Her Sinful Mate

chapter seven

n a v e a h

The sunlight glares down at me . I roll over in the comfortable sheets , groaning as I slowly open my eyes . This bed feels like sleeping on clouds , taunting me to fall back asleep . Nevertheless , I know I won`t be able to fall back to sleep , no matter how comfortable this bed is . I reluctantly unwrap the sheets from my body and sit up straight , rubbing my eyes while yawning . I slide off of the bed . "s**t ." I wince when my feet come in contact with the cold floor .

I slowly pad toward the closet , staring at my clothes as I contemplate whether I should go train or just roam Lucian`s estate and investigate my surroundings . I huff , grabbing a pair of tights and a black sport-bra , hating the way the routine my dad demanded me to follow , still lingers . I strip out of my clothes and angrily pull on my tights and sport-bra , throwing my hair up into a ponytail. I grab my black nike`s and slip them on . Making my way toward the door , I slowly open it with a creak , praying that Lucian isn`t awake yet . I close the door behind me and hurry down the hall toward the kitchen , opening the fridge filled with food and grab a bottle of water . Turning around , I snatch an apple out of the fruitball on the island and hurriedly start eating it . I`m anxious to see Lucian today , after nearly crying in front of him again , I don`t want to see the pity in his eyes .

He probably thinks I`m an emotional mess , which is ironic considering the fact that my Father trained me to be emotionless since birth , but since being around Lucian , I feel all kinds of emotions I wish I didn`t . I chuck the stem of the apple into the trashcan and open the door leading outside , surprised to see that it isn`t even locked . Interesting way of showing you want to keep me safe , Lucian. I roll my eyes , swiftly closing the door behind me . I breath in the crisp morning air , glancing around the trees surrounding Lucian`s huge estate . I start walking toward the woods , seeing no other route that I can run and before I can start overthinking the possibility of what kind of danger roams the woods , I start jogging . My ponytail whips behind me as I dart between the trees , slowly starting to feel in control of myself again . Slowly starting to feel the numbness creep into my soul again .

--

By the time I reach a beautiful river , I`m out of breath . I don`t know how long or how far I jogged , it`s as if my mind just goes blank whenever I jog or train . It`s a reflex , I guess , forcing myself to feel nothing . I blow out a breath , crouching down in front of the river and stretch my arm out to push my hand into the freezing cold water . It`s a truly captivating sight , watching the water flow at a peaceful speed , hearing the birds chirp in the distance and seeing the trees stretch out above me .

I stand up , figuring it's best to go back , even though for some reason I feel as if I should stay . I sigh through my nose and start jogging again , heaving through the trees .

--

As the estate comes into view , I stop jogging and slowly make my way to the door . Before I can reach the door , it bursts open and I take a quick step back . A very angry-looking Lucian stands in the doorway , his face etched in anger . When his gaze falls onto me his eyes slightly softens but , he still looks beyond angry . Looking at his attire , I figure he had just woken up . His raven curls slightly hang over his eyebrows , for some reason seeing him like this makes him even more attractive . "Where the f**k were you ?" He growls , his voice having a more husky and deep edge to it now , due to him just waking up or to being this angry .

I rub my temples , refraining from snapping at him . "I went jogging ." I reply casually , almost smirking at the way he clenches his jaw in clear annoyance . It brings me some kind of relief knowing that I`m not the only one who loses restraint on my emotions . He sifts his fingers through his dark hair , his gray eyes slightly hooded as his eyes trail over my attire . "Do you not understand that it`s dangerous , Naveah ?" He asks through gritted teeth , scolding me as if I`m a child .

I tuck the loose strands that fell out of my ponytail behind my ear . "Nope and I don`t care ." I realize that I might be kind of petty and childish right now , but I'm over feeling this weak and pathetic , so being petty is the best thing I can go with right now . "Doesn't seem as if you care either , considering you didn't even lock the door ." I gesture to the door and unscrew the water cap , drinking a mouthfull while warily watching Lucian .

"Because it doesn't need to be locked , they still won't be able to enter the house ." He says it with so much confidence that I believe him . "I have a gym , you can jog on the treadmill ." He says dismissively . He turns and walks back into the house , leaving me standing here with a frown on my face . I heave in a deep breath , rolling my shoulders before striding into the house . Feeling gross and sweaty , I make my way to my room and immediately go to shower . The water sprays down my tense limbs , calming my mind . When I eventually make my way out of the shower , I feel refreshed and more at ease . Wrapping the towel around myself , I walk to the closet , grabbing a pair of black shorts and a red cropped hoodie with my white converse .

Throwing my clothes and shoes on , I turn to the desk and sigh when I notice my hairbrush laying there . I run the brush through my hair and plop down on the comfortable bed , beyond bored already . I usually trained the whole day and when I did have free time , I had a tutor at home who'd educate me . I decide to roam the house , figuring I'd probably gather information about Lucian this way .

I stride toward the door , looking down the hall to make sure Lucian isn't near before I hesitantly make my way down the long hallway . Instead of turning right , I take a left to where another long hall with various other rooms are . I turn the knob on the first door , only to be disappointed to find that it's locked . I walk further down the hall , turning the knob on every door , but each one is locked . Which only makes me more suspicious . Just when I'm about to give up and return to my door , the door infront of me opens with a creak . I stand frozen as I push the door open the rest of the way . I'm disappointed when I find that it's just a plain room , looking similar to mine . The only difference is the lighter colors of the bedsheets and curtains . Feeling defeated , I step into the room and look around for anything that might seem to be out of place . Either Lucian forgot to lock the door because there's nothing important in this room , or he was in this room earlier .

I feel ridiculous as I walk around the room , opening drawers . Clearly, this is just a quest room with no personal belongings or clues to who Lucian is . I turn around and sigh but stop dead in my tracks as fear consumes me when I see a blonde-haired man standing in the doorway with his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes curiously watching me . His brown eyes have an almost warm glint in them as he smile at me in amusement . "Well, this visit just got a lot more interesting ." He says with a slight smirk .