Can I Really Love A Shadow?

Chapter Nine: Beauty & The Beast

My eyes raked over his body trying to take in the being in front of me. On top of being tall, he was slender, extremely slender. I was absolutely mesmerized by him, without even uttering more words, he commanded the room. His pale hands brushed the top of the stair railing, as he made his way down the stairs. My eyes followed close behind, the fact that he never truly seemed to touch the ground or how his brown hair swayed on top of his head.

"Uh..." I said, dumbly feeling the words that I tried to utter get lost on my vocal cords. He smirked when he heard my stupid reply, while he glided towards me. How is he doing that? Why am I not able to move? The questions welled up inside of me as he stopped in front of me.

"I know you can't leave without these." He pulled my keys out from behind him, and jiggled them in my face. The sound of my keys brought me out of my trance, and I tried to reach for them. As I was reaching for my keys he drew them back from my reach. Then he smirked. He wiggled his forefinger in front of my face instead and made a clicking sound with his tongue. "Your keys are staying with me, Lucy."

"What do you mean I can't have my keys. I said angrily crossing my arms over my chest. "And how do you know my name?"

He smirked again and flashed some of his teeth, showing some sharp fangs that lined his mouth. "Well Lucy you're my prisoner until I finish the ceremony and then you're my wife forever." He ended that sentence with a large sadistic smile that showed the sharp fangs that rested in his mouth. I on the other hand began to slowly move around the looming figure in front of me. I quickly glanced in the direction of the hall that was on my left and continued inching my body in that direction. "Sorry to inform you but I have no desire to be married anytime soon." I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the hall was just a few more inches away.

"You have no options, my love," He said looking at the keys that were in his hand."You can never leave."

While he was distracted I made a quick get away down the hall at full speed. Unfortunately the dress that I was in was not making my escape any easier. The ends of the dress snagged around my legs, which caused me to trip and fall onto the ground. "Lucy, where are you!" My captors voice echoed through the hall, then there was only the sound of hooves and wings following shortly behind. I quickly scrambled to my feet and found the closest room in my vicinity. My small hands wrapped around the knob of the door and attempted to jiggle it open, but I found out it was locked.

"Just great," I huffed throwing my hands in the air. The footsteps began to draw closer to me, so I continued running the direction that I was headed in. I had to think of plan quickly because if not, I would be captured quickly by the beast behind me. The doors that lined the halls of the large house were all locked as I stumbled through the halls. The path in which I was taking to lead me to a fork in the hallway. One on my left and one on my right. There was no clear distinction between each hallway, except one could lead me to safety and the other would lead me to my doom. I stopped in my tracks and contemplated my options of which way to go. As the sound of hooves pounding down the floor and in my heart, I ran left. The left hall led me down a winding path of stairs and past more locked doors.

"Lucy stop running from me, there is no where for you to hide," The strangers voice echoed down the hall. I had to make up a plan to get my keys back so I can escape.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am not staying here with you," I holler back at the man attempting to capture me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an open door on my left, I quickly darted in that direction and jumped into the room. I turned around and slammed the door behind me, and locked it. I pressed my back against the door attempting to catch my breath in the process.