Seduce Me ~ The Path To Forgiveness

Path One, Step Seven: Just a Dream

I'm awoken by a familiar pain pressing against the sensitive skin of my wrists. I open my eyes slowly but all I can see is darkness. I can smell the metallic stench of fresh blood, overwhelmingly strong, and I feel bile rise in my throat. I try to stand in an attempt to relieve the biting pressure on my wrists but my feet don't reach the ground as I kick uselessly against the wall. I can feel my heart racing as panic begins to set in and I do my best to calm down. I tell myself it's only a dream, it has to be, but it feels so real. I'm left hanging here for some time in an eerie silence only broken by my occasional sobs and the sound of clinking chains as I struggle feebly against them even though I know it's useless. My darkest fears are confirmed as I hear the tell tale creak of an iron door open. I hear his footsteps as he enters accompanied by the sound of something large dragging behind him. I hear a grunt and the snap of manacles pinning whatever, whoever, he dragged into my cell to the wall across from me.

"Welcome back, my pet. Did you miss me?" His tone is sickly sweet and my body trembles in fear at the sound of his voice.

"Let her go." A familiar voice demands, too weak to sound threatening, and my fear becomes horror.

"Erik!" My voice is hoarse but my despair is clear as I call out to him.

"That's right, I brought you a playmate. You should thank me for being so kind even after you ran away." He laughs as his footsteps come closer, echoing off the stone walls. The blindfold is pulled from my eyes leaving me momentarily blinded by the dim light before my vision sharpens and I look up at the man who haunts my dreams.

"You were always so disobedient but I imagine you'll be much better behaved now that I have him." He steps aside and my gaze falls to Erik hanging from the wall in front of me. A nasty purple bruise spreads across the left side of his face and I can make out glimpses of others scattered across his body through the tears in his clothes but otherwise he looks unharmed, with no signs of the torture I'm accustomed to, and I sigh in relief. Though he's tall enough to reach the ground he hangs there, too exhausted to stand, and his breath is ragged as though every movement causes him pain. I try to catch his eye but he glances down quickly, not quite fast enough to hide the brilliant golden glow of his eyes that causes me to gasp.

"Don't you remember?" My monster asks, amusement shining in his eyes. "It's the whole reason you're back here after all, you cursed him to this fate."

Erik keeps his head lowered but I can see the shame clearly on his face. "No. No I would never.." I trail off trying to remember what happened, how things came to this, but my mind is blank.

"Oh but you did, pet. In the end you could never trust a demon, it was inevitable really." His tone suggests that he's enjoying this as he moves over to his tools, laid out meticulously on the table. After a moment of consideration he selects a small curved blade, reserved for marking his 'property' and my confusion is washed away by fear as I pull against my bindings.

"Don't hurt him!" I beg but he simply laughs and moves back to my side.

"He has nothing to fear from me." He replies as he unlocks my shackles and I fall to my knees.

"Get up." He orders and I comply quickly, afraid of what he'll do if I don't. He offers me the knife and I take it with trembling hands.

"Does my father know you're doing this?" Erik asks as I grip the handle of the blade with silent tears falling from my eyes.

"Of course, disobedient children need to be punished." He states, keeping his gaze locked to mine as his eyes shine golden. I feel the enthrallment take hold, fiery and chaotic, as he leans close and whispers to me.

"He's lied to you. Don't you think he deserves to be punished?" He asks before leaning against the wall behind me, waiting for his sick entertainment to begin.