Violent Delights

by Boggs, Hannah;

  “Come here, princess.” Grayson extended his hand to her and she put her smaller one in his hesitantly. He coaxed her down to press a kiss to her cheek, enjoying the light pink blush on her cheeks from it. “Do you feel better?”

  Odette forced herself to answer, “Yes, I’ll be fine.” A lie.

  Thorn laid out a plate of food in front of her and she thanked him quietly. The angel, much like herself, had changed over the course of the several months that they all lived together. His hair had begun to darken with the more confidence he gained, so it had become a light bronze color with streaks of silver. He looked more like an aging man than anything else despite his youthful outward appearance.

  “Your birthday is coming up in a few more days,” Grayson reminded her. “What would you like to do?”

  Odette shrugged, “I don’t know, I don’t have anything special in mind.”

  “We can go somewhere,” he suggested. “They are putting on The Nutcracker in the city and I know how much you enjoy ballets.”

  She didn’t express an outward distaste for the idea. Everything had been cleared up with the police thanks to the magic of the amulets, but Odette was still wary about being out in public. “That could be fun.”

  Grayson frowned. He didn’t like not knowing what was going on inside her head. He could tell that something was bothering her due to her body language, but he wouldn’t force her to tell him.

  Odette, on the other hand, loved not having him constantly analyzing her every thought.

  “Princess, is something bothering you?” he asked, reaching for her hand. He gently stroked the back of her knuckles with his thumb, trying to pull an answer from her.

  Yes, Odette thought to herself, eyeing their hands. Her stomach turned uncomfortably. “I’m actually not feeling good. I think I might have caught something.”

  Grayson glared at Thorn, the root of all evil in his eyes. “Can you fix her?” he snarled. He wanted to lash out at the thing so bad. Maybe call it a few names—he always cried when he called him “demon,” thus demoting him from his angelic title.

  Thorn looked up, allowing the two to see his horribly disfigured face. With his one good eye, he studied Odette and then spoke, “I think some tea will help the miss. Will you join me?”

  “Yes.”

  “No,” Grayson said at the same time. Odette frowned at him. “If you’re sick you shouldn’t be walking.”

  Odette’s body language changed to a defensive one in a second. “Grayson,” she warned, “Don’t. I am going to go and drink my tea in the kitchen with Thorn watching over me and you are going to sit in here and finish your breakfast.”

  Her husband could hear the underlying fear in her voice, the slight warble of her tone when she told him to stay away. Even after everything that had happened over the five-month period of her stay, she still refused to let go of what he had done in order to be with her. She still didn’t love him but he knew that she would eventually.

  He didn’t want to let her win but he sighed in defeat. “Fine. Come and find me after.”

  Odette nodded reluctantly and he released her hand. She walked with Thorn to the kitchen, both of them quiet. It wasn’t a long walk, only a few corners turned and they were there.

  Once they were in the kitchen, though, Thorn turned to her with a serious look. “When are you going to tell him?” he asked.

  Odette shook her head. “I can’t. Do you know how he would react?”

  “Two months, Odette, you won’t be able to hide it much longer. Robes and sweaters can only do so much.” He glanced down at her stomach, which she was holding with shaking hands.

  “I don’t know if I can do this, Thorn. I can’t bring a child, his child, into a world like this. It would give him even more of a reason to obsess over me, to constantly watch me at every hour of the day. I’m only seventeen, I can’t,” Odette reasoned, feeling a panic rise up inside of her.

  Thorn raised an eyebrow, “You’re about to be eighteen. You’re married and you’re wealthy. It isn’t like your parents are going to disown you—ow!” he howled as Odette pulled his hair.

  “Don’t. EVER. Mention my parents like that,” she hissed, her eyes like live wires.

  “I-I’m sorry, Miss Odette,” Thorn apologized. “But w-what

  I’m trying to say is that the situation is in your favor.”

  Odette scoffed, running a hand through her hair. “How is anything in my life in my favor? That man in there is attempting to gaslight me with every passing hour. One day, I may not be able to fight him anymore, do you understand that? I’m so terrified of this child being tortured by their father, or worse, turning out just like him!” she cried.

  “Calm down, being upset isn’t good for you or the child. Sit down, please,” Thorn instructed. “I’ll make you some tea now.”

  She wandered over to where a chair was off to the side and sat in it, her hands rubbing her stomach. It was slightly swollen and Thorn was right, she wouldn’t be able to hide it from Grayson much longer. She pulled at her robe, wrapping it around her tighter for the warmth and to hide the tiny bump.

  “You’re going to have to start changing your diet, you know?” the angel said, handing her tea.

  Odette pouted her lips. She brought the cup to her mouth and took a sip when the sound of someone approaching caught her attention.

  “Oh my. What’s going on in here?” Greer sauntered in the kitchen towards the duo, her eyes cold and calculating.

  “Thorn is helping me,” Odette informed the older girl. “I’m not feeling well.”

  “Oh? Well, you need to feel better because I have a guest coming over to the mansion in a few hours. Thorn, tea … please.”

  “A guest? Have you told Grayson?” Odette asked skeptically. They didn’t have many guests on purpose; Grayson’s possessiveness getting the better of him. He, however, didn’t use that as the reason; he said that they would get in everyone’s way.

  Greer giggled. “He’s going to find out next, silly girl. Our guest’s name is Skylar Lucas and he is really cute. He actually approached me a few months back at the mall, during the summer. I was just too busy to get into anything at that time.”

  The girls glared at one another but Odette was the one to stop first. She didn’t want to get into any unnecessary violence with the other girl.

  “Okay, I’ll make sure to stay out of your way then.” Odette drank the rest of her tea and passed the cup to Thorn. “That is why you’re telling me, right?”

  “No, you have to meet him. You and Grayson. Don’t worry, I’ll talk some sense into him so that he doesn’t act all crazy around our guest.” Greer sighed dreamily, a strange smile on her face. “I just feel like he’s ‘the one,’ you know?”

  No, I don’t.

  Odette was becoming more nauseous and it wasn’t due to morning sickness. There would be more than one person trapped in the same godforsaken mansion with her soon. She didn’t know if she would be able to handle that.