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He smells fresh, like a forest after snowfall, and I allow myself to quietly breathe him in for a moment. Realizing I probably smell far worse after days of just rinsing myself off in the sink, I quickly step back.
Tears wet my cheeks as I glance up at him.
"What is wrong?" he asks, his eyes flashing with concern as the shadows around him seem to darken.
I laugh this time, shaking my head as I brush the tears from my cheeks.
"Nothing," I assure him. "Quite the opposite, actually. I'm just so grateful for everything you’ve done for me."
His head cocks to the side as he watches me, and I smile up at him, knowing I look a right mess but not caring. Death lets out a small sigh, shaking his head at me.
"You humans are such strange creatures," he mutters, pulling another small laugh from me. “Is there anything else I can do for you before I leave?”
I hesitate for a second before answering, “If possible, I’d like to bathe at some point—”
“Consider it done. Now, little one, go paint to your heart's content." I don't hesitate to obey as I start to turn away from him, but he grabs my arm. I blush, hoping he can’t smell me as he holds me in place and leans forward. "And about your dress ..."
"What about it?" I ask, looking up at him.
"Burn it," he says, his eyes moving lower as he growls low against my ear. “Burn it all.”
With that, he releases me. I take a step back, blinking in surprise, the space where he stood only a second ago now empty. As if he was never there at all.
I stare at the empty space a moment longer before turning back to face the room, and the paints and canvases that sing my name.
17
Death
Ipress a hand to the ache in my chest, frowning down at myself as I lean against the wall just outside the studio.
What is this strange feeling?
The way she touched me just a moment ago ... I felt something within me shift.
I do not remember the last time another chose to touch me. As painful as the heat of her was, there was something in the way she threw her arms around me that made me want her to do it again.
Perhaps this is just what comes of spending time with a living soul. I have always heard there were terrible consequences to interacting directly with mortals.
Until her, I have never had to worry about what those consequences might be. I have never had to worry about the affect a mortal might have on me.
Seeing her smile, her joy over the simplest things, makes me want to bend the world to kneel at her feet.
It is a struggle to remind myself that she is temporary.
As with nearly everything I have ever known, her time here is not permanent. Too soon, she will be but a distant memory. Her life, her very presence in my home, is fleeting.
These feelings, thiswarmth, cannot last.
Too soon, I will have to claim her soul for its final journey.
Pushing away from the wall, I storm through my palace, the darkness rising up to meet me as I shut myself away in my room.
Locking the door, I reach up to pry off my mask.
Running a hand over my face, I get a glimpse of my reflection out of the corner of my eye. I cross the room, bracing myself against the counter as I lean over it to stare at the man in the mirror.
He stares back at me, the cruelty in his eyes unmistakable.
