My entire body was stiff. I stretched my limbs. They made a cracking noise that felt wonderful. The bed beneath was luxurious and felt like silk against my skin. It was too nice and too comfortable to be my own. It took a moment for the words to register in my slow brain, and when I did, sleep completely wiped away from my tired eyes.
I bolted up from the bed, sweating. Black silk sheets covered the large king bed. A canopy of black hung above, giving the entire bed a more than comforting feel. Strings of diamonds and pearls hung down from above as a decoration, low enough to reach. They made a tinkling sound as a gust of wind blew in from the open balcony, which was as grand as a ballroom.
This was so not my home.
A watery image of Flora's little face rushed into my mind. This was the final straw to show that everything that had happened before was a hundred percent real. A shiver rose up as my bare feet touched the cold white tiles beneath, but I ignored it. Flashes of what happened last night rose in my head, adding to the increasing panic in my chest. I almost tripped and went sprawling on a tiger's head.
It was a carpet.
It was a friggin' carpet.
Lucian had a skinned tiger as a carpet.
It better have been fake. First of all, who was insane enough to buy such a thing? I don't even think it was legal to have this. Second of all, animal abuse. This was disgusting.
It was all too much for me. I had to go back home. Flora would surely hurt herself. She was 6 years old, for fuck's sake. I didn't care how far I was from Draycott. Mansions like this weren't anywhere close to my wretched town of London, but I had too much will to let that stop me. No lunatic would stand in the way of my little sister, even one that would give Adonis a run for his money.
Lucian was a crazy sociopath. Even after his eyes had turned that horrid yellow, I still refused to believe what he had said. It had to be a figment of my imagination, or some kind of new synthetic drug that made him like that. Truth be told, I had no idea what kind of drugs were sold around the street these days, so I wasn't one to make any harsh opinions. Many things didn't add up, but loose ties weren't my problem now. Flora was. Getting home and away from these crazy men was my problem, not glowing yellow eyes or fangs or sexual urges.
I pulled open the door, thinking it would lead me outside. A harsh aroma of perfume and vanilla rose up. Piles of clothes and expensive looking dresses hung from the enormous closet. I stared in awe. The shoes alone had to cost more than my savings from the last 10 years. And then I remembered Flora, and the desperate panic rose in my chest again.
I grabbed a pair of flats from the shelf. They still had the tags on it. Without looking at the price, I pulled them on and ran back into the room. Taking a deep breath, I was about to pull open the door when it opened by someone else. Lucian's blue eyes matched my furious glare. He looked tired, and for some reason, it was incredibly sexy to me.
"Victoria-"
Without waiting to see what Lucian had to say, I darted past him. My success was short-lived as an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back into something hard. His rough hands roped me into an unbreakable cage.
"Sorry, love, but you're not allowed to leave." His lips brushed gently against my ears when he spoke. In an instant my mind had clouded with images of us lying in bed together, to which I diligently pushed out. Taking a deep breath, I whirled around to face him. Red flared into my cheeks, and a burning anger rubbed my chest.
"You sick bastard!" I shrieked. Lucian looked surprised for some reason, and I used that moment to fight out of his grip. He rubbed his grey eyes tiredly and crossed his arms. Muscles bulged from his biceps but it didn't look like he was flexing. Not that I cared or anything. I forced myself to stare into his eyes to show that I wouldn't break so easily.
"How dare you bring me here! This is kidnapping and I demand to be taken home! I refuse to stay here. Who are you even?" I threw my hands up in the air. Frustration rose in my chest. I knew I was making a fool of myself. The weight of what was happening crashed into me all at once. "What kind of drug have you taken? Werewolves don't exist, and I sure as hell am not anyone's mate! What else are you going to say next? You've been in a century-long battle with vampires who are desperate to take down some pack of stupid wolves-"
"That is enough, Victoria."
"-because they burned your village to the ground? This isn't Twilight, dude. Get help. Call a psychiatrist because you seem to really need the help. Is this a new game that everyone is playing? Kidnap someone and tell them werewolves exist-"
Lucian was in my face in a flash. The words choked in my throat. I could feel the little breeze that followed a second later after his quick movement. Before I could stumble back, Lucian's eyes glowed an angry golden. He grabbed my arm so tight that I knew it would leave a bruise.
"I will not tolerate such childish behavior, Victoria. You are going to accept the fact that you will be living with me now, werewolves certainly exist, and that you're my mate!" Lucian growled. His voice was so low and dangerous that I closed my mouth to prevent saying anything faulty. "You will learn to respect me. Do not defy me, Victoria, or you will face the consequences-"
"Fuck yourself, why don't you!" I yelped. My hands itched to slap his handsomely aggravating face, but I held myself back. Even though I wasn't exactly scared of Lucian, I knew he could kill me in less than a second. "Who do you think you are-"
"I think I'm your mate."
"Oh, dear God! Enough with the werewolf crap. How long will you keep this up, Lucian? I'm done with this. You've had you fun. Now take me home or I swear I'll-"
"You'll do what?" Lucian growled. He leaned down until I could feel each individual exhale. My heart pounded painfully in my chest but I refused to back down. Lucian flicked my chin with his thumb again, and heat rushed into my cheeks. His grey eyes were so incredibly mesmerizing that doubts began to creep in. It was true that no normal person could be one such as this.
"I didn't chose this, Victoria!" he muttered. "You don't understand what it's like. From the moment we are born, the true form inside begins searching for the other half. We are in such pain, every second we don't touch our mates. You honestly don't know what it feels like. I have been searching for you my entire life, Victoria, and I mean that literally. I have been to every continent to feel that connection I do with you now, and fuck, it feels good. Believe me, if I had it my way, I wouldn't be mated with you. I would have probably chosen that beautiful woman I met in Italy. Man, can she-"
I slapped Lucian's chest angrily. Jealousy wove through my chest at his words, which didn't make sense. I would have gladly left Lucian alone, but it seemed to have been easier said than done. Heat and anger flared into my cheeks at the thought of Lucian being with someone other than me. I had never felt such possessive with anyone than Flora, and it hurt me more than I could explain. Lucian broke into my thoughts with soft chuckle.
"I was teasing, love-"
"Because my feelings don't matter, right?" I was shocked to find tears running down my face. The smirk on Lucian's face instantly diminished. "You don't care about what I think or want, it's all about you and your werewolf crap. Go mate with that slut in Italy. It's not like I should care or anything-"
"Victoria, don't take such a blatant tease so seriously. It was a mere statement, surely you can't feel such an anger for someone who does not even exist. There was no girl in Italy. I only care about you." Lucian muttered softly.
I backed away as innocently as I could. My tears had left Lucian in shock. All of his masculinity was wiped away when I cried; he didn't seem to know how to react anymore. It was almost cute in a way, to see such a strong power struggle to deal with a crying woman.
"You know what, Lucian? I don't care anymore." I murmured. The door hit my back with a solid thump. I gripped the doorknob behind my back. "If this is a joke, consider it played."
And with that, I yanked the door open and slipped inside before he could stop me. Almost immediately, there came a pounding from the other side. Snarls and growls could be heard. I was shocked to realize that it was Lucian making those horrid sounds. Before he could break down the door and rip my limbs apart, I ran across the room and out the other door.
For all I could guess, we were in a God forsaken castle. I ran down the hallway, the plush maroon carpet disappearing beneath the expensive shoes I had borrowed. The air smelled faintly of peppermint and fresh grass. I stopped to catch a glance out the window of a balcony.
A large, winding gravel road labeled with flowers broke through the plush grass. Stone mantles that supported the mansion rose up above, all the way to the top. Below, there was neat tan bricks that stamped the enormous driveway, wrapping skillfully around a water fountain of three baby angels that spewed blue liquid out of their mouths. The good part was that everything was scenic and perfect. The bad part? The mansion was as secluded and closed off from civilization as possible. Mountains and trees stretched as far as the eye could see.
I spotted a sleek black car parked in the driveway. It was a Hennessy Venom, an exact replica of one I had seen in a magazine. The car cost over one million. I didn't know how big of a fan Lucian was for cars, but I could safely guess he would be less than pleased if I accidentally crashed it. But then I remembered everything he had put me through, and decided it was going to be worth it.
I scampered from the window and out another door. Following the twisted halls, I finally reached a set of double doors that was bigger than the ones I had seen before. After a moment of hesitation, I pulled them open. Fresh air slapped into my face.
I ran to the car. For some reason, it was unlocked. Thanking my lucky stars, I jumped inside and locked the door. The inside even smelled like money. It stank of fresh leather and cologne. My heart tattooed a rhythm in my chest. Lucian was on one of the many balconies above. I stuck my head out the window. Even though there was some plausible distance between us, I could make out his angry golden eyes.
The keys were sitting on the dashboard.
What an idiot.
"Fuck you!" I shouted up to him and damn, it felt good. A smirk enveloped my face. Lucian was seething. I knew he would find me soon enough, but at least I could enjoy the few minutes of freedom. Lucian should have known what he was getting into when he kidnapped me. Living in Draycotthardened my skin, and I promised myself I wouldn't go down without a fight. Adrenaline rushed through my head, and with one last mocking wave, I ripped the engine and took off down the gravel road.