Chapter 3
I wore the key around my neck, on a silver chain; it felt so reassuring to have
it there, as if He were with me. When I thought of him, I did so constantly, I
felt my heart bleed red, and my shadow wept. I knew that if he were ever to
leave, that I would surely die.
He requested that I meet him one evening, as I walked into the forest I heard
the moaning of the wind as it caressed the branches of the shimmering birch
trees that surrounded me. It was peaceful, and the moon beautiful, her face
smiling down upon us. My shadow kept her distance, always lagging slightly
behind, her eyes darting tentatively around, she was cautious, and gently
trembling. I heard the swoop of his wings against the night air, and his soft
landing in a clearing near to where I stood. His eyes burnt me, my shadow
recoiled, startled for a second, by the heat, and his beauty.
"Come closer," he said, I started toward him, not trusting my quaking body to
keep me upright. As I neared him, and his very presence grabbed at my soul and
sucked at my heart, I became trance-like and duty bound. He touched my face and
drew me to him slowly. As his lips met mine I gasped softly into his mouth, and
felt my inner self surrender to him. He kissed me and I opened my eyes and
looked into his, and I drowned in them, I saw a flash of what could be, what
would be, and there was blackness, and hate and rage and beauty and peace. They
writhed together, entangled and thrashing like a thousand vipers in the pits of
his stomach. I could have stayed there forever, but knew I must come up for air,
or be lost for all of eternity. As his face swam back into focus before me, I
saw his eyes, bright and wild, a light dancing in them like a firefly trapped in
a jar.
If I could have climbed inside and lived within his head with the dark beast
already there, I would have. He saw this thought and a smile played on his lips.
He was prepared to give nothing of himself to me, and for now, I knew this was
probably just as well. His hand slid over my breast, on downward to my thigh.
The silver in his hand glinted sharply in the moonlight. I felt the piercing,
like a rose thorn, as he broke my skin with the thing he held. He pushed me
backwards, until I came to rest, not gently, my head hitting against the smooth
majestic column of tree trunk. In one smooth action he kicked my heels apart and
raised my dress. He pressed his fingers to the cut he had made, tracing the
trickle of darkness from it, I felt it cool where the wind came and chilled it.
He lifted his fingers that were stained with my life, to my mouth. As I licked
my own salty blood from them, I tasted his bitter venom, it was already running
through me.
Those same sticky fingers found their way into my aching womb, probing me until
he drew them away and impaled me on his self, burying himself deeply within
me.His breathing became heavy, laboured and hard as my shadow flooded through me
to where he was and took him and carressed and loved him as he lived in me. His
body tensed, I felt the rippling of every part of him, the parasites within him
hurrying to be where they could feed on the sustenance he took from me.
I wanted to bear witness to his solitary act of submission, I may never get the
chance again, to see his face as he gave me the only thing he could. I forced my
eyes to stay open, scared I would be blinded by the sight, and almost was. He
let out a cry, for mercy and repentance as he flooded me, staining me with his
colours, setting alight everything he touched, liquid flames kissing at my core,
marking every part of me as his own. I sobbed, for the child in me that had
searched so long for this, and for the truth in him that would never be free to
live amongst mankind. He stroked my belly, my dress fell into place, and I
glowed silver where he had touched.
He turned from me and headed back into the forest, at one with the great dark.
