20 Dark desires

The Scarlet Prince brings up his bloodied fingers to his lips, his tongue darting out and running up from the palm of his hand, catching the droplets of blood dribbling down to his wrist. He closes his eyes, his shoulders relaxing a little. Still the blood drips. My eyes widen involuntarily.

"Y-you cut yourself," I can't help but stammer, confusion blurring my words as I watch his hand drop to his side, blood running black onto the floor. He shrugs, opening his eyes slowly, half lidded. Blood smears his lips, his teeth stained red. He doesn't even flinch as it patters onto the floor, a dark look swirling in the features of his face, mysterious, menacing.

"It keeps me focused on not wanting to drain you," he tells me indignantly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He says this with such fervour that for a second, the shadows pulse around us furiously, reaching for me again with their tiny claws. The firelight darkens. Cabinets rattle. Soren's fingers scratch angrily at the wall, nails gyrating in circles with a horrible grating screech. It takes all I have not to cover my ears. He seems angry. Livid. The problem is, I can't tell if it's me he is angry at.

A heavy stench hits me in the face. The smell of iron causes my nose to wrinkle, mixing with the sweet smell of the large, purple roses enclosed in vases around the room. I do my best not to breathe. Slowly, perhaps thinking he might not notice, I step round the couches, feeling heavy, my movements sluggish, as though his presence alone has drained my body of its energy. I feel shadowy claws grasping at my limbs, holding me back. Looks like Soren's control over the shadows doesn't limit itself to teleportation then. I gulp. Serena you idiot you should be running. I think to myself. If you get yourself killed now you won't be able to find the flame at all. He has already warned you once. But my pulse is racing, my heart spiralling into chaos, dancing with power and heavy with adrenaline. It is too late to turn back now. If I want to play his games, I have to stick with it, no matter what the cost. Prove to him that I am worthy of his time, even if that is just for pretend.

His eyes simmer as he watches me approach, dangerous and hungry, yet doing nothing to stop me. Silently I count in my head, willing my heart to settle. One… Two… Three...

"Much of a vampire you are. Why don't you kill me? Surely you are hungry enough?" I ask with all the courage I can muster, half sneering as I spread my hands wide, opening myself up to him. From the look on his face, I half expect him to lunge at me, to tear me apart, right then and there. An uneasy silence falls on my ears, and I shiver. Soren's eyes shift from me to examining his black and bloody fingers, as though debating how long it would take to flay me like a fish. I have given him an open invitation. Clearly it is tempting enough to at least deliberate.

Shadows shift around the room again, releasing me from their grasp. I stumble forward a bit, my feet catching beneath me until I steady myself with splayed hands, shaking slightly. The fire sparks. Seconds pass in silence as Soren continues to pick at his claw-like nails.

"I will give it to you, you are ballsy for such a small thing- offering yourself up like that. But no, my pretty little dove," he tells me lazily at last, half laughing, and all at once he is right in front of me, manifesting like the reaper from the shadows. I jump, stumbling back. His hand shoots out to catch my wrist, to prevent me from falling backwards onto a couch. Soren rolls his eyes dramatically. "I'm not going to kill you. If i's honest, it would be such a waste of such a fine life. I would much rather watch you squirm, hear that little heart of yours fluttering. It's rather delightful." As he says this, he curls his fingers round my wrists, drawing my hands to my sides. He holds them there for a moment, closing his eyes as he feels for the throb of my heart. He breathes out. "Its been a while since I have seen someone brave enough to stand up to me- however stupid that makes you. It's refreshing, somewhat." I frown at him.

"If that is supposed to be a compliment it wasn't a very good one," I snort loudly, despite myself. Soren taps a foot on the wooden floor, shrugging broodily, leaving me to decide whether it is or not. When he opens his eyes again, I notice they have smouldered to their usual gold- yet there is still something wild in them, unpredictable. He wets his lips. The crown on his head slightly askque from the sudden frenzy, but he looks handsome, almost gentle. Almost. The prince is surprisingly cautious with me as he holds my wrists in his hands, taking great care to not press his fingers into my wrists too hard, or look into my eyes too long. I bite my lip.

"Why do I even matter to you. I met you once in the Great Forest, I'm sure you have met many other creatures in there too," I press, and would have folded my arms over myself if he had not been holding my wrists, and I too nervous to pull away. Soren narrows his eyes.

"Why?" he repeats harshly, his tones rising up in hysteria and exasperation. His grip tightens on my wrist. For a moment I think he is going to turn again. Then the prince steps back a little, shaking his head and dropping my hands. Instinctively my fingers inch toward my sword, but I stop myself short, hovering over the hilt. He barely even seems to notice.

Soren circles me, like a shark, looking me up and down a little as I follow him round with my eyes. Predatory. Animal. All at once his demeanour shifts, his body lethe and fluid, eyes lusty, his voice an erotic caress.

"Because," he purrs, lowering his voice. "You intrigue me." He reaches a hand to brush his fingers over my body, as if to prove his point. Biting my tongue, I do my best to keep quiet, to not give him the satisfaction of an answer. Even as he leans in behind me, his breath tracing the inside of my ear, I remain stubbornly silent, waiting for him to continue. "I know all your darkest desires, my pretty little dove. I have never seen such a heart full of conflict. It's delightful."