The Demonic Society

Tangled Emotions

Zayne

When the first knock sounded on my office door, I ignored it, lost in thought.

While leaning back in the chair at my marble desk I stared at a pile of papers I had no interest in. The only one that had held my interest was a sealed letter from one of my half-brothers, Gulliver.

In spite of that, I didn't bother to open it because he was a greedy little shit who probably wanted nothing more than to hassle me. He was the prince of greed, literally, and he irked me to no end. The fourth circle was made up of greedy bastards who truly needed to be taught a lesson.

Subsequently after that thought, three more loud and urgent knocks followed the first, so I reluctantly stood to get the door.

A newly hired servant stood there, shifting from foot to foot. He looked young, real young, maybe even in his teens. I remember Miles telling me about him but I don't remember what he said his name was. It dawned on me that I should get back into hiring my own workers instead of allowing Miles to. But I'd been to busy all the time and trusted his judgment well enough to let him take the position.

"Yes?" I asked tartly, which was a mistake because it made his untamed soul turn a fair shade whiter, coordinating with his pale face.

"Hi. Hello. Hi. Um. My prince." He bowed which was highly unnecessary but would have been vaguely amusing if I wasn't as tired as I was.

"What is it?" I demanded bitterly despite my best attempt at geniality.

"Uh— right. Evangeline sent me to tell you that the new girl was screaming." I was silent for a moment and it must have been a moment to long because I could tell by the look on his face that he took it as if I didn't give a shit. "Um. The door was locked. We don't have a key. We were just wondering what you wanted us to do? Should we check in on her?"

"No." I told him. "I'll be along shortly." I went to shut the door in his face because I just wasn't in the mood, but he looked extremely troubled so I stopped halfway. "Thank you. You may go."

Mallory

My screaming ceased when a lump formed at the back of my throat from the raw emotion I attempted to suppress.

The reflection in the mirror staring back at me was horrific. A blackening bruise thoroughly enveloped my right eye. I was startled that I didn't feel it or realize it sooner, having to have been looking through one eye for quite some time. In addition to that, regardless of how hard I thought to remember how I received it, I came up empty handed. That frightened me more than the bruise itself.

Dried blood, dirt, dust, and a variety of other foul substances covered me. My hair was absolutely disgusting, every loose strand snarled with another. The brittle ends were crisply burnt from the atmosphere of hell.

To make matters worse the wound on my chest that had been bleeding earlier was scabbed over but looked infected. I had a feeling that black goo would ooz out of it if I touched it.

Adding to my visible trauma were ten sets of finger prints on neck from my earlier encounter. The dark purple marks faded into yellow splotches, leaving both a physical and emotional bruise.

And despite all of that being treacherous, it's not what caused my thoughts to become so scattered that normal functioning wasn't possible. No, that was brought about by the glowing array of colors swirling around my body like a foggy mist. A turbulent flow of chalky white and pea green.

I found myself unable to move, absolutely petrified. Anxiety built up within me and tears formed in my eyes. I watched them slip down my cheeks and tasted salt as they slide past my lips.

I was so consumed in my fear that I didn't notice someone had come into the room until after they touched me.

A mans strong pair of hands grabbed mine, peeling my fingers back from the death grip I held on the sink. He twisted me towards him, taking a minute to look me over, then proceeded to pull me against his chest.

My hands gripped the front of his shirt as I laid my cheek upon his chest. One of his hands laid on my lower back while the other entwined in my matted hair. His chin rested on the top of my head with what sounded to be a relieved sigh.

"It's alright Mallory. You're alright." He breathed. "Everything's going to be alright."

The words gave my brain a chance to become focused and functional once more. The feeling of safety drowned out my heavy thoughts, the storm clouds in my mind receding, leaving me content in the arms of another.

The aroma of his cologne was comforting, blanketing me in a cocoon of sorts. He smelt like cinnamon spice mixed with another smoky fragrance I couldn't identify.

My eyes fell shut with exhaustion and my body relaxed against his.

His thumb rubbed my back, coaxing me further into a blurry bliss.

But that's when I felt it.

His heart was hammering inside his chest.

I tensed.