A Lonely Prince with Fangs (completed)

Waking in Red

I was so warm and comfortable I didn't want to move. I buried my face deeper into the soft pillows, the covers reaching up to my neck. What a crazy dream I had last night. I should warn my dad, though, not to go hiking up that mountain. 

I finally opened my eyes. I took in a deep breath and almost jumped out of the bed I was in. I looked around the strange room I’d woken up in. Is this the hotel? But ... . I look down at my clothes and find myself dressed in a long, silk, red nightgown. The room had a crackling fire that looked to have been recently tended. The room had cobblestone for floor, yellow walls, a grand wooden door for a passage in and out of the room, wooden beams that stretched across the ceiling. My bed had a large canopy over me with poles coming from all four corners of the frame.

Where am I?

Last night ... the cliffs, mom, dad ... the strange face ... . Did someone find me and take me into their inn or something? What is going on? If this is an inn, this is a very nice room. My dark brown hair is crimped. Not that someone did that, but someone took out my braids... wait a minute, there are only two explanations for this. 1. Either someone washed me up with my hair still in, allowing me to sleep then taking my hair out. Or 2. Someone addressed my wounds, cleaning all the mud and blood off my body then lying me in this bed ... .

The thought of someone undressing and dressing me made me shiver with anxiety. You never know what a human being is capable of while a girl my age is unconscious. Why wasn’t I in the hospital? I would have been more comfortable knowing I was dressed by a nurse. 

But wait! My legs, my knees, my scars and bruises, they're gone, the pain is gone ... . What is happening to me? Am I at somewhat of a Romanian hospital? Have I been in a coma of some sort? What should I do? Should I get up? Should I just stay in bed? Suddenly, footsteps were heard and I quickly snuggled back in bed. I don't know why, maybe out of instinct from my parents checking on me late at night when I wasn't supposed to be up. 

I kept one eye open watching the stranger who entered my room. They were male from what I could tell. He wore tight black slacks that made his legs look very skinny and long. He wore a dark velvet vest over a white silk shirt. And one of those flappy thingies that Lords wore from old English times, around his neck. A red ruby to top it all off was pinned also to that white flappy napkin. He reminded me of gender-bend Snow White, jet black hair and pale skin. His hair was cropped very short on the sides but curled by jell on top of his head, kind of reminding me of the haircut going around lately for boys in America. What caught me off guard the most though, was how sharp his nose and ears were. Very pointy. He held his head high when he came into the room so I couldn’t exactly see what his face looked like. 

I realized that I'd only been focusing on his features and not the tray of food he was carrying. He set it on a coffee table by the fire. My stomach slowly growled. I clutched it in hope to quiet it down. 

"So you are awake," the man said. His voice was heavily Romanian accented. "I hope you slept well?" 

I wasn’t sure if that was a question or not. I decided to lift up my head and sit up. Once I did, I couldn't stop looking at the devilishly gorgeous man in front of me. He had highly defined cheekbones and his eyes glittered with purple and red. His smile was ever so kind and his long pointy nose surprisingly fitted him well. He couldn't have been older than twenty-five. 

He walked over and my heart began to beat fast. It was only him and me in the room, and I was sure that he could over power me if he wanted to. He sat on my bed and put his hand up to my forehead. "Your fever seems to have gone away." He says. His lips puckered out when he talked, as if he had something in his mouth like braces. But there were no braces to be found in his white grin.

"How long has it been since you've found me?" I asked.

"Only a day. I found you early in the morning of yesterday. It is now eight o'clock in the morning today." 

"Excuse me, but, who are you? And where am I?"

"My apologies. You are in my castle home, and you may call me Count."