Chapter 20 #2
Mads smiled at that, squeezing Lionel’s hand again.
“The last time I fed was just before your aunt bought the building,” he said.
“I usually try to leave the owner alive, or perform my ritual while they aren’t around, but unfortunately, the last time, he was consumed.
” Mads shrugged to himself. “Your aunt seemed reliable enough, her mind easy enough to control when it came to the aftermath. The variables lined up to be consistent with my other feedings. It should have been easy.” Mads leaned forward until their lips were only a few inches apart. “And then you moved in.”
There was a part of Lionel that wanted to surge forward, to connect their mouths and not listen to anything else Mads had to say, but he stayed planted in place. His eyes were locked on Mads’ lips, watching as they formed his words of explanation.
“You have a certain… draw to you,” Mads said.
“If I had to explain it, it’s like what you humans describe as aura.
Most humans are very dull, their souls barely worth a glance.
It's similar to how humans look at bugs: they are difficult to tell apart, and in the grand scheme of things, they aren’t important enough to pay very much attention to.
” Mads’ hand came up to cup Lionel’s face, tilting it up so they could lock eyes.
“You, though,” he murmured, “you’re interesting. ”
“No, I’m not,” Lionel whispered. “I’m a guy who skated past school with barely passing grades, got a mediocre degree from an awful school, and then only got a job because my aunt offered me one.
” He shook his head as well as he could with Mads holding his chin.
“I’m someone most people wouldn’t think twice about. ”
“I don’t care about your idiotic human measures of success,” Mads huffed out a laugh. “A soul is not defined by what you do with your time in this pathetic excuse for a society.”
“I don’t get it,” Lionel said, pulling away from Mads’ hand. “What do you mean by my soul?”
Mads paused, thinking for a moment. “Do you know shrimp? Those things that live in the ocean?” Lionel furrowed his brow but nodded.
“They’re normally just little creatures humans would ignore, right?
Besides eating them, humans don’t think about them.
But have you ever seen one of those mantis shrimps?
” Lionel shook his head. “They’re beautiful—all different colors of the rainbow.
They stand out like a sore thumb when they are surrounded by others of their own kind - enough that humans have started keeping them as pets rather than eating them. ”
“So, I’m interesting enough to be a pet?” Lionel asked.
Mads laughed, eyes squeezing upwards. “You’re interesting enough for me to keep you, yes.” He reached out his hand again to brush his knuckles over Lionel’s cheekbone. “So, the moment this ritual began, I knew I had to find you. I had to keep you safe until it was all over.”
“Until it’s all over?” Lionel repeated. “This is going to end?”
Mads nodded. “It takes a while, but yes, once every human in this building has been consumed, the building will return to normal. But once it begins, even I cannot stop it. Which is why I couldn’t just whisk you away to safety or stop it all. If I could, I would have.”
“So you’ve been trying to keep me safe all this time?”
Mads nodded. “I’ve kept the creatures away when I can, and shielded you from the residents as well.
I’ve ensured the building works in our favor and made sure we always have access to food and water.
I tried my best to make sure you were never in harm's way.” Mads shrugged.
“But also, I knew you’d want to feel useful, so I made sure you had opportunities to feel like you were protecting me. ”
Lionel frowned and asked, “Are you even blind?”
“In human words, yes,” Mads said. “I really can’t see well; it’s one of my weaknesses. But when I take over the building, I can ‘see’ by using the walls and the creatures.”
Lionel reached up, fingertips brushing over Mads’ cheek and jaw. “Is this what you actually look like?”
Mads shook his head. “No,” he murmured. “But it’s as close as I could make with what would be normal to humans.
My eyes are the hardest part to disguise, so I tried to hide them in plain sight.
” He brushed a hand through his own hair and said, “I really am very pale, though. So this body made the most sense.”
Lionel’s stomach clenched slightly. “This body? Is it an actual human body?”
Mads nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t kill him, don’t worry.”
Lionel felt slightly sick thinking about that. A shiver ran down his spine as he realized why Mads always felt so cold, his skin never warming no matter how long Lionel held him. “Who was he?”
“A man I came across who I thought would make a good host,” Mads explained. “I took his name as well.”
“What’s your actual name?”
“Nothing that you’d be able to say.” Lionel thought back to the strange sounds he heard Mads and that creature making. “I’ve grown fond of the name, though,” he hummed, cupping Lionel’s face once again and leaning in. “I like hearing it come from your lips.”
Lionel breathed, long and shaky as he shut his eyes.
He didn’t let himself think too much more before he leaned forward, pressing his lips against Mads’.
He could feel Mads' smile before he tilted his head and moved his mouth against Lionel’s.
Lionel shivered at the feeling, at Mads’ cold hands winding into his hair, at the feel of his skin beneath his own fingertips.
“You’re freaking out less than I thought you would,” Mads murmured against his mouth.
“Yeah,” Lionel hummed.
“You’re not scared?” Mads asked.
“I am,” Lionel whispered, pressing forward again. “I’m terrified.”