Flawed

by Darci Darson

  Cherry followed Imre slowly. She shivered, excited, her eyes studying every detail of his muscular back. She craved Imre’s dangerous sweetness, dying to be touched. He stopped, turning to face her and put his arms around her. She surrendered to him, showing him all her trust and vulnerability.

  “They told me that there was a connection between us that needed to be sealed so that we could be stronger and more powerful,” Cherry said. “We chose each other when we first met, but I'm flawed because of my human nature, so the bond seems to be complicated for us,” she added. Her voice was crystal and quiet like a little bird’s twitter. “I was damaged, but the Varuh healed me and I can make it work now. This will be awesome, Imre.” She could be happy herself and give this happiness to Imre. He was the most important person in her life and she wanted to give him the best of her. She did not however, share her last thought with Imre that their bond together would be strong enough to battle Aaldir and release the pure Varuh. And also end the war. This was to be her destiny and purpose yet she was not ready to fulfill it.

  “I’m definitely going to bond with you now, Cherry Devita,” Imre said, brushing her ear softly with his lips. “You promised to kiss me, Birdie... “ he added, gifting her with his cheeky smile.”You promised a lifetime of kisses. Do you know how I want you?” he continued as he moved his lips down her neck.”I want you so much... Your skin is so soft and tempting, so hot.” His gaze shifted to her face whilst his hands held her waist. “I want you to remember everything at last.” There was this transient shadow of pain in his eyes for an instant, but it disappeared replaced by his pure happiness. He was beaming.

  Cherry chuckled and nodded. Glancing at Imre, she saw that he wanted much more than just a kiss. At that exact moment, time froze. Cherry looked at Imre’s eyes, forgetting about her worries and fears. She indulged in his wild, burning desire. She enjoyed his greed for her. Sparkling seeds floated like winter snowflakes, settling in their hair, a warm embrace of the trees, an act of sympathy towards the hidden sweethearts. Luscious, intoxicating scents pulsated in the rhythm of Cherry's heart. A fever fluttered in her body.

  Imre grabbed the piece of her corset and pulled it down to release her breasts. Cherry glanced at him with confusion as he tried to force the stubborn garment, with the irritation painted his face. Imre was not a romantic type at all.

  “Take it off,” he growled to her.

  She stepped back and unfastened the back of the dress, pulling then the sleeves. It slid down to uncover her naked chest and white, satin shorts enveloping her hips like a mini skirt. She crossed her folded arms over her breasts and leaned forward a bit, ashamed and quivering.

  Imre grabbed the back of his neck and stepped forward towards her.

  “I’m crude,” he growled. “I know nothing about love. Forgive me, my sweet little angel,” he added in a soft voice. “It is still our first kiss for you. I’m mad about you. I just want to take you and make you so exhausted that you wouldn’t be able to move. And you are so pure... and so seductive. Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

  Cherry’s eyes filled with tears as she wanted him so desperately. And he just stood and gazed at her, so devastated and frightened. Dropping her eyes, she uncovered her breasts and cupped his hands in hers. She stepped forward and melted into him. He pulled her down and they sat, clenched together. He smiled to her with such love that Cherry felt pain in her heart. She was wondering what was so special about him that with the darkness present in his soul, he was capable of such pure, unconditional wild love for her. There was no need for him to know anything about love as he had loads of love in his dark soul to give her.

  “I will give you another first kiss,” Imre said. “I can repeat this first kiss for eternity. Because of your dementia you don’t remember our precious moments,” he added, winking at her.

  Cherry glanced at him with confusion, hoping that this had been only their one night together that she could not retrieve and her own personality began to amaze her, creating even more impossible to answer questions in her head.

  Imre brushed Cherry’s cheek with his finger, circled down to her lips, his touch cool, followed by the exciting, seductive heat of her skin whilst his other hand travelled down her back. His thumb glided over her lower lip. As he bent his neck forward, her lips parted slightly waiting to satisfy his hunger. When their lips met, the world exploded into a million pieces.

  At first, he teased her with light kisses, sweet and soft touch, a delicate dance of their tongues. When she captured his neck, he slowed and gentled the kisses even more.

  “Is it enough of the first kiss?” he asked.

  “No,” she moaned. “I want more.”

  So he kissed her with a selfish passion, urgent and thirsty for the delicious moistness of her lips. He absorbed her with an impatient and intense greed, kissing her as if the world was going to end. And she prayed to never forget this.

  Her skin was tingly and hot. She separated from him, nearly unconscious and burning. Taking a rapid breath, she kissed him again. Her eager lust was overwhelming. A frenzied euphoria danced in her head. Her eyes blazed, flooded by the dark, intense redness as if blood had tinted her pupils. Her canine teeth turned into glowing fangs as the passion inside her bubbled and expanded.

  As Imre held her face in his palms, her wings appeared from her back. She raised her hand, contemplating her sharp, short claws. She was hesitant and curious yet unsure about her new appearance, but it did not matter as Imre touched her every claw with the passion of his gentle kisses showing his accepting love.

  “I have claws again,” she whispered to him. “And black wings. They are so... heavy. I have fangs again and they are not funny at all.”

  Imre chuckled.

  “You are my sweet little angel with claws and fangs,” he said to her.

  “But how are we going to, you know... ?” she asked and looked at him with desperation with her hands elevated, fingers bent and outspread like she was a wild animal prepared to attack.

  “You just don’t do anything,” Imre soothed. “I will figure this out.” He drew her even closer to him, planting her on his lap as she tried to keep her claws as far from him as possible and wrapped her thighs around his waist. Imre’s hands clutched her lower back.

  The satin softness of her black wings engulfed them in its warm embrace. Streaks of pearly light radiated from inside whilst their spirits blended, connected with an eternal chain. She shared herself with Imre, filling him with her glow. He was a vampire and she was a pure Varuh now...

  Cherry tossed Imre's hair and put the back of her hand on his cheek as he was placing his kisses against the skin on her neck. She tasted the tempting coolness of his skin and the dangerous, spicy allure of his body. Imre grabbed the back of her neck, his grip fierce, immobilising as his kisses deepened and hardened. He pinned her down to the ground and she lay on the bed of her soft black feathers. Cherry let out a sigh, when his fangs crushed the skin of her neck, but she did not liberate from his embrace. She let him have her and taste her as the pain from his bite filled her with pure pleasure. And he loved her with his whole vampire heart, attempting to be gentle but when they immersed themselves into the chasm of dark and light, he just took more and more of her, too forceful, too fierce, too wild. Their bodies danced together in this state of pleasure and Cherry felt like she was ascending, but Imre kept her in his strong arms until this pain and bliss blended together and everything inside her exploded.

  After, Cherry gasped for air resting in his arms, too weak to move, brushing the side of his face with her still trembling hand. He leaned over her, kissing the tears of happiness that flowed down her cheeks. His hand caressed her still shivering body and he memorised every detail of hers with his amazed eyes. Cherry saw how precious she was to him. It was as if he could not believe that she was his at last.

  “My angel,” he said.”My exhausted angel. Mine. Are they going to take you from me again?” he asked with uncertainty.

/>   “No,” Cherry said and chuckled.”They like you and I needed a proper sleep. They told me that you forgot that I was not a vampire. They say that you have to remember that I’m fragile... I don’t quite understand why they said so.”

  “I will be gentle with you,” he promised.

  “Are you going to eat me each time, then?”

  “Your trust, this love between us, your light makes it feasible,” he said with hesitation.”Would it be a problem for you? I would rather choose only you for my meals. You are delicious, so pleasant. And you like to taste me as well, you naughty little angel.”

  Cherry licked he lips and smoothed the scratch on Imre’s neck that her claw had left a few minutes ago.

  “I have no problem with this now,” she said, amazed.”This is who we are. This is what I want. I want you, Imre with all your darkness. I can take you and you can take me. We are sustainable together,” she added and chuckled.”Can you tell me how much I don’t remember, Imre? Felicia was talking about us on that night after we had met Drasa, wasn’t she?”

  “You are very forgetful, Birdie. And I was a very selfish vampire on that night. I took something very important from you. Felicia suspected that you would not remember that night but I just wanted to be with you.”

  “So how was it then?”

  “You were very weak and I was very happy.”

  “Why did I wear that awful night gown?”

  “Felicia invaded the room and wanted to kill me. She put it on you in case of your amnesia and dragged me out of the room.”

  “She was a very good person. And you are very naughty.”

  “And you... you just accept me for who I am. I will do the same for you. I will help you and those angel freaks. Can you... love me?” He looked at her with anticipation.”Can you love the crude and arrogant monster I am?”

  “You gave me no choice, Imre,” she said with a hint of sarcasm and smiled to him.

  “Do you love me, Cherry?” he asked in a sharper voice. “I will either love you or die without you; there is no other option for me, my sweet little angel.”

  She smoothed the side of his face and giggled as his hands glided over her body once again. She kissed his lips, suddenly discovering an odd lesion on his temple. Sensing something, she froze and her teeth clenched, her human brain processing a message from her awakened Varuh. The terrifying image wavered in her mind for a few seconds like a warning. She then pushed Imre away violently.

  “No,” Cherry suddenly cried out. “This is wrong. I can’t do this. I can’t love you. I will never love you, Imre!” She stepped back and put her dress back on.

  “Wait, Cherry, what’s wrong?”

  “I can’t, Imre. I just can’t. The Varuh will take you to Westfad Manor as soon as possible.”

  “I’m not leaving you, Birdie. I will never leave you.”

  “This is not up to you. They will respect my wish even if it is against your will.”

  Imre grabbed Cherry’s arm as if to stop her from leaving him. She turned her empty eyes on him; her expression must have been pale like that of a corpse as her whole soul was dead.

  “Let me go, Imre,” she said in a loud and firm voice. "I don't want you. I mean it. Let me go."

  He released her. She ran away and it seemed like a dream, so blurry, disjointed and slow; so impossible. Her dress shimmered with her every move.

  Cherry disappeared behind the gate. Imre did not follow her at first. He stood still, unable to grasp the meaning of Cherry’s escape. He waited for his sweet little angel to come back, hoping that her beautiful eyes would burn for him once again. He asked himself over and over again what had made his lovely Cherry so scared of him. He waited. But she did not return.

  Imre’s face sharpened; his thick eyebrows elevated and his fangs appeared once again, a sparkly whiteness against his ruby lips. The features brought him closer to a hunting wolf than a human. He watched his reflection in the narrow, arched window close to the gate. He saw a wild animal with red, furious eyes. No wonder Cherry was so scared of him.

  He spread out his arms and jumped through the gate, but a laser-blue wall developed and threw him back. He did a few somersaults and landed on a small, burgundy tree. His face and hands had suffered massive injuries, with black and red patches of his skin shredded apart. He stood up and approached the gate again. He was unstoppable in his desire to reconnect with Cherry, even if another attempt would separate every tissue from his bones or kill him. He would keep doing it for all eternity, if that was what was needed.

  His wounds repaired and he prepared himself for another jump. He was just about to dive into the deadly protective wall once more, rising onto his toes with his arms outstretched…

  “Imre!” It was Taharial. Her humming poured into his head, a stream of tranquility that burned him. It carried a message.

  “I will kill him!” Imre hissed. “I will kill him a hundred times.”

  Taharial stepped back, frightened with the rage and desire to murder darkening Imre’s expression.

  “We don’t kill, Imre. We respect every life. And you are one of us now,” she whispered. Her voice was silvery. She stood still, eyes narrowing, as a deep wrinkle appeared above her nose. She was not going to retreat.

  Imre noticed that her back had been cleared of the sharp remnants of her wings.

  A rustle of shiny, grey leaves diverted their attention. They were like the sound of tiny bells in the cold and frosty winter. Imre and Taharial lifted their heads, sensing the evil forces.

  “The Opyri,” the vampire said, his voice hoarse and firm.

  “They have never come so close,” Taharial confirmed. “They want our wings. They use the magic of the wings to travel and invade other worlds. They want to expand and feed with no limits. Help us,” she pleaded, pearly tears sparkling on her olive skin. “Help us, Imre.” Taharial took a step towards him.”I’ve helped you before,” she added, laying stress on her every word.

  “You are a hypocrite,” Imre said coldly.

  “I did it for you and Cherry. Help my people, Imre. And... don’t tell the others.”

  CHAPTER 15

  CHERRY MOVED SLOWLY along a high, stone-arched corridor. Tiny, blue flames flickered in small, triangular niches in the wall. With her left hand sliding against the cold smoothness of wall, Cherry held her right hand tightly against her stomach. When she moved, her left hand made a screeching sound as the claw she now had, left scrape marks on the stone. The red and green mosaic of the floor painted her grey face and hands with its dim light. She caught a glimpse of her dark face in the long mirror that hung on the wall and it was a ghost’s reflection. She had left her heart with Imre and there were only ashes inside her now. Her despair felt like a crushing tension, causing her to teeter on the edge of collapse. Her chest was like a cage, obstructing her breathing. The cry over her lost love exploded from within her. A memory shaped in her mind; the recollection of her transformation on the beach where the three of them had met Drasa and Imre's longing eyes, hungry for her and only for her. It stabbed her heart like a thousand knives and it stabbed again. Her airways constricted and she gasped as the light-headedness blinded her eyes. Her wings swept the floor behind her, heavy and unwanted yet unwilling to vanish regardless of Cherry’s hatred for them. She remembered now everything and kneeling down, cried over Imre’s pain and yearning for her. He loved her so much. And she loved him for who he was.

  Strong arms supported her from behind her back and a warm calm allayed her pain. She turned back and faced Radveriel.

  “He was a ghost torn from the grave,” she whispered, words stuck in her throat. “If I give him my essence it will erase the darkness preserving his body. The decomposition will progress and he will turn into dust. I can’t bond with him. I will never be with him. I am a Varuh in a human body and I don’t control it properly. I will kill him.”

  Radveriel understood. His voice said it in her head. Then he spoke out.

  “Human language is
so poor, not able to shape all the emotions. Let me help you, Cherry,” he said, his voice was unexpectedly captivating and masculine. He pretended not to see her bitten neck and the blood stains on the dress, but Cherry did not care anyway.

  “I love him,” she cried. “I love him so much. Not because I need him but because I’ve chosen to love him. I’ve chosen to give him myself and put aside my fears and constraints. I’ve chosen to put his welfare and safety as my priority. Can you promise me that you will take him to our world?”

  “I can promise you that I and the others won’t hurt you or him. Let me ease your worries.” He cupped her hands in his and she felt as if a huge hole inside her had been concealed temporarily so that it hurt less. It was short- acting pain relief for her devastated soul. “He is wild and uncontrollable. He needs your calm,” Radveriel added and watched her with amazement. “He may die with or without you. You have to at least try. You should be together.”

  “My calm will kill him,” she said with anger. “He will survive without me. He’s been strong for so long.”

  “He’s had nothing to lose so far,” Radveriel said, trying to remain polite.

  “No,” she said, aware that a part of her decision was affected by Felicia’s death. She did not want to kill another person.

  Her body gathered strength and her mind cleared as she inhaled Radveriel’s energy with all her senses. There was a flow of compassion, friendship and support and it covered her soul like a warm, soft blanket that smelled like spring. And there was something else... a sweet and seductive aura, a stir of attraction of a man to a woman. It smelled like a hot summer night. Radveriel was attracted to her, despite the blackness of her wings and the beastlike appearance of her claws. The features making her stand out from the rest of the Varuh. Maybe this was the blush still present on her cheeks, or her unique soul contaminated with Imre’s darkness. She sensed that she was beautiful to Radveriel. Her Varuh also told her that Radveriel’s love was not for her. It was for somebody else, but the boy seemed to be a real man with healthy eyes.