Death's Lethal Embrace

Ten: Cinder

The blood in my mouth tasted of ash, of the world I had once loved.

I had worked so hard on sculpting the perfect race to defend this puny little planet, but not even I had foresaw what they would become.

Where I once stood proudly, bones piled high.

I pondered these thoughts as I walked through the winding hallways of my empty house, an ache in my chest that I had never felt before.

Celestial beings do not hurt, do not feel, do not bleed.

But my heart beat madly, for her.

And I knew then, that this girl would be my ruin.

I craved her.

I wanted her.

I will have her.

~ ~ ~

Sun streamed through the grand windows of my gilded prison, beams of light arching through the air to glimmer across the walls. I rolled to my back and sighed loudly, staring at the ceiling. I had slept horribly, my mind too occupied by the horror that could be Everly's future. I had ranted and raged at Nera, thrown every sort of curse word I could at her, and to my utter fury she did nothing in return. I pondered that for a long while after she left me be, wondering what or when she had changed. I wasn't naive enough to believe it was me, despite the honeyed words that dripped from her lips, no matter how desperately I craved to believe her, she was still something else. Something not human, and having seen the brutality she was capable of, she rivaled the evil of the Fae, her precious creation. On and on it went inside my head, my heart aching to trust her, but my brain screamed at me to not get too close. I snatched a pillow and screamed into it, feeling a little better after. Laying there for a while, my stomach grumbled loudly and I decided that I wasn't going to mope anymore. I forced myself from the comfort of the silk sheets and padded into the elegant bathroom, glancing at the large bathtub and remembering the bathhouse back home. Scowling, I turned my back on it and the memories it brought forth, telling myself that I wouldn't further pursue those feelings as I would only get hurt in the crossfire. I had to find a way back to my family, and Nera had to become my enemy if I wanted to be able to escape.

Facing the shower, I stared at all the gadgets, sucking my bottom lip in between my teeth as I struggled to figure it out. I had seen a shower of course, but not a working one, and this one was far more advanced than the ones on Earth. There were buttons and even a screen and speakers. No knobs to signify what was hot or cold though. I was about to give up when a voice spoke behind me. My heart rushed into my throat, and I put a hand on my chest as I turned to face her, schooling my expression as best I could. It was so hard to look at her, all lethal curves and sharp grace, with those liquid eyes searing through my skin and bones. Her lips curled at the corners and I glowered, annoyed that she was reading my mind.

"Having trouble?"

"No," I replied snidely, eyeing the shower for a moment, not wanting to admit defeat.

She chuckled and moved towards me, her wings scrunched at her back, their tips barely brushing the top of the doorframe. I took a step back at her approach, but she simply reached around me and tapped a small square button on the left, and water rushed down. I gaped at it because there was no shower head, it literally just poured from the ceiling it looked like.