Under the Rose

Chapter 18 | Greed

CAUS

Watching her walk away did nothing to stifle my hunger. If anything, it made me want her more. I looked down at my clawed hands, feeling nothing but a deep-seated hunger for a specific human girl. But the time wasn't right; she wasn't ready. I could tell she was more avoidant than usual, and my current primal state was to blame. I found it difficult to restrain myself in this form, which proved to be a bit of a problem. If she had agreed to stay with me for the next hour, I would have sent my five-hundred-year plan to Hell.

I wandered through the woods for some time before I stumbled upon the perfect little spot to head home. It was an abandoned mine shaft hidden about two miles away from Elliot's house. Not a house nor a road was anywhere near the area, so I decided to leave the boy deep inside of the mine just to fuck with him. I didn't like the way Elliot had looked when she spoke about him. She seemed unnerved and uncomfortable. She was reluctant to go into detail about her disdain for him, but it was enough for me to want to hurt him. So, of course, I had decided to add a bit of drama to the scene he would wake up to. Since my Bear doesn't want him dead, I'll leave him scarred.

Returning to the Halls wasn't something I was entirely opposed to. After all, there was a Sin in particular that I needed to exchange words with. It was a conversation I knew would come, but not so soon. I needed to throw a wrench in whatever he has planned before moving on to more drastic measures.

"Ah, well, if it isn't my oldest friend!" Rikesh announced my arrival to an empty dining hall with a wide gesture of his arms before he threw back the rest of his drink, which was undoubtedly the blood of another demon servant.

"I don't recall us addressing one another without open contempt, Rikesh, let alone offering camaraderie." I took my seat across from him at the marble table, crossing my ankles atop its smooth surface. "Though it has been quite a while since we've had a heart-to-heart, wouldn't you agree?"

His smile showed the eagerness of a story he's been dying to tell. I could surmise its contents.

"Perfect timing, friend; there's something I've been meaning to speak with you about." He leaned forward in his chair. "I've caught word of the most unusual human just last night."

My jaw tightened. "Indeed?"

"She is rather young, but shows much promise," he continued, snapping his fingers. A tall, sinewy demon stepped up behind him to refill his wine flute. Red, thick liquid filled the glass like syrup. "You seem hungry. Care for a drink?"

I said nothing, and Rikesh waved the demon away. Drinking the blood of a demon was forbidden amongst our kind, but since it offered a sort of "high" to supernatural creatures such as ourselves, many indulged in it. I was not one of them.

"This girl." I twined my fingers in front of my mouth, picking apart every move and expression he made with my next words. "Do you plan to approach her?"

"I'd be a fool to miss a chance like this."

As I suspected. "So, you mean to go against me?"

A look of ingenuine surprise passed his face. "Dear brother, there is enough to go around—"

"If you utter a word to her against me, I will carve out your tongue." The room fell deathly silent as I stared at him calmly over my folded hands. "If you so much as shake her hand, I will take your hands to ensure you never touch her again."

A low, rumbling laugh resounded throughout the room, soon to crescendo into madness as Rikesh threw his head back and howled with amusement. I patiently waited for him to finish, feeling my fangs lengthen in anticipation.