Slowly Aurora opened her eyes, closing them again from the sunlight piercing through the curtains, which were opened as a wave of agonizing headache hit her head. Pushing herself up from the soft bed, she sat upright, pressing her back against the bed frame and rubbing her still-shut eyes.
After a minute of fighting drowsiness, she opened her eyes sluggishly. An unfamiliar masculine shampoo smell entered her nose.
"Where am I?" she asked herself, scanning the big room colored blue and black with images of an animal. That was when the memories came rushing in: getting drunk, the bald old man, and the tall handsome stranger.
"Shit," she groaned, checking her body, but to her ultimate surprise there wasn’t anything suspicious—she hadn’t been forced. Her red gown was still on her, smelling of alcohol.
Just as she was still thinking of last night, the door was pushed open and a cute little face peered in. The child’s eyes scanned the room, finally landing on Aurora, who was staring back.
The little kid, who seemed to be eight years old, stepped fully into the room and moved towards the bed. Her eyes did not leave Aurora, though it was clear she was looking for someone else; her gaze flickered with surprise when she saw another person.
"Did you see my uncle?" the little kid’s thin, calm voice cut through the silent room. She was dressed in a school uniform.
Aurora shook her head, muttering no as she rubbed her eyes until they began to sting.
"You smell of alcohol and my uncle doesn’t let anyone sit on his bed, but with how wrinkled the linen is and your face, I can guess you slept here. He will get angry if he finds you here." The child whispered, shifting closer to Aurora, her small hands stretching toward her hair.
"Oh." Aurora gulped, clearly confused about why she was on the bed if her uncle didn’t like it.
"I’m the only one allowed to lie on his bed and sometimes I even wet it," the little girl simpered.
"Can I touch your hair? I love the color; it looks like a stormy cloud. My name is Alyssa." Alyssa added, spilling too much information without taking a single breath.
Children don’t really keep secrets.
Aurora nodded, too tired to reply, remembering when she had urinated on herself because of too much drinking.
"Do I talk too much?" Alyssa asked with a sadden expression, her fingers combing Aurora’s hair down her waist.
"It would be bad to let the kid know she talked without taking a breath," Aurora thought. "No, you don’t," she lied, her eyes welling with tears from how much she had scratched them.
"You’re more beautiful than the other girls my uncle brings home. They always stay in the nanny quarter. He doesn’t let me talk to them." Alyssa prattled, climbing on the bed and standing behind Aurora, packing her hair into different styles she could think of.
"Can you show me the way to the bathroom? I really need to wash my face," she asked the child.
"Yes I can. Are you okay?" Alyssa queried, pulling Aurora’s face toward hers to see the water crawling from her eyes.
Aurora stood up, helping Alyssa come down from the bed as they moved toward the bathroom. Just as she was about to turn the doorknob, Saint pushed the door open and his Wet hair and tattooed chest—came into contact with her face.
Aurora shifted backward, wiping the water from her forehead with the back of her hand. Her eyes fixated on the tattoos on his chest, with lines like cuts or burns; water drifted down his hair to his face, drop crawled down his chest to where the towel was tightly wrapped around his waist.
Aurora turned her head, shaking it vigorously to clear her thoughts and the useless tricks her brain was playing.
She shoved past him into the bathroom, not sparing him another glance, and bent her head under the tap, washing both her hair and her face.
After three minutes she wiped her face with the towel hanging neatly on a hanger. Stepping out of the bathroom, she remembered she had a class today. A test.
"Fuck," she muttered, storming out of the bathroom. "Thank you for helping me. I have a class to attend." She thanked Saint, bowing her head almost to her knees, before darting toward the door. Before she could push it open, Saint slammed it shut, pulling her behind him fully dressed.
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After the call with Edmund, Saint strode down the passage to one of the guest rooms. After a few hours of his mind wandering through anything he could think of, he fell asleep.
Waking up, he went back to where he had left Aurora to check if she had escaped, though that sounded impossible with how heavily guarded the mansion was. Reaching the bedroom, she was still asleep, her body curled up while she pulled the blanket that had been neatly folded on the other side of the bed in between the pillows, covering her body.
He collected the AC remote on the nightstand, turned off the AC, and pulled the blanket from her body, folding it neatly back as he tucked it into his wardrobe.
He opened the curtains for the early morning sun to pierce in.
Saint entered the bathroom to take a bath before she woke up. While bathing, he could hear the mumbling of two tiny voices coming from the room, but he concluded maybe she was sleep-talking again.
Done bathing, he wrapped a towel firmly around his waist. Turning the doorknob, his chest came in contact with her bare chest. He stared down at her with Alyssa’s tiny figure trailing behind her, bouncing. The moment Alyssa saw Saint she ran back to the bed, jumping on it while giggling.
She shoved past into the bathroom while he put on black pants and a silky long sleeve shirt.
She rushed out of the bathroom, her hair still wet. "Thank you," she said quickly, bowing her head, her hair touching the floor, and hurried toward the door, but he slammed it before she could move, pulling her behind him.
"Alyssa get two nannies right now. I need them to bring shampoo and feminine clothes." He ordered. Alyssa raced out, locking the door behind her.
A few minutes later a knock echoed through the door. Saint unlocked it as the two maids, with Alyssa in front of them, strode in. In their hands were two different bottles of shampoo and neatly folded feminine clothes exactly as Saint had ordered. He turned, his muscular back obstructing Aurora’s view; she stared at the maid, then back at his face, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted.
"Do your job," he commanded and pulled Alyssa with him out of the room, letting the two nannies have their time.
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After about thirty minutes Saint entered the room. Alyssa had left for school. Aurora stood facing the mirror as one of the nannies braided her hair into a ponytail, letting two curled strands fall down her face.
Immediately the door unlocked sensing Saint’s appearance; they stepped back from Aurora and sprinted outside, leaving just the two of them in the room, her long silky storm-dark hair facing Saint.
He groaned. The cherry scent mixed with vanilla filled the room, not heavy but present. He shifted backward, his hands balled into fists as he bit hard on his lips to suppress the growl. Marchetti was on the edge of taking control; her scent filled his nose.
Aurora turned to face Saint while she fixed the curled strand.
"Thank you, but I really need to leave," she muttered, stepping closer toward the door where Saint stood. Instead he stepped backward, his back hitting the door.
Aurora stepped closer again, just a tile’s box from Saint, whose eyes were now changing rapidly from her intoxicating scent.
"Don’t come closer," he groaned, bursting out of the room in lightning speed. Dark fur rippled from his shoulders and his shirt tore in pieces. His fingers, now turning into claws, wrapped around the banister as he held under the intensity of his strength. His eyes turned a dark shade of darkness and he stormed out the mansion door, racing toward the pool, which was covered with a net to prevent A
lyssa from entering.
His claws tore the net to pieces as he jumped in; the cold pool water consumed his burning body.