Enter the room

There was no reason to distrust Abbie and with the added benefit of giving her somewhere to hide from the chaos Leanne opened the door and stepped a little cautiously inside the room. Despite her willingness to get out of the exposed hallway Leanne was still somewhat anxious as she walked into the unknown room. She closed the door softly behind her and moved further inside. There seemed nothing fearful about the room, it was dimly lit and as with the other rooms she’d seen there was very little in the way of furnishings, until she realised she wasn’t alone in there.

A dark figure sat in an armchair against the far wall and Leanne gasped in shock as she saw him. She thought about running but there was something in the stranger’s gaze that made her freeze where she was. Unable to either approach or flee.

“Ah, so we meet at last, Leanne.” His voice was booming and powerful yet softly spoken.

“How… How do you know my name?” she asked trembling.

“I have been watching you for some time,” he answered. “Hoping that we would someday meet.”

The man stood up and began to walk towards her. She swallowed hard as he approached but she stayed where she was. He stopped in front of her, his large frame towering over her. He was easily over six feet and had long dark hair that covered part of his face. The rest was somehow permanently hidden in shadow and it was difficult to gage how old he might be. However, his eyes had an intensity to them and Leanne found it difficult to look away. There seemed to be centuries of knowledge behind them and she became locked in a kind of trance the longer she stared, only to be broken as he reached out and softly caressed her cheek.

“There is no need to be afraid of me,” he told her.

Leanne shivered. His touch was cold and he had long fingernails that lightly scratch her skin. She stared down nervously, noticing his black boots and long dark cloak that covered most of his body. She waited for him to say something but before he could they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

“Ah, I see you’ve met.” It was Abbie’s voice and it sent Leanne scurrying across the room fearfully. She felt embarrassed about being caught with this stranger and pinned herself against the opposite wall with her arms squeezed tightly around her body. “Is there anything else you need, Master? Maybe I could give you a hand?” Abbie had a devilish grin across her pretty face as she stared at the stranger. Her attention turned to Leanne and there was something about the way she ogled her that gave Leanne a tingle of excitement.

“You may leave,” responded the mysterious figure. “I will call for you if I need anything more.”

“Can I at least stay and watch?” The unknown man shot Abbie a fierce stare and the young blonde nodded silently before turning and making a hasty retreat. As she left Abbie gave Leanne another knowing smirk before leaving her alone with the stranger.

“Alone at last,” he declared in his powerful yet quiet voice. “Please. Won’t you take a seat?” He gestured towards the bed, which Leanne eyed nervously from her position across the room. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to move any closer, let alone to the bed. Her eyes shifted to the door, wondering if she could make a break for it. The mysterious man was much taller than her and no doubt a lot stronger. If he wanted to make her sit there would be very little she could do about it.