The Guardians

Chapter 2

                  

Shane opened his eyes, the carved white ceiling slowly came into focus. He blinked a couple of times, his mind blank for a few seconds, before he sat upright, remembering.

"Ah, I see you're finally awake."

Shane turned his head right to see a well-dressed man sitting comfortably on an armchair, reading a book. He kept his mouth shut, instead taking in his surroundings. He was in the most beautiful bedroom he'd ever seen. It was old, and looked like it was a cut out from a magazine about stately homes. The ceiling was high, the bed had four posters, and the room had matching mahogany furniture, all of which surely cost a small fortune. The items used to decorate the room were grand too, Shane looked around him, quietly trying to add up how much he could make if he sold just a quarter.

"Most of them are vintage items, passed down in my family for generations. This room itself has pretty much looked like this for 500 years", the man interrupted Shane's scheming mind.

Shane looked at him with disdain.

"Who are you, creep? Where's Angeli?" he asked, doing little to disguise the disgust in his voice. The man merely raised his eyebrows at Shane, snapped his book shut, and placed it back on the shelf next to him. He had a very handsome face, with eyes that seemed to change colour in the light, and a sharp nose. Bet he thinks he's god's gift to women, Shane thought begrudgingly. He got up, and made his way towards Shane.

"L-look, don't try anything with me, I'll rip your eyes out", Shane stammered, raising his arm in defence.

The man did not stop coming towards him. He was tall, and very intimidating. The light in the room seemed wither away behind him. As he came closer, he lifted his right arm. Shane closed his eyes, expecting a strike that never came. Instead, when he opened his eyes again, the blond man was offering his hand to him. Not sure what to do, Shane took it. The man smiled.

"Alexander Francis Edward Sinclair, otherwise known as the Duke of Elvendale, at your service. Of course I am most commonly known amongst peers as just Elvendale."

"Erm, you're a duke? Of Elevendale" Shane asked, thinking how the title sounded familiar, before changing his tone to a disrespectful one, "I mean, why did you kidnap me weirdo?"

The Duke raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Shane, before replying, "Clearly, you have attitude problems. One would usually express pleasure when introduced to a new person, especially one who is of aristocratic blood."

"You what?"

"It seems I will have to educate you too. Your English is atrocious", said the man named Alexander.

"You're pretty little friend, although is not currently present, has yet to leave, and is below us satisfying her craving for nourishment-",pausing when he saw the confusion on Shane's face he amended his sentence, "Your friend was hungry, so she's eating downstairs-"

Shane yanked the doors open, looked left and right, located the stairs and ran down them with a look of horror on his face "-Follow me down, it's much easier to explain everything to both of you", Alex finished sarcastically explaining to the empty space where the young boy stood. Sighing, he followed the child downstairs.

"Angeli! How could you eat something in a stranger's house? It could be spiked with drugs, or poisoned! Why are you so, so...so blank all the time?" Shane roared as he finally figured out where the dining room was. He took in the scene in front of him. Angeli was surrounded by fancy looking deserts, and a kind looking old lady was just clearing up the plate in front of the young girl, and adding it to a cart of many others, and then placing another cake in front of a very happy Angeli.