Chapter 3 THREE

Chapter 3

Zafrix roared angrily and went after her. She gave him a roundhouse kick, which he easily dodged.

It was not in her nature to run away, so she didn't. She quickly scanned the room and saw her dagger still lying on the floor. She went for it, dodging him. The cold handle of the dagger touched her skin.

Zafrix was close. She aimed her dagger at him again, but the bite on her neck throbbed with extreme pain. She tried to ignore it and kept attacking the man, who simply watched her and easily dodged her dagger. Her vision started to get blurry because of the intense pain from his bite.

"Stop, Marianne," she heard Zafrix say, as he effortlessly dodged her attack again.

Overwhelmed by the blinding pain, she lost her balance. She dropped her dagger and grabbed her neck again. Before she fell to the floor, strong arms easily caught her. Soon after, she felt herself being carried away before she fell into unconsciousness.

She opened her eyes and saw she was in a room she didn't know. She quickly sat up, looking around the whole room. Almost everything she saw was red and gold: the walls with huge paintings, the high ceiling decorated with glass pieces and a crystal chandelier in the middle. Even the bedsheets and pillowcases were red, as was the thick carpet, except for the expensive furniture there.

What place was this? Where did Zafrix Wolfe take her?

She tried to remember what happened after she got dizzy. But all she remembered was darkness and the intense pain from his bite. Without thinking, she touched it and gasped loudly when a strange tingling feeling spread through her body. She quickly let go of Zafrix Wolfe's fang mark, looking at her hand nervously. It seemed he had trapped her in some magic where she couldn't refuse something she was terrified of happening.

She pulled off the blanket covering her body and saw she was still wearing the hotel uniform. She slowly got out of bed. The soft carpet, which felt like animal fur, touched her feet. She looked around again, searching for any weapon she could use against Zafrix Wolfe if they met again.

She didn't see anything.

She went to the door and slowly turned the doorknob. A long hallway appeared, also filled with various expensive artworks. 'This man must be a fan of art,' she thought.

She went outside, followed her gut, and turned right where she saw more doors. She kept walking until she saw a wide staircase.

She wondered if it was a good idea to go down. She shrugged. Nothing worse could happen, right?

When she got downstairs, she sensed the surroundings. She still didn't see a single person in that big house. It was so quiet, it seemed like no one lived there. She went towards the wide living room where there were expensive red sofas and a huge flat-screen TV. She stopped when she saw a door that would surely lead her outside.

She didn't know where that man had taken her, but she didn't run from a fight. She walked closer to the closed window and was about to pull aside the thick yellow curtain when someone spoke from behind her.

"You won't see anything outside." Sofia quickly spun around and saw Zafrix Wolfe standing not far from her. "I had this mansion built in a very isolated area so you and I are the only ones here."

Sofia didn't know why her stomach felt twisted at that moment. Was it because of his cold voice? His intense stare? Or because of the fact that only the two of them were there?

The bite on her neck throbbed in a very unusual way. She almost gasped but avoided touching it again. Just the thought of the two of them being alone together caused the bite on her neck to get warm and give her butterflies. She mentally gagged at the thought.

Butterflies... That's nonsense.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked, finally finding her voice. She avoided looking into his eyes, which seemed to want to pull her closer to kiss him.

Damn! Why am I thinking that? she angrily asked herself. She glared at him, hating him for messing up her thoughts.

Zafrix Wolfe went to sit on one of the couches and crossed his legs.

"I come here whenever I want to be alone and work in peace," he answered in a flat voice. He then stared at her intensely, which instantly froze her where she stood. "And I find this place perfect to tame you and your beast."

Her jaw tightened. She really wanted to attack him again.

"Beast?" she asked, her voice tight with anger.

"You are not an ordinary human, obviously."

She clenched her hands into fists. "That's crazy, Zafrix Wolfe. The only one who has a monster here is you."

He stared at her even more coldly. "You have... qualities... that are not normal for an ordinary human."

She didn't answer.

"I find it hard to believe that a certain human, who wants revenge against me, has such incredible speed and strength and is only a normal human being. And let's not forget that you somehow..." his stare became even more intense, "managed to make those three hotel staff go into a trance and follow, or believe whatever you told them."

She wondered how he knew that, but she wouldn't let his words affect her. Sofia smirked, not even bothered.

"I'm quite persuasive," she said. "And to tell you some truth, I'm not the only human who has such strength and speed and is ready to kill you any chance we get."

Zafrix stared at her again. "There are others..."

Sofia's smirk grew wider. Of course, there were others like her ready to attack this man. But she wouldn't confirm it to him because it wasn't safe for her allies. She needed to inform them first before they carried out the main part of their plans.

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?" Sofia asked, even though she knew what he meant. She had no plan to admit anything.

He sat up straight. "Why don't you sit down, and be a good girl..."

"Are you crazy? Why would I do that?"

Anger crossed his eyes but was gone in an instant. He stood from the couch and suddenly appeared in front of her. Before she could react, she was sitting next to him. She was so surprised that she couldn't struggle when he suddenly pulled her by the waist and sat her on his lap. She gasped loudly when she felt his hardness under her thighs. She involuntarily looked up and saw his eyes had turned completely black.

"I am always very fond of courage, but I hate being disrespected," he said, his voice sounding dangerously slow.

She tried to pull away, but his arms only tightened around her and pulled her even closer. She almost flinched when she saw his fangs. She didn't want them to sink into her skin again. Without thinking, she touched her neck again. She gasped loudly and looked at her hand, confused. She felt electricity spread through her entire body again when she touched it, and what she felt under her thighs didn't help. She quickly took her hand from her neck and looked at the man angrily. She opened her mouth to demand what he did to her, but he answered before she could speak.

"It's our bond," he answered her unspoken question. Sofia's heart immediately thumped at what she heard. Especially because he was staring at her parted lips, so close to his.

"Bond! What bond are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Our beloved bond."

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed, completely horrified, and tried to pull away.

Zafrix raised his gaze and met hers. Sofia felt the connection again that she had felt before. No way!

"No!" she yelled angrily, speaking her thoughts aloud, before closing her eyes as her neck throbbed again.

She knows about the beloved thingy. Her aunt had mentioned it to her once. But her aunt didn't explain everything about it. If what she's feeling right now towards this man is that beloved connection, then it will surely become a huge problem for her revenge. That absolutely cannot happen! She needs to think of...

She stopped in her thoughts. If she is truly his beloved, then she will have many chances to kill him. Well, she would use that against him. She smiled inwardly. She didn't care if she was destined for him. She was willing to break and sacrifice that stupid beloved bond for her revenge.

"Now, Marianne..." She heard him whisper against her right ear. An electrifying shiver went down her spine as she felt his warm breath on her skin. "Tell me the real reason why you came after my life."

She took a moment before she looked back at him and answered. Her eyes were cold and full of hatred.

"Isn't it really obvious?" she asked through gritted teeth, her tone dripping with hate. "I'm here to make you pay for your sins and evil."