4 Claimed(1)

Jasmine felt as though her body was floating, but she knew that it was sinking deeper and deeper, towards the bottom of the sea.

"Vivian…" She mumbled out a muffled scream and tried to free herself from the darkness that was engulfing her.

"Vivian!" She screamed and sat up, jolting from the horrible nightmare.

She let out a sigh of relief. So it was only a dream. She had dreamed that she and Vivian went for a dive, and then a storm happened as they both drowned. She thought someone closed in on her, but she couldn't see Vivian anymore…

Luckily, it was only a dream.

But where was she? She looked around and was baffled by the unfamiliar beddings, curtains and furniture, which were all of different shades of blue and some of them looked almost as though they were made of ice. Was there someone with such peculiar tastes? She slid off the bed, and when her bare feet touched the floor, she almost tripped on the long, blue nightgown that probably belonged to whoever had brought her to this place. Thinking about it, she hoped it was not a man. Otherwise, it would be tragic!

She went to the ceiling to floor window and drew the delicate, pale blue curtains apart and looked out. There was nothing but endless water. Her heart picked up its pace as the events of what happened started to sink in. It was not a baseless dream! She did drown in the sea after diving with Vivian!

"I figured you'd be awake." A male voice came from the door, startling her.

"Who are you?" She turned to meet with the strangest eyes she had ever seen. The man's eyes were a deep shade of blue and evoked a sense of fear in her. He was wearing clothes that made her uncertain which state or era he was from and his silver-like hair was in a ponytail that reached down his back.

"I should be asking you who you are." The man threw the question back at her in an accent she had never heard. Strangely, they spoke the same language despite his looks that were nothing like she had ever seen in her life. "Are you a friend or a foe?"

He closed in to scrutinize her, whose heart was thumping in trepidation. "Which clan are you from?"

"Clan…?" She was baffled by his question.

He scanned her eyes to gauge whether she was pretending or really didn't comprehend his question. Meeting her clear eyes, he asked, "Do you know where your home is?"

"Efinchil." The name that had tolled off her tongue naturally suddenly sounded unfamiliar and she gathered the nightgown in her hand.

She nervously swallowed when the strange man started going round her, his eyes looking her up and down as though searching for something. She turned to face him when he reached behind her and he asked, "So then, you're a human?"

"What else could I be?" She swallowed.

"A demoness… a witch perhaps?" He guessed with a chuckle and moved to draw the curtains closed. "It's not every day humans make it to The Enchanted Circle."

"The what?"

"If there isn't enough fresh air in the room, tell me about it." He ignored her question and closed the curtains, then pointed at a room. "The bathing chamber is over there. Take a bath if you want, then come out to join me for lunch."

He left the room before she could ask anything, and he had left at a speed that made his movements almost undetected. She hugged the front of her night robe and went to the direction he had pointed at to take a bath.

Just like the bedroom, the bathroom—or bathing chamber as he called it—was peculiar. The walls looked almost transparent as though someone could see through them and she wondered whether it could provide the privacy that was needed to take a bath. On one side of the room was a tub and a few steps at the side, a tilted jar that was suspended in the air.

She walked to it and was about to inspect it when it rose higher in the air and water trickled out of it to soak her all of a sudden.

"Crap!" She cursed when she realized that it was supposed to be a shower head. In what era did people use these? What insane place had she woken up in? Who was the strange man and where was Vivian?

The trickling water started to warm up and it alarmed her so much that she was unable to peacefully take a shower. She hurried up and when she was done, she wrapped herself in a towel and returned to the room she had woken up in, to find a blue dress on the bed. It was probably prepared by the bizarre man who seemed to like everything blue. Even his silver hair looked like it had a tinge of blue radiating off it.

Wearing the dress, she left the room and descended the carpeted staircase to find him waiting for her downstairs.

"There you are." His lips lifted in a smile.

"Who are you?" She finally asked.

"Forgive my manners." He looked like he had just remembered to introduce himself. "My name is Dairon."

"What am I doing here? Where is Vivian? Did my family look for me? Was it you who changed my clothes last night?" She fired off a string of questions and her voice lowered almost to a whisper through the last one.

Dairon stood from his seat to close in on her. "Calm down, will you? I will answer you over lunch."

She didn't have much choice, so she sat at the table, at the furthest seat from him.

He didn't mind this since she was opposite him. "I don't know about your family nor do I know who this Vivian that you have been mentioning even in your dreams is. All I know is that you are mine now."

Jasmine's heart sank with every word he said and when she heard his declaration, she raised her head to look at him in shock. "What did you just say?"

"Oh, that you are mine? Isn't it just right?" He stood to serve her braised meat. He noticed her shock which made him laugh. "I saved your life, so I have every right to claim you—which I'm doing right now."