1873
After a week of walking, a week of darting through the woods and trails of the mortal lands, I found I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to do my mission. It was easy, yes, to kill her and transfer her soul. But if I ventured through this world as her companion and no one came to apprehend us—mortal or demon—then what harm was it to continue this way? Couldn't I live with this goodness at my side?
"Octavio." Priscilla leaned against a tree and stared into the small town down the hill. "Are you sure we need to rest there? The trees have been wonderful."
I lifted my brows and looked at her. I quietly chuckled. Priscilla was adamant about avoiding towns and keeping to the shadows that became our refuge. But it had been days since she had a proper meal, days without a bath. It would be cruel not to allow her these basic necessities.
"You're hungry," I said. "I can hear your body demanding food. You're also in need of a bath."
Her jaw dropped, mouth opening wide. Her small gasp echoed. "Are you saying that I smell?"
I laughed, stepping towards the small village at the bottom of the slope. "I'd never say that." Turning, I extended my hand to help her walk with me. "But I want you to be comfortable, at least for a night."
A small smile tugged at her lips. She appreciated my effort; I was happy to do it. I spent hundreds of years committing crimes against humanity and the goodness of a mortal soul. To be on the other side of darkness, closer to the light, was exhilarating.
Guiding her down the hill was a breeze. With the village asleep, we were able to sneak into the house on the far left with no inhabitants; I spent two days scouting to see if anyone had returned. It was as silent as the night. Pushing the door open to see its emptiness confirmed it.
"Does someone live here?" Priscilla whispered, stepping inside. I quickly followed and shut the door behind her. She glanced back at me with curious eyes. "Will they return and find us trespassing?"
"No one's been to this house in some time." I smiled and motioned to the far end of the room. "You will be fine to use the bath."
"Oh?" Priscilla followed my finger and hurried to the other end of the small house. The bath was in the next connecting room, a tub with decorative legs like a lion. As she approached it, she covered her mouth and stopped. "Octavio, it's been filled." She looked back at me. "And smells of perfumes. Are you sure someone isn't coming home?"
"No one will be here." Pushing off the door, I slowly approached her. "I filled this for you because I knew you needed this. Your health and well-being depend on this."
Her smile warmed my skin as she nodded, silently agreeing with me. Facing the water, she slid her hands slowly over her neck to lift her hair up and away from her back. She shot me a glance. "Could you help me undress?"
My heart stopped for a moment. "You... need my assistance?"
"Yes," she giggled, "there is a ribbon at the top, here." She pointed at it with one fingering, gesturing to the bow, now dirtied by days of adventure. "I can tie it, but I always struggle to take it down. It'll catch in my hair sometimes, and," she shrugged, and I caught the light shining on her skin, "I would greatly appreciate it."
I gulped. The bow looked simple. But who was I to question her clothing?
I reached for the bow and gently pulled the ribbon loose. "I will leave as you bathe," I said. "I'll be just outside to make sure all is well."
The dress came undone around her neck. Dropping her hair, she turned, looking up at me with her beautiful eyes. She trembled with nervousness; I smelled it on her. It mixed with her natural aura, and I admit, as a demon and a Sin, it attracted me just as much as her soul. I was meant to smell fear, but this was different.
"Won't you need a bath, too, Octavio?" she whispered.
I lifted a brow. "As a..." I couldn't say that as an immortal, my body may look like a mortal and behave like one, but there were some bonuses I took for granted. While we walked through the wooded areas, she became dirty and sticky with her sweat. That couldn't happen to me. But admitting that meant telling her my truths, and as unconventional as this time with her was, I didn't want to ruin it.
"As a what?" Pulling the dress down from her shoulders, she exposed the gown she had underneath. It was white, almost sheer. My gaze traced the outline of her breasts. "Don't demons need to bathe?"
My eyes snapped back up to hers. I stepped back, confused. Were pure souls aware of our presence? Was that an ability they had and we were unaware of? Or... I wasn't aware of it. I learned quickly the Seven preferred that I learned the truths on my own before they elaborated on them in detail. I just... was never one for learning.
"How—"
She let her dress fall and licked her lip. Her heart hammered in her chest as she looked at me. I saw the vibrations under her gown, under her skin. "You talk in your sleep." She closed the space between us, removing my cloak. "You've said things, and you sound," my cloak dropped to my feet, and she returned to the buttons of my shirt, "you sound afraid of this Pride and seek comfort in Gluttony." Glancing up at me with curiosity, she bit her bottom lip. "The names remind me of the sins we shouldn't commit."
My heart pounded as hard as hers. In my ear, the combined sounds echoed, almost like a ballad of hearts seeking answers, and experiencing new things.
"How is the water still warm, Octavio?" she whispered, still tugging at my buttons. "It is a cold night, and the bath should—"
I stopped her as she reached my belly. Holding her wrist, I shook my head. "I don't know what I've said in my sleep," I whispered. "I dream when the world worries me."
"Being around me makes you worried?" she frowned.
"No. Yes. No." Biting my lip, I squeezed my eyes shut.
"I'm not afraid if this is who you are, Octavio," she said, sliding her other hand down my chest. Her fingertips tickled my skin. "You've done nothing but protect me."
"I've done more," I looked into her eyes, compelled to be honest, "I was... going to kill you."
"But did you?" she asked, and it was the question, an important fact of our time together. I was sent to kill her and extract her soul. Instead, I traveled with her in secret. "You didn't. You've helped me from the moment we met. I see nothing but kindness in you."
I stepped back, but she followed. I shook my head, licking my lip. "This..." I hummed as her fingers trailed up my neck. "I am not allowed this, Priscilla. I have my duty as a Sin—"
"Is that what you are?" she whispered. "Which sin are you?"
Her fingers gently pressed behind my ear before sliding up into my hair. Her touch alone was exhilarating. I closed my eyes, trying to think of what was happening.
She knew who and what I was because of the words I said in my sleep. She didn't run, find a church to repent in, or seek a priest to cleanse her soul. Instead, she remained comfortable with my protection. And now, in this house that wasn't ours, she was closer, touching me, seemingly enticed by my honesty.
"Look at me," she whispered. When I did, she bit her lip, "Your eyes changed. Did you make that happen?"
I saw the glow from my eyes in hers. The color combined with her light was... I couldn't think of a word. Beautiful? Mesmerizing? The mix of us together seemed right in her eyes, and I could see it.
Did she feel what I could see?
"I keep my powers hidden," I whispered. "To walk among mortals requires a skill, to be able to blend, to hide."
She pressed herself up on the tips of her toes and shook her head. "You do not need to hide with me. Be free and who you are."
Ha! Freedom. What was that? I was confined to a seat, bound to darkness, and made to follow orders of a Sin much larger than me placed in a man much smaller.
But as I stood before Priscilla, I felt myself falling victim to her touch, presence, aura, and soul. Gluttony warned me not to look into her eyes. To be swift and kill her without thought. Had he known what would happen? Had he experienced something similar? Had he felt the purity of a soul...?
Priscilla's hand slid down my chest, around my shoulder, and down my arm until she grabbed my hand. "We both require a bath. It will calm us both."
I saw my breath as I followed her. I gulped. "Priscilla, we don't have to do this. You can bathe, you can relax. Wash away—"
She glanced back at me, one brow lifted. "Wash away my sins?" She licked her lips. "What if I don't want to?"
That wasn't what I was going to say. My chest tightened, blood rushing down between my legs. "Priscilla, I—"
"You aren't Pride or Gluttony. Which are you?" She pressed her legs against the bath as she turned and faced me. "Which Sin preserves my life?"
To speak my name outside of the Seven was punishable by banishment. But I knew death awaited me because Priscilla was still alive.
Could I enjoy my last moments in life?
"Envy."