Page 8

Seven

Marla

D espite being somewhere new, the unsettling voice of Jess still finds me, a phantom sound that seems to scratch at my sanity, carries on the wind through the trees.

I know it’s a lie, another way for the demon to control me, but as I turn toward Sebastian, the deafening roar continues, a relentless assault on my ears.

Against my conscious decision, an unseen force compels me to pursue the ghost, leaving me feeling like a mere observer in my body, a shiver running down my spine.

The floor’s chill seeps through my socks as I stoop to grab my shoes.

Terror fills her voice, and I know she needs me. Heart pounding, I stand and creep toward the threshold, doing my best to escape the room without waking him.

Glancing over my shoulder, Sebastian is still, and I scoot out through the door before covering it again.

Instead of the boisterous front entrance, I choose the back path, the air thick with the damp smell of the ravine as I make my way toward the immense boulders, their size making me regret my choice of route.

The hairs on the nape of my neck stand. Being watched is a normal thing, but sensing it like this is new. With a shaky grip on the dewy, cold rock, I pull myself over the fence.

Dampness clings to everything, even the usually bright sky, blurring its edges, mirroring the desperate, hopeless emotion inside. The voices swirl around me, a frigid wind whispering secrets and threats in my ear.

Breathless and determined, I push through the thorny branches, their scratches stinging my skin, the unsettling feeling of being watched intensifying as I run toward the murmurs that seem to beckon from the dark woods ahead.

Before I can get very far, something wraps around my elbow and halts me. I almost stumble forward and fall flat, but it holds me upright. With a jerk, I whip my head back, prepared for a battle, but stare at Sebastian’s face instead, the air thick with tension.

His features twist into a feral grimace, eyes narrow before a slow, sly smirk stretches across his lips, his dark eyebrows furrowing. The muscles in his jaw clench.

“Running away again, my dove?”

“I wasn’t. I didn’t. I can explain…” I glance toward the woods again, but only silence greets me.

“The voices again? It’s been a few days. This should simmer down.” His tone calms the anxiety zipping through my body, and I lower my shoulders.

“Might’ve been a dream,” I whisper. We both know that’s a lie. No one dreams here, not even nightmares.

He pulls me in close, his embrace warm and strong, but a sudden chill runs down my spine—a fleeting feeling of unease before he releases me.

“I was awake when you left and followed you. At first it was to keep you safe, but I can’t help that the chase turned me on,” Sebastian says.

“That’s creepy.” I give him a scrunched face smirk and place my arm on the crook of his elbow before walking back toward the new house.

I wonder what will happen after the blue demon leaves me. Sebastian shouldn’t be subjected to the pain it’ll cause.

“Get out of your head. It’s a scary place in there.”

His favourite phrase makes me smile, and I slow my gait to match his stroll.

“What fun would that be?”

“You want excitement? Need me to pull you away from your thoughts?” He raises an eyebrow when I glance at him.

“Sebastian, did you even think about the harm you’re going to endure? I’m grateful, but at what cost did you save me?” My worries bubble in my stomach, questions ache to climb out of my throat and word vomit everywhere.

He doesn’t answer and pulls me toward the ravine behind the new house. Towering trees line the area, their shadows stretching across the trail, and as we duck through the branches, Sebastian detours to a path concealed by a large, imposing boulder.

It’s almost serene, a pristine space untouched by darkness, the air still and clean. Bright green moss, soft and yielding to the touch, covers the smooth, grey rocks, and crystal-clear water babbles over the cool, wet pebbles.

“This might be the most beautiful part of Cavum Terra we’ve ever found.”

“Nope, I look at the most beautiful part of Cavum Terra every fucking day, and it certainly isn’t some mossy rocks. I’d save you at any cost. There’s nothing I wouldn’t endure for you.”

I lower myself to the ground, the rough bark of the tree scratching against my arm as I lean against it, my gaze falling to the smooth pebbles. Tears well as I hide my face from him, the man who knows me better than anyone, my forever person, the soul I’ve waited my whole life for.

“But what if—“

His fingers grasp my chin and tighten, bringing my sight to his. Lowering his lips, he kisses me with an unhinged passion. Sebastian’s tongue dances with mine and his other hand wraps around my hair, seizing me tightly.

Using my tresses, he pulls me back to stare into my eyes. The warmth of his fingers brush across my bottom lip and he lets go of my chin.

“You are mine. What part of that don’t you get?”

I bite my lip, thinking while my nerves cramp my stomach. “It’s not that I don’t get it,” I whisper.

“If I could take away every fucking illness so you could see what I see, I would do it in a heartbeat. I’m a monster without you. There isn’t a reason for me to exist if you aren’t by my side.” He lowers me to the ground and straddles my legs, bracing his hands on either side of my head.

“I’m sorry.”

My past trauma casts a long shadow, tainting even the happiest moments with suspicion. A persistent voice in the back of my mind challenges my trust, leaving a bitter taste of doubt despite my best efforts to believe.

“Marla, I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving it to you. So, you never have to have an ounce of uncertainty.”

His lips meet mine, and he grinds himself against me. The cries in the wind start again and I just want peace, something I’ll never truly find.

I focus on his dark brown hair, the tattoos that climb his neck and the sensations running through my body, but the wails don’t stop.

“Seb—”

“They can’t have you now. Look at me. You belong to only me.” He continues his kisses over my skin, taking off my shirt and trailing his tongue over my pebbled nipples.

As my attention is stolen again, the sharp pain of his bite on my flesh brings me back to the present. Sebastian’s dark eyes stare up at me as he moves down my body before he takes off my pants and props my calves against his shoulders.

Lifting his shirt, he holds the hem between his teeth and undoes his jeans. Gripping my hips, he lines himself up and slams into me, leaning forward to wrap his hand around my neck.

“Mine,” he growls.

“Yours,” I whimper.

Letting me go, he moves my legs over his hips and lowers his head to my throat and kisses the sensitive skin, caressing me until he reaches my breasts and runs his tongue over each nipple.

Biting me until I bleed, he licks me clean and brushes his lips along my sternum, feathering me in touch to block out the world.

When our gaze locks, he pumps into me and rubs my clit with his other hand. Need courses through me as my nerves react to his attention. I arch my hips, and he meets my desire with rough movements until I scream out from the orgasm.

“So fucking perfect, my girl,” Sebastian groans as he fills me.

He lays his head on my chest for a moment before pulling out and getting us both dressed.

Tugging me close, his arms envelop me in a warm embrace as we lean against the ancient oak, gazing out at the tranquil scene below, a hush falling over the peaceful spot.

Sebastian moves his fingers through my hair and kisses my cheek.

After a few minutes, with his help, I’m pieced back together after he’d torn me apart, leaving me breathless and shaken.

“We should go home and check on them,” I say, not wanting to leave this space, but knowing we have things to do.

When we stand, the clear water running over the pebbles turns red, and the little rocks become sharp daggers.

The illusion is gone, and gloom returns.

Branches curl into misshapen claws and as I inhale, sulphur fills my senses.

In this harsh, unforgiving land, only my relationship with Sebastian remains a constant source of comfort.

I roll over onto the hard ground. Cool air leaks through the room and Sebastian’s warmth is gone. It’s been like this for weeks, or months. Keeping track of time here is tough. Each day melts into the next, the struggle for sanity so consuming that passing moments hold no significance.

Grabbing a hoodie, I put it on and push open the closed door. Standing in the hallway of our abandoned treehouse, I wonder which direction I should go first. Without the blue monster stalking me at every turn, I’ve felt lighter, and my past doesn’t haunt me.

“He left again?” Chloe asks. Padding out of the bedroom with Sid behind her, their locked hands make me smile. I’m so thankful they’ve found their peace in each other.

“Yeah, I shouldn’t sleep this heavy. It’s my fault.”

“Don’t do that. You know he’d take anything for you. Besides, without the monster destroying you, healing takes time and drains you,” Sid says.

He’s right, but it doesn’t make the burn in my stomach pass. Nerves dance in my belly and leave a sour taste of bile in the back of my throat.

“We’ll go out the rear and look for him. You go the way. You always do.” Chloe smiles and they stalk out the door.

I jog out the front and through the beaten path where I’ve been finding Sebastian regularly.

The weight that’s been lifted has been a miracle. I could have survived life on Earth if it wasn’t for the one demon. Depression and Anxiety still watch me and play with my mind, but I can handle it.

Sebastian did the most selfless thing, and as much as I take care of him, I don’t think I can ever repay him.

Running through the forest, the branches cut through the heavy sweater. Side-stepping a hole in the ground, I catch my shoe on a buckle in the grass and fall in the undergrowth.

Raising my head, I see him thrashing about, his face contorting in soundless screams, a silent film of desperate struggle. He’s been fighting flashbacks, the horrors of his past resurfacing, clawing their way to the top from the depths of his buried memories.

“Fuck you, you can’t hurt me anymore. I killed you! You aren’t real,” he shouts.

I crawl across the dirt to reach him. “Sebastian, come back to me.”

Dodging his wild fists, I launch myself onto his body, the impact jarring, and pin him to the ground. Darkness clouds his brown eyes and blood drips from his neck, staining his shirt red. Lowering my tongue to clean him, I taste the metallic crimson and the salty sting of sweat.

“Marla?”

Clenching my thighs around his torso, I stare into his eyes. “Sebastian, I’m here. It’s me,” I whisper.

We’ve been doing this dance for some time and I’d take back the demon if it meant he could be free again. Sebastian didn’t have the luxury of dealing with it through life, and now is tortured beyond what he could have ever imagined.

“He’s not real. I know I killed him. That motherfucker can’t hurt us anymore,” he spits.

“You did so well. I’m proud of you.” I stroke his hair and lay my head on his chest. His arms tighten around my back, and he shudders before swallowing a whimper. “Let’s go home. I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

Sebastian pulls away from me and scrambles to standing before gripping my hand as we walk towards the house.

As happy as I want to be about losing the demon, it’s overshadowed by whatever he’s going through. I’ve never felt this possessive over him, and all I crave is to keep him safe.

“I’m clueless about how you did this, my dove. It is the worst thing I’ve ever dealt with.”

With his hand in mine, I squeeze it, because words can’t heal the wounds this demon causes.

“Sebastian, what if we went to the Lords and tried to switch it back? You don’t deserve this, and I know how to handle it better.”

He stops walking and rips me backward towards him. “Never. I’ll endure this for the rest of eternity, because you sure as fuck didn’t deserve it. Trauma caused by others is a ruthless tragedy. They’re not even here anymore to blame or question why, and I can’t watch you suffer.”

It’s like he thinks I can witness the undoing of the person who has my heart outside my body.