My Darling Katherina

Chapter Ten

Years.

It had been years since he could figure out how to take on a form and escape the blackness that surrounded him. He wasn't scared of the blackness. He was simply fed up with watching life continue on without him.

So, when he managed to escape his cage- he made sure he kept a low profile. He didn't want the first thing he heard when he got free was cries of terror.

Though he didn't like it- he understood why.

He is the monster that both mortals and immortals looked for under the beds before falling asleep. When he was free, people would run from him. Screaming in fear and the look of horror in their eyes.

He is a nightmare and shadow creature. A deadly and ruinous beast.

Yet, when it came to her... he didn't want to scare her away. Not when she was so sad and broken. 

Not when it seems that her life had been emptied from her and all she had left was this.

Regardless of how lifeless she appeared- to him, she was lovely.

Clouds hung in the sky, obstructing the sun's warmth. The land, which had previously been lively and alive, had been blanketed in snow and ice.

The tree's bare and leafless. And gentle snowflakes falling out of the sky.

They settled softly on her hair, intensifying the crimson red. Her thighs were hugged by her boney milk white arms, bringing them closer to her shape.

She kept her head buried between her legs, as if she was trying to hide something. Or herself.

He approached her quietly. His shadows were pulling him towards her.

When he kneeled in front of her, she hadn't lifted her head. She was completely unaware that the demon of nightmares was observing her.

From the way her hair swayed in the gentle winter breeze to the way her body lifted softly everytime she inhaled.

She had a pine and mossy scent to her. But also...salt?

She suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably, and he realized that unless he intervened, she would die.

But why should he be concerned? He was a monster. Monsters don't give a damn about anything. Especially unusual, lovely females who resembled a fading fire that burned softly.

Though, no matter how hard he tried- (Which wasn't very much), he let his shadows blanket her.

It was then when his darkness touched her, did she look up.

Her indigo eyes meet his pupilsless white ones.

His physical body had dissolved just a few moments before, leaving him exposed as a creature of shadow and smoke.

He expected her to flee, scream, or do anything... but all she did was offer him a small smile that seemed to make his cold heart- warm.

"Thank you," she whispered, Before she put her fiery head back within her knees.

After a few moments, her breathing started slowing down, letting him know that she was asleep.

He couldn't move. Couldn't do anything except stare at the female.

Being a creature made of smoke- he didn't need to breathe but around her, his lungs were desperate for oxygen.

Why was he acting like this? Why every time he looks at her- voices in his head start to whisper.

He forced the thoughts out of his mind. Returning his gaze to the female.

He began wrapping one of his shadows around her pale throat . Another arose, forming itself into a knife and aimed at her heart.

She was manipulating him in some way. Weakening him.

So the only way for him to get back to normal was to kill her.

Getting his shadows ready, he was about to stop her heart until a soft breeze passed- lifting up her oversized shirt, showing him the inside of her thighs.

He stopped.

Pulling his shadows away from her, only leaving the blanket of warmth- he took a closer look at her.

Spreading her legs apart, he noticed they were covered in scars.

Careful not to wake her, he gently picked her up and laid her on the snow.

Slowly removing her only clothing, leaving her bare for him to see- he noticed that not only her legs but her whole body was covered in them. And not only just scars but, bruises and burns.

Especially the bruise under her chest. It looked up at him- bright and an angry red.

He felt something dark twist inside him. She looked young- about twelve? Fourteen? How had she gotten these?

Ignoring her rag on the snow, he took advantage of the shadows that were shielding her from the wintry breeze and began molding them into clothing.

The shadows slithered across her milky skin, enveloping themselves around her.

From afar, it appeared as if smoke snakes were attempting to find the right spot to sink their non-existent fangs into her.

After a few moments, She was fully clad in clothing made of smoke and shadow. 

It came up to her thighs and was loose enough to reveal her slender shoulders. She had a thin gold chain around her neck, which rested just over her collar. The clothing was a dark royal blue, which highlighted out the indigo in her eyes.

She used to emulate a dying fire, but now she resembles a bright blue flame (thanks to him). Every time she took a breath in, the flames danced bigger and brighter.

He pushed some hair out of her face with care. Mindful not to cut her with his claws.

He felt something twist inside him once more, and he knew it was because she had touched his heart.

***

So he kept a lookout for her for the next four years. He kept his distance, allowing only a small ray of light from within him to approach her. The rest of him remained in the shadows.

He was her protector, caretaker, and guardian. Claiming her as his own.

He made sure nothing and no one would harm her.

That is, until he entered their shared home.

Something wasn't quite right as soon as he went inside. He strolled throughout the house, smelling for her, forgetting to separate himself to his form of skin.

When he got to her room, though, her fragrance was gone.

He couldn't smell the coconut anymore, something he had grown to love. A feral snarl sprang from his mouth.

If she was in danger or was in any way injured... He'd watch Prythian burn.