her back then, perhaps no one would have gotten hurt now.
But another thought crossed her mind: What if he had killed others she didn't know about? All this while, she saw signs, but they were too faint for her to piece together. She should have known when he ate that day that something was wrong; he was also overly grumpy all of a sudden. If only she could read him better, she wouldn't be in this mess.
That aside, what if he would still end up killing someone else in the future because of it? No, she couldn't have that on her conscience; she'd rather he kills her, than have to bear such a guilt. It feels horrible enough knowing the maid's were harmed.
while she was lost In thought, Lucian had found what he was searching for and walked back toward her, dropping a small wooden box next to her, the small thud of the wooden box drooping on the bed snapped her out of thought. She stared at the box, wondering what he was up to.
"Are you hungry?" Kat suddenly asked in a low whisper, her voice barely audible, but he heard it clearly.
He picked up the candle on her bedside table. "You should be more careful with your questions, Katherine," he warned; the candlelight danced across his features.
Kat's body slightly quivered; she mustered the courage, staring back at him with a solemn face. "I want you to drink my blood," she said, her tone not intending to leave room for argument.
Lucian's eyes reflected the flame from the candle; it almost looked like fire was burning within his eyes. His eyes narrowed down at her, but his eyes gleamed with malicious interest, yet he said nothing.
"I don't want you to hurt innocent people like you did today. You might be heartless, not feeling anything for those you hurt, but I'm not. So, please drink my blood," Kat finished saying, awaiting his response.
The next moment, Kat's eyes caught an unusual sight: Lucian's lips spread in a wide, almost abnormal grin, and he let out a dry chuckle.
"If I understand what you just said, you are offering yourself to me?" He asked, though it was less of a question than a statement.
Lucian's smiling face scared Kat more than his cold expression. She nodded firmly, not backing down, even though with him looming over her and the look in his eyes, she suddenly felt way too small and vulnerable.
"How self-righteously naive of you, little squirrel," he mused. "It appears you don't know what your blood is actually like; it's like an addictive drug. I wouldn't stop until I've taken every last bit of it. Similarly, there's a very high chance that the moment I sink my fangs into you, I would kill you."
His gaze briefly showed a bemused expression before settling back into the grin.
"Mmm, I got the memo when you spoke of wanting to rip my guts out," he muttered, and glanced briefly at the fireplace. She was being reckless, yes, she knew that.
But she had gone through a lot to be shared now. She turned her gaze back to Lucian, her gaze passive but calm.
"I believe you have more self-control than that. Besides, since when did you care if I died or lived? You shouldn't," she retorted.
"So, you are prepared to die?" he inquired.
"Recent events have prepared me for worse. I've resigned myself to death twice today; if I was going to die today, I would have," Kat said simply.
"You show a brave face, yet I can feel your anxiousness," Lucian commented and suddenly squatted down in front of her.
"Do not fright; I wouldn't want to kill you and have Josephine resent me for killing her friend. As sweet as she is, she can be bothersome when she's upset," Lucian muttered.
Kat gazed at him with a frown, but before she could ask what he was doing, she heard the sound of her dress being ripped by him, and her eyes widened.
He suddenly held up her injured leg, examining it kinly.
Kat's heart skipped a beat, alerted to how much of her dress remained and holding it between her legs to cover her modesty from the crazy bastard who squatted between her legs. She never knew he could be this shameless.
Lucain held her leg up, solely focused on her injury, observing it with a solemn expression. He moved her dress further away, exposing her bare thigh to his eyes; her brown, smooth skin glowed under the faint light of the candle.
Kat's heart skipped a beat, alerted to how much of her dress remained and holding it between her legs to cover her modesty from the crazy bastard who squatted between her legs. She never knew he could behave this inappropriately. Lucain held her leg up, solely focused on her injury, observing it with a solemn expression. He moved her dress further away, exposing her bare thigh to his eyes; her brown, smooth skin glowed under the faint light of the candle.
Kat's face flared up, she knew Lucian could be insensitive, but this was too much even for him. Her eyes glared down at him and her hand instinctively moved to slap him, but Lucian caught her wrist with ease. "It would be a very bad idea to try that again," Lucain warned, squeezing her finger lightly.