Melody Lane is finishing up her last semester as a Hospitality major by completing a work study at a charming and luxurious hotel in Romania. As it turns out, the hotel is located just a few miles south of Bran Castle, where the famous Count Dracula ruled centuries ago. She is well aware of the history, since she has been a fanatic of myths and legends since she was a child. As such, she books a midnight tour on Hallows Eve to witness the castles historical beauty for herself. Unbeknownst to her, the events of this pivotal night just might alter her course of fate.... forever.
Chapter 1 Arrival
Melody Lane stepped off of the incredibly tiny 2-person airplane and was greeted by the crisp, chilly Romanian wind. Her long and curly, sandy blonde hair was having a fit in it, so she set down the small suitcase that she purchased as a set from Ross earlier this week, to throw the now-tangled mess up into a sloppy bun. After spending 24 hours either on a plane or stuck in an airport, she was finding it difficult to maintain a polished appearance.
'Oh well' She thought. 'I can always freshen up at the hotel.'
She grabbed a hold of her suitcase and looked over to the man who piloted the two-seated airplane. She tried having small talk with him on the way over, but he just smiled and nodded each time, which made Melody feel like he didn't speak enough English to understand what she was saying.
She waved goodbye with a small smile and was relieved when he did the same in return.
Inside, the Sibiu airport was bustling and warm with people coming and going on their way. Melody pulled her small suitcase towards the baggage claim and waited for the larger suitcase that she checked back in Houston.
As she stood waiting for the conveyer belt, she noticed the man standing adjacent to her. She normally isn't the type to stare, but the guy was accompanied by two other men, both of which were dressed in black suits and had earpieces in. The three of them held quite an intimidating presence.
Clearly, the two men were there for his protection, which was weird, seeing as the guy looked like the last person in the airport that needed it. In fact, his aura gave off a distinct 'Fuck with me and you're dead' vibe. It wasn't the fact that he towered over Melody's 5"7 frame, or the fact that his face looked as if it was sculpted by the Gods. It wasn't even the black Armani trench coat that brushed his pristinely polished boots. No, for Melody, it was the fact this he was wearing sunglasses in the middle of the airport. The gall.
Mel also found it odd that she seemed to be the only person who noticed him. She would have expected gawking women, at the very least. I mean, the guy looks like a walking Michael Angelo sculpture.
For a moment, she thought that he seemed as if he was sniffing the air, then he suddenly turned his head towards her and seemed to catch her staring directly at him. Melody felt her face heat up and her stomach drop to her toes as she quickly turned her head back towards the unmoving conveyer belt. She didn't have to take her earphones out, because she could practically feel the thickness of him as he took his time striding over to where she stood, the two men following closely behind as if they were a coordinated unit. The way he moved, Melody would swear that he thought he was taking a pleasant stroll through the park, which was a drastic contrast to the stiff movements of his trailing companions.
He stopped right in front of her and tugged at his ear, signaling for her to take out her earphones. As she did, he tugged his own glasses down onto his nose.
"Can you see me?" He asked with an curious yet reproachful look in his eyes. He held the slightest accent, as if he'd had decades to polish his English, although he didn't look much older than Melody's 25 years.
"Um, y-yes?" Melody replied hesitantly, as she craned her neck to look up into his eyes. At that moment, a small and humiliating hiccup left her lips. Her own eyes widened.
One of his perfectly trimmed eyebrows arches up at the sound, and he smirked as if he just found out one of her dirty little secrets. Heat pooled low in her stomach and a pleasant chill crept up her spine. He looked at her for a moment longer before smiling softly again.
"Interesting." he murmurs to himself as he looks down at the name tag hanging around Melody's neck. The hotel sent it with the welcoming package, and gave instructions to wear it to the airport so that she can be spotted by the driver. He lifted the ID between his long and slender finger and gave my picture a gentle rub. "Well, I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other in the future, Ms. Lane." he finished with a wicked grin.
Remembering herself, she snatched the ID out of his hand as she took a step backwards, shooting him a defiant look as the conveyer belt began moving and suitcases started pouring out. When she looked back at him, he still had a faint smile on his lips as he stared at her own. Seeming to remember himself, he pulled back with with what seemed to be some effort and headed over to the conveyer belt, grabbing a small black suitcase and handing it to one of his attendants. He turned to me and tipped his hat with another luscious grin, then filed out of the airport doors with the two men trailing behind.
She gulped in a breath before realizing that she hadn't taken many since he approached her, seeing as his very presence seemed to suck the oxygen right out of her atmosphere. Not only that, but she realized that the hair on her arms was standing at attention, and her delicate hands were shaking slightly as her heart raced inside of her chest.
'What was that?' she wondered to herself.
Mel shook her head to clear it, grabbed the suitcase that she finally spotted on the belt, and went outside to wait for her driver to arrive. It wasn't until she was laying in bed that night that she realized two things that made her nothing short of on edge- the first were his eyes. The color. They were a deep and rich shade of magenta.
The second; she couldn't shake the feeling that they had already met.