Haunting Memories, Pt. 4

Collab with Azrael
Inferna's POV

I lift my head from Azrael's shoulder as I feel the air shift. Before us now lies a dilapidated mansion. "Don't let the outside deceive you," he remarks, as he leads me towards the building. The wooden exterior is rotted in places, and it's covered in thick cobwebs. It looks something more akin to a haunted house than someone's humble abode, but nevertheless...

"Anything's better than that manor... too many bad memories there..." My voice sounds so hollow, even to my own ears.

"I might not know the whole story to your past, my love, but at least for now we can rest up and try to ease your mind until tomorrow." 

"You know more than most," I mutter back. But not the whole story. There's one key piece I hold so tightly to my chest, fearing the day it sees the light. Holding the door open for me, I am greeted by the breathtakingly ornate interior as I step inside. I bite my lip as I take it all in. With marble columns and flooring, grained wood details, and walls dotted with fine art, it is a stark contrast to the rundown looking exterior.

"Follow me," he exclaims. I feel all my unsaid words like static in the air as he takes my hand and leads me to a large bedroom. "If you ever feel the need to let everything out, please feel free to do so, as I am not one to judge."

He pulls me onto the bed, wrapping his arms around me, but even in his warm embrace, I still feel so cold, so distant. Lost in a past that I can never seem to escape. "You are safe here. It is impossible for anyone to find us here," he adds.

"I'm not worried about someone finding us... though our cover is at risk of being blown... but that's not the issue," I reply, rolling over to face him. "I-I don't want people to know what I did..."

Tears stream down my face unbidden as raw pain flashes across my face. "I...I killed them, Azrael. My whole family. I didn't mean to, but Luther--my sire, he set me up. He knew I couldn't control the bloodthirst." 

. . .

"Anneliese, my darling girl, what has he done to you?" My mother's cries fall on death ears. She clutches her wounded neck as she inches away from me, blood smearing across the back wall. I barely register the fear in her eyes through the pounding in my head. My body shakes from the hunger pangs, and the sweet smell of her blood calls to me. "Anneliese! Anneliese, please!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!" I screech knocking over furniture. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes and black veins. The face of the monster I had become. The monster I couldn't control. 

My mother slips and slides as she quickens her pace, the floor slick with fresh blood. She nearly trips over the mutilated corpse of my father in the process. "Anneliese is dead. I am Inferna, Daughter of Hell."

"Stop fighting the inevitable! Now get the job done, so we can get out of here!" my sire barks, egging on my migraine. My body convulses as instinct wars with fleeting rationality. My hands tangle in my hair, and I let out a scream as the last sliver of my control is snuffed out by the beast within. In the blink of an eye, I'm on her, tearing into her throat like a savage as her gurgling shrieks fill the air.

. . .

A sob is ripped from my lungs at the vivid memory. Every ounce of the control I pride myself for slips from me in that moment to reveal the true brokenness that lies beyond my walls. I cry into his shoulder, my body shaking with each sob. Maybe it's from sheer exhaustion that the façade has fallen, or maybe it's this man who has made me feel safe enough to bare all of me.

"Is this Luther around still?" I hear Azrael ask me as his arms tighten around me.

I shake my head, my voice wavering as I speak in between sobs "I-I kill-ed him too--a long--time ago." 

"Well then, he doesn't have to face my wrath." I nod my head as I cry until I have no more tears to shed. In the end, I'm left feeling entirely spent.

As I come to again, he brushes my ebony locks back and plants kisses all over my face and any bit of exposed skin. He then arches his neck back for me. "Feed, my love, as you need nourishment."

I let out a shaky breath. He's right. I need some fuel. Though I had wanted to make the moment romantic, I'm just not feeling up to my usual antics. Nevertheless, I could still make it pleasurable for him. I place a kiss on his neck, before sinking my fangs in. A shudder goes through him as endorphins flow through him, creating a sense of ecstasy I reserved for my lovers. "Yes, show me your strength," he groans.

With a pleased noise, I lap up the blood flowing freely from the wound. One of my hands tangles in his hair, and I give it a small tug. I drink my fill until the wound seals up from his accelerated healing. I lick up the remaining blood, before resting my head on his shoulder. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, my heart."

. . .

Follow Azrael at @Free6at6last6