~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{THROUGH THE CONNECTION}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
______________________________________
♡♥♡♥♡
ΔWARNING:
• Mentions of sexual harrasment and panic attack.
______________________________________
"Oi, meurieur!" Zeph called for the demon over his shoulder. "Look." He pushed away the manuscripts and ancient documentations he had been searching through as he picked up an old photograph.
The Shaman was sprawled on the floor in Damon's house with the recent findings he spotted in a hidden chamber in the temple. The demon can't step foot inside the temple but the shaman can enter his house, which is why, the mind reading demon's house was their meeting spot.
Carter had gone tired reading and searching through the dozens of scripts displayed in front of him to go through. So, he called it a day and went back home to help his mother in the household chores instead.
"Looks like an old painting." Damon observed as he took the piece of art from Zeph.
"Not just any painting. Look at the people in this." The shaman said in a low voice, mind already racing as he tried to figure out the meaning behind it.
As he narrowed his eyes to carefully inspect the painting, the demon's eyes widened.
"Is this... a prediction of some sort?"
"Someone visualised this scene centuries ago. This was bound to happen."
"This is bad." Damon stressed. "I don't feel so good about this. This almost seems like the onset of a war." He handed the painting back to the Shaman.
"We can't help it if it's already been written in their destinies."
"Destiny can be altered."
"No, it can't be. We feel as if we can change the course of our lives but once it's been scripted, there's no changing it."
"How are you so sure about it?!" Damon felt angry at Zeph's lack of concern regarding the matter.
The shaman sighed, "No matter what you do to try to change it, it eventually retracts on the path and the events play out as they were supposed to. If not in the same manner as initially planned, then in a similar way."
He picked up the piece of paper he had been familiarised with before. Reading over the contents once again, his initial puzzlement seems to slowly fade away.
"You can't run from destiny. It always catches up to you."
The prophecy Zeph had found before is finally starting to make sense to him.
"There will be a war. And it would be the beginning to the end of all this.."
"The end of this curse."
He looked up to stare right into Damon's blue eyes before looking down back at the old painting.
"It was all planned this way since the start."
***
I was in my room, standing in front of the window as I blankly stared outside, letting the cool wind brush past me to enter inside.
Four days. It had been four days since he left and still there was no sign of him.
Leon hadn't gone to Ms. Jennings' house. She wasn't in any trouble because it was all just a trap.
When Cassius returned back home that day with the disappointing news, Kian had immediately dragged him outside right then to search for Leon after he got to understand the full picture. The two of them did not let me step out of the house despite the relentless pleadings I did to them in these four days, claiming that it would be too dangerous for me to do so.
I had barely caught any sleep in all this while because my continuous worry for Leo keeps me up at night, making sleep nearly impossible for me to get.
And Reece... My poor boy. He's taking it worse than any of us. I have caught him several times crying to himself as he begged Leon to come back home. And the times he's not crying for his father figure to make a safe journey back home, he's clinging onto me as if I would disappear next.
I use my words to assure him, stroke his hair as I tell him about how the Beast is unbeatable and no one could hurt him. That our Leon is strong and nothing bad would happen to him. I hug him and cheer him up as I remind him of the great things he's capable of and the funny memories the three of us have shared together.
Currently, after a lot of begging and convincing, he had managed to get Kian's approval of going on a hunt with him. He wants to learn about how to prey on other demons simultaneously training to get stronger so that when Leon comes back home he could impress him with his abilities.
I whipped around when I felt a presence behind me, taking a subconcious step backward when I saw Cassius standing so close to me.
Regarding Cassius, his behaviour has progressively been getting concerning. He talks to himself even at later hours of the night, always seeming to argue with himself about something.
There are dark circles around his tired eyes and his hair keep getting messier each passing day. There's a certain emptiness in his brown eyes that wasn't there before. I could sense that something was very wrong with him.
"Cassius?" I voiced out just as his pupils dilated to the maximum, making his brown eyes appear black. Dark and hollow like how he himself currently was.
He took a step closer to me, as if walking in a trance with his irises fixed at me.
"Are you okay, Cassy?" I felt myself being pressed against the window when he didn't stop coming nearer. Uneasiness filled in my guts at the blank look on his face just as my heart started pounding faster in apprehension and fear.
Fear? Cassius never made me feel fear. He always made me feel the safest. His presence always comforted me, relaxed me. His closeness never put my body on alert.
Something was seriously wrong with all of this.
Leon's disappearence, Cassius' strange behaviour...
Someone is behind all of this. Someone who wants to cause a ruckus in our lives. Someone who's planning to cause only chaos and ruins for all of us. I think I may have an idea about who put an evil eye on us. It just couldn't be anyone else because no sensible demon would want to mess with Leon and his family.
Sylvia or Areon. It's either of those two. Or perhaps, it's the both of them. Working together.
Sylvia hates me and Areon despises Leon.
But then, why would they target Cassius?
"(Y/N)..." It didn't feel like Cassius at all. My Shadow would never look at me with such hungry eyes. He raised his hand, bringing it to touch my cheek as he caressed it softly.
What could have been a sweet gesture didn't stay so when his touch became sensual, lust filling in his eyes.
"Cassius!" I slapped his hand away, giving him a hard look. "What are you doing?!" I demanded. It seems as if he's being controlled by someone else. He seems to be completely under a spell and I have no idea on how to get him back.
The empty look in his eyes twisted to dissipate into something more sinister.
This wasn't Cassius at all.
The beating of the organ in my chest increased tenfold, trepidation filling me as the fear inside me doubled. He growled, a sound so damn foreign from his throat that it sent shivers up my spine.
The demon kept his hands on the window pane on either side of me as he trapped me in the confined boundaries of his arms, moving his head closer to lean towards me.
"Taking back what should have been mine." He said in a deep, threatening voice.
I felt suffocated. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes when he tilted his head to lean into my neck, rubbing his nose on my skin in satisfaction as he inhaled deeply, sighing in pure bliss.
My body stiffened as I froze, incapable of thinking about what to do. I gasped when he kept a warm hand on my waist, the weight of it only adding burden on my heart. I closed my eyes in disgust when his lips made contact with my neck, his hot breath hitting on my skin as he peppered me with undesired kisses.
"C-Cassius... Stop." My jumbled mind managed to get stuttered out. I don't want to hit Cassius, I can't hurt him because I know he would never do something like this.
The Cassius I know would never make me cry. This guy in front of me is a demon.
A monster Cassius can never be.
"Y-you need to come back, Cassy... Don't let them control you.." My broken voice phrased out.
"I can't control this, (Y/N)... She's taken over me." For a moment he was here. His voice had changed back to how it has always been and it felt like Cassius again but as soon as he was here, he was gone.
"You are so pretty, (Y/N). I am completely at your mercy..." Husky voice with loving words, he voiced out. Two of his tentacles flew out of his back, making my eyes go wide.
My breath hitched as the moisture in my eyes only increased when I felt the black shadowy part coil around my leg, moving upwards as it reached my thigh. The other tentacle flew in front of my face before sliding under my shirt to wrap around my chest, pressing tightly against my breasts.
"CASSIUS!" I forced my body out of it's frozen state as I used all of my might to push him away. With angry tears and a pathetically wavering voice, I clenched my fist before aiming to punch straight at his jaw, the impact only hurting me more. His tentacles unwrapped from around me and dissolved back into him as he gave me a look of shock and disbelief.
"(Y/N)... I-"
"Get out!" Though his eyes had returned back to normal and were no longer dilated, his presence still scared me. I don't believe I'd ever be able to look at Cassius in the same light again. Under a spell or not, what he just did to me is something I would never forget.
I could forgive him but I could never forget this.
"I didn't know what I was doing, (Y/N)! It's- It's that voice! I-I can't-"
"I told you to get out! Leave me alone, demon!" I yelled out, ignoring the teary eyes and guilty look he wore. All of Cassius' being seemed to have been consumed by self hatred. His big regretful eyes pleaded me to let him explain but I was still under the shock and panic that he unknowingly caused me.
"(Y/N)... I-I am so sorry... I'd never hur-hurt you on purpose.." He sobbed, looking down as his tears fell on the floor.
"I didn't mean to... I- I don't- I don't know why I-" He turned around, changing into his shadow form, still crying as his body shook with every sob. "I am so sorry!" He cried out before vanishing away from there, disappearing into the shadows.
I stared at the place he just was before I broke down and fell on the floor when my knees gave out. Why are they doing this to us? Leon and I are their enemies then why are they including Cassius-
I gasped, catching my breath. Kian and Reece are still out. If they could target Cassius then why would they not try to harm them?!
The heart wrenching thought of something happening to Reece made me panic, my breathing started to get heavier and short, not enough oxygen meeting my lungs as my hysterical crying only increased.
I clenched at the fabric of my shirt, trying to force myself out of the hyperventilating state. My head started to get dizzy as I tried to breath normally but finding it impossible to do so. My breaths started to get shorter and more panicked as my hands trembled, tears spilling out of my eyes in a continuous manner.
Before my situation could have gotten any worse, something happened that I didn't expect to. It was as if he knew that I needed him for he came right in to save me.
I heard Leon's voice. He was talking to me in my head.
(Y/N). Calm down.
Leo!
I don't know how he did it or how I replied to him but that didn't matter to me. Just the sound of his voice relaxed my rapidly beating heart, my mind calming down.
Breathe, (Y/N)... You are fine...
Where are you, Leo?! Why are you not coming back?!
Just focus on breathing, (Y/N). You are getting into a panic attack.
I did as he told me to. I focused on the sound of his voice as I tried taking slow and deep breaths. It felt as if he just knew when I needed him the most. He was always there for me whenever I need him.
As long as I was strong, he watched from afar. But as soon as I fell weak, he's here to catch me.
You formed the connection with me?
It's the only way we could communicate through our minds. We all have been living together for so long that the need to use the connection to talk never came.
Long ago.
I smiled at that. He never even told me about it. Didn't want to feed into my ego, huh? But my smile soon fell flat.
Where are you, Leo? What happened to you?! Are you okay? Please tell me that you aren't hurt! It was Areon, right?! He's captured you, hasn't he?! And I bet you a kiss that that wretched Sylvia must be involved too!
Calm down, tiger.
I heard his chuckle in my mind, the sound instantly elevating my heart.
You are right about Areon and Sylvia. I knew you weren't as dumb as you look like.
I could just picture his smug grin. I rolled my eyes at his teasing but a smile soon forced itself on my lips.
Hey! I don't look dumb!
Right. Remember the betted kiss. I'd wait for it.
My face felt warm. He really heard that? But it's not the time for feeling flustered. There are much more important things we need to talk about.
Answer my other questions.
He's got a whole damn army of demons working for him. They have tied me up in a smelly cave somewhere in the forest. And human, don't you dare worry about me because these losers can never hurt me. I am perfectly fine as always.
You are lying.
(Y/N), don't cry. I can feel that you're about to. It's just a few scars here and there but a few scars won't kill me, righ-
Leon!
Baby, listen to me... I just need to find the right moment and strike my way out of here. You just have to stay strong for Reece and yourself.
How could I stay strong when you are there suffering?
I was staring down at the floor, my hair falling over my face as they covered it from view, hiding the pained look on my face.
Because my (Y/N) is a fighter. She'd rather die than fall weak.
I covered my mouth just as a sob etched out of me. He has so much faith in me. Faith I don't even have in myself.
And besides, I still need to keep up my promise of our wedding night.
Shut up, Leo!
I cried, the pain in my heart rising. He doesn't get to tease me around after he just told me about how they are torturing him. He would never truly tell me about the pain he is in. He'd stay strong for me despite his own sufferings and his smile wouldn't ever waver like mine did.
Just come back home!
Very soon, (Y/N). But until then you have to promise me that you wouldn't cry. Especially in front of Reece. Kian and Cassius are there to protect you both. They wouldn't let anything happen to you.
That sounds funny to me now, Leo. I had thought the same. But what happened just now with Cassius and what Kian had done to me on the day you went missing... I wouldn't think so anymore.
But I wouldn't tell you about it. I would not worry you about me because you already have so much to bear right now.
Yes... They are here to protect us.
Good. So now you have nothing to concern your adorble face for.
He's still trying to cheer me up. Ignoring his own injuries, he's trying to make sure I am okay.
Why didn't you talk to me before?! Do you know how worried we all were?! Kian and Cassius had been searching for you all around the forest. And poor Reece! I catch him crying to himself as he repeatedly asks for you to come home.
I... May or may not have had enough energy to contact you. This connection requires the use of energy to communicate, you know?
I didn't know that...
And tell Reece that his... What is it that he calls me? Misosa? Muosa? Mucosta-
Mufasa. Where are you thinking all those words from?!
Right... Tell him that his Mufasa is all good and well and is coming back soon. He said he wants to be my Si-
Simba. I won't let you ruin his name.
I was going to say that right.
Uh huh.
Anyways, tell him that all he needs to focus on is how to turn into a lion like me. That's like his dream, right?
Yeah. I'll tell that to him, Leo.
Alright then. You take care, (Y/N).
I should be saying that.
You worry too much, love.
I can't help it, Leo.
Things will be alright, (Y/N). I won't let Areon win again.
I know you won't. You're too smart to let history repeat itself.
You know me well, dear wife ;)
I giggled. He can be silly too when he wants.
Take care, dear husband. I am waiting for you.
He didn't say anything after that. I picked myself up from the floor from the miserable state I had fallen into and went to go outside of my room.
Leon is fine. If he said everything will be alright then it will be. I trust him with all of my heart.
The door of the house opened just as a cheerful boy greeted me followed by a proud Charmer behind him.
"Miss (Y/N)! I hunted a deer all on my own!"
Everything will be alright. Wait is all I have to do.