Knowing that he wasn't going to release his grip on you, you tensed, trying to think of way to get out of his hold. He started to kiss the left side of your neck softly, sending shivers up your spine. His right hand went to turn your face towards him and you saw an opportunity presented to you. With no hesitation, you bit his hand hard. Shocked at your action, he withdrew his hand back in pain while accidentally his left hand let you go. However, his left hand was the only thing holding you up on his lap. Thus you found yourself colliding with the carpeted ground below. Before you could compose yourself, Lucian had already gotten out of his chair. Staring down at you, his purple eyes gleamed in amusement. You noticed that the small wound that you had inflicted on his hand had already healed.

"My pet, I find your resistance amusing, but I can only be so patient."

You found yourself gulping, as your eyes darted towards the dining room doors. Not waiting another moment, you got up and bolted for the doors, throwing yourself at them in the process. Without thinking, you went for the entrance doors. Upon placing your hands on the door handles, you were thrown backwards, as the bracelet on your right wrist burned your skin. Crying out in pain, you tried to pull it off of you, but your attempt failed. The dining room doors opened once more, as Lucian walked into the foyer. His black coat flowed behind him, matching his swift movement towards you. Within a moment's notice, he stood standing over you.

"There's no need for this. Now stop making this harder on yourself," he stated, holding his right hand out for you to take.

Two options were presented to you. You could run and hide, but he would eventually find you due to the bracelet. Moreover, who knew what the consequences would be. The second option would be to take his hand, but you feared where that would lead you. Not liking either choice, you found yourself remaining on the floor. Lucian glanced down at your form and sighed. With no warning, he grabbed both of your arms and pulled you up before picking you up bridal style. This seemed to flick a switch on in your head, causing you to struggle in his grip. Your struggle only made him tighten his grip on you, as you were pressed against his chest.

As he walked up the stairs, your mind continued to wonder what his plans were. You had a pretty good idea, but you hoped that was not the case. Didn't you help him attain one of the mask pieces? Surely he should be treating you better, yet here he was carrying you to some place against your will. Back in that cave, you had endured the terrifying creature with the diamond eyes and almost had a mask kill you. Shouldn't that earn you some respect, or raise you above being merely a pet to him. Your mind kept pondering these thoughts, making you unaware of the approaching door.

The simple grey-blue door lay ahead on the second story of the mansion while darkness surrounded the rest of the hallway. Though, a single candelabrum illuminated the pathway leading to the door. Lucian rested his hand over the metal doorknob and twisted it, opening the door. Your mind snapped back to the current situation when you heard the doorknob turn. Biting the inside of your cheek, as if that would help you, you stared at the room behind the door.

A crimson red painted room with rich wooden trim greeted you. Various pictures of temples covered the walls while two simple wall lamps lighted the room, revealing all the details in the space. The two wall lamps rested at the sides of tri-piece mirror, which had elaborate metal working on it. Below the mirror was a carved stone fireplace, which burned brightly and gave warmth to the room. On top of the fireplace's mantle were two copper cornucopias, two marble white vases and a strange skull. In the center of the room were four cushioned chairs with pillows on them. They matched the color scheme of brown and dark red and surrounded a circular brown and red checkered footrest. Side tables sat in between the chairs. All of the furniture rested on a red and brown diamond patterned rug.

Lucian walked into the room and sat you down on one of the chairs. From here you could see another wooden door on the opposite side of the room. This door instead of being the typical grey-blue was a well polished rich brown color. Watching Lucian carefully, you saw him sit on the foot rest in front of you.

"So my pet, how good are you at checkers?"

To say that you were puzzled would be an understatement. Did he really just want to play a game of checkers with you, or was he messing with you? The way he acted a few moments ago suggested something completely different. You were relieved that he didn't try anything on you, but you still eyed him suspiciously. What was he up to?

"You seem rather confused, my pet. Were you expecting me to do something else?" he questioned, a smirk forming on his face.

Your cheeks reddened immensely, as you turned away from him.

"So you were. Don't think so ill of me, my pet. However, if you would like me to change my plans I can always arrange that."

"What! No, checkers is fine," you exclaimed rapidly, your cheeks heating up even more.

"If you insist. I always found that checkers would ease my frustration. Though, it's not quite as entertaining when there's only one player. Thus having you as a partner will be a welcome change. Now, let's begin."

Only nodding in response, you saw Lucian pull out a checkers board from under the side table next to you. After placing the side table in between you two, he laid the board on top, giving you the red checkers and keeping the dark purple pieces for himself. Thus the game began. Five minutes had passed and currently you were winning. Lucian didn't utter a word during the game; he remained completely silent, making him unreadable. Though you were winning, you still felt that you were losing. Maybe his silence is what caused that feeling in you. Despite his pieces diminishing on the board, he continued to wear an expressionless face like he knew that he was going to win in the end. Another five minutes went by and you were still beating him. However, in the next few seconds that changed dramatically. Out of nowhere he started to claim your pieces. At the current moment he only had three checkers on the board, yet he was wiping out the multitude of your forces. Suddenly, you found yourself losing and only one of your pieces remained on the board. It was Lucian's turn and in one quick movement he claimed your last checker.

Shocked, you leaned back in your chair, as Lucian put the pieces and board back under the table before putting the table back in its original place. You could see a smile forming on his face and you dreaded it greatly. Once the table was back in its previous spot, Lucian turned to face you. Not giving you any time to react, he pulled you out of the chair and spun you around. Soon he took your spot in the chair before pulling you towards him. This caused you to sit on his lap horizontally, so that your head rested against his right shoulder while your legs hung over the left arm of the chair. However, Lucian adjusted your legs so that they rested lightly over his own legs. During this process, your crème colored slippers fell off your feet. His fingers on his left hand tilted your chin upwards, making you look up at him.

"Hmm, what should I claim as my prize?" he asked, staring into your worried (e/c) eyes.

Not being able to pull away from him, you tensed. As if the answer popped into his head, his purple eyes flashed for a moment. With no more hesitation, he closed the distance between you two. Your eyes widened, as he deepened the kiss. Trying to push him away, he grabbed both of your wrists and pulled you closer to him. Soon he broke away from you, allowing you some air. Looking away from him, you tried to hide your blush, but your attempt failed.

"Your blush is quite adorable. Maybe, I'll steal another kiss from you," he whispered possessively.

He didn't take too long to close the distance once more. Though, this time his lips traveled from your mouth down your jaw line to your neck. He kissed your neck until he found your soft spot where he bit the area roughly, causing a quiet moan to escape your lips. Hearing your own moan intensified your blush while Lucian merely smirked. Withdrawing from your neck, he continued to smirk down at you.

"My pet, I don't think you realize how soft your skin is. However, I find myself growing tired."

He got out of the chair, taking you with him. Intertwining his right arm with your left one, he guided you towards the other door in the room. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest, as your cheeks remained a bright red. In your head you cursed yourself for moaning, but now you were more concerned with what he had planned next. When he opened the door, you saw a spacious looking bedroom.

Dark red walls with wooden trim covered the perimeter of the room while three paned windows allowed the evening light into the room. Ivory lace curtains fell at the sides of windows, as simple lamp light fixtures hung on the walls. Another wooden door was on the left side of the room. A red rug with an ivory floral pattern covered the wooden floor. Two wooden nightstands with plain lamps stood next to a wooden king sized bed, which had ivory colored sheets on top. Four posts surrounded the bed, allowing a red canopy to hang overhead. In between two of the windows rested a wooden three drawer dresser. However, what intrigued you the most were the various objects that lay on a rectangular wooden table on the left side of the room. Lucian seemed to notice and allowed you to go look at them.

Having been freed from Lucian's hold, you went over to the various items. You would have run out of the room, but to your disappointment he blocked the doorway. Thus you figured you might as well check out the curious pieces. On the table was a silver and gold merry-go-round music box. Next to it laid a circular box, shining brightly in hues of red, blue, gold and teal. The third object was a wind-up cat dressed in suit that would spin around on top of table while holding a gold fish. As for the fourth and final item, you couldn't quite make out what it was except that it resembled a sphere. By now Lucian stood behind you and he could see you staring at the object in puzzlement.

Picking it up in his hands, he tapped the top of the sphere, as it made a loud clicking sound. Instantly light filled the room, causing pictures of stars and moons to dance around the walls of the room. You stared in wonder at the light spectacle. Though, he soon closed the sphere and set it back down on the table. Before you could do anything, he intertwined his arm with you once more and guided you over to the bed. Signaling you to sit on the bed, he took off his coat and boots, setting them gently on the floor. Your hands gripped the sides of the bed nervously, hoping he wouldn't try anything. Watching him walk over to the other side of the bed, you felt the bed shift slightly until you felt yourself being pulled backwards. Lucian turned you around in his arms, so that you were facing him.

Smiling down at you, he pushed some strands of your hair back behind your right ear. He kissed your forehead lightly, pulling the sheets over you two. "Rest peacefully, my pet."