Chapter Four
"I hope you know what you're doing, Allan," the man said, his tone deep and masculine. The skin in the middle of his thick dark eyebrows folded. A single strand of hair sticks out from his black magician's hat and lies toward his serious-looking reddish eyes. "You can't just bring in a stranger into my home."
"I... I'm sorry, Dad," Allan stuttered.
Deep silence grew between us for a while before the man finally broke it. "Alright. I'll allow her to stay in my house, but not for free. This isn't an orphanage. She has to prove herself to be useful." He stood up from his throne and descended down the altar. His shiny black robe glimmered as he walked. He didn't say anything, but his presence was too heavy for me to handle as he passed by.
"Scarlet, are you okay?" Allan asked in a worried tone. He held my arm at my side as my head nodded to the floor. "I'm sorry about that."
"It... It's okay," I said, regaining my balance.
Allan let go of my arm. "Would you mind if I showed you your room?" he asked.
"Yeah, that'd be great," I said.
Allan led me to the room across the corridor of the black-painted mansion that looked like a palace of the devil. Long, red curtains hung from the walls, stained glass, and magnificent chandeliers.
Allan opened the dark brown-painted oak door, revealing a wide room with a big bed draped in red, fluffy bedsheets, intricate fleur-de-lis designs, roses and long, red curtains hung from the ceiling.
"This room is glamorous," I said, stepping inside. "I've never been to a room this big before. My room was small. It couldn't even be called a room. It was a loft."
"I'm sorry to hear that. You must have been through a lot," Allan said, standing behind me as I marveled around. "Be free to use this room however you want. I know you're exhausted. You should get some rest first. My room is next door; just call me if you need anything. See you at dinner, Scarlet."
"Um, wait!" I said before he could go.
Allan looked back with a questioning gaze. "What is it?"
I stepped close toward him and wrapped my arms around his trunk. "Thank you so much for everything, Allan," I whispered.
"No problem, darling." Allan locked his arms around my slim body. We stayed like that for a moment. His arms squeezed me. I could feel his warm body and his steady heartbeats and hear his breathing as if he didn't want to let me go. He finally removed his arms from me when we heard footsteps approaching. "Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything," he said before walking out of the door.
I shut the door. There was a bookshelf beside the bed. I turned on the lamp, sending cozy lights. I picked a book with a thick, black, intricately designed cover from the shelves. I crawled on the bed, opened the book, and started reading it. It was about werewolves, magic, witches, wizards, and vampires.
My eyes got heavy while reading the book, and without noticing, I had already fallen asleep. I woke up from a nightmare where my parents were being murdered. As I opened my eyes, I was shocked to see a four-legged beast staring at me. It had yellowish eyes and soft, fluffy, ash-gray fur. Its tail swayed back and forth like a pendulum, but that didn't mask its ferocious nature as it growled, revealing its pointed teeth.
"No—don't get close to me!" I screamed. My voice trembled as the beast stepped closer. I moved backward until my back touched the back of the bed. My eyes widened. My heart pounded in my chest. Thoughts raced around my head.
"Grrrrrr!" The beast growled. Then it slowly transformed into a human. Its fur turned into brown skin. Its claws into fingers. Its animal head turned into a human head with dark hair, a pointed nose, amber eyes, and a clean chiseled jawline. A handsome, naked man. He had a big load, big arms, and a hairy chest and abdomen with steel-hard muscles.
I swallowed hard. My fear turned into confusion, guilt, or maybe secret yearning. My stiff muscles remained stiff at the sight of a hot naked man in front of me. "Wh—who are you?" I finally managed to ask.
He didn't move for a while. Then he approached the bed and crawled toward me. He moved so close that I could smell his manly scent. He looked intently at my face. He sniffed my neck. My lips tightened. "I should be the one to ask you that," he said.
My hands pressed against the bedsheets. He finally moved back before I could push him away, giving me some space to breathe. I took two deep breaths. My hands loosen up. I opened my mouth and said, "Allan... He let me stay here..."
"I see... So my little brother brought a girl with him again," he said. "Did he really think I'd fall for his trap? You should get out of here right away. This is my room."
"Ah, pardon?" I asked, confused about what was going on. In my mind, I replayed what just happened. I was asleep, then a beast entered my room, transformed into a man, a hot and naked man, and then told me to get out because this room belonged to him?
"My brother shouldn't play pranks with me like this. I don't have a plan for finding my mate." He stood up and walked toward a closet. He had nice butts. He opened the closet, picked up a white robe, and donned it. He glared back; his amber eyes pierced through me. "What are you still doing there? You should get out already, or do you want me to sleep with you?"
Wait, what? Sleep with a handsome man? I'm still processing things, but he already lounged on the bed before I could make a move. His head perched on my thighs. He looked me in the eyes. "I don't know who you are. I've never seen you before, but you're pretty; maybe we can make this work." He closed his eyes, his lips preparing for a kiss.
I swallowed hard. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I shot as I finally regained my rational mind. I stood up and tried to escape, but the charming predator held my hand and pulled me back, putting me in a very dangerous position, under him, under his grasp, under his dominion.
The expression on his face turned serious as he looked down on me. He slowly moved his face close to mine. I struggled, but it was hopeless. He was all over me; his hands clasped my hands. He lips my lips, like apocalypse.
I've never had a kiss before. He was my first. His lips taste as sweet as strawberry and a little sour like vinegar. I struggled, trying to resist as he bit my lips. He only stopped when someone barged in.
"Oh my god, what are you doing, brother?" Allan asked, his hands on his mouth as if he had seen the most shocking scene in his life. "She's my guest!"
"Your what?" The man asked, his grip on my hands loosening up. He stood up and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What the fuck have I done?" he muttered.
Allan walked toward us. "You okay?" he asked, helping me stand up after a passionate kissing scene.
I wiped my lips with my palms. I didn't know why, but I didn't feel a little hatred toward my first kiss. Perhaps because he was a good kisser, handsome, and attractive. Wait, wait, wait. What the fuck am I thinking about? I didn't even know him.
I shook my head and said, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"I'm sorry for what happened," Allan apologized. He looked at the man. "Brother, you should apologize too."
"Why would I?" the man asked. "She's in my room, and I own everything here, so I own her too."
How arrogant. What am I to him? A possession? Or maybe it was my fault anyway for barging into this place without knowing that it belonged to some arrogant beast.
"Oh come on, you still have to apologize," Allan insisted.
"I'm older than you. You're not in the position to tell me what to do. You two should just get out of here before I can do something unpleasant," the man said.
"I'm really sorry, Scarlet," Allan apologized.
"It's okay." I stood up and walked toward the door. I glanced at the man one last time before stepping out of the door. We had eye contact, that kind of stare that says we weren't done yet, that we'd see each other again.