Chapter 3 Haunted Blue

"Hello? Chloe? Chloe?"

Lace's voice cut through the fog in her mind. "Earth to Chloe?"

She blinked rapidly, snapping out of her daze. "Oh-sorry. We're here?"

He nodded with a faint grin.

She turned her eyes to the front window, expecting some roadside motel or modest house, but instead saw a towering mansion wrapped in mist and ivy. Her heart screamed, What the hell?! But her face remained unreadable.

They stepped out of the vehicle. Chloe reached instinctively for her things, but Lace stopped her with a calm, "Don't worry. That'll be taken care of."

She hesitated. Normally, she wouldn't trust a stranger to even carry her coat-but something in his tone, or maybe in him, made her pause. She nodded, unsure why she believed him, but she did.

She stared up at the massive structure. The kind of place you only ever see in gothic horror films-tall spires, old stone, large windows that seemed like unblinking eyes.

This is definitely a haunted mansion, she thought, half-jokingly.

And just as the thought passed through her mind-

"I know what you're thinking," Lace said with a soft chuckle. "It's not haunted. Trust me."

She stared at him, startled. "I didn't say anything."

He smirked. "You didn't have to."

She smiled faintly, unsure whether to be impressed or unnerved. Am I really that obvious? she wondered, or did he just read my mind?

They walked through the iron gate and up to the front entrance. The door was enormous-twice her height at least. Lace opened it with surprising ease, revealing a vast foyer with twin marble staircases that curled up toward opposite wings of the house. A chandelier hovered like a sleeping constellation overhead.

"This is my home," Lace said, stepping inside. "Welcome."

Chloe didn't realize the words had slipped from her mouth until she heard herself say, "Whoa. This place is ten times bigger than where I live... maybe twenty."

Lace laughed, and she flushed. Smooth, Chloe, she thought.

"Would you like a tour?" he asked, gesturing like a courteous host.

"Yes, I would," she said, deliberately exaggerating her politeness with a faux curtsy. "Kind sir."

They both laughed.

He walked her through hall after hall: a sleek indoor spa, a dry-heat sauna, a pool that glowed with underwater lights, a marble fountain surrounded by hanging gardens, a library taller than her childhood home, even a painting room with half-finished canvases still wet at the edges.

Each space was modern, almost futuristic in contrast to the mansion's ancient exterior. The deeper she walked, the more unreal it all felt.

Was this house old or new? she wondered. It looked like it belonged in a vampire film but lived like a tech billionaire's penthouse.

There were too many contradictions. Too many surprises.

And yet, somehow, she felt at ease. Safe even.

Why?

---

In a dark corridor leading to the east wing, Lace approached a tall door. With one firm motion, he pushed it open wide.

The heavy creak echoed through the emptiness.

He stepped into the center of the great hall. It was empty. Silent.

Then, with a voice that didn't waver, he said boldly:

"Come out. I know you're here."

For a moment-nothing.

Then suddenly-wind. A blur. A presence. Something approaching faster than thought.

Before it could touch him, Lace spun, grabbed it mid-motion, and wrestled it to the ground with brutal precision.

He pinned it effortlessly and growled, "What do you want?"

A low laugh escaped the figure beneath him.

Now visible-brown hair like the bark of old trees, skin pale but smooth like polished marble. Eyes as golden as the sun. A smile too wide, too calm. Mischievous.

If one met him, they might call him Loki-just on instinct.

"You brought a pet home," the figure mused, voice like velvet wrapped around venom.

"Leave her. She's mine," Lace said coldly.

"But I get bored sometimes," the golden-eyed figure replied, voice curling with amusement. "So bored..."

"Play with yourself. If you touch her-"

Lace stood up, releasing the figure without fear, and began walking toward the door.

Another chuckle behind him.

"You can't tell me what to do," the silhouette said. "Do you really think you're in charge?"

Lace paused.

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder.

His blue eyes were no longer just blue.

They boiled. Roared. They were something else now.

No longer human-if they ever were.

His presence shifted. Streamlined. Lethal. Even the air seemed to recoil.

The figure on the ground-the one who moments before had laughed-shuddered. The room fell still.

Silence.

So sharp, even a whisper could be seen slicing through it.

Lace turned and continued toward the door. He stepped through, and with finality, shut it behind him.

Then...

The golden-eyed figure, still sprawled on the floor, began to laugh again.

Low at first.

Then louder.

And louder.

Hysterical. Wild. Wrong.

The very walls of the hall seemed to tremble with each breathless howl.

Then finally, as if savoring it, he whispered:

"Looks like fun."