Chapter 3. Lord Cross

“Am I dead yet?” Lola whispered. Her entire body ached, especially her head, which felt as if it might burst at any moment.

Lola’s eyes slowly opened, and she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Despite feeling disoriented and vulnerable, her hunter’s instincts kicked in, and she quickly took note of her surroundings. The gothic decor and the ornate details that adorned the walls and furniture seemed to belong to a different era.

“Shiiiit,” she tried to remember what had happened when she noticed a man in a black suit standing near her bed. The man looked like a Greek statue. His beauty was something God made in his spare time. Yet, his sharp features and pale complexion could not hide the fact that he was a vampire. Lola almost cried. She had run from an abusive family into the hands of a monster! Peace was never an option for her!

The girl was on high alert, keeping her guard up as she tried to assess the situation. “Who are you?” she asked.

“I see you’re finally awake,” the vampire said in a smooth, husky voice. “You were unconscious by the river when I found you. The hunter’s dogs were after you, so I didn’t think it was right to leave you there.”

“Who are you?” Lola repeated with a dark complexion.

“Edgar Cross.”

Lola felt her heart stop beating. Edgar Cross is one of the strongest Vampire Lords in the city! Her father’s greatest wish was to kill this monster! He told her the vampire lords caused all kinds of massacres and killed thousands of poor humans. They are cruel, violent, and merciless. Among all people, she ended up in a lord’s mansion!!

Edgar noticed the change of color on her face. “And who are you, young lady?”

Lola didn’t respond. Edgar looked at her pale face and sighed, “You’re afraid.”

But in fact, Lola was secretly searching for her dagger. It was on the table, far away from her. And her foot was in bondage. All her clothes were off, drying near the fireplace. She was wearing a silky nightgown, which was far from being practical.

The girl swallowed hard.

“So your name is Lola?” he concluded, looking at her dagger. “You have a pretty knife.”

“Yes, my lord. I am Lola. I am a slave in the Hellsing mansion.” Lola crossed her fingers, hoping he would believe it.

“You ran away?”

“I did. I was treated poorly,” Lola recalled the reason she ran, and hot tears ran all over her pretty pale face. “So I chose to run.”

“What about your family?”

“They are dead.” Lola looked up at him with a pair of puppy eyes. “Are you going to eat me?”

Edgar looked surprised by the question, and then he laughed. His laugh was calming and pretty. “No, young lady. I don’t kill humans. I am a peaceful vampire.”

Lola had never heard of something like that in her life.

“Your foot is injured. I took care of it and your other injuries.” Edgar stepped towards her to give her the dagger back. “You are weak, and you need to rest. I better go. Good—”

And then, to her surprise, Lola took off her dagger and attacked the vampire.

Edgar was taken by surprise and reacted a bit late. In no time, he ended up in the bed, and she was about to stab him. “Die, you monster!” When he smiled and reached for her hand with no effort to stop her. Then he punched her stomach. “What a stupid girl. Didn’t they teach you to cover your weak spots properly before attacking?”

Lola fell on him, almost unconscious. He threw the dagger away, fixed her hands behind her back with one hand, and took her hair in his other hand to raise her head up. “Look at me, girl. You just showed some huge disrespect and ungratefulness. But I will forgive it since you are young, and I bet you were brainwashed by the Hellsings.” Edgar didn’t care about the hate in her eyes as he continued, “I didn’t choose to be a vampire. So you have no right to judge me because of it.”

“You kill weak humans…” Lola whispered weakly, her soul still eager to fight. “You killed my friends!”

“I haven’t killed any human in ages, and I never killed someone who didn’t attack me. You have no right to judge me by the mistakes other vampires made. Am I being clear, young lady?”

Lola spat on his face, and he gave her a slap to knock her out for good.

“What a stupid girl,” he stood up from the bed and wiped his face with a wet handkerchief. “I intended to treat you as a respectful lady, but apparently, you are a wild horse! What should I do with you? That blood smells too good…”

His fangs came out naturally. He bent over the girl, sniffing her neck. “I never smelled something this sweet in my entire life. How interesting…”

He didn’t help licking the nap of her neck. The girl moaned softly at the strange sensation. Edgar smiled and patted her head gently. “You’re indeed a child, aren’t you?”

Lola opened her eyes after long hours. It was night again. Her hands and feet were attached to the bed corners, her mouth was stuffed with a ball to prevent her from screaming, and her eyes were covered by lace. She was able to see the light but nothing more.

“You’re awake, young lady?”

Here we go again!

Lola started her desperate attempts to break free while Edgar watched her in amusement. “You’re quite the fighter, aren’t you, honey?”

His British accent and his mocking tone almost drove her crazy. If it weren’t for the ball in her mouth, she would have insulted him in all possible ways! That crazy bastard!

“Once I break free, I will kill him!” That’s what she told herself.

“You’re not breaking free any time soon, honey. Unless I want it.”

Shit, he can read minds as well!

Lola was emotionally and physically in pain. All her pride was shattered by her family and that vampire. She was missing her loving mother more than ever. And she was feeling afraid like never before. She thought it couldn’t get worse until she felt Edgar’s fingertips running all over her neck and upper chest. “You smell so good, little human.”

“No!” She tried to cry desperately. She wept like a child as he touched her skin. She knew he wanted to bite. And she knew nothing could stop him from doing it.

And then, to her surprise, she heard him laughing. “What a poor child! You really thought I was going to stab you with my fangs?”

What?

Edgar uncovered her eyes and took the ball out of her mouth. The poor girl was fighting not to break down in tears. “You’re a monster!”

“Am I a monster because I didn’t hurt you? Do you want me to do it?”

“NO! NO!”

Edgar giggled so much that he almost coughed.

“You were toying with my nerves!” she cried.

“I was proving a point to you, young lady. I can hurt you, indeed. I can do the worst things to you. But I am not going to do so because I am not a monster as you picture all vampires. Many of us are peaceful.”

“I will never trust you!”

“Bad for you! But I don’t need that. I need you to obey me since you are staying in my mansion.”

“I am not staying in your mansion! Let me go!”

“I wish I could do so, but my morals prevent me. You are injured, and you can’t survive outside alone with a weak body. The hunters will catch you, and I doubt they will show mercy to a rebellion slave.”

Everything he said just made sense. For a moment, Lola calmed down. Edgar seemed to be a good man. He may be a vampire, but he surely wouldn’t treat her worse than her family. Once they caught her, her father would whip her by himself for her rebellion.

“But you are a vampire,” she whispered.

“So what?”

“You seem like someone merciful, Edgar Cross,” she carried on. “But I can never obey a vampire.”

“Bad kitty.”

“What?!”

“You are a bad kitty.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you should get punished.”