*Sera's POV*
Over the past few days I have tiptoed, waiting for all the other shoes to drop. Doom. Impending doom. Shits gonna go down real bad soon. Tensions in the house are mounting higher and Axar and I seem to be caught in the crosshairs. Dad is shady towards me, Barima and Nox are shady towards eachother. Nox and dad go back and fourth between being allies and trying to outshine one another. Too many Generals, not enough soldiers in this house. Everyone intends to order me around and I'm getting mental whiplash. I'm tired, so utterly tired. Exhausted into my soul. Sleep laughs at me. I wake up as spent as I lie down.
Nox is attached to my hip now. I cannot move without him. There's no reprieve, and I'm too scared to voice my concerns. I just keep replaying all those awful things Nox has done in my mind. The bodies, the torment, the sickly older man named Henry that he deceived and lead to his death. He told him he was God. I can only imagine the things he's lied to me about. I try not to think about it, because he can read my mind, but it plays of it's own accord.
"Stop thinking about it. What's past cannot be undone. All that matters is that you are here now, and as long as you are dutiful and not negligent, I will never have to do such atrocities again. Everyone is sleeping now. Care to run us a bath, lover?" He purs lazily. He is sprawled, center of the bed in all his glory. I have sat by the foot staring off for over an hour. He clicks his tongue to me as one would an animal and nudges me with his foot.
"I'm going..." I whine as I go to fill the tub. Part of me wants to put holy water in this tub. Would that affect him? Or at the very least make the water too hot. Then I'd suffer too though. I just want to go home. Do I still have my home? I lean sideways to adjust the water, peering over my shoulder as I do. I look back at the water and scream. The reflection of a strange man stares back at me from depths of the tub. I turn on my heel to the door only to run face first into Noxodius. He pulls me to his side as he steps forward searching.
"Why did you scream? Tell me."
"There was a man in the tub...in the water...reflected! He was reflected in the tub."
"What did he look like?" A monster.
"He was pale, even his hair was pale and his eyes were so red." Nox sets his jaw.
"You are not to leave my side from now on. That man is a demon. I believe from description that he is Yeomorah. I felt his presence and came as quickly as I could. That creature is deadly. You avoid him or as anybody else that appears and come straight to me if you spot someone."
"But who is he? What does he want?"
"Simply, a demon bastard. He wishes to take you from me."
"Why? I don't even know him. I haven't bothered anyone..." I've done everything asked of me. I've stayed in this house. "Shouldn't I learn how to use some of my abilities to defend my-"
"NO! Run the bath. Silence. You're giving me a headache."
"Nothing like the one you've given me. You try being clueless and at everybody's whim. To top it off they trust me like a mushroom..."
"A mushroom?" He drones.
"Yes. You give me nothing but shit and keep me in the dark."
"Technically that-"
"I don't care. Forget I even said it. Let me be." I sigh. It doesn't matter anyhow. He doesn't intend to teach me anything but how to heal and be docile. He doesn't care if I'm nabbed or attacked. All he cares about is having a bountiful, live in food source. Didn't he say that once? I don't know, don't care. Trying to remember things only ends up in headaches and frustration. I growl under my breath. I count backwards from ten in my mind. I even imagine myself kicking his ass. I jump as he kneads my shoulders. Who really was that man?
"Check the water. I'd hate for you to have to clean a huge mess." I don't think twice before shutting off the tap and throwing a bottle of shampoo at his head.
I then remember those dead because of him and I submissively strip and flop into the bath, forcing a smile as if I were only playing. I can practically feel my face cracking and a bad of nervous sweat. He plops in and we sit in painful silence for almost an hour in the warm water. Nox is at ease despite earlier, his heart slowly thudding against my back. I imagine my own heart rate would look like Mount Everest on a monitor right now, but he seems unaware that I'm internally screaming inside. I nearly break the tub in my haste to get out when he mentions he's finished. We do our nightly routines and head to bed. I never know if he'll sleep or not. Once we lie down he curls against my back and I focus to calm myself. I let him nuzzle and soon he decides to sleep.
If only I could. I'm frightened of the creature that clothes to my back. Of the man reflected in the water. The fact that father is here lurking inside the house as a guest. Why? Of unknown things I don't remember. What if I forgot something important? I keep watching flickering lights from the tv cast shapes and sh as does across the glass if the window and I duck my head under the blanket as much as I can. Every shadow or motion send me into cardiac arrest. If Nox was a ruthless serial killer, I'd almost be grateful to h as ve him here. He'd probably hurt me just the same as whatever monster though.
Sensing motion, I peep out of a crack in the blanket. For whatever reason I cling to Noxodius's draped arm like a lifeline. Nothing. Nothing? I swear to you I could feel it. I know that had to be something. Am I losing my mind? That's it! I'm human. Still in my shithole housing complex, with my shitty job, I had a sketchy batch of ramen for dinner and now I'm having a nightmare. Maybe Nox isn't even real? I could see myself getting burritoed up in my old quilt and thinking an arm is over me. I chew my lip and boldly pop my whole head out.
The room is eerily dead, not even insects or nightlife outside makes their familiar sounds. I debate waking Nox, but I'm afraid of backlash if my intuition is wrong. I shiver uncontrollably and burrow again. I'm insane. I'm insane. Something brushes my foot, and I know I'm not insane. This is real. This is happening. I slowly retract my foot away, but its roughly seized and I cry out. My cry must have stunned it momentarily because it stands by the foot staring at me as Nox erupts to consciousness and dives at it, ripping the blanket away in the process. I manage to look straight into its face before he lands on it.
The man! The man I seen in the water! He is giant, and alabaster from head to toe. His hair is nearly see through. His dark red eyes and scars are the only coloring on his body. As Nox takes him to the floor, I'm ripped away from the mattress as I desperately try to gain purchase on the sheet with my fingers. I was so distracted by this ghoulish man that I had forgotten he had seized my foot.
"Aaghhhh..." I cry out as my body slams into the wooden floors with violent force. I'm winded and my back stings as I roll about. The man and Nox tumble about slashing and punching, bloody bodies toppling to the floor in their struggle to kill the other. I manage to crawl out of harm's way and get to my feet. The man is so broad and powerful, Nox is a beast in his own right, but I fear he might be outmatched. The Yeomorah man pins Nox to the floor and starts stabbing his chest with his claws. I leap onto the man's back pummeling him with all the strength I have. I target his head and neck with blows I'm sure would make a mortal man unconscious. I'm flung away with insulting ease.
I feel so useless. I have these powers supposedly, yet no clue how to do anything helpful but heal. No! I can use the scream. Barima taught me a little on how to manipulate my sound waves concentrate on the chandelier above and I scream. The chandelier breaks loose, crashing down on the beast below. It takes him only seconds to sling the pieces of it onto Nox and turn his attention to me. I widen my stance and brace myself, trying to seem menacing so he won't realize I'm defenseless. He bounds from Nox's torso towards me in seconds and I'm forced to think on the move. I sidestep quickly and sweep his foot as he lurches forward. I jump up on instinct and adrenaline and slam my elbow into his face. He pushes me away and I land crouched across from him and I scream with everything in me. He winces and snarls as he charges me. I try to dodge again but he's too quick this time.
He catches me by the throat and squeezes. I flail and pry in vain to break his iron grip as he pulls me closer to his face. I jab his eye with my fingers to make him break, but he doesn't release until Nox slashes his back. I smell his coppery blood as it mixes with his smell of death. I hear frantic voices in the distance and a strange burning crosses my stomach. The man disappears before my very eyes, but Nox looks none too pleased. I open my mouth to speak. He's gone. We're safe for now. Instead I collapse into a warm wet puddle. Blood. My blood? My stomach is shredded and blood bubbles vicariously our, as if it has no obligation to stay inside and sustain me. My whole body throbs in searing agony. I tremble. Can I heal this? I try to focus on healing and holding my stomach together, but nothing happens.
"...Seraphine..." Nox eyes me with an almost sympathetic expression. I try to watch him but my eyes are so heavy. I know now what's happening. I889f I had only known what to do, how to defend myself. Where are Axar and Barima? Are they okay? I feel panic rising at the thought and I try to push myself up.
"Ax-Axar..." When standing doesn't work I crawl and slip face down into my own blood. I feel Noxodius's arms around my waist as he hauls me up from the floor.
"Sera..." One of his hands cover my stomach and blood seeps around it. I nod in response, voice harder to find. "You're dying. I'm-I'm sorry..." I feel his tears on my neck and his body tremble.
"I love you Seraphine. I will always find you, in this life or another. I won't let you suffer. I'll...I'll bring you back lover. Forgive me..." His voice trails off into sobs and as I try to find mine he he grabs my head and snaps my neck. It's over as quick as it began. Darkness overtakes my sight. He...he killed me. Why? He never even tried...he never...
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**It's not the end of the book yet! I promise. We are just getting deeper into the story! It's not the end of Sera either, think back to Yeomorah's words. ðð Happy Holidays guys!!!