Strange sounds

Amber took a jerky step back the minute she saw Draco's blue eyes flicker and turn black.

Her thoughts became chaotic, her mind in complete disarray.

Was it the trick of the light? Or did Draco's eyes really turn black? It happened for the briefest of seconds, a quick flash of black then back to blue. It could have been her hazy mind playing tricks on her, but deep down, Amber knew what she had seen.

What kind of man was Draco Birmingham? He wasn't ordinary, that she was sure of. He was the kind that reeked of danger.

Oblivious to the erratic thoughts going through Amber's chaotic mind, Draco gripped her elbows and tugged her sharply until her body was pressed against his.

"It seems my warning earlier didn't manage to take root in your immature naive brain",he snarled in her face. "Be warned young wife. Show any signs of rebellion to me again, and I will not hesitate to tie you up and whip you"

After saying his part, he released her and marched out of the room.

The door slammed behind him, echoing the pounding of Amber's heart. He didn't know, she thought. He didn't know she had seen his eyes flicker and change colour. If he did, what would he do to her? She must keep it a secret, she made up her mind.

Keep it a secret and pretend like nothing happened. Meanwhile, she would do a secret background check on him and find out why Draco Birmingham had this dangerous aura around him.

...

Amber didn't see him until the next morning. He didn't return to the room after he stormed out. Sleeping all alone in that enormous room hadn't been easy for her as she tossed and turned continuously. The image of Draco's eyes turning black haunted her and kept her awake until past midnight.

It was in the early hours of dawn that sleep mercifully took her and she fell into a dreamless slumber.

She was awakened by a loud knock on the door.

"Coming...",Amber mumbled and trudged sleepily towards the door.

A man was standing on the other side when she yanked the door open. Immediately her eyes fell on his black outfit, she knew this had to be one of Draco's numerous bodyguards. It made her wonder why there were so many guards around the house, and yet no woman to do the washing and cleaning. Did the men cook themselves?

"Can I help you?",Amber asked when the man just kept staring at her.

"Mrs Birmingham",the man said respectfully and bowed.

Amber was a bit taken aback by his gesture. The title still sounded strange, even in her own ears. She had to keep reminding herself that she was married now.

"Yes?"

"My name is Arty, and I will be taking you with me to the mall",the bodyguard named Arty informed her.

"The mall? What for?",Amber asked confused.

"The Master has ordered that your shopping begin today",Arty continued. "Please be ready in an hour time. The Master wants you back home before noon"

Amber frowned. Did she have a curfew now?

"Where is... Draco?",she asked hesitantly. She wanted to say 'my husband', but it sounded totally weird to her. Besides, they weren't so close to the point where she would have to begin addressing him like that.

"The Master has business to run",Arty said mechanically. It made Amber wonder if the speeches of the bodyguards had all been rehearsed, because they all sounded robotic.

"Very well",she said finally. "I will get ready"

She was about to close the door when Arty pushed it open again with his large palm. He handed a white shopping bag to her, and Amber slowly collected it.

"The Master has high taste",Arty said. "And he doesn't want you to go out in the same outfit of yesterday. Get ready and put this on"

So bossy, Amber thought as she peeked into the bag. Draco really picked out his body guards well.

There was a designer shirt inside the bag, vintage style, and dark ripped jeans. Beside it was a pair of silver slippers, the kind that made Amber cringe just by thinking of the price. The price tag on the vintage shirt and jean made her eyes pop out in astonishment.

Who spends such amount of money on a pair of jeans and a shirt?

Shaking her head to clear her muddled thoughts, she looked up and blurted out her appreciation.

"Thank you"

Arty said nothing more and walked away abruptly.

Amber stared after him until he disappeared down the grand staircase before she shut the door.

"Bastard",she muttered.

She lay the outfit on the bed and placed the silver slippers beside it. She had one hour to be prepared so she didn't waste another precious minute.

She stripped right in the middle of the room and folded the rumpled clothes together, dumping them at a corner of the room.

She was about to head to the bathroom when a strange sound caught her attention. She paused and listened, cocking her head to the side. She heard it again, like the rattling of chains against a wall. And it was coming from the wall to her right.

Suddenly curious, she tiptoed to the wall and pressed her ears against it. The sound of rattling chains came again, muffled and choked, but she heard it nonetheless. For a split second, she thought she heard the sound of a woman's scream. But she couldn't be sure.

She had to be hearing things, she thought. Shaking the thought from her head, she rushed to the bathroom to get ready.

...

In a dark secret passage hidden behind Draco's room, a flight of rickety staircase led into a dark abandoned room.

An old bulb emitting a weakish yellow light swung like a pendulum in the middle of the room. The light flickered once in a while, and apart from it, there was no other source of light.

A woman was chained to the wall, looking weak and almost lifeless. Her skin was as pale as snow, dark circles surrounded her closed eyes, and red veins were latched unto her lower lid. Her lips were slightly opened, and it was the faint rise and fall of her chest that indicated she was still alive.

There was dried blood at the side of her head, where her dull brown hair was matted to. She was naked, legs twisted under her weakly.

When she raised her head to stare at the person sitting before her, two black dots on the side on her neck was visible.

Like something sharp had bitten into her neck and drained her of her blood.

"Just kill me",she whispered hoarsely. "Kill me and end my torture"

The person she was addressing remained silent, sitting with one leg crossed on the other. After a while the person stood up and walked slowly to where the women was chained.

The woman saw her captor approaching and she began to struggle against the chain. When she saw the sharp fangs emerge, she let out a shrill scream.

"Help! Somebody help me!",she screamed.

Draco grabbed her around her throat snd silenced her instantly. His usual cold blue eyes were pitch black, with back veins etched around the lids. His fangs gleamed evilly in the weak light from the bulb.

He moved closer to the woman and whispered in her ear.

"No one can help you now Michelle. You're mine until the day you breathe your last"

After whispering the words to her, he turned her neck to the side and sank his fangs into the curve of her shoulder.

The screams of the woman echoed loudly in the empty room.