Chapter-11: MANSION

Sya's POV:

My jaw dropped when I stepped out of the car and took my time adjusting to the fact that Kane lived in this huge of a house. Not even a house. It was a mansion! And so beautiful too. I never imagined Kane would be this wealthy. Other rich kids at college never missed a chance to show off a new exclusive Gucci bag or a Rolex watch or BMW. But Kane had never let it be known to people that he was this rich.

My heart fluttered. The guy just wants me to melt.

The mansion was all black and oh so modern and beautiful. Most of the second floor was made of glass panels while the exterior walls had a black brick texture to them. Even though it was all black, it didn't give off that whole ‘spooky vibe’. Instead, it was perfectly sophisticated and only looked more magnificent and luxurious.

Kane walked up to my side and closed my open mouth with his finger beneath my chin. A furious blush crept to my face because I was obviously gawking at his place of living. But it wasn't my fault. I had never seen a mansion this big before. Aunt Helena and John lived in a slump when compared to this. Even before my parent's death, we were financially well off but we still didn't have this much of a magnificent house. It had truly caught me off guard.

"Do you like it?" He asked, a smirk on his face. Heat crept up to my cheeks again.

"Yeah! It's awesome," I stuttered. We stood there for some time. He was constantly looking at me, while I was looking down. He cleared his throat and held my hand in his, which instantly fluttered my heart. Those sparks were there again, infuriating each pulse with a strange feeling.

"Come on. Let's get inside," he said, pulling me with him. We entered the house and it looked twice as bigger on the inside than on the outside. The insides were beautiful and luxurious. The walls were decorated with different items, mainly portraits. The doors were all black. The windows had pretty shades on them and Kane had the prettiest vases gracing every corner. It looked exactly like one of those pretty houses you'd see on TV or in fashion magazines. He led me to the living room, which was super cozy. I wasn't able to take my eyes off the splendidly done interior. It seemed like someone had put a lot of effort into making it look so good.

"Do you live alone?" I asked him out of curiosity. Oh My God! What if he lives here alone? That's going to make it really awkward. He chuckled and turned to face me.

"No, actual-" he started but never got to finish because Bryson barged into the living room, banging the front door behind him.

"Hey Kane! Where have you- been?" He stopped in his tracks midway and tilted his head in confusion, looking at me. His eyes creased as he took in my shabby appearance. I suppose I looked like I'd run here from the mental hospital. My hair was all disheveled, I was barefoot and in my nightclothes. Who wouldn't be surprised if they found me in their living room, looking like this, in the middle of the night? I blushed again, this time super embarrassed.

"Hi- um- Sya? I didn't know you were coming," he mumbled, more surprised than confused. I squirmed under his eyes, wondering what to tell him. What the hell was I doing there?

data-p-id=a044e963632dcb3e40342262dec426a4,"Sorry for disturbing your privacy but I will be gone in the morning. It's just for tonight," I muttered embarrassed by the fact that my presence might be bothering them. But Kane didn't look like he was bothered. Instead, he seemed pretty relaxed. Seeing me fidget, he glared at Bryson and he stopped talking and stood there, looking from me to Kane, a big question mark on his face.

"Oh! Uh- It's okay. Never mind," Bryson muttered immediately, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. Then he shot Kane a look I couldn't quite understand. Was it a look of annoyance? Was he mad that I was here? Or did he not like me hanging around?

"Um- Kane? Will you spare me a second? Excuse us please!" He said through gritted teeth before grabbing Kane's arm and dragging him out of the living room. He didn't even let Kane reply and I was just left standing there like an idiot.

Um, okay. So Bryson and Kane live together. And, Bryson is shocked to see me but let's be honest Sya, who wouldn't be? You probably scared him so much he'll ghost you worse at college tomorrow.

As I stood there chiding myself,data-p-id=7f81f08b3a6c692c2cbccd5f6a343184, a generous-looking old lady appeared at the living room doorway. She was dressed in a white button-down shirt and a black pencil skirt, an attire that complimented her personality pretty well. Her silver hair was tied in a neat bun. She had pretty green eyes and she looked so kind.

I felt a bit uncomfortable under the influence of her elegant appearance. I was still in my nightwear, my hair was knotted and sticking out from different places and I probably looked like I'd been electrocuted. I wouldn't be surprised if she thought a beggar had broken into the house.

"Who are you girl? Can I help you?" She asked in a gentle tone that caused my heart to be at ease. At least now I know she won't throw me out of the house. Phew!

"Oh, I'm Sya. I'm with Kane," I replied, slightly timid because she still had a strong effect on me. But what happened next was what surprised me. A glint of happiness flashed through her eyes and a wide smile graced her face.

"You’re with Kane?! Oh my goodness! Sorry, dear. I should have brought you something. What would you like to drink?" She asked frantically, leading me to sit on the couch.

"Nothing! I’m fine." I said, chuckling nervously. Her face contorted into a frown on hearing my reply.

"Oh, come on, dear! Tell me. You're the first-ever girl Kane has ever brought home. You must be special," she said, smiling wide. Blood rushed to my face on her compliment and I became more nervous. On the other hand, my heart warmed on hearing that I was the first girl he had brought home. Don't get your hopes up, girl! He did bring you here because you had nowhere to go.

"Um, uh- n-no, nothing special. I-I'm just a friend. Yeah, just a friend!" I mumbled, more to myself, stuttering terribly. Was I really trying to convince myself or that lady? I couldn't figure it out at the time. My nervousness was taking the best of me. Kane decided to join the conversation right at that time and I thanked all the forces up there because this conversation was becoming really embarrassing and I had had enough of that tonight.

"Cara, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be asleep right now?" Kane asked, walking back into the room. He looked at me for a split second when the lady, whose name was Cara I supposed, caught his attention.

"Oh, I was just talking to this very beautiful girl you invited here," she winked at Kane, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. My jaw dropped. Even though she was old, here she was teasing Kane like she was his classmate or something. I guess they had a pretty good relationship.

Kane’s eyes widened a bit and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Um- you can go now, Cara. I’ll show Sya to the guest room.” Cara merely smiled and continued giving Kane different suggestive looks, ones Kane brushed off. His eyes though, looked at her so affectionately. One could see how much he cared for this woman. Was she his mother? They didn't seem related. Maybe some distant relative?

"Okay, okay. Enjoy the night kids," she chirped as she stood up and walked out of the living room, waving us goodbye. My cheeks got redder if that was even possible at this point and a tint of pink also appeared on Kane's face. Why would she say that?! We're not even together!

"Shall we go?" Kane said, drawing my attention towards him again. I nodded and began to follow him. He lead me out of the living room and down the lobby. The lobby was pretty big and lined with many doors. We stopped in front of a door and when he opened it, my mouth was practically hitting the floor.

The room was so beautiful and completely decorated in black. Is everything inside this house black? Well except the living room. But I haven't missed the very prominent shade of black in almost every corner I'd seen. But I don't mind. Black is my favorite color after all.

The wall was covered in black wallpaper with grayish patterns on it. It also had a huge masterbed that looked really comfortable. I could practically hear it calling my name. A black chandelier was hanging in the center of the room. Overall, the whole second floor of my aunt's shabby house could have easily fitted inside this one room.

"I know it's a bit scary. All black but you know, this entire house is kind of all decorated in black," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. I couldn't help but smile seeing this fine confident man get all nervous. Hey, what else should I say? He's just too adorable! Control yourself Sya!

data-p-id=7597a8b2d0ea8ecb37a5fceb2152d7ec,I scolded myself mentally. "So? You think you'll be alright here?" Kane asked, looking at me with a look mixed with concern and eagerness. I gave him a look of disbelief.

"This room is awesome! You don't know but I always wanted my room decorated in all black. I know it's weird though, a girl wanting her room to be all black. But you know I just love black," I knew by now that I was rambling on and on, so when I turned to look at his annoyed expression, I found a wide smile plastered on his face instead. He suddenly hugged me which caught me off guard and my face flushed at the sudden proximity.

Why is he hugging me? Oh God! I think I'm going to melt in his arms!!! Breathe Sya! Breathe!

After a couple of seconds passed by, he pulled away from me. We were both blushing hard. He was looking everywhere but me. On the other hand, I was just staring at anything that wasn't Kane. My brain was a mess and my heart was beating so fast, I bet even people living all the way in Nigeria could hear it.

"Okay uh- make yourself at home. My room is at the end of the corridor. If you need anything, just call me,” he dashed out of the room in an instant after he was done saying all that. I was left standing at the spot where I was in his arms just moments ago.

What just happened?

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Kane's POV:

I immediately ran out of the room after that happened. Dammit Kane! Why can't you control your freaking self in front of her? Now, what will she think of you? A pervert! Shit! But I couldn’t help myself when she spoke so nervously. Her tiny, melodious voice. Those beautiful lips, those shy eyes. My mate really is the cutest thing on earth! I wrapped my arms around her before I even knew it.

Bryson walked into my room with a look saying ‘spit it out’. I knew that just because he had spared me when he took me out of the living room earlier that I would have to explain things to him later. I'd planned to tell him the whole ‘Sya being my mate part' but to leave out the part where I ‘rejected her for it'.

"Okay, now tell me why is she here? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? You've risked both our identities getting revealed!" He said, exasperated. I rolled my eyes. Even though he was much older than me but sometimes he acted just like a child. Just freaking out for nothing, really. I couldn't fathom how he had survived all these years in the cruel world of vampires.

"Relax, Bryson. She will not know. We just have to be careful, okay?" I said, assuring him. A strange spark of recognition flashed through his eyes.

"Wait a minute. You're not bothered by this. Which means,” he paused before continuing, “She’s your mate, isn't she?" I went stiff and his eyes widened. "She is! Oh man congratulations! You finally found your mate!" He squealed like an excited teenage girl at which I rolled my eyes again. Told you, he really acted like a child at times, making me doubt his mental stability.

His eyes suddenly snapped back to me with a worried expression. I furrowed my brows in confusion at his sudden mood. "Have you already told her about us being vampires? And the entire mate-bond thing?" He asked seriously, at which I sighed and shook my head, shoving my hands into my pockets.

"No, she doesn't know about that. So, this means she doesn't know I'm her mate," I mumbled, suddenly feeling a bit sad. It's going to be so hard to convince her. On top of that, I have no idea how she'll react after she finds out I rejected her at the accident scene years ago. But I love her now. I’m not fighting against them. My feelings. How will I ever have her?

Bryson squeezed my shoulder in an assuring manner. "Don't worry bro! We're both in the same boat." He said, sighing. I looked at him weirdly at first but then understood what he meant. Of course, his mate is also a human.

“Let me guess, Hannah doesn't know you're not a human?” I quipped.

He shook his head sadly, “Nope,” then a huge grin spread onto his face.

"But I’ve got this amazing plan that I'm sure will help us both.” He wiggled his eyebrows and looked so proud of himself.

I looked at him, unsure if I wanted to go ahead with what he was thinking to do. The mischievous grin plastered on his face was really alarming for some reason.

Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?

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