Aselia’s POV

My head whipped in the direction of the silver-haired man, the sound he made was playing havoc with my emotions and leaving me utterly confused. The aching pain in my heart from the moment our eyes met was intensifying.

Why did it seem like I knew him?

The way I felt drawn to him was scaring me. My body wasn’t in my control, it was almost trembling with the anticipation of nearing him and touching his face, which was partially hidden away behind a white and golden mask.

The moment Jaguar drew me closer, an unsettling sensation washed over me. It was as if something inside me was violated, an instinctual discomfort rose inside me.

And, somehow it dawned on me that it was because of this mysterious man.

The way his haunting eyes, which reminded me of a silvery mist at dawn, flickered and turned into stormy clouds as if ready to devour Jaguar. This had me thinking if he was someone I knew. His gaze was unsettling, to say the least.

Why did he seem so protective of me?

From the moment our gazes connected I didn’t want to divert mine. His hair, those eyes, his build, everything screamed that he indeed was the man from my dreams, the man my brain had conjured up. Or did it? Because he seemed pretty real to me in that instant.

My heart wanted to swat Jaguar’s hand away and rush to this mystery man. The thought baffled me and I tried to shake it away. There was something wrong here, maybe the man was a wizard and he had cast a spell on me.

But our world didn’t have wizards, they only existed in fictional books.

"What?" Jaguar challenged him in a condescending tone. He had heard the man’s growl, his eyes were fixated on Jaguar’s hand where it was clutching my waist. If looks could kill, Jaguar would have been burnt a thousand times over and reduced to nothing but ashes.

"Who are you?" his voice hissed out at Jaguar, the authority it held told me he was not someone ordinary. Could he be Jaguar’s step-brother? But they should be able to recognise each other even with masks.

"Not your concern. Come, Leia! We need to head over to the hall," Jaguar slightly tugged at my waist as I observed the exchange between the two men.

Jaguar’s answer seemed to have aggravated him further for an uneasiness settled inside me as if I could sense his rage. His hands had balled up and I could see the veins bulging out in his hands, he wanted to punch Jaguar.

The question was. Why?

I wanted to move but my feet were rooted, unable to take a step away from him, instead I wanted to rush towards him.

"I would like a word. Alone. NOW," the aggression in his tone was laced with venom and it seemed to have stung Jaguar for he growled in return:

"Talk to Casmian!" Jaguar tightened his grip on my waist and forcefully made me turn but I wasn’t going to leave just like that. Something was going on here. I stumbled out of whatever witchcraft this man had weaved on me and asked:

"What the hell is going on here?" my eyes landed on him and I could sense he was barely able to control himself. The aggression and anger were seeping out of him in waves, he was fast spiralling out of control.

"Nothing, we are leaving," Jaguar grabbed my hand and began to haul me away from him, increasing the distance between us. He didn’t move, although his lips were thinned in displeasure.

His action made my heart feel constricted and tangled in a web of conflicting emotions. Each contraction became erratic with a sudden void that engulfed its chambers, racing like a cheetah, without a sense of direction. It was torn between going with Jaguar or approaching the dreamy man and taking off his mask to see who he was.

The notion was so absurd, walking up to a perfect stranger and doing something so ludicrous. But somehow my heart refused to register him as a foreigner to me.

’Deep Breaths...’ I told myself. ’Remember your training, reel in your emotions,’ I reminded myself.

But those treacherous eyes of mine wanted to steal one last look at him, knowing he would be watching me like a conflicted man. I slanted my head and our gaze connected yet again.

To say there was only anger in those sultry eyes, would be an understatement, a tempest had awakened within their depths turning into a stormy abyss, swirling with hints of steel and thunderclouds.

An unmistakable aura of displeasure radiated from them, engulfing me, making me believe that I was maybe committing a horrendous crime by leaving with Jaguar. That stare was like an icy gust of wind cutting through my defences, making my heart tremble in unimaginable agony. I wanted to scream but my breath hitched, muffling any sound in my windpipe.

His gaze unwavering remained locked on mine, conveying a message that words alone couldn’t express. The seething rage was all I felt as we turned around and entered another corridor, breaking that connection, and a gust of wind hit my lungs as I sighed in relief.

Coming to my senses as we furthered from him, out of sight now, I finally regained some composure. I focused my attention on Jaguar’s back as he was still dragging me along.

I pulled my hand out of his grasp, not wanting him to hold me any longer, and he halted turning to me. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I can walk on my own if you want to keep secrets from me," my cold tone made him close his eyes for a second but he opened them soon and said:

"I didn’t have positive vibes from that man, he was a vampire. Didn’t want to stay in his proximity any longer than we had to. He was dangerous."

"So, you didn’t know who he was?" I cryptically asked, because that was certainly not the vibe I got from him.

"No. He must be Casmian’s friend. That’s why I said to talk to him. Come now," he offered me his hand this time, instead of grabbing it and I sighed before taking it so we could head to that ball.