7. The garden

After breakfast, I stayed in my room wondering what to do. Not even a book was available in the room. Were they lost to the concept of modern civilization? Not even televisions or phones were available in the castle. It was times like those I questioned whether I would have ended up in the castle if I had just left work early like I was supposed to.

The door opened and Athena stepped in. I jumped and stood upright with my head bowed down. She scared me. All vampires scared me.

" You are free to go outside or to the library with the accompaniment of a guard. The guard assigned to you is right outside your door. You can tell him where you want to go and he'll take you. " She stated before leaving.

I fought the urge to smile. At least I would get to breathe the fresh air again. At the moment, that was all I wanted. I wasted no time leaving my room and looking around for the guard. He was outside like Athena had said.

" I'd like to go outside, " I said to him.

He raked his eyes over my body before nodding his head. I followed him down the stairs and I made sure to ignore the scornful gazes of the other slaves in the castle. When he led me outside, I was in awe of the view.

The wind caressed my skin and the fresh air clouded my senses. I felt the urge to outstretch my hands and hug the wind to welcome the soothing feeling that came with the cold air. My eyes closed and a smile formed on my face.

I started laughing without caring that the guard probably thought I was crazy. I twirled around and felt the faint taste of freedom fool me into having an ounce of hope. I never thought that I would ever miss the air until that moment.

I looked to see if the guard was watching but he wasn't. His attention was elsewhere, not caring to look at my childish antics. If I had to guess, I would say that he relied on his sense of smell and his heightened hearing to know where exactly I was.

I took that moment to look around. Since my greatest strength was my ability to notice small details, I knew if I played my cards right I would be able to make my escape. However, my hope was crushed when I realized that the castle was surrounded by tall trees. I couldn't spot any gate or any pathway.

Was the castle in the middle of a forest?

The castle looked like it was in a normal compound once you stepped outside. However, if you looked further away, you would realize how much of a prison it truly resembled. It was in a place that was difficult to spot and it most probably had no cell reception. It made me wonder what vampires were planning that far away from civilization.

It had to be something if it was this far away. You'd think that they would blend in with people because of the never-ending supply of food but that wasn't the case. My gut was telling me something big was about to happen. I had to find out what it was because it could be my only ticket out of there.

" What are you thinking, peasant? You thought you could escape? " The guard asked with a laugh, bringing my attention to him.

He must have noticed the faraway look in my eyes and the disappointment on my face. His voice was taunting and mocking. I wouldn't let him get under my skin. Some battles just weren't worth fighting.

" Is there a garden? Somewhere that has a lot of flowers and is peaceful and serene. " I said, reminding him that he too was a servant just like I was.

There was a sarcastic smile on my face that I'm sure he caught on to because he scoffed and walked away. I walked closely behind him and rolled my eyes.

I hated vampires.

My anger vanished when he took me to the most beautiful place I had ever seen. We entered a gate to an area that looked magical. There was green grass everywhere and flowers of all kinds growing around. If you walked ahead, you would see a small bridge leading to the other side of the garden.

Under the bridge was a clear stream that shone under the sun. It looked like the rivers that were in children's movies. I could hear the pleasant chirping of birds reminding me of the beauty of nature. You couldn't find such beauty in the city.

I walked to the other side of the bridge and saw a huge tree that had purple flowers. They fell on the grass around it, making it look like the venue for a wedding. On the tree were also climbing vines that were lined with yellow and pink flowers, contrasting with the purple ones from the trees. Opposite the tree was a cherub fountain.

If I had my phone, I wouldn't have hesitated to take a picture.

To the left side of the tree was a white metallic chair that had a floral design. To make it comfortable, there were cushions on top of it. I didn't hesitate to sit as I continued looking at the scene in front of me.

" Beautiful, isn't it? " A voice said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked to my left and gasped at the man next to me. I looked around to see if the guard was around but he was missing from where I had seen him last. I tried to look to other places and see if I could spot him anywhere else but I came up short.

For some reason, my heart was beating so fast that I could hear the thumping in my ears. His scent was eerily familiar and it was clouding my judgment. The man was muscular but he wasn't too muscular. He had a sharp jawline and pink full lips that looked inviting.

I could tell he was tall. Very tall. He was dressed in all-black leather. His jacket had a collar that was upward, acting like a pull-neck. The little part of his neck that was visible, showcased some tattoos that I couldn't quite make out.

His hair was white. Not blonde, white. The bleached kind of white that lacked any traces of color. His eyes were a different story. They made me lose my speech. They looked like they could see past my soul. Those eyes that raked my body made heat creep up my body and goosebumps form on my skin.

I knew those eyes. I could recognize them from anywhere. They were the eyes that haunted me in my sleep. They waited for me to close my eyes every time I fell asleep and when I woke up, I couldn't remember who they belonged to or why I had seen them.

But then, I sat in front of the owner of those captivating mismatched eyes that made me blush. The man was sporting a smirk. He was waiting for me to answer him but I couldn't. The scent of metallic musk with a hint of smoke and leather clouded my senses.

One of his irises was golden and the other was electric blue. It wasn't fair for anyone to have such a combination on him. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes that told me that this man would break me apart and I would let him. That both scared me and excited me.

What was the matter with me?

He brought his hand to my cheek and gently stroked it while looking into my eyes. I closed my eyes instinctively and leaned into his touch. It felt comforting and warm. His touch sent a shiver down my spine.

" Lilith, I've missed you, " he whispered loud enough for me to hear.

My eyes shot open at the name he had called me. Did he have the wrong person? I couldn't help the disappointment that bubbled up in my chest at the fact that I wasn't the girl he wanted. I removed my head from his hand and looked away.

Why was I suddenly enthralled by a man I had never seen before?

" I'm not-" I started but he cut me off by placing his forefinger on my lip.

He brought his thumb to my bottom lip and gently stroked it while looking at me like I was a prized possession. I blushed and looked away, feeling insecure under his intense scrutiny.

He stood up and held his hand out for me to take. I didn't hesitate or think. He could have been planning to kill me and I was blindly following him. He took me in front of the tree with purple flowers and picked one from the ground. He placed it behind my ear and held my cheeks in his hands.

We looked each other in the eyes and inched closer. My eyes closed as I felt the adrenaline rush enter my body. He was about to kiss me and I wasn't going to stop him.

The anticipation was building up in me.

My eyes shot open at the sudden loss of contact. He was gone, almost like he hadn't been there in the first place. I almost thought it was a figment of my imagination but the burn on my skin from his touch reminded me that I had experienced an encounter with the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on.

Even though he had left me, there was a ghost smile permanently edged on my face. I knew then that he was my secret admirer. I couldn't explain it; I just knew. I touched my face in an attempt to cool it off from all the heat caused by blushing.

" Where have you been?! " The guard boomed from behind me.

I looked behind with a glare on my face.

" Right here! Where have you been? " I asked.

He grabbed my arm painfully and dragged me out of my garden. I tried to scream at him to let me go because he was hurting me but he didn't listen.

" Let her go! " Athena's voice boomed once we were in the castle.

The guard did what she said and turned to face her.

" She was trying to run away! One minute she was there and the next, she wasn't. I looked for her everywhere but I couldn't find her. Give me the honor of killing her myself. " The guard said while looking at me with an evil glint.

" That's not true! It was you that wasn't anywhere to be found while that man was in the garden! " I screamed.

" There-" He started but Athena shushed him by raising her palm and sending him off.

She walked closer to me and picked the flower that was behind my ear. She looked at it and then back at me. She surprised me by caressing my cheek for a while before dismissing me.

She didn't even ask about the man, much like she didn't ask about my stalker after I had told her about it.

There was something weird happening in the castle and I had a sickening feeling that it involved me.