2. Alluring Scent

Catalina’s POV

As I opened my eyes, my head was covered in bandages, and the rest of my body was covered with bruises that Arthur had given me.

The person who ended up saving my life was the one who brought me to his home. I wanted to express my gratitude for everything he had done for me. I got out of bed and opened the curtain to look for him, but to my astonishment, I wasn't in a regular house at all; instead, I was in a large, foreboding mansion. When I looked around, my eyes were wide open, and my heart was beating as quickly as it could. How did I get here? Does the person who ended up saving my life call this opulent home his home?

I took a step backward, and as I turned around, I let out a gasp as my back came into contact with something. I looked up and noticed a man standing directly in front of me. He was dressed formally in black, and his face had the kind of exquisite shape that I've only ever seen in magazines featuring handsome males. My stomach lurched because he was so tall and incredibly good-looking. But he backed away, covered his nose with his palm, and glared at me angrily.

I sniff myself carefully and say, "I'm sorry...Do I smell bad?" I started to approach him while my eyelids blinked slowly, but he stopped me and asked in a gruff voice, "What are you doing?!" Even though he pushed me lightly, it was a hard motion because I had already been shoved against the table.

He stared at me in disbelief and offered his hand, but I declined to take his hand. Even though I was in pain already, he made the ache in my body even worse. The pain in my knees was causing them to bleed right now. He made an effort to avoid making eye contact with me before rising to his feet, shutting the door behind him, and leaving the room without uttering a word.

Weird.

The next second, a doctor with fair skin walked into the room. He opened his black suitcase and began pouring alcohol into my right knee.

"Are you okay? I'm Doctor Lin, and he asked me to help you." His voice was so smooth, and it had a Russian accent.

"I am..fine," I gave him a slight nod of my head without looking at him, and as I turned my head to look at him, he was already standing at the door, "Call me if you feel pain; you have your medication and some vitamins on the side table. Take it on a daily basis until you feel better."

Then he closed the door with a half smile on his face.

Creepy.

I rubbed my face, trying to figure out what was wrong. And why is he acting so strangely? I smelled myself, and I didn't even smell awful. Why did it seem like he didn't like my smell, and why did he try to avoid touching me like I was some virus? I don't even smell bad.

When I opened the door, I saw there were stairs, but the number of steps made it impractical to walk downstairs. What kind of a place is this? I can't walk like this every day; do I need to take a hundred steps just to enter my room?

I let out a loud grunt and moved slowly, bravely.

I have to look for him.

I was already halfway up the stairs when I noticed that I was beginning to breathe heavily. When I turned around and saw him following me, I was shocked and sprung to my feet. It seemed as though my heart and soul were going to leap out of my chest.

"Where are you going?" His voice was booming, low, and had a husky quality that was alluring.

I heaved a sigh and took a few deep breaths before stuttering, "Uhm, I was only trying to find you, to...to say I'm happy that you saved my life."

How did he end up behind me? 

He inhaled softly, and sighed, “You don’t know what you are talking about.” 

“H-Huh?” 

He murmured, "If you know me, you will ask me to kill you rather than to live with someone like me." 

I took a few steps back, and in the back of my mind, I had a flashback to what had transpired the previous evening—the color of his eyes was the color of the eyes of a demon!

I tried to back away from him, but my balance was off, and he was able to catch my frail body in time. He inhaled my scent and said, "How tempting to smell someone like you—a human."

“What are you…talking about?” I gasped in fear. He smirked at me and took me back to the dark room in one second. 

“How…How can you move so fast? What are you?!” I pushed him away, and ran to my bed in terror, taking something sharp to fight him. 

“Catalina Sullivan…” he whispered my name, and the air became cold around me. I embraced myself and sobbed softly. 

His expression changed, then he said, “I…I am not trying to scare you.” 

"But you are terrifying me!" I squeezed my eyes shut as firmly as I could before his icy fingers touched my face and said, "Hey...look at me."

I gently opened my eyes and noticed that the man in front of me did not have red demonic eyes. Perhaps I was traumatized to the point that my mind created false memories, and hallucinations.

“How do you know my name?” I ask softly and accidentally touch his hand. “Why were your hands cold?” 

"Lake Ontario has cold weather," he said. He let go of my face and looked at my head. "I think you should heal first before you leave me," 

I nod, and he asks me, "Are you scared of me?" after leaning in carefully and inhaling my hair and scent again.

"Y-Yes…Please move back a few steps...."