'Huh, what is that?'
Before he could make any further inference, the memories of what happened not long ago hit like a brick, and the pain, hatred and fire he felt all came back rushing.
His body moved first—on instinct, and as if someone else was in the driver's seat, the hand that was holding onto the warm and soft sensation he felt earlier moved with a swift speed, grabbing the neck of whoever it was.
*BAM*!
"Urgh!"
He slammed the being into the wall and it shook briefly on impact. The sound of a moan escaped the person that sounded feminine.
His eyes snapped open a moment later to see who he had in his hold. He didn't even consider what he did an instinctual action at all. In fact, he thought it was by his own choice.
...
Thalia had been spending a lot of time with James ever since they found him in the woods five days ago. After healing all his injuries, James continued to stay unconscious.
The sanctuary master and the others had even come to know about the mysterious man who popped up in their woods.
Yet, there was nothing much they could do for him unless he woke up himself. For that reason, Thalia had been coming to see James every chance she got.
She still felt that pull whenever she came close to James. The strange sensation kept her awake at night, even affecting her work as a healer.
Two days after his arrival, she began to spend the nights with him. Maybe she hoped her presence would allow James to recover faster or maybe she just wanted to understand what she felt.
Whatever the reason, she was there. Her actions have had Zarek complain about how unethical her actions were, yet she continued.
After her duties today, she came by as usual and due to her exhaustion fell asleep on the stool she sat on with her head lying on the bed close to his hand.
Suddenly, she felt her back slam against the wall, instantly waking her up. And when her eyes opened, what she saw and felt surpassed the pain she felt from having her neck choked and her back ache.
Red piercing eyes that glowed with a sinister light stared at her with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine. In its depth was a hatred so overwhelming it froze the words she wanted to express.
Around him was a dark red aura that was almost imperceptible. She felt it, she saw it, yet it felt as though it was only in her head.
That aura she felt intensified the pull she had been feeling from James since she found him.
'Is this what I was drawn to? Just what is this?'
While her thoughts spun to come up with a possible explanation, her body instead, reacted in a different way.
James observed the woman in his hold, her feet dangling in the air, yet making no attempts to escape from his grasp.
But what he found strange was the look in her eyes. Her face was flushed and while there was a bit of fear in her eyes, they looked at him like a starving creature. Her chest heaved as if she had just gone through a vigorous exercise.
His eyes roamed her body closely, taking in everything. From her alluringly flushed face, generous chest and voluptuous figure her robes couldn't hide.
His mind finally spotted something he had ignored earlier. The robes she wore were the official attire The Order of the Sunbound wore.
'Sunbound, huh?'
Taking in her figure again, he unknowingly compared her to his wife. Suddenly, his anger flared again, throwing out the window the calm that began to take hold.
"Hnngh!"
Thalia moaned; a sound that surprised her. One moment, she noticed James coming down, the next moment, his anger flared again.
And when she felt his hold on her neck intensity, that sound came from her lips! When had she ever let out such a sound?
More importantly, she felt something she had never felt before. A kind of hot sensation rose from the chest and moved down her lower regions.
But before any other thing could happen, the door was flung open and Zarek rushed in. He heard a loud bam moments ago and wondered what could have caused it.
The sanctuary was usually peaceful with only the people in the village down below coming here. And while there were other Solar Sentinels, everyone had their own duties.
It was then that he recalled the stranger they had in one of the rooms, and without delay, he rushed over there only to see Thalia being held by the throat with a red face.
He instantly knew what that was and his anger and jealousy at seeing the woman he desired being treated like that blinded him with rage.
"What are y—You bastard!!!"
His eyes snapped to the man as he retrieved the sword on his waist and his mana flared. Yet, before he could make a move, the being he was about to attack turned in his direction.
And his eyes… Those glowing red eyes.
That was when he felt it. No, he saw it and felt it!
Pure unbridled dread.
His flaring mana instantly died down and his blood ran cold. He took a step back on instincts, swallowing the lump in his throat.
'W-who.. no. What is that?!'
It was unlike anything he had felt before. Even the vampires he had seen in the past didn't have that kind of danger to them.
There was something primal, horrific and chill-inducing about those eyes that froze him in his spot, unable to think clearly.
Suddenly, the man threw Thalia in his direction with such ease, it was like Thalis weighed nothing.
Thalia unceremoniously clashed with Zarek, sending them both out of the door and into the hallway.
"Ouch!"
James looked at the pair on the ground with an expressionless face. His red eyes gradually dimmed and returned to their usual gold. The fire that burned in him dimmed as well, returning a bit of calm to him.
Realising that he was in Sunbound territory, it was unwise of him to do anything reckless. Those people talk about peace and protection yet the power they held in Veloria was no joke.
'This is where I must have landed when I teleported.'
His gaze moved to the window to his left, looking out to nature. The events he went through still felt fresh to him. It was like it happened just a few hours ago.
And anytime he thought about it, a raging inferno burned in him.
"You didn't have to do that, you know?"
James heard turned to the duo, observing as they gradually returned to their feet.
"Are you alright?"
Zarek tried to offer her a hand, yet she turned it down.
"I'm fine, thanks."
With a nod, Zarek then turned around and glared at James with passion. He felt slightly humiliated for showing such a sight in front of Thalia. What was more, the fear he felt earlier was still present.
Dusting herself clean, Thalia raised her head towards James who seemed to have calmed down now.
'His red eyes are gone as well.'
Even till this point, she felt no fear towards him. The pull she felt towards him only intensified. Her curiosity was peaked and the strange sensation she felt still lingered in her lower region.
It was all new to her. And as fascinating as it all was…
'In due time…'
Right now, some questions need to be addressed.
"Where am I?"