Chapter Music: "Aurora Borealis" by Brandon Fiechter
I resisted the temptation to get a whiff of his intoxicating fragrance and made sure not to move a muscle so as not to show him that I had second thoughts about this. That is if what he meant by his action was that he was fond of me as well. Well, I almost always had second thoughts about anything, but this time sentiment got the best of me. And besides, I already knew enough things about that man who I liked. I probably wouldn't be able to discover much more if we didn't take this relationship further. Yet, the anticipation inside me could only be combined with terror. Terror of the wounds that love could cause me; terror, because it was him.
I awaited his remark but the only thing I could hear was the sound of the wind giving life to the dead-looking forest around us and a light chatter from afar. Silence was his reply? Why?
I then realized that Astar's body against mine felt unexpectedly soft all of a sudden. I had the impression that he was a lot tenser when he'd wrapped his arms around me. Had he let his guard down? Was he more relaxed than before? Combined with his silence, that reaction gave me the answer I needed... Or part of it. It was erotic then. But how serious was he? Because I didn't have the energy for children's games. I trusted our similarities and assumed he had the same intentions.
But before I fully relaxed my muscles as well, I felt a great wave of exhaustion overpowering me. That was clearly not the time for me to be thrilled about something like love. As if he'd sensed it, Astar's embrace tightened.
"Either you're a terrific liar, or you're ignorant about your own body," he stated.
"I told you, I'll be fine with some sleep," I tried to assure him but, honestly, I needed some more time with him. I didn't want this to end just yet.
"This is obvious. But I wouldn't call this 'a little weary'. This courtesy of yours is turning you blind," he sounded mad, yet his voice close to my ear sounded like a lullaby.
"Sorry. I guess I... didn't expect that much." That much exhaustion, that much sentiment.
He seemed to have got my whole point and decided to remain silent once more.
Still holding me, he slightly distanced himself to observe my expressions.
"Are you not afraid?" he asked in a low voice, certainly not referring to my physical state.
"I am. Not about everything, though."
"Then you must expect what you're getting into," he said, truthfully, as his usual sharp expression started to reappear in his face.
"What is it that I should be afraid of the most?"
"My nature," he said immediately as if he'd considered it hundreds of times before.
Undoubtedly, there was no hint of sarcasm in his statement. That, however, didn't make it any less vague that it really was. What exactly did his 'nature' entail?
"What about your feelings?"
"Everything is influenced by my nature. In any case, you can be sure about the essence of what I do," he intensely looked at me in the eyes.
He wasn't being clear and that wasn't very calming. Nevertheless, I also had some things of my own to feel apologetic about.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"I'm starting to," he grinned ambiguously.
What did he mean by that? It can't be that he didn't expect me to be a complicated person. He knew I had a dark soul, after all. So why would he smile like that?
The more I thought about it, the more peculiar his words echoed in my head. I knew I was the one who had asked, but sincerely, I had expected a different answer. Besides, what does it mean to be afraid? Was Astar really starting to get afraid of me?
No. Astar was starting to get afraid of me. The man who had nothing to fear might have found something able to make him vulnerable. For some reason, I had a hard time believing that. So our views matched even when it came to fear of love.
"We should go inside," he suggested after a few moments of silence, maybe hinting that we wouldn't be able to make a proper conversation under such circumstances.
That doesn't mean tonight's conversation is over, does it? I still have a lot to ask.
"Astar," I absent-mindedly called his name – causing him to flinch ever so slightly. It couldn't be that he despised it. He was the one who had asked me to call him that in the first place! Did he actually like it?
His grey eyes were now piercing through mine, reminding me that there was something I wanted to ask. That's right, what was it?
Oh. I needed to hear him explicitly say what was being implied for some minutes now. But, there was no way I could ask him that. Besides, my usual distraction had already gone rampant by now. There was just too much to think, too much to feel.
"Never mind," I finally mumbled, embarrassed.
He only smirked and teleported us to my apartment without even having to take my hand, this time. As soon as we were inside, he stepped away from me – perhaps to give me some space so that I could think clearly.
The absence of the warmth his arms emanated as they were wrapped around me only made me feel lonelier all of a sudden. It couldn't be that I had transformed into such a pitiful, needy person so quickly!
"What kind of expression is this?" his familiar mocking face was always present, despite his previous actions.
I wonder if what just happened between us was some kind of dream. That world never ceased to amaze me, after all. If so, I don't want to wake up. Even if... if what I'm about to learn about him transforms the dream into a nightmare. I don't think I would care as long as the essence of his feelings remains intact. As long as my impression of him is correct.
All of a sudden, Astar surprised me with an affectionate embrace, much more intimate than the previous one. With his one arm tightly wrapped around my waist and the other around my shoulders, he gave me the impression that he was, all joking aside, concerned.
"I'm sure that your reflections are important, but make sure you rest now. Don't underestimate your condition," he said quite sternly.
"You're right," I let myself take a sniff of his woodsy smell and added gratefully: "Thanks."
Smiling, I took a step back to peek at his face.
He snorted, "You sure have a whole lot of expressions."
"Is this a bad thing?" Well, I guess it would be bizarre of me to gaze at him like a silly kid.
"Not at all," he moved his face so close to mine that I could feel his hot breath on my skin. "I can't wait to see the rest of them," he whispered, his lips curled into a provocative smile.
"S-sure," I admitted truthfully, understanding his allusion. I loved how frank he was about his intentions.
Unsure for a moment, he momentarily glanced away.
"No enticing me now," he finally said, eyeing me mischievously. "Sleep."
Seeing that I had no concrete answer to give him, he took a step back again and said earnestly: "Goodnight Sophia."
"Night, Astar." These two words were the sweetest I had ever spoken.
~~~
Sophia's eyes looked familiar. They had the same frenzied light he'd seen many times in the past.
"Astaroth," she whispered the name of the man enfolding her in his arms as they both lay naked on his bed, "Can I ask for one more favor?"
"Go ahead," he replied and kept kissing the curve of her neck.
"Mr. Stanwood was mean to me the other day."
"What did he do?" he asked, already enraged at the man who had upset his wife.
"He asked me to practice before the next lesson because he thought I was weak."
Astaroth wasn't particularly mad about that fact itself because he too wanted her to be as safe as possible; but he went on to ask, anyway: "Shall I kill him as well?"
"If that's not too risky," she hugged her husband's body tightly with a worried expression on her face.
"Don't worry about that," he kissed her lips, "But first let me take some of your energy."
He casually grabbed the duct tape from the nightstand and forcefully tied her arms on each side of the bed.
"Today you'll be calling me 'Master'," he gave her a sadistic grin.
"As you wish, Master," Sophia answered a little more shyly.
"So..." Astaroth took hold of a black whip and began caressing her body with it "Do you want to watch as he screams for mercy?"
~~~
Please stop!!!
Merihem woke up, drenched in sweat. It wasn't that he was naïve and inexperienced when it came to the sins of the world. He was used to seeing and hearing about hatred and madness all around him, especially in the past. But that nightmare had revealed to him his worst fears, those he wouldn't dare to admit even to himself.
Astaroth's soul was dark, as well as his and Sophia's. However, even though he was familiar with his own kind of darkness, he wasn't sure about the other two. He sensed he knew what kind of man his Master was and what he could be but, interestingly enough, he could never guess his full potential, more so Sophia's. Astaroth was strong, smart and had few sensitivities. That was the best match for a very successful criminal. Because he was a criminal and there was no denying it.
The question was how that woman would influence him. She seemed important to him and a relationship between those two would prove decisive not only for their own fates but for many others' as well. Would Sophia turn him into a kinder and more considerate man or would they become a fearsome couple due to the strength one would give to the other? Would it be something in between?
Merihem couldn't think of it any longer and pushed it back to his subconscious as much as he could. It would probably come back to haunt him in his next nightmare. That issue was almost vital to him. His soul was dark not because he was cruel and sadistic like his Master. He also rarely felt jealous, possessive or selfish. The source of his own black magic were feelings like sorrow and loneliness. He was sensitive to everything around him and empathetic towards other people's hardships. He couldn't stand seeing Astaroth killing them in front of his eyes; it was unbearable even when he thought about such things.
But most of all, he couldn't imagine the bottomless abyss in which he would fall in the eventuality of Mr. Stanwood's demise. He didn't think that it would cause him true rage towards the person who would put an end to his life but his own sorrow would be so immense he would certainly consider suicide.
In the middle of the night, he felt lonely and desperate. He couldn't deal with his fears on his own nor could he fall asleep again. He hadn't felt so bad in a long time. So he decided to be a little selfish for once – seeking help from the root of his nightmare.
Click the Vote button if you enjoyed the story :)
Thanks!