Chapter 21
Iopen my eyes, another nightmare clawing its way through my mind.
It’s the same every time. The same whispers that turn into loud accusations.
Something drips to the ground, the sound echoing in the stillness of the night. Immediately, I get up, thinking the worst—that something happened to Miss Moe.
But as I walk toward the door, I note drops of blood on the floor. My pulse quickens, but as I reach for the door I come face to face with her.
The Scarlet Lady.
Blood drips from her form onto the ground, staining everything red.
I reach out for her, a question forming on my tongue. But I don’t get to utter it aloud. In the next moment, a sea of red envelops me. And when my eyes open again, my surroundings have changed.
My memories, too, have changed. Gaps are suddenly filled—thousands of years of memories of torment rushing through my mind, all against the backdrop of her laughter and one word.
Pathetic.
We’re suddenly inside Moe’s room. I’m at the far end of the door. The Scarlet Lady is by the window, her head inclined toward the bed where a sleeping Moe lies.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” she muses aloud.
“Get away from her!” I shout, desperation clawing at me. Memories of our previous encounters flash through my mind. My chest erupts in pain instantly, the sensation of her hand on my heart so vivid, I can barely breathe.
But this isn’t about me. If it had been, I would have just taken it in stride, hoping she would get bored of me eventually and let me go—it’s happened before. But Miss Moe… She is off limits!
“Come on, Nykander. We are friends, are we not?”
“I am not your friend,” I grit out in disgust. “You are a monster.”
“Me? A monster?” She asks incredulously right before she bursts out laughing. “I am your friend, Nykander.” Her voice changes. Now it’s firm, devoid of any amusement.
My emotions regulate in the blink of an eye. The previous terror and anxiety are replaced with mere confusion as I stare at her.
“Friend…” I repeat, as if searching for a particular frame of reference. My eyes widen in realization just as that memory awakens in my mind.
“It’s you!” I cry out jovially. “That pink cake was the best I’ve ever had,” I praise her sincerely. Ever since eating it, I have not tasted anything as sweet and decadent.
“Indeed. I am your friend, am I not?”
“Of course,” I agree immediately. “What brings you here?”
As I look upon her, I almost forget about the presence of the sleeping girl in the room. She’s there but she’s not the center of attention. Not when the Scarlet Lady is here, talking to me, perhaps waiting to gift me more cakes.
Just as that thought arises in my mind, she conjures a wooden box and sends it toward me.
“Thank you!” I tell her effusively, quickly tearing off the lid and taking a bite of the first cake.
There are four in total, just like last time, so I should try to make them last. But it’s impossible to do so when they taste so damn good. It’s almost like a drug as it hits my tongue, better than even Zantrax.
As I finish the first cake, the Scarlet Lady appears right in front of me. Only a few steps separate us. Between her mesmerizing presence and the sweet taste of the cakes on my tongue, I’m entirely enthralled.
“You did such a valiant act tonight, Nykander,” she murmurs. “You saved that girl from a terrible fate.”
It’s only then that I remember this is Miss Moe’s room and she’s sleeping just a few steps away from us. My mind conjures up the events of the night as well as my regard for Miss Moe.
It’s almost like being thrown into water. My eyes are wide open, my heart pounding in my chest as I focus on her figure on the bed.
“Oh, it was nothing. I couldn’t have let anything happen to her,” I admit honestly. “She’s the sweetest lady I’ve ever met. You, too, of course.”
“Why, thank you for the compliment, Nykander. You’re such a well behaved male, aren’t you?”
I nod. “Yes, of course.”
She seems pleased with my reply as she follows up with, “Then tell me the truth and don’t leave anything out.”
“Of course.”
“That girl. Tell me about her. How do you feel about her? The truth?”
“She’s a sweet lady—”
“No, Nykander. Anyone can say she’s a sweet lady. I’m asking how you feel about her.”
Redness spreads across my cheeks as I look away.
“I…like her. She’s beautiful.”
“You like her as a person, or…” she trails off.
“I—” It’s almost as if the words are compelled out of me and I am unable to stop them as I speak far more honestly than I have even with myself.
“She’s beautiful. Attractive. All I want is to be near her, touch her, feel her against my skin.
She makes my body react. My cock hardens whenever she’s next to me and I seek relief to thoughts about her every single night. I—”
My eyes are wide with shock at the extent of my confession. What… But it doesn’t stop.
“I want her. I want to touch her. I want her to touch me. I want to—”
“You want to fuck her, don’t you?” The Scarlet Lady purrs.
“Yes.”
“Of course you do. You’re a male. It’s natural.”
“No, no.” I shake my head. “She’s the only one I want to fuck. She’s the only female I’ve ever gotten an erection for.”
“My, my,” she says in a singsong voice. “That is quite rare. At your age, too.”
“Maybe.” I shrug. “But if it’s not her, I don’t want it.”
“But does she want you?”
I frown, then think on it. “I think she likes me too,” I answer uncertainly. “She kissed me on the cheek.”
Just thinking about it makes me blush again. First kiss, too, regardless of whether it was on the cheek or on the mouth. It was a touch of her lips against my skin, so it counts.
“You really think she likes you?”
I nod. The more I think about it, the more certain I am. Perhaps she’s also shy as I am since neither of us are experienced in such matters. But now that we’re going to live together we can get to know each other better and things will simply naturally occur between us.
“So innocent,” she murmurs in a low voice. “I originally planned something different for you, but perhaps I will alter my plans a little,” she says, almost to herself.
“Huh?” I ask, frowning.
“Nah, I’ll just do both.”
“What are you—”
She brings her hand in front of me and snaps her fingers.
Instantly, I lose all control over my body.
“How does it feel?” She whispers in my ear. She’s now behind me, her nails lengthening into claws that she sinks into my shoulders.
I stare ahead, caught in this seemingly endless nightmare.
“Answer me.”
“I can’t move,” I grit out.
“Obviously,” she replies drily. “But aren’t you curious why?”
I purse my lips, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of an answer.
“Not answering, eh? Such a rebel. Well, it doesn’t matter. You will see in just a moment.”
“Fuck you!”
Her laughter echoes in my ears just as her claws penetrate my skin even further. She’s perched on my back, attached to me like a parasite.
“Move.”
Her command is immediately obeyed by my body. My legs move, heading straight for where Moe is sleeping peacefully.
I reach the edge of the bed and I stop.
The Scarlet Lady teleports to the other side of the door, resting against the wall and watching me.
“Let’s see,” she starts. “You said you wanted to touch her. Go ahead. She’s all yours.”
My heart hammers in my chest as I realize what she means.
“No!” I yell. But it’s in vain. I’m not the one in control anymore. Like a master puppeteer, she holds all the strings.
My hand moves without me meaning it to. It pulls down the blanket, revealing Moe’s body. She’s dressed in a thick cotton nightgown that reaches her ankles. Her entire chest is covered.
I release a sigh of relief. At least there’s nothing to see.
A loud tsk echoes in the room.
“Undo the buttons on her gown.”
“No, please,” I whisper.
“Do it!”
Once more, my body is not my own as my hands fiddle with the buttons on her bodice. The entire row comes undone. The material slumps to the side, revealing soft, creamy flesh in the middle as well as the gentle mounds of her breasts.
I squeeze my eyes shut. Sweat beads across my forehead. Drops fall down my cheeks, reaching my lips. It’s salty and bitter at the same time.
“Now lift her dress,” the Scarlet Lady says in a bored tone.
I flex my muscles, doing everything in my power to stop this. What I’m doing… It’s not just betraying Miss Moe’s trust in me; I’m also besmirching her honor.
How could I save her from a similar situation and become the predator instead? How could I invite her to my home, to trust me and feel comfortable only to be the monster in the shadows?
Bile rises in my throat—disgust at myself, at the situation and a pure hatred towards the Scarlet Lady.
Yet no matter how much I hate it, the truth is that I have no control over the matter.
No control of myself. No control of the situation. No control over anything. A mirror of my life, really.
Tears fall down my cheeks as my hands grip the hem of her skirt and pull it upward. It’s a struggle between my own will and that of the Scarlet Lady. Seconds tick by. The material rises higher and higher—a signal that the battle has been lost.
“Stop,” she says. The material is now bunched around her midriff, revealing her simple cotton underwear.
I gulp down uncomfortably and move my gaze to the side. Although she commands the movements of my head, I can at least focus my attention on something else. It might not be much but it might be the only act of defiance I can achieve.
Her soft laughter reverberates in the room.
“So distraught and we’ve just begun.” She moves from the wall, coming slowly toward me. “Tell me, Nykander. How does it feel to see her like this?”
I don’t answer. I can’t. If I open my mouth, I will say something that might provoke her further, and the goal is to protect Miss Moe as much as I can—that’s only possible if I don’t antagonize the Scarlet Lady.
Even though my pride is being trampled on, my entire ego crushed, it is far better than causing any harm to Miss Moe.
“Come on. She won’t know a thing. Whatever you do to her, she’ll be deep asleep. She’ll never know.”
“No,” I whisper.
“What was that?”
“I don’t care if she doesn’t know. I don’t want this.”
“But you just said you wanted it. You described in detail everything you wanted to do to her. Why pull back now?”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask softly, my voice defeated. “Why would you make me hurt her?”
“Is it hurting her if she doesn’t know?”
“What kind of question is this? Of course it’s hurting her! I know it and that’s enough.”
“Really… So you don’t think being ignorant of what’s happening around her is good for her?”
I frown. What the hell is she talking about? It’s almost as if this isn’t about this moment or Miss Moe.
“You have all the freedom in the world, Nykander. I grant you full permission. So go ahead and do it. Sate your desires on her body.”
“You grant me full permission?” I snicker. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Your friend,” she answers in an amused voice. “And because I am such a good friend, I’m granting you what your heart truly desires.”
“No. You’re wrong. I don’t want this. I don’t want any of this. Let me go.”
“Pull down her underwear.” The command is sharp, decisive.
My body immediately obeys. My hands are on the band of her underwear, slowly pulling it down her legs. My mind, however, is in hell.
If this happens… If this continues… Then I can only imagine how far she’ll go. She’ll make me do heinous things that will forever stain my soul. So what if Miss Moe won’t remember? I will. That’s enough.
My hands stop.
A battle ensues inside of me. The outside force wrestles for control with my inner self as I force my arms backward.
“Huh?” She smirks. “Interesting.”
She exerts more strength. I do the same, straining to combat her influence.
My fingers twitch, itching to touch Miss Moe as the Scarlet Lady wishes. But my mind is stronger, forcing my limbs to remain immobile.
The Scarlet Lady laughs.
The pressure inside of me builds the more I resist. The veins on my body become enlarged and tense.
A loud popping sound erupts in the air. My vision becomes foggy as the veins in my eyes pop. Blood pours down my cheeks.
The pain resounds through my entire body, but instead of fearing it, I welcome it as the chains around me dissipate. I fall to my knees, breathing hard, just as I regain full control over my body.
“Boring!” She calls out. “You’re so boring, Nykander.”
I clench my fists and grit my teeth as a murderous intention takes root within me.
“You really think you’ve won?” She chuckles. “Crawl to me.”
My eyes widen.
“Crawl. Now.”
To my utter shock, my body obeys. I drag my knees forward until I’m in front of her, head bowed, forehead to the ground in a pious position.
“Good boy,” she purrs. “Control is just an illusion, Nykander. I let you believe you had it for a second. But I owned you, all along.”
“F-fuck you.”
“Language! That’s not how you speak with your friend,” she says in feigned outrage.
“You’re not my friend. I don’t know what I ever did to you or why you’re torturing me like this, but leave Miss Moe out of this!”
“Ah, but I can’t leave her out of this when you’re so easily rattled when I bring her up.” She laughs. “But I will let you in on a secret.”
She leans in conspiratorially, her mouth close to my ear.
“You should have taken the chance to enact your fantasies tonight. Your Moe already thinks the worst of you.”
“W-what?”
There’s a wicked satisfaction in her voice as she continues.
“Let me show you.”