Chapter 005

Violet's POV

My eyes darted open the moment my body slowly regained consciousness. A sharp groan escaped my lips as I lifted my head, a throbbing pain pounding against my skull.

Why does my head hurt so much? I pressed a trembling hand against the back of my head. Did someone knock me out?

The moment my surroundings came into view, my breath caught in my throat.

I found myself in a bedroom that looked like it belonged to a fairy tale princess.

Silk sheets.

Antique furniture.

Elegant gold-trimmed walls.

Everything about the room screamed luxury. It wasn't anything like Ivy's or Jade's bedroom.

This... this looked like heaven.

Thousands of questions flooded my mind.

Where am I?

Before I could think any further, the lock on the door clicked open.

I quickly looked up.

A lady stepped inside, walking toward me with slow, measured steps before stopping beside the bed. She folded her arms across her chest, looking over me with narrowed eyes.

"So." She tilted her head slightly. "Pretty little snake... what's your mission here?"

My brows knitted together. "Mission? I... I don't know what you're talking about."

She stepped closer without warning and grabbed a fistful of my hair.

"Ah!" I cried out, wincing as she yanked my head back.

"I'll ask you one last time." Her grip tightened. "What is your mission here, you snake?"

"I don't know!" Tears stung my eyes; my hands clutched at her wrist. "I swear I don't know what you're talking about. Please... don't hurt me."

She stared at me for a long moment. Then her grip loosened, and she let go.

I stumbled back, rubbing my aching scalp, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks.

She dusted her palms together, as though touching me had stained her skin.

"Disgusting." She hissed.

My chest tightened. What had I done for her to hate me this much?

"Follow me." She turned toward the door without sparing me another glance.

I climbed out of bed, wiped my tears with the back of my hand, and hurried after her.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, my eyes widened.

This wasn't just a mansion. It was enormous. The hallway stretched endlessly before us, lined with old portraits and worn stone floors, torches flickering in iron sconces along the walls.

I had never seen a place like this before.

The lady stopped walking and I almost collided with her back.

She turned to face me, a slow smile spreading across her lips, fingers trailing through a loose strand of my hair.

"You know." Her voice dropped low. "I'm supposed to take you to Lord Blackthorne's chambers."

She paused, then her smile widened.

"But I've changed my mind, how about we play a game."

A knot formed in my stomach. "W-What do you mean?"

I took a cautious step back.

"You find your way there yourself?" Her eyes gleamed with amusement. "Maybe — just maybe — I won't hurt you anymore."

I stared at her in disbelief. "But I don't know my way around. I only just got here."

A soft chuckle escaped her mouth. "Exactly." She tapped my cheek lightly with one finger. "That's why it's called a game, darling."

My heartbeat quickened. "I don't—"

She was already walking away, laughing to herself.

I stood there, completely confused. How am I supposed to find Lord Blackthorne's chambers?

I turned in a slow circle, hoping someone would pass by.

The hallway stayed empty. Not a single soul in sight.

Then my eyes landed on a narrow walkway ahead, a faint golden light spilling through its entrance.

Hope flickered inside me. Maybe that's where his chambers were.

I forced my shaky legs to move, stepping toward the walkway.

The moment I crossed the entrance, the light vanished.

Darkness swallowed the hallway.

My footsteps came to an abrupt stop. A cold shiver ran down my spine.

"W-What just happened?" I hugged my arms around myself, searching for the way back. All I could see was darkness stretching endlessly behind me, as though the path I'd taken had never existed.

Then I heard footsteps.

Slow footsteps. Growing closer with every passing second. My breathing hitched.

"P-Please..." I took a cautious step backward.

Three large men emerged from the dark, dressed in black uniforms, cold calculating eyes sweeping over me.

"Please don't hurt me." I raised my trembling hands. "I... I think I'm lost."

I spun around to run back the way I'd come but a fourth man already stood behind me.

My heart dropped. I was surrounded.

The oldest of them stepped forward, arms folded, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.

"Were you trying to escape?"

"N-No." I shook my head so hard tears spilled down my cheeks. "I wasn't trying to escape. I was only looking for Lord Blackthorne's chambers."

A low chuckle escaped his mouth. He closed the distance between us, hand shooting out to wrap around my throat.

I gasped, grabbing his wrist, struggling to breathe.

"P-Please..." I clawed weakly at his hand.

He leaned in, a cruel smile spreading. "Maybe I'll let you go. If you give us a reason to."

He glanced over his shoulder. "What do you say, boys?"

Two of the guards exchanged amused looks and nodded.

The fourth remained where he stood, jaw tightening. "I'm not a part of this."

He took a step back. "We should report her to Lord Blackthorne."

"Coward." The older guard shoved me to the floor.

Pain shot through my knees against the cold stone.

"If you're scared," he scoffed, waving him off, "then leave."

The guard hesitated, then turned away. "You'll regret this," he warned quietly, before disappearing down the corridor.

The remaining guards watched him go, then turned back to me.

My pulse raced as I scrambled backward.

"Please." My voice shook uncontrollably. "I haven't done anything wrong."

One of them laughed as they closed in. "You've wandered into the wrong place."

I tried to get to my feet. Another guard stepped behind me, cutting off my escape.

"Don't bother running." He crouched beside me.

I shrank away, trembling. "No... please..."

The third guard grabbed my ankles before I could crawl away. I kicked and twisted with everything I had. They barely moved.

"Help!" I screamed. "Somebody, please help me!"

A hand clamped over my mouth. "Quiet. No one is coming."

Tears streamed down my face. Every attempt was useless. They were stronger than me in every possible way.

Then — a new set of footsteps echoed through the corridor.

The guards froze.

The hand over my mouth slipped away as every one of them turned toward the darkness.

An overwhelming presence swept through the corridor, stealing the air from my lungs.

Someone had arrived.

One by one, the guards turned toward the sound. The oldest guard's hand slipped from my throat. The others let go entirely, backing away.

He stepped out of the dark.

I recognized him instantly — the same face from the auction stage. The one who paid so much for me.

Relief surged through my chest. *He's here. He'll stop this.*

His eyes found the mark rising on my throat, then moved to the men.

"Who touched her?"

The oldest guard's mouth opened. "My lord, we found her wandering, we thought—"

Lucian's eyes changed. The pale blue bled into silver.

The guard's words died in his throat. He clawed at his own collar like something invisible had closed around it.

His skin split first at the throat — a thin line, like a blade, had drawn itself across him from the inside. Blood welled up dark in the torchlight and ran down into his collar.

"P-please—" His voice came out wet.

More lines opened along his arms, his face, shallow cuts appearing out of nothing, one after another, faster than I could track. He didn't fall. He stood there and bled, his whole body shaking, eyes fixed on nothing.

Lucian hadn't moved. He hadn't touched him.

The guard's knees finally buckled. He went down hard against the stone. Blood spread beneath him, dark against the old flagstones, pooling into the grooves between them.

I pressed my hand over my mouth.

The remaining two guards dropped to their knees before Lucian even looked at them.

"I didn't touch her, my lord, I only held her—" the first blurted, hands raised.

"I was going to stop it, I swear on my line—" the second stammered.

Lucian's eyes stayed silver, fixed on them. Neither man dared to look up.

Both pressed their foreheads to the cold stone like it might hide them from him.

The fourth guard who had come with him stood apart, jaw tight, eyes down. Lucian's gaze passed over him and moved on. No words for him either.

Then he turned to me.

I flinched back against the wall, some foolish part of me still waiting for him to kneel, to ask if I was hurt.

He crossed the distance between us in three steps and closed his hand around my throat, lifting me until my toes left the floor. My hands flew to his wrist, nails digging in, finding nothing to stop him with.

"You thought you could run." His voice stayed low, sending shivers to my spine.

I made a sound that wasn't a word.

"Look what your little escape attempt cost." His gaze flicked to the body on the stone, then back to me. His hand tightened.

Was he going to kill me too?

Then his fingers eased, just enough for air to scrape back into my throat.

"The next time you run, I won't be the one saving you."

He set me down. His hand stayed on my throat.

His thumb dragged along my jaw, tilting my face into the torchlight.

"Now." He let out a low smile that quickly disappeared like it was never there. "Tell me, little pet."

His grip flexed once, a small warning squeeze that stole my breath all over again.

"Should I reward you for surviving..."

"...or punish you for trying to escape?"

My heart stopped.