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He was so very gentle as he bathed me, and I adored every second of it. When he decided that I was fully clean, he took a few minutes to wash himself before he shut off the hot water and wrapped me in a soft towel. He dried me off first, and then he did himself.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“You come back to my home. You’re going to take your rightful place by my side and leave the Hellmouth behind,” he replied. “Perhaps we’ll come back, but I want you with me for the time being.”
I nodded.
“Who made the collar for you, Ruby?” he asked.
“A woman that lives here. Her name is Tituba,” I responded, dropping my eyes.
“I’ve heard the name before. She’s quite infamous in certain circles. Quite interesting that you brought such a sorceress to your aid. Generally, witches of her caliber avoid the demon world, but not her, not for you,” he said thoughtfully. His lips set in a tense line before he began to speak once more. “Wait here. I will inform your people and then we will take our leave.”
I sat down on the bed and curled the soft towel around me. I was still naked and absently wondered if he would allow me to dress. He wasn’t gone very long and when the door opened and closed, I lifted my head to see him gazing possessively back at me. I smiled, unsure of what would happen next, but he simply lifted his hand and urged me to take it.
So, I did.
I stood up and curled my fingers around his and a warm feeling blossomed from it. I looked down as a white glow emanated from his hand, encasing my body and his as one. At once, I felt like I was floating and the world fell away in a haze, blurring until there was just white fluffy clouds surrounding us. It felt as though we weighed absolutely nothing at all. We soared and my hair whipped around my face. It was as if we were simply flower petals floating along gusts of wind and I closed my eyes, feeling a soft wave of dizziness come over me. He hugged me close to him, and I pressed my cheek against the safety of his shoulder as he took me where he wanted through the use of his magic.
When the ground returned beneath our feet, I released the breath that I had been holding. I opened my eyes, coming to the realization that we had returned to his home where he’d first taken me captive so long ago. Now that I wasn’t running from him, I could see the entirety of his mansion for the first time and it was beautiful.
It was molded from white plaster, several stories high, that was covered with dark green vines that rose all the way to the roofline, an indication of how very old this place was. I wondered how long it had been here and where we really were, not that it made any difference. Cain had shown me that I belonged by his side. I wasn’t going anywhere now. If I ran or tried to hide, he would find me and bring me back. I had struggled through accepting that, but now that I had, I recognized that this was not only his home, but it was mine too now.
My eyes returned to assess the house. The windows were huge and some of them were even made out of light-catching stained glass, which was remarkably colorful in the sunlight. The entryway door was incredibly grand and made of carved mahogany. The surrounding forest I’d run through when I had tried to escape him seemed formidable and I bit my lip.
“You said that I released something when I broke that amulet so long ago. What did you mean?” I asked, gazing across the massive trees.
“You released your own power far more quickly than you should have, but that wasn’t the only thing that was freed. My brother’s magic would have been returned to him too. There’s always a balance between good and evil, and that was the result,” he answered.
I swallowed nervously. I wondered if he knew
that his brother was no longer imprisoned by the devil.
“Abel?” I questioned carefully, my voice shaking with nerves.
“Yes,” he said coldly. He cocked his head to the side as he appraised me. He was curious.
“I’ve met him,” I started, knowing that I had to tell him what I knew.
“Have you now?” he replied carefully, lifting my chin as he narrowed his eyes with concern. I continued even though I didn’t want to. He needed to know what danger was coming for us and I had to be the one to tell him.
“He’s coming for you. He’s not going to stop until the two of us are dead,” I said.
“How do you know this?” he asked.
“In order to create the magic of the collar, Tituba and I journeyed into the depths of hell itself in order to gather an angel’s tears. That angel turned out to be Abel. When we were there, the devil sensed my presence and he released your brother, knowing that freeing him would improve his chances of taking my own soul captive. He wants me more than he wants him and he’s going to use Abel to do it,” I explained.
“We’re not going to let him take you, my little vampire,” Cain replied firmly. He grasped the hair at the back of my scalp with his fist. “Do you understand me, little girl? You’re safe by my side, no matter what happens. I’ve beaten my brother before and I will again. I don’t care how many times he comes at me; he will lose. And if you’re worried about the devil, you don’t need to. He cannot leave the gates of hell without starting an all-out war with the heavens.”
“I understand, sir,” I answered.
He kissed me hard, owning me in that simple embrace. He devoured me, kissing me roughly enough to bruise my lips. His tongue ran along my lower lip and his teeth lightly grazed against that same place, making me shiver with delight.
When he finally pulled away, he gazed down into my eyes, his eyes dark and dangerous.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” he replied. Then he held up the thin metal collar I had used to contain his own magic and I started, not realizing that he had taken it when we’d left the city outside the mouth of hell. “Because when my brother comes looking for me, you and I are going to destroy him, and we’re going to do it together.”
He grinned and I followed suit. I was looking forward to it.
