Chapter 3 3

'My Zara'

This person or being just called me by my name. Looking closely at the silhouette figure standing in front of me, I saw a scar on his left eye that seemed as though it divided it into two.

" Kae-" I started trying to control my breathing so I could speak without showing fear but that was basically impossible. If I was lying down in the house of the person I believed this was, that means I was far away from home and no one would ever find me.

" Seems like the village never stopped telling my tale" He said with a surprising hint of tease.

" Are you finding all this funny?" I asked frowning as he dragged a stool and dropped it beside the bed I was lying down on.

" What exactly do you think I'm finding funny hmm?" He countered tilting his head to the side as his black eyes fixated on me.

" You know what they say about you and you still find it amusing? You kidnapped me from my own home! You drugged me! And now you're talking to me like we are old friends?" I exclaimed in utter disbelief. I couldn't believe that he had the right to create a conversation after kidnapping me. I was furious.

" Nope, you got it all wrong. I didn't kidnap you. I also didn't drug you. I've never even seen you face to face in my 200 years of living. However, some years ago, I began to see your face in my dreams. The young daughter of the Chief who was fated to be mine." He started as I stared at him in irritation.

" Are you going crazy because you've been alone for that long?" I asked genuinely, eyeing him from head to toe. He was definitely delusion because there's no way on earth that I, the daughter of Ronan was his so called ' bride'.

" You're not scared of me, are you?" He asked ignoring the question I had thrown at him earlier. Sitting up from the bed, I leaned gently on the wall behind me.

" Do I need to be scared?" I asked genuinely as our eyes locked and he gulped.

" No, You don't have to scared of me, I'll never hurt you" He confessed with a voice that seemed very genuine. Still staring at him, I saw that his black iris had a tint of gold round it.

He was beautiful as he was deadly.

" I want to go home please" I whispered still looking at him. Watching his jaw clench, he closed his eyes, took a breather and opened it again.

" Is that what you want?" He asked standing up from the stool and walking towards a side of the room that had pots filled with plants.

" Yes, that's what I want" I assured him as I supported myself with one hand and stood up.

When he didn't say a word, I continued.

" I have a family back home, my parents are probably really worried and looking for me. Please I beg you" I pleaded as he cut some leaves and wrapped it in a bigger leaf, probably a plantain leaf.

" If that's what you want, then you're free to go" He said walking towards me and standing directly in front of me or should I say hovering, because he was over a feet taller than me.

" But first, take these leaves. They are not poisonous but they are very bitter. They'd help you have a sound sleep without any nightmares or any headaches" He continued stretching his hand as I collected the leaf.

" How did you know about the nightmares and the headaches?" I asked confused. Everyone knew about the nightmares because of how I screamed at night, but nobody including my parents knew about the headache.

" I have no idea" He shrugged looking at anything except me. He was hiding something and he knew that I had that figured out.

Looking at back at him, I realized that the golden ring was back on his iris.

" I just want to let you know that I didn't kidnap you neither did I drug you. You found your way to me. I know it's hard to believe but I was willing to live my life without seeing you in person." He confessed as he rubbed his left eye gently.

" I don't believe you,yes, but I know that you're not the beast that they claim that you are back at home. You didn't hurt me" I replied giving him a small smile.

" I'd never hurt you, but know that I'll hurt anyone that harms you in any way" He said as he walked towards the door opening it for me to walk past.

Not knowing what to say to that confession, I nodded and exited the house as he stood still in the middle of the room.

Looking back at him, I saw that his hands were clenched and his eyes black with no hint of gold.

As the door closed after him, I began to run. I didn't know why I was running but my legs just kept on moving.

Was I really scared to the extent that I hid it perfectly till I left the house?

I didn't think so.

I was just in shock. Anyone would be in shock after what happened. After running for a while, I looked back to see if I could see the house or at least the lights in them but it was to no avail.

Turning towards the direction I was running towards, I realized that I was in front of the tree that stood tall at the entrance of our village. Seeing some figures standing in front of the meeting hall, I increased my pace.

" Zaraiah?" I heard some call out as the others turned towards my direction.

As soon as the were certain that I was the one, they began to run towards me and I walking swiftly till we met in the middle.

" Your parents are so worried about you! Where have you been?" A young man few years older than me asked as they lead me towards my house.

" My lantern went off so I had to wait for help but since no one came, I began to walk towards the village my myself" I lied smoothly hoping that no one caught on.

" We're just glad you're okay. We thought something terrible had happened to you"

" Or maybe the beast of the night stole you away" Another said as they knocked on my house door.

As soon as he said ' beast of the night', I remember Kaelor and how nice he was to me and how he allowed me come back home. Even when I was with him, I wasn't in bondage or anything of that sort.

So no, he wasn't a beast.

Sighing to myself, I held the leaf firmly as the door opened revealing the face of my father and then my mother.

" I'm home" I whispered as they both sniffed and engulfed me in a big hug.

I was home, but why did it feel like something was missing?