Beating Heart (2)

"I see you're awake"

All the nerves on Kate's body turned alert. She slowly turned to face the monster that kidnapped her, but what she saw was a different person.

The man standing in front of her is beautifully handsome. His eyes had the darkest shade of red, his pointed nose was specially carved straight down to his thin red lips. He was the definition of beauty with his long silver hair that reached his shoulders. Kate couldn't take her eyes away from the perfect sculpted face of the man, that was sinfully beautiful in her eyes.

What? Am I seeing wrong? Did he transform into this handsome man? No! he's still the same man. The monster that attacked me. I won't let him manipulate me with his good looks. Kate shook her head to get him away from her thoughts.

Kate was having her internal monologue, she didn't notice when the man came to stand in front of her. He placed his hand on her forehead like he was checking her temperature.

Did…did he just touch my forehead, what is he doing? He's trying to bewitch me! No, I won't let it happen again.

Kate jerked his hand away from her forehead and stepped back to receive a pointed look from him.

"Who are you or what are you? Why did you kidnap me?" Kate ranted.

Not receiving any reply from him, she continued "Do you want to kill me? If yes why did you have to let me wake up, so you can have the satisfaction of seeing me beg you? Well, I won't beg you. You can go ahead and do it, I have no one in this world anyway"

The man kept looking at Kate as she continued ranting, he found her amusing with the way she was talking. He let out a chuckle before saying "For someone that is still in my custody, you are brave to talk to me that way"

"Why did you kidnap me? What have I done to you? I've…I've always been good my whole life, why...why do I always have to be at receiving end of this cruel world" Kate let out sniffles, she didn't know when a tear slid down her cheek.

"What do you want to do with me, please let me go. Ple…please am begging you".

He walked up to Kate and used his thumb to clean the tears on her cheeks. Something about the way she cried moved his heart as he gently wiped her cheeks.

Kate let him do whatever he wanted, she was tired of fighting, tired of staying strong. Is like everything was always turning bad for her. She just wanted to end it, maybe this man will fulfill her wish.

"You don't have to cry, I don't know what happened but you have to be strong for yourself. You are the one that determines what you will become. You were so brave some minutes ago, what happened? Has your brain gone numb?" He taunted to receive a glare from her.

He laughed and stepped away from her. He didn't understand what he had just done. Was he trying to console her? This was not the man he knew himself to be.

"What are you called?" Kate asked.

He looked at her for some time gauging her.

"You can keep it yourself if you don't want to say. I just want to know the name of my killer before I die"

"Clarence Roosevelt, what's your name?"

Kate looked at him for some seconds before saying "Kate, Kate Warren"

"Kate Warren" Clarence repeated "Now I want you to pay attention to what I'm going to say" He stopped and looked at Kate to see if she was listening.

"Go on after all you have planned to kill me" Kate crossed her hands over her chest. She sounded too brave.

"Now first, I'm not going to kill you because I'm not the monster you saw. He's already dead"

"Dead? How can someone kill such a weird-looking creature? Wait, are you a vampire?" Kate couldn't help but ask. Now everything is falling into place. The man in front of me is not that monster else she would have been long gone.

"I'm not really a vampire, but that's for another day. That creature you're talking about is a demon" Clarence said going to sit on the couch in the room.

"A demon?" Kate asked wide eye.

"Yes, a demon. And he was going to kill you, not only him but the others will also come for you"

"What! Kill me? Why, what did I do" Kate was getting scared. It will not only be that one demon that tried to kill her, and there will be others too.

"I think you should sit first, it's going to be a long talk," He said gesturing towards the bed.

Kate quietly sat down. If she continued standing, she knew she would pass out again. This information was too much for her to grasp.

"So where was I ?" Clarence said "There are demons that will come to kill you. Not only demons but there are also other creatures, I won't mention their names now"

"Why? Why are they after me, why am I on the kill list" Kate silently whispered.

"I know this must be hard for you to understand but it is all because of what happened eleven years ago…"

"Eleven years ago? That was the same time when my life turned for the worst. My parents were all killed in the cold massacre" Kate interrupted.

"Do you remember what happened?" Clarence asked watching her.

"I don't, I was only eight but I can't remember anything more than the death of my parents" The color on Kate's face drained. Now everything is making sense, my parents were killed and the demons want to kill me too. But what happened eleven years?

"Do you know what happened Mister Cla.."

"Clarence, just call me Clarence"

"Clarence, do you know what happened eleven years ago?" Kate asked desperate to know the answer to her questions.

"Now that's the problem here, I don't also know what happened and the record has been wiped or rather hidden. There's no trace of what happened eleven years ago. What caused the massacre, and how you are related to it, it's still what we have to find out" Clarence stood up and walked to the window backing, Kate.

"Related to me?" Kate asked. Everything he was saying was twisting her brain. She didn't understand a single thing he was saying. What her mind registered was only kill and you.

"Do not think too much or you cause yourself more harm than good. That's why I would suggest you stay here till we know what happened."

"Stay here?" Kate asked as she stood up. She wasn't planning to stay here for the next hour and he was talking about staying here. Till when?

"Look, Kate, this is for your good, you don't know when another demon or vampire will attack you. So it's best if stay here." He turned to face her this time as he spoke.

"Will you be able to protect me then? I can take care of myself. Besides, it was only in this town that I was about to get killed. My town is much safer. So I will go back."

"Do you think you will be safe by yourself? You don't know what these creatures are capable of doing. I will protect you if you stay here" And also to monitor you Clarence added in his mind.

"No! I refuse. Look I appreciate your help and thank you for saving me. But I promise you that I won't stay here for the next minute" Kate said already walking towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Clarence came to block Kate.

"To my town of course, please move out of the way. If you want me to stay here, be prepared to have my dead body stay with you." Kate snapped.

Clarence looked at the stubborn woman in front of him. He couldn't believe that this was the very person that was begging him to kill her "Fine then, you can go but don't say I didn't warn you"

"Thank you. I appreciate you helping me but this is where we part ways" Kate went for the door.

She gently closed the door behind her, determined to never step back into this town again but she remembered, she didn't know her way out of the house. Going back into the room she stuck her head inside "Can you show me the way out of your house?"

Clarence who had a grave look on his face was elated when he heard the door open, thinking she was back to stay, he was disappointed when she said the opposite.

"Follow me," He said leaving the room, he led her out of the mansion. He stopped and turned to her "Here's your bag and if you're in danger, don't forget my gate is always open"

Kate had totally forgotten about her bag "oh thank you and I won't be in danger again" Kate said before taking her to leave.

Though she was scared of meeting another creature, she couldn't stay with an unknown man under the same roof. What if he had his bad intentions maybe to torture her before killing her? No, a man that freed me wouldn't kill me.

Kate continued walking hoping to catch any carriage moving, Madam Rosie's money! She stopped and hastily opened her bag and saw the coins inside the bag, she let out an inaudible sigh.

"Kate!!"

Kate was startled when she heard her name being screamed, who could this be? She looked up and was surprised to see Madam Rosie running towards her, who was the other person? She couldn't make out who it was as her attention was drawn to the running woman.

She met her halfway before Rosie embraced her tightly "Oh lass I thought something bad happened to you, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you. You don't know how worried I was" Madam Rosie kept ranting as she held unto Kate.

"I'm sorry madam, I didn't mean to make you worried. I'm safe now. I was kid…"

Kate couldn't finish her words when Madam Rosie said sharply "you were kidnapped? What! How are you, did they do anything to you? Did they hurt you? Why is your body so hot"

"Relax Madam Rosie, I'm perfectly fine, I was not actually kidnapped but it's a long story. Let's get out of here before we will be attacked again"

"Attack? You were attacked, is it the night creatures? Oh my, how did you get out alive" Madam Rosie kept asking as she gauged Kate from head to toe to see if she had any scratches.

"I think Kate is right Madam Rosie, we should all head back it's getting late" That was when Kate noticed the person. She was so occupied with Madam Rosie and her questions that she didn't see it was Mister Borrel.

"Mister Borrel?" Kate called in disbelief.

"Yes Kate he volunteered to help me look for you when you didn't return home" Rosie explained.

Borrel felt his shoulders puff up as he received the praise from madam Rosie.

"Thank you Mister Borrel, my deepest apologies for troubling you" Kate gave a small bow to the man.

"It was nothing, I would do anything I can to assist you" Borrel waved his hand like it was nothing meanwhile he felt so proud of himself.

"Please let's go back home" Kate spoke the fear returning to her eyes.

"Yes, yes come on, you must be tired".

They boarded a carriage at the station and headed home, to Govan town.