Page 5

Four

Sebastian

E ach word acts like a sharp knife twisting in my chest. If she thinks I’d leave because she chases dreams in a toxic world, she’s wrong.

I’d never want her to change. Marla has always been my symbol to do better and become a man she could be proud of.

“If you change, I’ll be coming after you myself. You are perfectly mine, and that’s all I need. What happened?”

She curls her fingers in my shirt, her touch settling the rage under my skin.

“You know already. I heard her voice, came to find it, saw my cunt mother, and got attacked. It’s the same thing I always do.”

Marla doesn’t look at me and I press her harder against my body. She shakes like a leaf, and I know something bigger happened.

One of her demons, a creature of pure shadow and malice, destroys her body, mind, and spirit, but an unusual event has occurred.

As her hazel, red-rimmed eyes peer at me, my heart clenches. “They took you from me,” she says.

“That’ll never fucking happen. I’ll claw my way back to you in every world we have to end up in.” I clench my jaw and lean my head to the side, hearing the tension pop before staring at her.

“But what if—”

“Never, my dove. My chest still bears your initials, as does yours of mine. We’re bound for eternity, body and souls forever.”

She doesn’t look convinced, and while her bleeding has slowed, I lower my lips to her arm and lick up the crimson staining her skin.

“You are mine,” I whisper before kissing her intensely.

A shiver runs down my spine as Marla’s hand slides beneath my shirt, her sharp nails grazing my skin. I’m already hard and ready for her.

With her chin in my grasp, I pull away from her and undress her.

I unzip myself and feel her hands on my shoulders as I guide her to straddle me. When I tease her clit with my thumb and insert a finger, she responds by grinding against me and fluttering her eyes before planting a kiss on my lips.

“Just like that, Sebastian, don’t stop,” she mumbles.

“Never. Get ready for my hard cock.”

After she clenches around my fingers and wetness drips into my palm, I stroke myself and stare into her lust-filled eyes.

Breathless, she leans down and grips the base of my dick as she slides down at her own rhythm.

Marla’s nails grip into my shoulder and I realize we need to make time for more intimacy. My dove depends on me more than ever and I should cater to her needs as she’s being attacked more.

“So fucking tight, always perfect for me.”

I grip her dark hair and expose her skin, whimpers fill our space as I raise my knees to stop her from full penetration. I tease her slowly with the bars on my cock and latch onto her neck, sucking and biting her sensitive flesh as she bucks against me.

“Sebastian, please,” she begs.

“What, my dove?”

“Let me go.”

Pulling back to gaze at her beauty, I’m entranced by this moment. My demon flocks in my peripheral vision and the surrounding air is heavy, but nothing matters except her.

Letting her hair go, I wrap my hand around her neck and squeeze as she clenches on my length. I use her like my personal fuck toy and slam her on my cock.

With our eyes locked it’s a different type of bliss. As I fill her she clamps down on me and screams out her ecstasy.

“I love you, Sebastian,” she whispers and leans against me.

“I’ve never loved anyone in my entire life more than you, Marla. There is nothing you could ever do to deter me from us.”

With care, I let her go as I zip up my pants, grabbing her clothes to aid her, smoothing the hair away from her face before leaning in for one more kiss.

“It’s like everything is so fucking broken.

I’m only going to hurt us more. I’ve masked for so long I hate having to do it here, and the bloody blue monster will never leave me alone.

Sebastian, I’m afraid that you won’t recognize me after time, that I’ll become a husk of the person you love and then what’s even the point?

” Tears fall over her cheeks, and my heart shatters.

“This quiet we have right now means you can let go. I’ve got you, Marla, it’s us and I’ll do everything I can to protect you.”

“But what if—” she starts.

“Relax, baby, and hold on to me until the tears pass. You deserve so much better than this and I’m sorry I can’t get you into that realm for real. I’d sacrifice anything to move you into the sunshine, surrounded by your loved ones.”

Marla presses against me harder, her body trembling, tears streaming down her face, wetting my shirt as she releases me after what feels like forever.

The quivering of her small form intensifies as the sobs wrack her, the sounds choked and raw with the weight of past traumas, and I hold her close, feeling the intensity of her grief.

At this moment I decide I will do whatever it takes to make her life more bearable.

There are other people here with demons as bad but none of them are my dove. I’d cut myself into pieces and offer them to the Lords if it meant she could live a day with peace.

“I can’t live without you. When I say I want to go there, it isn’t because I love you less.”

Her words pack a punch, but not the one she thinks it does. I’m a selfish prick. I crave her eternal companionship, but the profound tranquillity she’s gifted me would make me move heaven and earth for her.

“One doesn’t negate the other. You’re allowed to want two different things at the same time. To heal in a place of hope and to stay here in this world of deranged damage with me. Emotions are a funny thing, you know. Are you ready?”

Marla pulls away from me and nods as I brush the tears from her skin. We both stand. I hold her hand as we walk home.

“What will we tell the others?”

“Nothing. We went for a stroll. No one needs to know your business unless you want them to.”

Thunder booms around us, the skies swirl a deep orange and red colour and fear pulsates through the air. Something bad has happened. It nudges at my stomach and twists it into knots.

Rushing over the broken pathway, I shield her from the branches as we reach the lovely tunnel we’ve had for centuries, only to find it torn apart.

Cracked rocks topple over, tree parts have been decimated into sawdust, and our few belongings are long gone. Grief grips me in a tight fist, and my breathing slows, but I squeeze Marla’s hand and walk toward the wreckage.

“SID, CHLOE!” I shout and toss chunks of rock away from the entrance.

“We’re here,” Sid whispers. He emerges from behind the boulder, crushing the dead grass beneath his feet and gripping Chloe’s hand.

“What happened?” I ask, running my fingers through my hair.

They join us, and I scan the surroundings, looking for any indicator.

“We woke up to a colossal bang and ran out of the tunnel to watch it fall apart. I don’t know if it was one of our demons or not,” Chloe says and wrings her hands together.

“Grabbed a bag of rags, but couldn’t do much else. I wanted to get her out, and when shards of rock fell, I figured it was best to bounce.” Sid gives me the sack.

“You did good. Don’t worry about who caused it, but now we have to hustle and find another place to hide,” I tell them.

It seemed like an eternity before we stumble upon a small, dilapidated hut, a long-abandoned past, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay. We are sitting on top of each other in a cramped space, but it’ll do for now.

The mud floor is squishy, scratchy straw lining the structure for walls. Marla and Chloe lie on a bed of yellowed grass and use each other as pillows.

“The girls are exhausted. Walking about killed them,” Sid jokes, but my smile has disappeared for a while.

“Sid, I need you to protect both of them. There is something I must deal with right away. Guard them with your life and when I return, I’ll let you sleep while I watch over all of you.”

I stick out my hand and he grips it tight before pulling me in for a light hug.

“You have my word. Where are you going?”

“Best not to ask questions. Marla will torture it out of you.”

With a sharp turn, I follow the well-worn path, the rough texture of the stone under my shoes until I reach a main road and run as fast as I can to the Lords’ cabins.

I haven’t dealt with intimidation in the past. I’ve never been afraid of anything before, but everything to do with Marla holds me in a grasp of constant worry. This is the only thing I can do to ease the hell she’s living through.

Though as I walk the overgrown pathway to Berimund’s cabin, a cold sweat prickles my skin, and I pull myself up straight as I rap on the dark wood of the door.

“Sebastian, interesting to see you here.”

“Berimund, I was hoping we could strike a deal.” To the point seems like the best course of action.

“What’s going on, son? This is an unforgiving place, and I’m unsure what you could offer me.”

Tanca and Giso slip out of their cabins, moving along the grass.

“Marla’s blue demon is going to gut her as a person. Give it to me to free her, and in return we’ll continue to do your job.”

They all cross their arms, and Berimund’s green gaze bores into mine. “Our job?”

“Yes. If you haven’t noticed, ever since we’ve made it here, we greet each soul and explain what is happening and how to cope. Without Marla’s attention, I believe it would be chaos. We always take the stragglers along and find them companions to keep a balance in this realm.”

Giso looks to Berimund, and Tanca uncrosses his arms. “He’s right. The awful twists of terror don’t last as long. The souls’ drops have been better since they’ve gotten here.”

“We’ll discuss it and get back to you. Go on now.”

Berimund never breaks eye contact, and I nod before taking off toward the hut my dove is sleeping in.