Coffee & Blood

Til Death Us Depart

    There's a silence on the over the phone, then a beep as the call ends suddenly. I take the phone from my ear and stare at the black screen. Did he just hang up on me-

    KNOCK
    KNOCK
    KNOCK

    My body jumps out my skin as a knocking suddenly fills the silent room. I grab my chest as my heart pounds in my chest. I stare at the locked door across the room not moving an inch for the couch I've been glued to. No one should be knocking on my door at this time of night. No one good, at least. It could just be a person knocking at the wrong door, my neighbors can be pretty lively people sometimes. I sit still, breathing silently and waiting for whoever is knocking to leave.
   
Open the door Aniyah.
   
Rael voice fills my mind making my head spin for a moment. I stand up and swing the door open. I barely have a moment to yell at him for entering my mind before he pushes past me entering my apartment without a single greeting. I slam the door shut as he makes himself comfortable on the couch I had just been taking a depression nap on. His lean figure is covered by a matching black sweat set and his usually sleek hair is a ball of fluff on his head. He must have been in bed before I called, but then how did he get over here so fast. I'm not saying my neighborhood is the slums, but it definitely isn't somewhere someone with his kind of money would live nearby.

    "How did you get here?" I stay next to the door, my hand gripping the cold knob. "Why are you here?"

    "You wanted to make a deal with me remember." He looks at me with lowered eyes. "An interesting deal."

    "How did you get here?" I repeat.

    "There are things that I can do that are beyond the abilities of the human mind. I can simply think of where I wanna be and go there."

    That's a cocky way of saying he can teleport.

    "Well-"

    "Why are standing over there, are you scared of me now?" His eyes search mines again, the corner of his lip twitches at my obvious discomfort in his presence. "Is it smart to make a deal with something you're so afraid of? Come sit."

    "I'll be fine right here." I whisper. I am afraid. Now that he's in front of me staring me down, peaking into my mind, I'm afraid. He's not the man I was attracted to in the beginning, his eyes aren't dull and lifeless, they're bright and move twinkle with excitement. Excitement for the foolish deal a desperate mortal is about to make.

    "Aniyah," his voice is firm as he pats the couch beside him, "come sit."

    "You heard what I said over the phone," I steady my racing heart, "I will show you what it means to love but I want you to kill me in the end."

    Rael lets out a short sigh and stands to his feet. The floor creaks under him as he moves towards me and the door. I catch my breath as he stops only a foot in front of me. I never realized how tall he was until now, his figure towers over mine and I am no small woman. He doesn't even bother to tilt his chin down to look at me, instead his eyes just stare into mine with an authority only he can have. "I have no interest making a deal with a human who is too afraid to even sit down, move aside."

    I take in a deep breath. I won't let this slip out of my fingers like the rest of my life has been. I only have a few months left and I will not waste them. I look up into those grey orbs and plant my feet into the ground. "No."

    "No?" He lifts an eyebrow.

    "No. I told you what I want from you. I don't have time for your antics." I keep my voice as steady as my racing mind will allow it to be. "I'll say it again, in exchange for me teaching you how to love, you will kill me before my illness takes my dignity."

    Rael chuckles and leans down bringing his face close to mine. Some how his breath on my skin feels like a cool breeze and sends chills down my spine. I hold my breath. Suddenly I feel like a sheep trapped in a cormer by a ravenous wolf. Escape is nowhere in sight. "And if you fail to teach me, what do I get?"

    "What do you want?" I ask. I won't look away.

    "Hmm," a smile creeps on to his face as his eyes slowly moves to my beating heart, "your soul would be nice."

    "My...soul." I whisper.

    "What is it Aniyah?" He brings his lips close to my ear. I can hear the grin on his face as he whispers into my ear. This is worse than being a sheep trapped by a wolf. "Do you have so little fate in your own humanity..."

    I am Eve and he is the serpent whispering in my ear, willing me to sin...

    "...are you realizing that you have no power in this situation..."

    ...wrapping its slithering body around my neck...

    "...are you realizing that either way only death will await you..."

    ...holding that red fruit with its fang, enticing me...

    "...so afraid that you are only running faster into your demise..."

    ...taunting me...

    "...or are you just now realizing that whether I kill you or your illness does, you will never be remembered the way that you want to be."

    ...and I bite.

    "Okay." I push him back from me. His eyes widen slightly as they meet my determined ones. I take a step forward from the place I was so rooted to in front of my door. I am about to make a deal with something who probably considers my life more meaningless than ants. Something that has more knowledge than I will ever obtain in this life or the next. If I...when I make it to the outstretched hand of God I'll get on my knees and ask for forgiveness, but right now, I have things I need to finish. "If I fail you can take my soul but know that I won't."

    "Seems like we have a deal." He takes my hand and brings it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of it. I let out a painful gasp as a pressure wraps itself around my heart, squeezing just enough to announce its arrival in my body. Rael grips my arms as I sway on my feet and pulls my body against his.

    "What is that?" I ask breathlessly.

    "It is our contract, if you change your mind and try to run it'll squeeze your heart till it burst, killing you painfully and slowly." His chest rumbles as he laughs softly about my possibility of dying as if it is just a silly dad joke. "While I'm excited to be taught by you, I may be more excited to see what your beautiful soul tastes like, Aniyah."

    "You won't know." I try to push away from his body but his arms keeps me pressed against his cold body.

    "Til death us depart, my Aniyah."

.........
Sorry for the wait and the shorter chapter I wanted to keep this scene on its own. Thank you to everyone who have been reading my story. Make sure to comment how you feel about it below. Thank yall 🫶🏾