w00t, Chapter 2. Yay.
Chapter 2: It's Not What it Seems to Be
Leiko followed Guinifer out of the room; it was the first time she had to leave. She didn't try to escape for Guinifer had asked her not to, and she didn't want to betray her. The wooden floors were covered with red velvet; on the walls were lit candelabras with glass formed around them to prevent a fire. Many gothic paintings of black-winged angles lined the walls, the paintings were a very depressing sight, they were not at all beautiful, but demonic. Something about the black-winged angels made Leiko shiver, like she was standing in front of an open window in winter.
Farther down the hall were portraits of men. They all had a certain resemblance to the other, whether it was their pale skin or their yellow eyes. Leiko noticed one of the portraits in particular, that person was different in many ways. All the other men in the portraits seemed related, but this man didn't seem to have a relation.
This man had short blond hair, blue eyes, and something about him was familiar. The names on the other portraits were in another language, but this one was in plain English. It read, 'Aereolous Brunell'
Leiko gasped as her head suddenly started pounding. She closed her eyes and saw a flash in her mind. A small girl with black hair and white cat ears was shouting happily. "Daddy!" She was reaching up to him.
The man, presumably her father, picked her up. "Haa, that's my little Kitten." Her father had been the man in the picture. "Soon you won't be little anymore, and then you'll be my big Kitten."
Leiko opened her eyes, her head was still pounding and she was dizzy. 'Who's Kitten? I've heard that name before, but where?' She swayed a little
"Miss? Are you alright? Are you ill?" Guinifer asked frantically.
Leiko looked around in vane, her vision was too blurred. "Guin…i…fer?" Her legs collapsed under her and she fell back as she lost consciousness.
Later…
The vision replayed in her head. The small girl with black hair and white cat ears was shouting happily. "Daddy!" She was reaching up to him.
"Haa, that's my little Kitten. Soon you won't be little anymore, and then you'll be my big Kitten."
She saw a blade flash by and the man was now laying a puddle of his own blood. A shadow stood over him with a sword in hand; it lingered there for a while and turned away without saying anything. But Kitten was no where now.
"NOOOOO!!!" Leiko regained consciousness and shot straight up. She was panting and covered in a cold sweat. She was back in her bead.
"Are you alright?" A man's velvety voice asked.
She turned to him, it was Lucian. "You tell me." He shrugged. "What the hell just happened to me?"
He got up from the wall he was leaning on and walked toward Leiko with his hands in his pockets. "Guinifer said that you fainted when you saw the portrait of Aereolous. You didn't respond when she asked if you were alright, and, before long, you fainted."
"I had a vision of him and a girl named Kitten, she called him daddy. After I passed out, I saw it again but it ended when Aereolous was in a puddle of blood." She placed her hand on her forehead. "Who are they?
"I don't know too much about them, but they are Aereolous Brunell and his daughter Kitten Brunell.
"Are they still alive?"
"No, Aereolous was murdered six years ago."
"What about Kitten?"
"Same, but her body wasn't found. Everyone presumed that Aereolous had no children. His wife, Clara, was accused of the murder and was executed."
"Did she really kill them?"
"Not likely. We'll finish talking about this later; right now you still need a bath." He smirked.
Leiko blushed. "I'd rather go alone."
"That's not an option. I can't have you try and escape." He offered his hand as support to help her up, she took his hand. "We have only a few hours before the guests arrive for the party and I want you ready by then."
She walked in front of Lucian and faced him. She blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck, and she looked deep into his eyes and kissed him. He put his hands on her waist and kissed her back. She opened her mouth and Lucian moved his tongue in it. He let his tongue explore over every bit of her mouth before they both pulled away. "What was that for?" He asked.
"Dunno, I just had a huge urge to kiss you." She was blushing more now as she huddled against him with her hands and head resting on his chest.
He uttered a small laugh. "Do you take me for a fool?"
"What?"
"Do you expect me to believe that you've had a sudden change of heart? I know you still hate me." He lifted Leiko's face so she was looking at him.
"How could you tell?" She frowned.
"You know nothing of seduction, yet I've fallen for you. Your kiss lacked passion, it was dull." He walked away from her a little and turned to face her again. "If you truly wanted me, your actions would've been different."
"If you've fallen for me, why would you need to question my actions if you were to benefit from them?" Leiko asked. She wasn't sure why Lucian would've passed up that opportunity.
"You were unable to seduce me because your feelings are confusing you. A person's ability to seduce comes from love; you have to have experienced it in order to fully understand how to pick at someone's mind." He paused. "Also, people who have experienced love for the first time might not be able to recognize it. Once someone's recognized it, it triggers more knowledge of emotion." He smirked. "You've experienced love, you've given love to me, and you've received it. You just don't realize it."
"Yeah, I'm in love with you. Kidnapping me and rapping me is a total turn on." She said sarcastically.
"I didn't rape you; you had sex with me of your own free will. You would've struggled to get away if you didn't want to be with me, but you allowed me to take your virginity, my sweet." He stroked her cheek. "Now let's get you your bath."
Bathroom…
As to be expected, the bathroom was large and fancy. There was a white sink; the toilet was in another part of the bathroom, fresh towels, soap, and a Jacuzzi sized bath. Lucian ran some hot water and a bit of cold water so it wouldn't be scolding. "Go ahead, get undressed." He said.
Leiko doubted that he'd leave, so she undressed. She didn't feel too shy about it because he had already seen her body. After she finished, she noticed Lucian staring at her. "What?"
"You have the loveliest body; I didn't get a chance to tell you yesterday." He said with a smile.
She blushed. "You too." She murmured, avoiding his eyes.
"If that's what you think, then I don't suppose it's fair for you to have all the glory. Don't you think?" Leiko nodded as she approached him and removed his clothes. They both stepped into the bath and Lucian turned off the water. He waded toward Leiko and sat next to her. "Leiko?"
"Yes?" She had her eyes closed as she relaxed in the pleasantly warm water.
"What do you… think of yourself?" He asked without looking at her.
She opened her eyes slowly and stared at her reflection in the water. "I am… imperfect, a failure at life. My life means nothing to anyone."
"That's not true. You mean a lot to me, you're the perfect woman in my eyes."
"Lucian…" She huddled up against him, her hands on his shoulders and her head resting on his chest. "…Thanks." She whispered as her tears leaked down her face.
Lucian put his arms around her and rubbed her back. He kissed her forehead, and rested his chin on top of her head. "It's the truth." He whispered. He whispered something else that sounded like, "I love you." But no one could be sure.
