by Sonia Harper
Her cry had sparked a reaction that perplexed him. The pressure eased slightly in that split second, and he began to feel...
Remorse, the word tore through his mind as another wave crashed down over him, trying to suffocate the memory.
In the few seconds after her scream, he had more control over his powers, and he was able to quell the rage that had slowly burned inside his chest, begging for blood. He had managed to disperse the grip of power around her body; something he had never been able to stop before once he had begun.
It confused him. Infuriated him. Intrigued him.
When she returned less than a day later, he saw an opportunity to test the reaction once more. She had heard him slamming himself into the bookshelf over and over again. He had been unable to control his powers for hours on end and was desperate to feel anything but the mind-numbing pressure that pushed down on his body without reprieve. He remembered the pain had been interrupted by the sound of the wall opening and a voice calling out to him, asking if everything was okay.
The moment she tried to run away up the stairs and away from him, the anger rose within him. How dare she treat him like he was some kind of monster after he had spared her life the night before? That single indignant thought had taken hold in his mind, and his own powers began whispering to him, goading him on as he climbed after her.
The whispers were nothing new. The moment the right to rule was transferred to him, the powers were immediately upon him. Under his father's control, it was a mere tool to be used for whatever purpose he desired. Under Cain's inexperienced and significantly weaker control, the powers took a life of their own, attempting to use his body to carry out its wishes: pain, control, and death.
He had managed to claim back some of his control once he had brought her into the room. He fought a war with himself, intentionally inflicting pain on himself to distract his body long enough to slip away from the suggestive powers and remain under his control.
He had watched as his blood sprayed over her face, landing on her lips, and disappearing into her mouth. Her sudden demand that he stop brought back the feeling of remorse...of guilt over his actions. It was enough to allow him to control his powers for a few precious minutes. In those few minutes, he felt some measure of relief from the constant barrage of whispers and pressure. He felt as if he were himself again, and he fought to keep that feeling. He had inflicted pain upon himself immediately the moment the pressure had begun to return. It allowed him to keep that control for the rest of the night. Though it hadn't brought back the freedom that he felt in those few minutes, the control was enough.
The woman had certainly tested that control, Cain thought, as he squeezed his eyes shut further and remembered how she had crossed the room later that night to slip into the bed less than three feet from where he had sat. She was hesitant, much like an animal that was edging away from a predator, but he recognized it was a damn bold move given the circumstances. He wasn't sure if he should admire her audacity or laugh at her recklessness.
He had managed to keep his powers at bay while she slept for several hours. They had swirled around him, caressing him suggestively and attempting to coax him into killing her while she slept. The suggestion had throbbed inside his head along with graphic mental pictures of how it could be done in the messiest way possible. There were moments when he felt enticed; when his fingers jerked in anticipation. It was a test of his control, and he had won that round.
He lost the round inside Derion's office.
Cain opened his eyes as the pressure eased. He turned his head and saw that everyone was looking expectantly at him, unsure of how to proceed. He watched as the woman carefully examined his arm. Frowning, he glanced down and realized that she was looking at the dried mud and blood caked his skin.
Blood. He remembered how desperately he wanted to drag her down to the floor, grab her head, and smash her skull into the floor of Derion's office.
The nagging feeling of remorse crossed his mind once more, and it allowed him to take a deep breath and get a firm handle on his powers, bringing them to a more tolerable level, but not completely removing the pressure that sat on his head and shoulders.
He feared that would never go away.
"Report," he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head to look at the group.
Donovan immediately launched into his uneventful account. The vermin had never made it past the kitchen, although Donovan had briefly left his post of guarding the gate to enter the kitchen and assist Pytho in driving them back. The thought of the gate here in the basement being unattended pissed him off, but he understood why Donovan had to leave. It was easier to drive them out of the kitchen than it would have been in the basement. Donovan made it clear that the gate was never discovered, though it seemed suspicious that they would make their way into the kitchen.
Cain felt his lip curl in anger. Those bastards knew something.
Derion launched into his report immediately after Donovan had finished. Cain clenched his arms across his chest and listened intently as he learned of Derion's fight in the garden, followed by his encounters inside the Manor. He nearly smiled as Derion detailed shooting one the bastards in the face before grabbing a stepping stone out of the garden bed and crushing its skull in.
Trust the healer in the group to know exactly how to make sure those things stayed down, Cain grinned.
His eyes suddenly narrowed as Derion described assisting the human back to the library. Back from where?
His silent question was answered with Pytho's account of events. Cain's eyes narrowed in on the woman as Pytho described finding her upstairs surrounded by two guardians. He watched intently as she stared at the floor during Pytho's report. She swallowed and darted her eyes across the floor as Pytho explained that the vermin had approached her just before they were about to attack her.
A nervous gesture, Cain recognized.
He continued to watch her as Pytho finished his report, ending with the fight in the kitchen with two guardians that he eventually scorched.
Something in him buzzed with excitement at the thought of burning one of those pests until nothing remained of them. He cursed the fact that Pytho was the only daemon he knew of with this ability. Even with the terrifying powers he had been given, he could only smoulder paper in his rages. He would love to round up some soldiers with Pytho's ability and set them loose on the guardians. They would be exterminated in no time.
"That's everything," Donovan spoke up as Pytho finished. "Would you like us to assist Gregory with the cleanup? He should be here any minute now," he continued as he glanced at his wristwatch.
"No," Cain snapped, eyes still trained on the woman. "I haven't heard everything." His eyes narrowed into a scowl as she looked up at Pytho in confusion.
"You've heard from ever-," Donovan was cut off as Cain exploded in a brief moment of anger.
"I have not heard from everybody!" He shouted, his voice echoing in the bare room. How dare Donovan try to correct him. Cain clenched his fists and took a minute to regain control, the silence bearing down on his audience as they sat in apprehension. His eyes snapped open and focused on the woman once more. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at him, but he could tell she wasn't scared. She was hiding something, he knew. Her nervous expression during Pytho's report wasn't because she was reliving the moment as Pytho explained it. It was because she was trying to hide something about what had happened in that hallway.
He knew it. He could feel it. Growing up amongst the liars and backstabbers of the Court proved to be damn useful when it came to spotting those kinds of behaviours.
"Tell me," he ground the words out as he turned his body around to face her, pulling away from the wall. He straightened to his full height and kept his arms crossed across his chest as his gaze bore into her from fifteen feet away.
"Tell you what?" She finally found her voice after looking between Pytho and Derion for some kind of direction but received none. She s
ounded confused, but he knew better.
The fact that she was trying to fool him brought his anger to a boil underneath his skin. "Don't try to lie to me," he exploded, taking a step forward and unfolding his arms. "Tell me what happened in that hallway!" He choked on the last word as his emotions got the better of him, and the anger began closing in on his throat, making it difficult to speak.
"Nothing happened," she crossed her arms over her chest, another defensive move. She glanced between Pytho and Derion once more. "It was exactly what Pytho told you. I went back to my room for my dog when these two things suddenly-," she gasped as Cain took several steps toward her.
"Don't move!" Cain shouted as all three daemons moved to put themselves between himself and the woman. He stopped when he passed the middle of the room, just a few feet from where they were standing. "Last chance," he bit out the words as his fists began clenching involuntarily under the increased pressure around his chest.
He saw the flash of anger in her eyes before she exploded into her tirade. He inhaled sharply as she took three steps forward, past the others, and uncrossed her arms. Good, he thought. She was within grabbing distance.
"I'm getting sick and tired of being afraid," she exploded, her eyes wild as she threw her arm out for emphasis. His eyes widened slightly in excitement as her anger and frustration levels rose. The power that swirled around him started to buzz in anticipation along his skin, and he took in a deep, ragged breath.
"I've had very little quality sleep in the past few days. I've been threatened, I've been tossed around, and I just can't take it anymore!" she continued her tirade. "Enough is enough! There's only so much that I'm capable of handling, and this is just one step too far! Stop acting so threaten-," she shrieked as Cain's arm snapped out faster than she could anticipate. His hand locked around the back of her neck, and he pulled her forward, bending her forward until her head was at the level of her waist, bowing down just inches from him.
Cain held up a hand as Derion and Pytho started forward. He glared at them until they stopped in their tracks and slowly backed up. They must have seen the delicate control in his eyes and decided it wasn't a good idea to try and push him further into losing that control.
He felt small fingers try to grasp at his hand, attempting to lift his fingers and thumb off of her neck. She grunted as his hand clenched further into the soft skin of her neck. Her hands stilled over his, an indication that she had realized it was futile to struggle further.
He slowly bent his head down until his lips were a scant inch away from her ear. Movement along her neck caught his eye, and he watched as her pulse throbbed under the skin. His fingers rippled above her neck muscles as she swallowed.
"Tell me," he whispered into her ear, watching as she inched her head away from the breath on her ear. "Tell me what happened in that hallway." He continued, thumb searching along her neck until he found her pulse point. Pressing lightly, he felt the blood pumping furiously under her skin.
Fear.
With each frantic beat under his thumb, and knowing that he was the reason for her fear, he felt that tiny spark of remorse start to surface. He closed his eyes and internally sighed in relief as he regained more control.
"They-," her voice came out in a whisper before she stopped and swallowed again.
"Spit it out," he demanded, his voice never rising above a whisper.
He felt her sigh in resignation. "They came in through the window," she finally relented. "One of them told me he didn't want to harm me because I was human." She paused for a moment and tilted her head, clearly still trying to escape his breath in her ear. "He said he would remove me from the Manor and take me somewhere safe. Then the other one said something about aligning myself with monsters and tried to attack me before I started shooting at him. That was when Pytho showed up."
Cain's body stilled as he took in the information. It was no surprise to him that the guardians wanted to keep humans safe, but something else nagged at him. The fact that they wanted to remove the woman was something he had not anticipated. He had expected them to kill her as they would one of them, as the second creature had attempted.
His eyes narrowed as he contemplated her words.
He felt a hand close over his forearm, and he rose slightly. He glanced down with a frown. She had removed one hand from his grip on her neck and grabbed his arm instead, tightening as hard as she could. He felt one eyebrow raise as she dropped the other hand from his grip as well and let it hang at her side.
He watched as her hand clenched into a fist and he sighed, already anticipating her next move. His other hand came across and caught her fist before it could connect with his groin.
"N-," Pytho made the noise just as he, too, saw what the woman was trying to do. Rightfully so, he thought. She was playing with fire.
Surprisingly, he was more amused than angry at her attempt to injure him. It was the first time in years that he had experienced that particular emotion. The pressure eased and had more restraint over his powers than he ever had before. "That was a bold move," he whispered above her head, his hand tightening around her fist.
He grinned suddenly. "I'd like to see your next one," he taunted her as she tried to yank her hand out of his fist.
"Cain," Donovan's voice broke into their exchange.
"What?" Cain snapped his head up to glare at Donovan.
"It's just," Donovan proceeded slowly. "Probably best to let her go."
Cain's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aware that you were the expert on how I should best handle myself," he drawled, though his facial expression most likely betrayed the anger that had begun to spread through his body again.
"I'm not suggesting anything of the sort," Donovan held his hands out to try and placate him.
Cain growled. "Get out," he snapped.
"I'm sorry?" The surprise registered all over Donovan's usually stoic face. Clearly, he had not expected that reaction from Cain.
"Get out," Cain repeated. "Now!" He glared furiously at Donovan, trying to ignore the buzzing noise that started in his ear. He was dangerously close to losing his precious control the longer he looked at the daemon challenging him. His powers were trying to break free of his restraint and use Donovan's interference as an excuse to rile his anger.
Donovan shook his head but complied with the order immediately. He left the room, but Cain could tell that he had stopped within earshot of the doorway.
No matter. As long as Cain couldn't see his face, the buzzing noise slowly faded away.
He glared at the empty doorway before looking down as a shot of pain blossomed in his shin. The woman's foot reared back before connecting with his shin once more with a grunt.
"Adelyn, stop!" Pytho was horrified as he watched the woman kick him three more times. Pytho took a step forward before Derion threw an arm across his chest to stop him from advancing any closer.
Adelyn? Oh, right. The woman's name, Cain thought as he continued to watch her vent her frustrations on his leg and ankle.
"Not until he lets go of me!" She grunted as she tried to switch targets and kick his other leg. "This is ridiculous! If he wanted to kill me, he would have done it yesterday. He's just being an asshole," she grunted again as she missed his leg and it threw her off balance. Had he not been holding onto her neck, she would have toppled over.
Bristling with annoyance, Cain tightened his grip on her neck and hand. "Stop!" He barked loudly in her ear, pleased as her whole body stilled immediately.
"You think I won't kill you now because I've had previous opportunities?" He ground out the words in her ear as his head started throbbing again. "I may have enough control over myself right now to allow these amusing attempts to harm me, but make no mistake," he growled. "My control is tedious at best. If pushed too far, I will push back, and you will die at my hands in a horrific manner that is not of my own choosing." To his horror, the last few words ended on a choke.
He lifted his head as she lifted hers, her eyes wide as
she peered up at his face. He leaned down once more, pressing his nose close to hers. "Care to test me further?" His deep voice rumbled and fell between them.
Her eyes darted back and forth between his, and he waited several moments.
“Maybe later,” she whispered, though her bravado was betrayed by the slight quiver in her voice.
The build-up of energy waned for a few precious moments as her words sank in.
Well, now. This was interesting.
He felt a smirk creep across his lips. “I'm looking forward to it,” he said after a long pause. He released her hand and lifted his grip on her neck, giving her a slight shove as she straightened, directing her back towards Derion and Pytho. He practically snarled as Pytho immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her back, asking her if she was okay.
"Does she look injured to you?" He snapped as his anger started to return. "Get the fuck upstairs and fix those goddamn windows," he threw an arm up in the air, pointing upstairs for emphasis. "You," he threw his arm around to point at Derion. "Run your goddamn tests. I want to see some progress before sunset tonight." He bristled as the pressure began to break free of his restraints and crushed around his shoulders. He grunted in frustration and began pacing the room, clenching his fists as anger rose within his chest.
"Donovan, I want you outside and patrolling," he shouted as he reached up and clutched the sides of his head, never breaking stride. "I wouldn't put it past those fuckers to attack in broad daylight." He nearly grimaced as the pressure increased on his shoulders once more.
"Right away," Donovan's voice echoed in the hallway.
Cain grunted in response, lowering his hands to his sides as he continued pacing the width of the room. He nearly choked as the pressure began twisting its way around his neck, pulsing around it.
"Would you like an update in a few hours?" He felt, more than heard, Derion's calm voice wash over him; a tiny splash of cold water on his heated skin.
