Chapter 4: Stolen

"Run , Yanessa, RUN!!. Don't let them get you! "

I woke up with a startled gasp.

Everything hurts. My whole body is throbbing with agony and my throat is hoarse. I wetted my lips, tasting salt.

My right arm is sore but there's a newly fresh bandage covering the wound. I blinked then did it again just to ensure that I wasn't dreaming.

My thoughts are running rampant and the nightmare of witnessing Yannah's murder played repeatedly in my mind.

Blood on the floor.

Her lifeless eyes on the ceiling as the senator advanced towards me.

Perhaps, that is the reason why I didn't register the unfamiliarity of my surroundings at first.

Or the fact that I am breathing with a warm blanket wrapped around me.

Confused, I stared down at the dry dark silken sheets I'm laying on.

What?.

My chest heaved with shaky breaths as my gaze slowly absorbed the walls around me. The room is dark, covered with thick curtains and I stared at the glimpse of sunlight peeking through the blinds. It's day.

A lone lamp is sitting on the bedside table, dimly lighting the room with a warm glow. Beyond that, my eyes cannot see through the darkness cloaking the corners of the room where the light from the lamp cannot reach.

I am...alive?.

Most of all, how did I got here and where is that kraken octopus?.

Who dropped me into this fancy looking room?.

Did the Kraken discarded me, changing it's mind on devouring me?, or someone killed it and save my pitiful dying self?.

It felt surreal and I racked my brain for what had happened but all I can remember is the kraken dragging me.

The ship sinking and the Russian man's body floating in the ocean water. I forced myself to relive the events of how I got here but all I got was blank disorientation.

I groaned in frustration, my palms rubbing harshly on my sweaty face.

What is the universe planning for me?.

I'm tired of this twists.

All I wanted was to flee to Moscow to have a life there. Is that really a lot to ask?.

I sighed and decided to unravel these mysteries. Not to forget the impossible existence of a Kraken monster which had nearly eaten me to death. It's a bloody miracle that I am even alive and my body is still intact.

"You're awake" I practically jumped at the sudden deep baritone that intercepted the unnerving silence.

My eyes searched for the source and I located it a while later when the curtains was abruptly dragged sideways, exposing a man.

Light flooded the dark room, momentarily blinding me. I shielded my eyes with my arm but even that cannot save me from losing my vision for a minute.

When I finally got used with the change, I lifted my gaze to meet a pair of glowing golden eyes. Something is familiar about them but I cannot pinpoint what exactly.

My mind is a jumbled mess, the events of last night turning into a mere muddled memory.

The stranger is a shadow, the sunlight a halo behind him making him appear angelic. He was seated on a cushioned chair just in front of the curtained windows and I am taken aback that I had not noticed him there before.

I squinted and I noticed that the man has a broad form. He's dressed in dark clothes, a complete contrast to his pale white skin.

My breath got stuck in my throat when his face become truly apparent. To say he is beautiful is a severe understatement.

No.

He is utterly mesmerizing.

With perfectly sculpted jaw, high cheekbones that highlights his face, straight eyebrows and those hunter eyes that pierced straight right to my soul. He was a dark enigma and I swallowed at the creeps he is already giving me.

The barest hint of stubble dusted his sharp jaw and this out of the world specimen stoked my confusion even more. I gasped when I blinked and he seemed to move closer.

Just then, the right side of his face is exposed and I pinch myself not to show my shock at the jagged scar traveling from his right cheek down to the hollow of his neck. It is the final touch to his sharp features, making him look entirely intimidating and a man not to be trifled with.

He is a flawed perfection.

It took a minute for me to stop gaping, remembering to compose myself. Slowly, I sat up from the soft bed.

My back ached at the sudden movement and I painstakingly tried not to hiss at the pain. Looking down, I see the purpled bruises on my arms. It was then that I noticed that I am not wearing my clothes but rather a clean white shift that only reached the top of my thighs.

My body is bare beneath the thin cotton cloth.

Stunned, I pulled the blanket around my body, gripping it tight.

I am not wearing my clothes.

It means the stranger had changed them and had seen me naked. It is rather an irrational thought since the man had clearly taken care of me but my paranoia made me doubt that he had done nothing to my body while I was unconscious.

The ghost of the senator kept chasing me everywhere and I don't know how to rid of this sudden trust issues. I fought not to wretch at the thought of his perverted touch.

Clearing my throat, I adjust my position and blurted my first question.

"Who are you?"

The man tilted his head at me, as if pondering wether to give me an answer or not.

The atmosphere grew unbearably awkward and I squirmed at his intense scrutiny.

"Umm...how long was I out?" I diverted the topic when I cannot take the stifling silence anymore.

"Three days" he replied. I swallowed at the velvety tone of his voice. It was heavily tinged with a thick Russian accent. It was pure seduction, tempting me to sin.

I furrowed my brows at the unwelcomed thoughts. Strange. I gave a sigh of shock nonetheless. Three days?. I was passed out that long?.

"And the kraken?" my voice shook by even mentioning the creature's name. "Gone" he replied, tone clipped. The tightness around my body seemed to dissolve in a puddle of relief and I allowed myself to relax.

"Did you...uh...killed it?. Is it dead? "

At that, he arched a questioning brow. He frowned, suddenly rising to his full height. The room seemed to shrink and he appeared to occupy every space. His height and size rival and average man.

I cannot help but back away in fear.

I am so small compared to this man and I am sure that if he will decide to attack me, I will be helpless against him.

I clutched the blanket tighter, my body shuddering in utter panic. I look up into his handsome face, encountering a devil hiding in a pretty facade of a man.

Slowly, his lips began to tilt into an alluring smirk that turned into a horrifying feral grin. I might've missed it had I not looked intently at his mouth.

Sharpened shark like teeth peeked beneath his red full lips while his golden eyes seemed to glitter in unadulterated malice.

Suddenly, flashes from last night assaulted my mind in straight continuous flashbacks and I whimpered when he reached a clawed finger to caress my cheek. His touch is cold, just like the feel of a tentacle.

Oh my fucking...hell.

Impossible.

He can't be seriously what I think he is.

He bared his teeth at my palpable revulsion.

"Y-you" I stuttered.

"Yes, me, malyshka. I am the Kraken and now, you're mine"