Marienne's life was completely undone when her village went up in flames. Badly burned and her eyesight lost, she awakes in a strange place, with no knowledge of how she arrived there. Her savior was the enigmatic and alluring Victor, the Lord of Az...
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We walked up the main stairs in the main foyer, but instead of stopping at his private chambers, we traveled further down the hall. He stopped in front of a door similar to the one to his own chambers, and slid a key into the lock. It clicked softly, and he swung the door open.
The air in the room was cool and dry. It had clearly been sealed up for quite some time, and was in need of a bit of dusting, but still felt as if a lady had just recently vacated it. He walked over to the curtains and pulled them open, twilight filling the room. The blue-tinged light reflected off his skin, painting his countenance with a wraith-like air. His dark eyes reflected the gloom of the room.
I shivered, suddenly feeling a chill creep over me. He stood so unnaturally still, leering in the darkness as he was. It almost made me regret stepping into the room with him. However, once I looked at him directly, I saw the small smile playing on his lips. There was no malice in his stance either. The way he appeared in the shadows- incredibly tall, slim to almost gangly, and exuding a dark, yet radiating power-was simply a reflection of what he was; potent, lithe, dangerous...and inexplicably irresistible.
I fought back the desire that was rising up in me as I turned through the room, him watching quietly, waiting for me to make a decision. The bed was a four-poster, complete with canopy, draping thick and heavy. I was looking forward to the warmth it would surely bring on a cold winter's night.
Something within the thought of never being that cold ever again loosened something within me. The full gravity of what was being offered to me slammed down around my head like an avalanche. It was hard to believe Victor truly was offering this all to me, the midwife of a poor village that...no longer existed.
"Victor?" I asked quietly, without turning around. His muffled footsteps along the rich carpets on the floor were the only thing that announced his approach. "May I ask you something?" I could feel him standing close behind me. I was sure if I turned, I'd find his arms around me in a moment.
"Anything, my dear." His voice was low and husky, barely raised above a whisper. It made the space between us seem smaller, the room closer and more intimate. I couldn't deny the thrill that raced across my body when he spoke. I longed to feel his touch, but wouldn't give in to my desires just yet.
"Why...why are you doing this all for me? You didn't know me at all before you rescued me, and for that I am truly grateful, and will always be. But you needn't have provided me with the dresses, or this fine room. I would have been grateful for a place among your servants, had my vision never returned." I paused in my ramblings. "Other than that, I would have been fine had you simply sent me on my way." I found myself rubbing my arms, looking down, afraid to look up into his eyes, in case he had never thought of these things himself and by merely questioning him, it would make him realize I didn't truly belong here.
He was thoughtful for some time before speaking. I waited impatiently, wanting to yell at him and demand he spit out the words he was holding back. But, I was beginning to learn this carefulness, this cautious sorting of information he so often did was a manner that while it was peculiar, was fully his character.
