"I'm not your plaything, Kian!" The flutter of wings? And the familiarity of his presence beside me.
He touches my back. The spot that's burning. It's—!
Responding.
My face sweats, feeling the movement within. Strange. Alien. Is this preganancy? What it feels like to carry an anonymous—
Something.
Is this what mother felt, carrying me?
It's out of my control even though it's my own body! But its not the reason for my mother's indifference towards me.
I'm the abnormality.
My eyes flutter uneasily beneath my binding.
He drags me, unwillingly, into his arms. And brushes his lips against the silk.
"What—"
"Shh…we mustn't alert the guards."
"…Where are you taking me, Kian."
He takes my hand to guide me. "Don't think I wanted to blind you, my dear. It's for your own good. You see, you wouldn't like it."
I can hear people passing. And the smells of meat cooking. "This…is not the city, right? You wouldn't bring us back there—?!"
"Hmmm…Well, its not too far from the inn." I try to rip my hand away, stopping unexpectedly—
But my body keeps moving.
Is he controlling me?!
"Shh…" He pats my hand. "It's necessary. We found the herbs right here. In this city." He chuckles but I can tell. It's not really amusing. "Shouldn't you praise me, dear?"
"But our faces—?!"
"Do you think I'd let my Ethan be caught?"
Nails? Tap my hand. I flinch from the fragility of my skin as it breaks; the wound stinging as blood drips—
And a brazen tongue licks.
"What are you doing?!" I'm shaking. Why am I shaking? I'm a man! He's treating me like—
"You're delicate..." He whispers. "Humans. Far more than I remember."
What…is he saying…
He's strange. He's been strange ever since I met him. How can he teleport so easily? And his indolence even in the face of enemies. My back that's constantly burning.
And this strange sense of familiarity…
I don't dare say it. Shouldn't even think it. Because I'm trusting him with my body.
What would become of me should he rip that foreign piece right out of me?
***
I walk at his liesurely place, feeling the breeze against my face like knives prickling. There's a chance he's lying. There's a chance he's going to kill me.
Why didn't I question him more about this treatment?
And his men. Why—does he have men at all? What are they even doing? And how is he communicating?
He's bringing me back into danger! And he doesn't care. At all.
I am poisoned. They did try to kill me. I spit black. I'm sure they tried to kill me. But I haven't felt the effects in a while. Is it because of this man's presence?
Or is it that I'm no longer poisoned at all?
If he already healed me…
My hand tightens around his. "Kian."
"Hmm?"
"Is there…something…you're not telling me?"
"There's all sorts of things, dear." He chuckles. "I'm not the only one." I feel it, his aura; the caustic wave of darkness somewhat smothering.
He turns, leading me somewhere unfamiliar. But the sounds of people gradually disipates. And I'm left alone in a darkness of his making.
***
At some point, the air pressures me. "What—is this?" I let go of his hand, pressing—
Only to rebound against him.
"Ah, I'd forgotten." He clicks his tongue. "Anymore of that and you'll be losing that hand, dear."
I freeze.
"I wouldn't test him further…Let's see…Ah!" He laughs. "We'll just have to exchange our fluids!"
My face grows hot. Fluids?!
And he moves closer. "You'll just have to endure, Ethan. You can do that, can't you…"
His breath, it's against my face and his hands begin crawling—
"No, that's not necessary! J-Just leave me be! I'm sure you can get in there just fine without me—!"
"Poor boy!" He's playing with my binding. "It's nothing worth crying over. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
Fluids—!
His mouth. His tongue! And the sounds of sucking—!
The invasion reaches all the way into the back of my throat; the skillful use of his tongue branding—marking his territory—
What the hell is he doing—?!
But his grip is like steel against my head, keeping me in place.
Dizzy. Disoriented. And ashamed—!
It's good. So good!
I struggle against the heat. Am I going to be devoured that easily?
But my tongue follows his just the same.
A delicious thrill!
It winds from my spine down to my stomach; the gripping, tingling desire fiercely, strongly spreading—
Gasping. Wheezing. He releases me. I stagger, pulling up against the barrier that held me—
And fall, the blindfold easily slipping from my eyes. I'm watching him smile as my butt hits the street.
His eyes, they're crawling all over me.
Fluids.
My eyes widen; watching him press his thumb against his lip as his eyes tilt seductively.
What the hell is he doing to me?!
I'm breathing hard, trying to calm my thundering heart.
But he points behind me. And slowly, I turn my head.
A storefront. In an alley. The sign…it isn't one I've seen before; the foreign script fuzzy and difficult to read.
I observe the spiraling symbols—the spinning—twirling—disorienting—!
My head. It hurts! I dip my chin, and close my eyes. What's this clenching in my stomach? The burn of my back—
This script. What is it?
There's the smell of herbs. And the dry, almost powdery air of medicine.
I reach for my blindfold—
"I would put that back on if I were you."