“We should maybe start thinking about how you’re going to eat if you refuse to let go of me, Precious.” Before Derrick can continue on with what he was going to say, a shout sounds from the kitchen, startling us both.
“I don’t mind feeding her! It would be my pleasure to bring each spoonful of this soup up to her luscious lips,” Alex eagerly shouts. I pull back from Derrick and stare at him wide-eyed, while scrunching up my nose and shaking my head. He laughs at my expression, and the sound of it makes me smile back.
“Yeah, I’d have that look too if I were you. Alex has a problem with boundaries. He’s never seen a girl worth his time and hasn’t learned what’s acceptable or not. Don’t worry, we’ll help you put him in his place.” I knew I chose wisely when I jumped into Derrick’s arms. Although Klaus seems like he would’ve been a good option, too.
“So, Precious, do you think you would be okay with turning around in my lap? I promise I won’t push you off. I’ll even hold the bowl for you.” He gives me a smirk, accompanied by a wink. I can’t believe how comfortable he’s started to make me feel. My tense, tightly coiled muscles begin to relax in his hold. I’m unsure why I’m panicky at the thought of losing his touch right now, but I’m not willing to experiment with how the loss will make me react right now, and my sweaty palms agree with me.
Everything is overwhelming, and any comforts will be held on to with an iron fist. I haven’t been able to use any of my actual senses in my body in such a long time. While I had some use of them in my soul form, it’s not the same. Sounds are crisper and louder, my sight is about the same, although there’s a brilliance to colors. I can actually smell again, and thankfully, all the scents I’ve caught have been divine. I subtly take a whiff of Derrick again just to confirm how much I enjoy his citrus aroma.
I’m about to experience taste again, but who knows if my experience will be skewed due to being back in my body, or because of how starved I am right now. Now touch... Touch is what’s giving me comfort and the ability to hold myself together right now. Specifically, Derrick’s touch. I didn’t feel the need to jump into Klaus’ arms when he touched my face. For some reason, it’s Derrick who I need right now.
I pull back, only enough to accomplish turning around in his lap and face the other direction, before I snuggle back and grab for his arms to wrap them around myself. My butt wiggles from side to side, trying to get a little closer, and he lets out a low groan. His head drops to my neck with a hiss, breathing in slowly. “Precious, I really need you to not do that again.”
I’m confused by why he would say that, until I feel a hardening dick underneath me. I used to be naïve as to what’s going on, but after spending so much time in my soul form, and watching copious amounts of people, I know EXACTLY what’s happening.
I can’t help the smirk and a feeling of pride in myself for being able to cause that kind of reaction. Especially seeing as how my body hasn’t been washed recently and my clothes are covered with dirt from our travels. My thoughts get interrupted when Alex pops in front of me. I was so distracted, I missed his approach from the kitchen.
My body tenses as I lean back with a yelp while sucking in a harsh breath and clutching my chest.What is wrong with me?I’m used to being a strong, fierce woman, and right now I feel weak and needy.Pathetic.A soothing sound rumbles up from Derrick’s chest, and he rocks a little bit. Alex gives a guilty wince. “I’m sorry, Sleeping Snow. I wasn’t thinking. I brought you some soup, it’s from the can, so not the best. Marcus is the cook around here. Be careful though, it might be hot.”
He places the bowl and spoon in Derrick’s waiting hands and takes a step back. I’m happy with anything edible, even more so if it isn’t made by Marcus. Now I’m going to have the added stress of making sure anything he makes isn’t laced with poison before I eat it.
Picking up the spoon, I scoop what looks like chunks of chicken and noodles, then bring it to my mouth and blow on it. Once I’m satisfied it won’t burn me, I take the spoonful into my mouth. Mmmmm, yum! I’m for sure a fan of soup. The flavors explode across my taste buds, causing my mouth to water even more. I immediately move to take another bite, but in my haste, I forget to blow on it and burn my mouth. Worth it!
It doesn’t take very long to finish off the bowl, and Alex takes it away before bringing me a glass of water. Now that I’m full, I relax back into Derrick’s waiting embrace. Before I know it, my eyes start to feel heavy. I’ll close them for just a moment, I really don’t want to fall asleep right now. I just got back into my body, there’s just too much living I need to do and no time for sleep.
Chapter 2
Marcellus
Five Hundred Years Ago
Her eyes have lost their brilliance, gazing unseeing into the room. They’ve lost all signs of life, and yet, I can’t pull my disbelieving eyes away from hers, hoping at any moment the sight before me will change. The evidence of truth is drying on my hands, and there’s nothing I can do to change anything that happened. My movements are choppy and forced even as I try to fight my body from the commands it’s been forced to make. I can’t handle the itchy feel of her blood sticking to my hands any longer.
I'm able to just barely hold back my sobs, although a few tears escape as I try to blink them away. I shudder with the fear of Silas’ reaction if he notices them. He’s taught me my whole life to hate her family, and by association, her. He’s warned me since she arrived to remember that she’s only capable of lies. He would never understand the fact that I grew attached to her. In fact, he would find it an act of treason against him.
She became my everything. My future. My joy. My love. And now, she’s been ripped away. For what?
A sharp pain—like a knife in my chest—grinds and tears at my heart, rendering it to shreds. The agony rips at my soul and crushes me under a boulder. It seizes the air from my lunges and refuses to let me breathe. Devastation renders my muscles useless, all will to live leaves my body… and yet, I can’t allow any of my internal turmoil to show on the outside. Not while Silas is still here. Not if I have any hopes of seeking vengeance for what he has done to us.
The man who raised me, who I’ve called Uncle my whole life... he’s dead to me. I can no longer believe the lies I’ve swallowed as truth this whole time. I had no idea he was at the point of madness. But that’s what he’s experiencing right now—pure, unfiltered madness.
Silas is pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself with interspersed cackles of manic laughter. He’s murmuring about shattering the anchor, whatever that means? His pacing brings him over to an ancient-looking book, which appears to be covered with human skin. I hope I’m wrong. After flipping through several of the pages, he whips his head up and peers over at me, crouched by Cecily’s body.
“YOU! What did you do?” The loathing question leaves me confused, and I’m at a loss for how to answer him. His face is etched with fury as he strides toward me.
“I didn’t do a thing, I’ve only done what you’ve commanded of me!” How do you calm a man in the midst of madness? I’ve never encountered anything like this.
He walks up to me, and as his arm swings back, he says, “I wasn’t speaking to you, hold your tongue until I ask you a direct question.” The back of his hand connects with the side of my head, sending me sprawling to the side. I tried to block the hit, but my body wouldn’t respond to any of my commands. Also, how am I supposed to know when he asks me a direct question? I’m the only one left in the room. One would assume all questions are directed toward me.
Grabbing the front of Cecily’s dress, he lifts the top of her body so his face can be in hers. He starts to yell, “What did you do you, cunt? How did you thwart my plans? Why is it not working?” Bits of spit fly from his mouth as he yells in her face. He drops his hold on her dress, and I wince as her head thuds to the ground and bounces from the impact. I’m not sure why, it’s not like she can feel it.
Silas resumes his pacing. “It should’ve worked. I did everything my research said to do. The anchor is in flux right now due to her working on the bond. I drained her magic stores to the point where she only has the connection with her magic left. I would’ve severed that too if I could, but that link can only be self-severed. We killed her, and with her magic drained, she should’ve had no way to heal herself. The heart... maybe we need to plunge it through her heart.”
He goes to her side once again and picks up the same dagger I used to slit her throat. While I couldn’t stop myself from Silas’ orders to kill her, I made sure it was as quick and as painless as possible in the situation. I could’ve made the cut deeper, causing her breathing to be disrupted. Instead, I made the cut only deep enough to bleed her out.
I don’t know what he’s doing, but there isn’t time to attempt to stop him before he grabs her neckline again. His hands pull apart, causing her dress to rip down the middle. Flipping the dagger around in his hold, he isn’t gentle when using it to further slice the dress open, until her entire chest and corset lay exposed. This is not the way I had imagined seeing her breasts for the first time.
I’m distracted by the view long enough for Silas to lift the dagger and plunge it straight down into her heart. “Yes, this should do it. This has to be the answer.” Silas just stares down at her face with lust in his eyes. As bad as it is to think, the expression has me wishing it was sexual lust, but unfortunately, it’s something else that only adds to his madness.
