Interesting, so Jyo made this Mikael guy. And it seemed he was trying to break away from her. Chad’s eyes flicked to Seraphina, lingering on the preoccupied look that graced her face. She would never leave him. That was something he was absolutely certain of. He’d made her.
Still standing in the doorway, he was aware that something was happening between Jyo and the demon, whom he’d practically disregarded since they’d met. But since Seraphina had been showing it…him…some interest, Chad eyed the demon suspiciously, sizing him up out of the corner of his eye. At this angle, everything appeared maroon through the curtain of his hair. As they were beings of the earth, both he and Seraphina didn’t experience the flashbacks which Jyo and the demon did. All Chad was aware of was that the air in the room had dropped a few degrees. Seraphina responded by shivering slightly.
“Jyo, mind if we light a fire?� Chad called casually, feigning interest for Seraphina’s wellbeing. She’d notice this small act and be grateful to him for it…but not everything he did was to score points.
Moving into the bedroom, he leaned back and freefell onto the bed, spreading his arms wide so he landed with a whooshy poof noise. Eyes open, he stared at the ceiling, tracing the intricate patterns with a lazy finger.
“Nonexistent GOD I’m bored,� Chad muttered after a few minutes of doing this.
The dull ache in his body told him that he was recovering from that mighty fall faster than usual. Chad scowled, memorising the faces of his attackers. He recalled that adrenaline fuelled tumble that would’ve killed any mortal, and then their lame apology of an excuse afterwards. ‘Sorry, we didn’t know what happened’ just didn’t cut it in his book.
---
Whilst Chad was lying down, no doubt recovering from the blood that the poison woman Jyo had fed him, Seraphina walked around the room, inspecting it. She picked up various items and turned them over, feeling their texture before setting them back down. Clicking her tongue with glee, she walked up to the window and peered out into the night. It was nice of Chad to notice that she’d been feeling cold. No matter how much of an arse he could be, she knew he cared about her deep down. Or hoped he did. She couldn’t remember what her life had been like as a human, for everything revolved around Chad and she knew that she’d never leave him.
Outside, the sounds of guests arriving drifted up to the floor of the mansion they were in. An owl hooted in the distance, and the flurry of wings was a comfortable backdrop against the stillness of the night. It was almost as if the wolf attack had never happened.
---
Sleepy. The intricate patterns on the ceiling swirled into different shapes, beckoning him in a constant motion…
Flickering shadows. Pain. Blood. And a very fragile mortal life. So many chains. There was a coldness too, seeping into his bones. Pleasure. Lots of it. But…the edges between pleasure and pain had long since blurred, leaving a bloody mess. This wasn’t meant to happen. The dare hadn’t meant to turn out like this, they were only supposed to break in and tag the wall with their gang mark. But it had gone so horribly wrong. The rival gang had run off laughing, and one by one each member of his gang had been assassinated until he was the only one left.
A fate worse than death held in store for him. So much he wanted to do with his life, but he’d rather die than become that…monster. A wince. That beautiful monster with her soulless eyes. But the pain had continued. A Pandora’s box. Broken toy. And then her eyes filled with tears as she realised she’d gone too far. She begged him to stay with the living, as his soul made ready to depart, having resigned and made peace.
“Please stay my angel, my beautiful boy.�
So much effort to open that eye. Through a film of blood, it took so much to let her see the answer in his eyes, “no�.
“I’ll fix you. I’ll teach you to forget who you are and you’ll scorn everything you once were, and will embrace me willingly. I’ll teach you to be a being of the senses. All these earthly delights will become yours. So much pleasure for you, how does that sound?�
Blackness, and then he forgot and relearned how to be him.
---
Chad’s eyes flickered open. Startled that he was soaking in blood sweat, he sat up quickly. What the hell had just happened? Only a few minutes had passed, but it felt as time had become gloopy like syrup. Stupid, but that’s what it had seemed like. Shivering, Chad chewed his lip, worried. Had that been him there? It certainly looked like him. Shaking his head, the vision quickly faded away out of his memory, until all he could remember was a sense of unease.
What was happening to him? Was it Mikael?
“Seraphina?� He called weakly. He called and she came, and suddenly he swept her into his arms, bestowing her with passionate kisses.
“Will you just let me hold you for a moment?� He asked ever so nicely, so she complied, her confusion quickly replaced by contentment as she basked in his attention.
“The guests are arriving dear. We should go down soon, and my, you’re soaking in sweat!� Seraphina gazed at him levelly, smoothing out the crinkles in her lilac evening gown. “That witch’s blood too much for you to handle?�
Instead of making a snappy reply, he shrugged. “Nothing the great Chad can’t handle. Oh my, you’re right. My shirt is soaked. Guess I’ll have to take it off.�
Seraphina narrowed her eyes, a smile playing about her lips. “Tsk. Forget it. See if there’s anything in this mansion of a mansion.�
“Forget it yourself. I’m not wearing anything of Mikael’s.�
Seraphina shook her head. She’d make sure that he would have something decent to wear.
