Sarah Anderson, Royal Chambers.
I bolted down the wall, almost tripping over myself trying to make the turn, with my mindset in one thing, and one thing only: once and for all I was going to confront Irene and tell her I wasn't going to let her get away with her evil plan... that, if she was really going to try and take Erik from me, she had to kill me first 'cause I would never cease to be a rock in her shoe. Well, I've never been very good with directions but, thank God for that time I found my way.
To think this insanity has begun with those damn nightmares was mind-blowing. How was all of this even possible? No one would ever believe my word if I would ever tell them.
***
I twisted the door-nob and slightly opened the door. I peeked in." Hm...." I examined the room; something was incredibly wrong. "The coast is clear," I whispered to myself, mostly confused. "Where is she?" I asked, taking a second look.
***
And then, in that very dream, I was sent to the catacombs to become, I was sure, in the real-life, a harem girl for the Demon Lord. Another crazy improbable event that managed to happen. Somehow I managed to escape with the help of two people that will always have a special spot in my heart, for that matter. And now, I'm here again. But, this time, on my free-will. My simple, human life had become a wild roller-coaster ride of horror and panic, but also of excitement despite what all might think, that I would never ever have expected.
***
A black stain on the floor caught my eye."What? What is that?" Curiosity took the best of me. So, I entered and approached it. I crouched down and poked it. "Ewww... E-Ecka! It's so... so... slimmy~!" Disgusted at the feeling of skin-to-skin it provided, I whipped fiercely my finger onto my clothing, trying to get it off. "B-But... how did it end up here tho?" I squinted my eyes and glared at it for a brief second; the sense of familiarity it gave me, made a chill ran up and down my spine. I tilted my head. I had seen something familiar on those alien movies."Why does it look like..." Thought out loud. "...blood?" In acknowledge, I drove my right hand to my mouth, covering it to stop the urge to puke, and turned my gaze away."I'm gonna be sick..."
"Dear~" A female voice roared in my ear.
My eyes widened in surprise upon hearing HER voice. I looked up and saw... nothing.
"I'm not there... at least not physically dear."
"T-Then... Where?! W-When?! How?!" I asked, still dumbfounded. "I've I gone mad?!"
The voice sighed before answering my questions. "No... you haven't gone mad dear... you're... just passed out."
"EH?! How am I passed out?! I don't remember to... I'm very much awake!" I puffed my cheeks.
The voice sighed again. "Look beside you dear."
"AHHH!" I yelled upon seeing my body just casually laying on the ground fast asleep next to that black 'goop-pile'. I instantly slid away, my feet pushing the floor as harder as possible, and ended up with my back against the far wall. "H-How?"
"That's not important right now dear... what's important is that I found what we were looking for!"
I frowned, rather confused.
"Exactly what you heard!" The voice seemed to jiggle around the room. "I've found a way to break the soul-bonding!"~
"WHAT?!" I jolted back up. "I-It's... for real?!" I had to make sure I wasn't hallucinating or a dream.
"Yes! For real dear! You just have to bring me some items and I'll perform the spell from here."
"That's SO good news!" I yelled happily. "What kind of items are we talking about here? Are they big... small... medium? Are they even in this room? What should I expect to find?"
"One question at a time. Well, something that belongs to them. It can be anything, a hairpin, a piece of clothing, a comb, maybe a favorite perfume... anything will do! It just has to be connected with them."
"O-kay, ma'am! I'll search and err... how will send it to you?"
"You just have to leave them in your room. I'll send someone there to pick them up."
"Someone?"
"Yes. I have my eyes inside dear."
"Okay then! I'll start right now!"
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."
"What?" I stopped walking, suddenly feeling the room dim as I looked around and saw everything go from bright colored to cartoon-like grey.
"Dear, you have to wake up first. You won't have access to the room's furniture in the dream realm." She explained.
"Ahh--! You're right." I sat back down again, and averted my gaze."I knew that."
"No, you didn't. Now, hurry up and wake up. We can't afford to lose more time. The Angels are getting more agitated by the sunrise. I don't know how much longer I can stall them"
"Yeah, yeah... it's not like I ain't doing nothing..." Grouchy, I murmured more to myself than to her.
"What do you mean?"
"W-Well... I was just about to go confront Irene, glad you talked to me first... phew..." I said as I whipped my forehead in relief.
"You kidding me?! Are you THAT reckless?! Are you out of your mind?!" The voice asked in a scolding tone. "Ugh-- this is why they're so pissed..."
I shrugged my shoulders. "I-I had to do something..." I said shrilly.
"No! You can't and won't! You will find what I need to pull the spell off-- and you will sat quietly in your room 'till this is over! Understood?"
"B-But--! Diana--!"
"UNDERSTOOD... or not?" She insisted, reducing me to my insignificance.
"YES! B-But..." Once more, I fought back.
The voice growled annoyed but did not further feed the argument. "What?"
I hesitated to ask at the beginning but, forced myself to do it. "Why do you have to deal with the angels anyway?"
"Because-- it was me who brought you here... who brought a human to the Demon Realm for Lilith's sake! And, if something were to happen to you, the demon hunters will have my head!"
I grabbed my neck in anticipation; I gulped down, imagining how it would feel to have my head separated from my body.
"Ugh-- this is giving me a headache..." The voice whined; I swear I could see Diana roll her eyes and rubbing her temples. "Can I count on you to NOT do anything?"
I just stared down at my knees, knowing that it was better to remain with my mouth shut than to lie to her.
"Sarah?" She called out; her demon aura was very much palpable through her serious, demanding voice. But, how could I? All I wanted was to get the hell out of there and go home... preferably, with him."Promise." She insisted.
"Eek! Okay! Okay! Fine!" I resigned to the choice I was given. "So pushy..." I rolled my eyes annoyingly.
"You have company, Sarah. I'll see you soon dear."
"Wait-- Diana! Who are you talk-- what company-- Diana?" I jutted my bottom lip out, redirecting the air-flow to my long bangs. "You could have at least told me how to get out of here... such a help this woman is--"
Then...
"Pri-------"
"Pri-------"
"Pri------ ce--- ss?"
"Prin-- are --- ok--- up?"
"Can you hear me?" The low rumble of the voice slowly pulled me back to consciousness in such a comforting way that I would also fall asleep wittingly right away just by listening to its smooth tempo.
"Hm-hm..." I answered his question almost mindlessly, inadvertently nuzzling my nose on... a soft spot? Also, it felt like I was being carried away. How strange was that?
"Good." There was a short pause. "When I saw you there I swear my instant thought was that you were dead."
I giggled at his sudden statement. Whoever it was, he was so cute.
"What's so funny, uh?" I could tell he was with that confused, but at the same time irritated expression; after all, I was mocking his little show of concernment for me.
"Dead, you said." I giggled again.
"Well, everything pointed to that end. You were lying on the ground, completely still, not moving, with an odd-colored liquid-ish pool surrounding you." He explained.
A victorious grimace grew on my face. "Not everything is what it seems! Don't let yourself fool by a book's cover."
"Hm-- that... definitively reminds me of someone."
"Oh, is that so~? Someone important?"
"Yes. The most important one in my life." He said, his tone had changed.
Still, with my eyes closed, I raised an eyebrow. "If you don't mind me asking, who might that be?"
"My princess." He said and the movement suddenly stopped.
'Princess'? Reluctantly, I opened my eyes; blinking several times to adjust to the lightness of the room. My mind, at last, was able to put a name to a face. "Erik..." Was this meant to be one more of those times I would beg for him to listen and believe me? I smiled tiredly.
It was in torturous silence that he lowered me to the bed. Erik stretched out his hand and caressed my cheek lovingly with his thumb, "How could I've been so blind?" his eyes shifted to the side and became glazed with a glossy layer of tears.
Reverently, I rubbed my body along the silken mattress, shifting in between his arms and beneath his warm body. I cupped his chiseled face in my hands and whipped some tears that had fallen. "What counts is that now you finally see it."
Erik turned his gaze away from me again. "Still, I've done so pretty nasty stuff. You deserve so much better, not... someone as repulsive as myself." Then, he bit his lower lip tightly until a thin blood thread slipped down, in some sort of punishment; my heart sank at the gesture. "Maybe I should go--"
"Erik... No! Stop! Stay." I yelled t him, grabbing his arm and thus catching instantly his attention and making him call me by my pet name. "I don't want to lose you again! You're too important to me..."
He took his hand to my face and gently caressed my lip, observing the gesture with longing, "You won't. Ever again."
"Then, kiss me." I clammed up.
"Wha--?" He was too dumbfounded to speak.
"You heard me..." I slowly ran my hands up his chest and entwined my fingers behind his neck, gently pulling him down to me and tilting my head slightly to the side. "Kiss me..."
"After everything that happened, everything I've been putting you through, you still want to--"
"Kiss me already, Erik!" I demanded, giving it another pull down. The light graze of our lips against one another was enough to stir the fire. He placed his hand on each side of my waist and pushed me down onto the mattress. Then, caught my lips in a rough, luscious but yet passionate kiss. His lips crushed mine and I felt that familiar electrical wave fleeting through my body. My eyes widen as the man on top of me grabbed my wrists and drew my hands from his neck to pin them over my head. His free hand roamed inside my shirt, slowly caressing my skin; I arched back at the touch and a ragged breath escaped my lips while he stared at me with a look of desire. He leaned in and whispered lovely sweet nothings into my ear; how he was never going to leave me, how he was going to keep me comfortable and loved, how he was going to keep me safe from that on. Once again, his lips slammed mine, nipping slightly at my lower lip, teasing me. He finally pulled away after that final bite. I was breathing heavily. "Don't... don't stop--"
"I won't hold back princess," He breathed out, gripping my waist tighter, "Now, that I have the real you." his hand then slid down to the top of my jeans, unbuckling. I gasped at the light brush of his fingertips against the skin right above my panties outline. I was so taken off guard by his forwardness that I forgot how to breathe. He briskly glided them down to my knees, exposing my laced line then, resumed kissing me on the lips; I let myself indulge in that hot, demanding kiss which I craved for God knows how long. Erik slid the tip of his tongue across my lower lip, looking for a breach to reach and explore the inside of my mouth. In auto-pilot, I departed my lips; they were desperate, seeking the magic in his moves. Our tongues battled fiercely with each other in an infinite war to see who was the strongest muscle but, at the same time, dance to the most graceful waltz which would blow Simon Cowell's mind. I bit his lower lip this time, making him moan hungrily against my mouth. He pulled away as I softly dragged his lip before actually letting it go.
"Y-You can't be the only one to tease..." I said, eyes clouded with arousal and heat. "Ahh~" His touches were gentle, my senses were going overdrive.
He flashed me a thin smirk, "Good. You're learning," he leaned in and bit my earlobe just enough to hurt a little, before trailing kisses along my neck, collarbone and shoulder all over to my sweet spot. The way he was ravishing me, left me helpless, defenseless, completely at his mercy. I carried my hands along his shoulders, neck, to finally, settling onto his hair. I buried my hands in his hair; his beautiful raven hair, screaming out to me, wanting to be grabbed, wanting to be pulled. Erik growled at the light pull of his hair, making him bend his head back and roll his eyes back in bliss. I took the timing to breathe in some air. "Princess~ You naughty girl," Once again, he comes closer, his lips meeting mine for the third time. Meanwhile, I loosed my boots and stripped my jeans off. I guided my leg up and rubbed it against his body; he grasped my thigh, clutching at it with agitation. He outlined the hem of my shirt, "This needs to come off" and, pulled me up, in a swift motion, he tore my shirt off my body. I wrapped my legs around my waist and pulled him to the kiss again, murmuring his name as his hardened member brushed against my lady parts over the fabric. "I want you now," I heard him growl, backing me up against one of the bed poles, deepening the kiss.
The mutual need established between us that very moment was as heated as a hot coffee mug. I trailed my hand down his chest to his waistline, "E-Erik," I broke the kiss for a short moment, and looked at him shyly; he returned the gaze, his eyes already shifting between the dark and rich purple color and the warm, enticing yellowish color. That moment, felt as if a million iridescent moments had just passed; breath mingling with each other, both hearts beating together in perfect sync and eyes shining bright in the shadows, wanting the same. "Seduce me." Those were the trigger words to him. Boundless energy was shared, euphoria alternating with exhaustion. The rhythmic urgency of our movements was tangible. Our breaths and moans to each other equally sounded and echoed like a blissful chant we never wished to end. Skin to skin, heartbeats matching, we held each other in the glow of the aftermath.