In the darkness, a girl was walking through an alley with the suitcase in her hand.
Out of the blue, her footsteps halted.
She stood frozen. The sudden stillness was palpable, as if time itself had paused. Her heartbeat echoed in her chest, and the world around her melted away.
Her eyes locked onto the figure leaning against the car ten feet away from her. His head is lowered, as if lost in thought, and his eyes are cast downward, hiding his expression. However, from where she was, she could sense that his aura threatening, shadows seemed to deepen around him.
Despite the air growing around him heavily with intimidation, she felt an inexplicable pull, as if some unseen force was guiding her toward him. Her feet seemed to move of their own accord, drawn to him with a quiet curiosity.
And she stood before him. Her gaze met his golden eyes that gleamed with an intensity. She could feel the shadows lurking behind his eyes. His features were chiseled perfection. A straight nose, thin lips, and angular jaws that framed his face perfectly. He was strikingly handsome and looked like a demon disguising as a mortal in the darkness around them.
She yearned to touch his face and her hand instinctively rose towards his face. Her fingers brushing mere inches from his cheek before he caught her wrist in a gentle yet firm grasp, his eyes locking onto hers with an unreadable intensity.
Leaning against the car, he sensed approaching footsteps and raised his head, his gaze piercing as he locked eyes with the person bold enough to intrude on his space.
His gaze fell upon her, a girl clutching a suitcase, her eyes glazed over as if she was in a trance. He didn't care about her, what mattered was that she'd crossed into his territory without permission.
As if overstepping wasn't enough, she had the audacity to reach for his face. But before her fingers could make contact, he caught her wrist, he growled, his voice low, deep and menacing. "Little girl, what do you think you're doing?"
She snapped out of her daze and she finally understood what she was going to do a second before, and the realization made her eyes widened in surprise.
But unlike others, she didn't flinch or show a hint of fear. His eyes narrowed.
Her words tumbling out in a nervous cadence. "I...I'm so sorry, sir. I, I think I'm just in a trance..." Her voice trailed off, her gaze remaining fixed on his, filled with a puzzled apology.
His gaze lingered on hers, searching for fear or defiance, but all he saw was a faint worry, as if she was concerned about her own actions rather than his reaction.
A slow smirk spread across his face, tinged with mockery. "Little girl, you are brave." he said, the words heavy with sarcasm.
With a swift motion, he released her hand and bellowed, "LEAVE" the word echoing through the space like a command, his voice intentionally startling as if testing the limits of her bravery.
"D.. Don't get angry. It... It's my mistake. I'm leaving. I am really sorry sir." Her voice trembled as she apologized again, the words spilling out in a rush as she seemed eager to escape from the unknown stranger. With a hesitant glance, she turned to leave, her footsteps quiet as she retreated from the tense encounter.
His eyes lingered on the girl's retreating figure before he turned to face the person who had approached him. "Who's that girl you're talking Alaric?" His eyes darting towards the girl's disappearing form.
"A stranger. Let's focus on why you're here," he said, steering the conversation away from the girl.
The person handed Alaric a chilled bottle of alcohol, saying, "Here, take this drink."
Alaric's eyes met the person, as he accepted the chilled drink.
He took a sip, the liquor burning slightly as it went down.
His gaze drifted back to where the girl had disappeared, his thoughts still lingering on their encounter.