The Inferno

Chapter 9 The Fae

I flinch and shut my eyes.

I will him to disappear but my power has already latched onto him. My breathing is no longer laboured and my body feels light from his mere presence.

I hate myself.

“I didn’t,” I mutter. Unwillingly opening my eyes to see him in the mirror, behind me.

His piercing gaze is alight with amusement as it cuts into mine.

“Well, your power seems happy to see me.” He smirks, making a show of swirling his fingers around the black and blue ribbons surrounding them.

I scowl, still refusing to turn around and truly face him.

“Julien came to see me,” I say, assessing his reflection carefully. His dark brows raise and his lips purse, his expression reveals Julien's surprise visit was not just a surprise for me.

But Sai doesn’t seem concerned by that piece of information and his lack of concern, after what Julien revealed about his vote, makes my blood boil. I stand taller and lock my sight with his reflection.

“He wanted me to pass on a message,” I add. This piques his interest, and there’s a sliver of that famous smirk edging onto his face as we watch one another’s reflections. He inclines his head, indicating for me to continue. “He said you lost your bet.”

Now I’m greeted by his full smirk which reveals the sharp edges of his canines, not as sharp as a vampire’s but still more prominent. Reminding me, my senses, that this is a predator before us, a dangerous creature who has only kept us alive for his entertainment.

“Oh, I can see that,” he replies, his tone filled with dark amusement and his markings flare as his reflection moves closer.

I still, my power pulses in warning when he comes too close, now only a few steps from my back.

“Care to elaborate?” I ask, my eyes narrowed on him, my voice slipping deeper. “I’m assuming it’s just another way to make my life a game for you all? Like I’m a toy you’ll throw away at the first inconvenience. Like I’m not an actual fucking living being with a life and emotions and…” I lose my breath. My coils erratically race over my ch est to try and steady my breathing, but my heart is pounding with rage.

“Be careful with your words, Red,” he warns, his bright gaze darkening as he steps across the barrier my power attempted to create. The moment he does, my muscles instantly become lax, my lungs fill with air and all tension simply slips away. Our powers continue to twist and coil around one another with ease as he steps closer. “You’re playing with fire and you will get burned.”

I look away, I must, because his words create a small fire of their own.

My power hums with pure excitement, it wants to get burned, it wants to anger him, make him feel a sliver of my fury. But it also wants to feel much more than that, it wants to feel him , and I cannot, will not , allow it.

That thought alone causes the black mist around me to harden and spike, it begins to fight against me and I try to claw back some control, but my power has other plans, it wants to create its own fire, it wants to unleash its own flames and burn everything down.

“You OK there, Red?” His patronising tone increases my growing frustrations and causes ripples of black and blue to sizzle around us. “You seem to be struggling with controlling yourself.” I can hear the smirk dripping from each syllable and I can feel the hum of his power and the heat from his chest. The whisper of his breath.

It’s all too much.

My fingers sink into the marble I’ve been clutching, but now it crumbles under my touch, and the sound of splintering glass soon follows— then pieces are falling, shattering into the sink.

One touch upon my hand and the room becomes silent. The battle within me stops.

Stills.

I feel my power pause, soften and hover into its usual waves again. I take a shuddering breath, knowing what I’ll see next.

When I open my eyes, our reflections are distorted by the cracked mirror and two black gazes consume one another.

“Why can’t I control it?” My voice is barely a whisper, almost a plea, as I continue to stare at the terrifying image of us. His hand is still resting upon mine, embedded into the dented marble with my fingers, his power dominating the room whilst mine feeds .

“It seems like the big guy set you off,” he replies, his dark gaze still holding mine, a glint of blue flickering. “You were controlled before he came, right?”

I close my eyes and take a steadying breath. I’m too distracted, his power is currently skimming mine in pleasant strokes and his voice, his eyes, everything, just feels so good . I bite the inside of my cheek, the pain barely registering but it’s something.

I slowly raise my black gaze to his. “It was fine.”

He tilts his head and draws his brows together, his index finger resting against the middle of his pursed lips as he speaks, “OK, I really need you to broaden your vocabulary, Red.”

I grit my teeth, force myself to not react to his mocking tone.

“Right, if we’re only using simple words… Tell me, was it this type of ‘fine’?”

Scorching hot pain shoots through my bones, electrifying and burning all my senses until only agony remains. I cry out.

As quickly as it began, it stops.

My vision returns and lands upon his sickening smile in the mirror.

I turn on him, my tendrils snap back and take all they can as they return into me. They reform into thick, black coils around my body and I send one directly at him, wrapping it around his throat, forcing him backwards into the wall. I tighten my fist and watch the coil around his throat mimic the action.

It’s a pleasant image to see, his pale skin pulled taut beneath my black coil.

Until I note, he isn’t struggling... at all. I don’t feel his fear nor pain, I don’t feel the things I need, and his sickening smirk and deadly gaze remains.

I look closer and see, beneath my coil, blue flickers stopping mine from touching his skin, barely. He won’t admit it, but I can feel how thin the barrier is there; how close I am to inflicting my own pain. I barely hold back my smile.

“So, it was the ‘I-will-murder-everyone-until-I-get-what-I-need’ fine?” His mocking voice strips back everything, the pure undulated anger, the desperate need for revenge, for pain. It’s now no longer my driving force. “I know that ‘fine’ well, Red.”

When I realise how close I am to him, and how tight the tendril around his throat really is, my hand snaps open. It instantly melts into the air and I stare down at my palm in disbelief at what I just did. What I was going to do.

I’m preparing to take a step back when his hand snakes out and grasps my wrist. I watch, dazed, as a swirl of black and blue twists around where his fingers hold me.

“I can’t remember the last time I was thrown into a wall,” he says in a faraway voice, his tone one of amusement, slight surprise and a tinge of something else. Something that feels dangerous. “I can’t remember the last time anyone even tried.”

Whilst he speaks, my gaze follows the markings wrapped around the hand and fingers holding my wrist. I study how they hum with each beat of his heart. How they seem to be pulsing quicker than I’ve ever seen. I’m transfixed by their shape and when my eyes glide up to the ones upon his throat, I don’t miss how they pulse under my vision, changing from light teal to dark intense hues of violet before settling somewhere in between. Then I finally meet his eyes.

The room suddenly feels suffocating as we watch one another, only connected by this small touch but I can feel the heat of his chest, the scent of his skin, and if I took just one more step... My chest becomes tight at the thought, even as his power continues to soften, caress and calm mine.

I’m not sure who is in control anymore.

“I can give you what you need,” he murmurs, his grip upon my wrist tightening. When he speaks again, his eyes become completely colourless, flashing into black. “And other things.”

His words are dangerous, addictive; a vice. They coax my power, ignite the darkest parts of it, the element that wants, needs , to be worshipped. In a haze of blurry emotions, I see nothing but him and he’s all I want to see.

I’m compelled to move towards him, drawn to him, and my other hand lands upon his chest, just below the opening of his unbuttoned shirt. The new heat beneath my palm sends a growing current through my skin and my bones that has me wetting my lips.

His gaze catches that action, consumes it. “Let me show you what I can give you.”

Yes .

This is what it wants and, deep, deep down, I know I should be absolutely terrified. I should be repelled by Sai’s touch and the way he’s become transfixed by my lips... but in this moment, I want nothing else.

I want more.

I want to push the dark fae into the wall, again, and devour him.

It’s this thought which brings a tiny piece of me back to the surface, cracking the haze I’ve been swallowed in. I close my eyes, force myself to remove him from my sight and attempt to clear the thickening blur.

Sai must see this attempt to regain my composure, he must sense it, and he mustn’t approve because we’re suddenly stepping backwards until I’m pushed against a wall.

I gasp at the harsh impact, the shock of slight pain making my eyes fly open, which was a huge mistake. I come face to face with him and I can’t breathe. I physically cannot intake air.

My heavy haze instantly returns, my skin tingles and our coils crackle around us. His dark gaze is close enough for me to see tiny fragments of blue, not yet fully consumed by the dark, but he’s barely hanging on, and I feel my power expand as it reaches out to him.

I’m caged in, his one hand upon the wall beside my face, the other gripping my waist in a scolding touch but I don’t feel trapped. I feel empowered, I feel in control.

“Is this what you need, Red?” The normally playful lull of his voice is replaced by something much darker, a rasp filled with hidden promises and dark agendas. “Tell me this is what you want.”

The sound of his voice has every part of me humming with anticipation. I want this. Whatever this is. This control, this power, this submission and desperation from a dangerous creature.

I need it.

I barely manage a nod, my gaze busily soaking up every piece of him, flickering over his alluring marks, the hard edges of his face, feeling the way his fingers are almost piercing my skin.

“More,” I urge and I try to move forward, to get closer, but he pushes me back with the grip upon my waist. He pushes me away from him, away from what I need.

I drop my gaze and glower at him, sending a direct pulse out and into him. He doesn’t flinch but cocks his head in response and runs his tongue along the edge of his teeth as he studies me .

“You’re not in control here, Red,” he practically purrs the words, it’s that sound and his half smile which makes my breath catch and my scowl completely drop. “I am.”

He’s unbearably beautiful, it’s almost painful and I’m so desperate to reach out and grab him, pull him to me.

Again, he holds me back by the small hold on my waist. My scowl returns and he responds with his infamous smirk before leaning forward.

My eyes widen, has he changed his mind? My body tenses with excitement but any attempt at movement from me is quelled by his power which suddenly amplifies and sinks into me.

The feeling is so pleasant, I audibly sigh as his lips move to my ear.

“You’re not currently thinking straight, Red. You’re consumed by our powers,” he murmurs, the whisper of his breath causes goosebumps along my skin. “This is what you need. We awoke this part of you and it needs that connection, it needs to feel us. Only we can make you feel like this.”

I lean my head back until it touches the cold tiles. I thought the demon’s touch brought me heaven, but this , this is another type of nirvana. Rather than feeling nothing, I feel it all, I feel soothed and warm and so content. Another soft sound falls from my lips.

This noise causes Sai to tense, the grip upon my waist tightens and a sudden crackling heat rushes through me.

When I feel his other hand cup the edge of my jaw, gently tilting my face back to him, I sigh again.

His eyes are a constant flicker of black and blue now, a torrential storm of emotions, as they devour every piece of me. I eagerly feed from those conflicting feelings which is enough for me to finally form words.

“And what do you need?” I ask, my speech barely audible. Even in this seductive haze, I’m still aware, conscious. I can feel a small part of me protesting, trying to push to the surface, break through whatever spell Sai has me under... but I ignore it.

At my words, I watch his expression falter, it’s the first time I’ve seen any type of hesitation from Sai, and I revel in it.

I place my fingers upon his chest again, against the skin of his collarbone, gently pushing and, this time, he doesn’t stop me.

Instead, he steps back, away from me. My fingers fall but my power intensifies rapidly, not approving of the distance he’s creating but also enjoying this sudden game .

“I do love a chase,” I smile darkly, echoing his own words. I feel immortal.

He stills, his mouth opens then closes but my eyes never stray, they stay locked on him, on what I want, and his uncertainty has my power flaring with excitement.

“Red, you need to put it back now,” he warns, as a deep aura begins to outline his form, pulsing and growing as we assess each other.

“If I do, what do I get?” I perfectly mimic his voice; I even add a small smirk and catch the darkening of his eyes in response.

I take another step; the floor practically vibrating beneath me and I’m disappointed when he remains still this time. I actually pout, and it’s this expression which seems to resolve any of Sai’s previous hesitancy.

I’m practically thrown onto the destroyed marble counter; the harsh impact sends a sting through the bottom of my spine and up but the fingers now digging into my bare thigh and the tight fist in my hair, at the bottom of my scalp, soon distracts me.

“If you don’t, you’ll see the real me, you’ll see what the dark is really capable of, what I’m truly capable of,” he whispers viciously, his narrowed gaze dark and severe as it darts over my face, lingering upon my lips for just a moment. “And you’re not ready for that side, Red, because that side will devour you.”

I don’t dare move. His face is inches from mine and my eyes drop to his lips. I feel his aura build, suddenly sparking out in vicious spikes as it fills the small space. I watch, transfixed, in awe, wanting every piece of it; wanting this side as much as any other.

“Look at me,” he commands. His words echo around the room, each syllable tracing my skin, the amount of power almost unbearable as it makes my bones ache. “Let me see those pretty eyes, Red.”

When I look at him, my entire body feels alight, filled with an aching need, and I scrape my teeth over my bottom lip to stop any pleas from tumbling out.

“What happened to that smart mouth, huh?” he taunts, his sensual smirk returning. This, combined with his demonic stare and deep voice, is utterly sinful .

When he releases my thigh, I almost whine, but he uses that hand to gently run his thumb over the lip I’d just embedded with my teeth. I part my mouth willingly.

At the teasing contact, I almost fall backwards, the fist in my hair is the only thing keeping me up-right.

“I need you to take control,” he whispers, eyes raising from my parted mouth to my half-lidded gaze, “or you won’t get a choice in what happens next.”

That defiant echo of mine, the one which had been lingering just beneath the surface, surges at his order. I close my eyes, grip the cold counter and force myself to become present.

I’m completely aware of Sai, of his warm, hard body between my thighs, his fist in my hair, the other cradling my face. I feel his power coiled around mine, soothing me.

Slowly, my breathing returns to a normal rhythm.

When I feel ready, I open my eyes again and know they are no longer black.

I watch Sai, his eyes flickering between two contrasting hues before finally returning to their intense blue. But his touch remains.

“What the hell was that?” I murmur, breathless, my voice so hoarse even though I’d barely spoken.

He laughs in response and the sound completely fractures the intensity of the previous moment. It also makes my stomach swirl.

“How do you feel?” he quietly asks, our gazes locked.

“F—” I stop myself, remembering how this all began with that one word. “I feel better.” I attempt to nod in confirmation whilst his hand still grips my hair.

“Well, that was fun,” he quickly continues, his small smile catching me off guard for a second. “What should we do now?”

My brows furrow as I glance around us, seeing the shards of glass scattered around the sink, the disfigured marble I’m sat upon then to his body which is still nestled between my thighs. All of this, and the feeling of his fingers in my hair, has my eyes racing back to his in panic.

“Can you back up?” I ask, his eyes flash dark at my request urging me to add, “Please?”

He doesn’t move immediately and I worry I’ve said the wrong thing, but the hand in my hair finally loosens and then his fingers drop from my face.

My stomach stills from the loss of contact and I have to beat down the voice inside begging me to reach out again. Until his hands land on the counter, just beside my outer thighs, which gives him the leverage to lower himself until our faces align.

I’m not proud to admit that I squirm, I even attempt to slide back when I know there’s nowhere to go.

“What’s wrong, Red? No longer wanting to play?” His eyes glint as they watch me but my face pales. I grip the counter even harder. “A few minutes ago, you had me pinned to a wall, practically tried to strangle me, an enforcer. That’s pretty serious, Red.”

My stomach churns, I suddenly feel extremely cold and sick. My throat tightens and my chest begins to rise and fall rapidly. “I—I was, I didn’t mean to…”

He watches me, my reaction, enjoying how I struggle. Then he sweeps his eyes along my face and chest before returning with that horrific smile.

“It seems like you’re indebted to me, again.”

I feel my eyes flare, only for a second, but he sees it too. It simply encourages his smirk to build and his markings to pulse. My body seems to burn with the injustice of it all, but knowing this is a battle I cannot win.

“What do you want?” I ask, my eyes still narrowed on his grinning face, his stupidly attractive, grinning face.

His piercing eyes glow at my question, then drop to my lips. “That mouth of yours is going to get me in some serious trouble.”

I try to ignore the effect those words have on my breathing, that and the gentle caress of his knuckles which have begun skimming the side of my thigh.

Then he suddenly leans forward, I try my best to remain still and unfazed but he’s so close, my eyes jump all over his face but his remain on my parted mouth.

“I think you know what I want, Red.” Our lips are just a hairbreadth apart and my heart begins to painfully thud as I watch his eyes sweep up to mine.

“Y—you want me to kiss you?” The incredulity of his request makes my voice shrill. “Is that seriously what you’re asking?”

The gentle caress continues on my thigh as he replies, “I’m eager to see how you’d respond.”

“I’d bite off your tongue.”

“Oh fuck,” he quietly blurts, dropping his head so I can only see his hair for a moment. His shoulders shake as he releases a chuckle and then his blinding eyes are back on me. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, Red. I’m one sick fuck and you’re just making me sicker.”

I stay still. I’m terrified to make any type of movement whilst he’s looking at me like he’s about to commit a crime, a crime I’m unsure if I want to partake in.

“Don’t touch yourself.”

My eyes bulge at his sudden order and blood rushes to my cheeks.

“ What?” The word falls out as I continue to stare at the dark fae who hasn’t stopped touching my thigh. “Are you seriously saying what I think you’re—”

“I’m deadly serious,” he states, his smile slowly dropping as his eyes move to my lips again. “Even when you’re desperately aching, even when you think you’ll die without the release, even when one little touch is all it’d take for you to come undone, like right now.”

“You can’t—” I’m desperate to deny the last part of his sentence but I’m not fast enough.

“But I can,” he interrupts, again. “Our powers being tied allows it and the pain I inflicted upon you earlier... it isn’t the only thing I can inflict.” He levels his gaze with mine, he wants to make sure I’m listening, that all I see is him. “If you even think about it, I’ll know. If you even try, in anyway, with anyone , I’ll know.”

“This is… you…” I pause, struggling to find the right words to describe how I truly feel. “This is cruel, Sai.”

“Cruel?” He laughs but it lacks any humour. “Baby, cruel is you saying my name when you look like that and feel like…” He leaves the incomplete sentence hanging between us.

Feel like what? I’m desperate to ask, but his stormy blue eyes reveal his own internal battle as I struggle to settle my own choppy breaths.

I’m utterly speechless. Breathless.

An enforcer, a dark fae, is demanding that I cannot get myself off until he orders it so. It’s absolutely absurd and I’m about to finally tell him so when he takes a step away, then another, until we’re back to our initial distance. This time, we’re facing one another rather than our reflections.

“Fuck,” he suddenly curses, his eyes darting all over me before he rips his gaze away.

His voice is a low murmur as he continues looking at the ground, speaking in the Faeish language I recognise but, unfortunately, did not understand. This is the only time I wished I’d paid attention to Javier’s ramblings.

When he releases a groan that sounds painful, my coils nip at me and I lean forward.

“S—”

“Don’t, don’t do it, Red.” He almost laughs the words but it sounds so strained, like he’s in the middle of an altercation but somehow enjoying it. “If you say my name again, if I look at you again… fuck, the things I’ll do to you.”

If possible, I blush even more, I can feel the deep heat rising from my chest, along my throat and onto my cheeks.

This isn’t me.

No. It’s my power, that’s it.

My power is reacting this way, enjoying the way he can’t even handle looking at me right now, the things he’s desperate to do to me, like a thread is barely holding him together.

Before the metaphorical thread snaps, I blink, and curls of dark blue smoke are the only evidence he was ever there.

I slump back against the shattered mirror, staring straight ahead.

“What. The. Fuck.”

I stay there for a moment, noticing how my body instantly feels heavier.

The aches and lethargy seep back into my bones and burn. My power however, remains distant, as though it’s also trying to recover from the onslaught of two enforcers, their powers somehow feeding and, more terrifyingly, soothing my own.

I don’t move, repeating tonight’s events over and over, until I hear a dull vibration emitting from my bedroom. I allow it to die away, busily consumed by my thoughts and feelings.

When the soft rumble begins again, I force myself to move, noticing the slight limp in my step before answering it without glancing at the name.

“Hello?” Even my voice sounds weak.

“Hey, I thought you were coming back down after a shower?” Alexis’ normally bright voice is tinged with concern, did I really sound that bad?

I swallow. “Yeah, I was then I suddenly felt really tired. I think I might just head to bed early. Sorry.” Is it still a lie when you only partly omit elements? Like how my sudden lethargy is the result of a vampire and dark fae .

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You know they’ll be plenty more times to see a tequila drunk Javier.” I can hear the small smile in her voice, the gentle tone she often adopts when she doesn’t quite believe something.

I slump onto the bed. “Thanks, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Jas.”

“Night, Lex.”

The phone falls from my hand as I drag myself under the covers feeling cold and aching all over. I curl into a ball and wrap my arms tightly around myself in an attempt to warm my body. I’m too weak to even change and the tight fabric nips at my skin but I refuse to move.

When the shivering finally descends, I fall into darkness and dream of terrifying gazes which drives the rest of the cold away.