Priceless (Alastor X Reader)

Where Hinges Creak

"Come along then. Let's get you settled in your room, shall we?"

The automobile that once encased the two of you had then sped out of the circular driveway, leaving a warm gust of wind to brush passed in its wake. Alastor held his elbow to you and gestured politely for you to hold onto him. You wearily met his eyes as you glanced up at him.

"My room?" You reiterated.

"I have some spare bedrooms, one is set aside for you to use. Along with your own washroom as well." He stated. He noticed your apprehension as you hesitantly reached for his arm and paused midway. He smiled a little as he released a pleasant, almost relaxed chuckle. "It's alright, darling."

You slinked your hand around his inner elbow and barely held on as you averted his gaze and looked down at the cobblestone path. Making your way to the front door. Thoughts and some rather gruesome ideas began to float through your mind, fearful of what you might endure from this stranger the moment that door is shut behind you. You didn't know what to expect. Would he be mean? Violent?

Would he take advantage of you?

Would he kill you?

All the possibilities of what this stranger -captor, really- could potentially do now that you were in the confines of his home were enough to make your stomach turn a little. You were dreading the idea of being someone's whipping post or sexual servant, but, the way he seemed to talk about the situation on the way here made you wonder if he wasn't going to do anything that heinous after all. But could you believe him?

He had already given your folks (and you) quite a fright, and had literally taken you from your home due to some unorthodox arrangement... Yet, his words of promise were to 'keep you safe and taken care of', whatever that entailed. It could have been the bare minimum of effort for all you knew. So, you really didn't know what to make of this man. A gentleman at a glance but he certainly wasn't above disregarding legalities. It only made your frazzled mind even more confused.

Mindlessly you watched your own feet walking up the steps and to his door, but it didn't feel like it was you walking. Almost like you were on autopilot or in some sort of dissociative trance. Only looking up at the grand front door -so red it demanded all attention when it was finally in your line of vision. The brunette beside you had then gently halted your strides and pulled out a gold key from the inside of his waistcoat. The handle of the key resembled that of a microphone; A neat little detail that did not go unnoticed as you watched him unlock the door and push it open. The heavy wood groaning loudly as it weighed on its sturdy hinges.

"Welcome, to manior de Alastor." He said.

Tall ceilings were the first thing you noticed.

Tall and painted a warm, almost brownish grey with black designs as a border. A gold and quite sparkly chandelier hung in the center. The walls were a garnet red color which were surprisingly a little bare. Some mirrors, a few animal pelts, but that's about it; for this area, at least. Support beams that looked to be straight from birch trees were used along the walls and ceilings which gave the place sort of a cabin-like feel to it.

There were three hallways, one to each side of you and another directly front and center; as well as two large staircases on each side of the far wall that branched off into separate wings on the upper floor.

To say the size of the place was daunting was an understatement. You felt so small and unsure here. Like a fly in a web. But you had to admit, it was gorgeous at first glance.

"This place is enormous," you quietly blurted out as you took a quick look around. "What do you even do with all this space?"

He chuckled again in amusement. "I found use for each little nook and cranny. I appreciate ample space."