When I meet her body for this second time, she submits to me instantly. I grab at her arms and drag them above her head, gripping them in place. Yet Ebony barely moves a muscle. It feels like she’s given in, a decision that surprises and irritates me at the same time.
“You’re meant to fight back.” Come my criticisms, my tone hardening as I watch her lie, immobile.
“What’s the point?” Ebony asks. When I stare into her eyes, I see an 18 year old looking back at me, not the warrior princess I made my promise to. And while I’m aware of this stark contrast, my mind can’t help but torment itself with the desires lurking deep within my own heart.
Forgetting myself, I lean forward for a kiss.
I ignore the training, the speeches I’ve given about being prepared — all that drives me is being able to feel her lips against my own. The temptation is too great to fight anymore, and I’m so tired of resisting my urges.
Inches away, I’m shocked that she doesn’t pull back. Instead of straining to get away from me, her expression softens. It becomes doe-eyed and warm, a tenderness breaking through. I daren’t believe it, but as I close the distance between us even further, Ebony makes no attempt to avoid my advancements.
When I feel her breath mingle with my own, our mouths opening to greet the other, I forget about my Demon Queen. I forget about everything. All that exists is this kiss…
13
Ebony
My body feels light. Tingly, even.
I can’t think, can’t move — all that I am is enthralled by his wanton mouth. In the recesses of my mind, I can hear my own voice telling me to fight my urges, to resist. After all, that’s what Cordelia would instruct me to do. And yet, running alongside the voice of reason is another: my lustful desire.
Through my lashes, I see his eyes calling to me, his vision as hazy as my own. We’re drunk for one another. The promise of a forbidden a drug I never knew I wanted or needed, too intense to ignore.
I want a fix. To take, to taste. To be one with him for a few seconds before the crashing waves try to drag me back under, them crushing the breath out of me as I fight to stay afloat.
What’s the point in me fighting, anyway? I’ve already tasted the Lustful Kiss. I’ve become tainted, corrupt, a harpy like Cordelia always claimed I was destined to be; Lucian had made sure of that.
All my life, I’ve been told to stave off these emotions, to think with my head and not my heart. But the more I think about it, the more I fail to grasp why. It’s served me no good. It’s not saved my immortal soul — I’m as damned now as I was before. The only difference between myself and anyone else is that I’ve released an evil that could swallow me whole.
I still haven’t met the Queen for myself, not properly. However, I know she now lives, her essence growing in power the longer its left unchallenged. The glimpses I’ve seen before now are only from my poisoning or my nightmares: she’s a dark, sinister shadow of a woman as beautiful as she is wicked. My face is hers, but we’re not the same. For the time being, we’re separated by contrasting magics and agendas. Nevertheless, as I reconnect with my past, my fear is that she’ll do the same.
Cordelia had tried and, unfortunately, failed to protect me.
Not that she knows this. Neither do the others, for that matter. They can’t know, not when how they’d react is still so uncertain. If they feel me a threat, they’ll kill me where I sleep one night, their sense of duty sparing them on. It’s an ugly thought to keep at the fore of everything I do, but without it, I’ll fail victim to men I once called friend, brother.
Having been freed of my purity however, doesn’t make me any more in control of my destiny. I feel like it should do, but it’s a pretty lie I can tell myself. Nothing I do right now will change it, so it serves no other purpose than my own sense of self-loathing to deny myself Leo. He’s here, waiting. He wants me, craves me, all that he is ready to take all that I am. I know without tasting his tongue that he’ll be able to introduce me to immeasurable wonders; he’s too skilled a man not to have such fire within him.
Closing my eyes fully, I await for the inevitable. As I lie here, our bodies melding together seamlessly, my mind still rages on. I’m not content unless I’m torturing myself, it seems.
All of this could be a trap. His motivations designed to steal more than any leftover virtue still clinging to my spirit. However, to stop now isn’t an option for me. Not when I’m so close to a sensation I’ve been denied all my life.
I want to know what all the other girls dither about. Why they giggle and blush when certain boys walk by. I’ve tasted Lucien’s lips, but having been on the verge of death when it happened, I have no recollection of it. We shared a moment I’m dead to. It happened, but it holds no meaning to me, or at least not in a romantic sense.
As Leo comes closer, the atmosphere around us pulsates with passion untold; I find myself questioning what harm surrendering to a kiss will do. It’s just a kiss. Although, I know all too well what a kiss can mean beneath the surface…
Lord above, I want to kiss him.
My impatience struggles not to force my hand. In my desperation to be his, I almost can’t stop myself from grabbing his face and yanking it toward me. I know he’d let me. I’m not a fool, nor am I as naive as people believe. What stirs for me underneath his headmaster facade is far from respectable… it’s lascivious. Shamelessly so. All I’ll be doing is helping him along, showing him that I want this as much as he does; I’m not to be deemed a child any longer.
I can feel us coming together. We’re no more than a hair's breadth away, my skin almost able to feel his, when suddenly panic-stricken knocking bombards the door. Leo growls, his eyes squeezing shut in frustration. I’ve seen him irritated before, usually by me, but right now there’s a greater intensity to it. When the knocking continues, he has no other choice but to address it. Whoever is so frantically trying to break through the entrance must have a death wish, because Leo looks ready to murder if they keep up their incessant intrusion.
“Go. Away.” Leo snarls, his voice husky and low. It’s sexy to hear, even in spite of his temper. Inside of me, I feel a flutter of excitement beat around my chest as I play back his rugged tone. It’s so assertive, so dominant.
The din momentarily eases, and for the briefest of moments we both think we’re alone once more, our lips already seeking out one another again. Then more knocks come. However, they’re softer now, somewhat hesitant. I sigh alongside Leo, my annoyance now as ardent as his.
— “I-I’m sorry, sir, but it’s a matter of utmost importance, some students have been badly hurt.” The woman’s gentle timbre barely makes its way through the rigid, fine-oaken woodwork, but fortunately, we hear her. Leo’s face drops as he listens.
Snapping his body away from mine, he’s all business, his professionalism firmly back in place. I know I shouldn’t find his ability to shift between the two so alluring, but with how effortless he makes it, it’s hard not to be impressed. Again, I’m forced to admire his skill.
“Whereabouts?” He calls to our unknown visitor.
“Near the dining hall, in the atrium, sir.” Her meek voice mumbles back. Although I know her reason is just, I’m still annoyed that she has the nerve to disturb us.
“I’ll be right there. Thank you.”
Straightening his shirt while reaching for his jacket, Leo moves toward the door before I’ve even managed to get onto my knees. I appreciate the urgency, however I wish he’d wait for me to join him. Without giving me a second glance, he opens the door and storms out, the sense of purpose to his stride only adding to his stern demeanor. I pity anyone who gets in his way between here and the dining hall.
Now that I’m alone, my mind begins to come alive with anxiety. When I first heard the news, I’d been too consumed by my own selfish needs to take notice. Nonetheless, now that I’m alone with my thoughts, an ominous dread sets deep into my bones. Who would have hurt the students? Why would they? It makes no sense, esp
ecially when, as far as I know, I’m the only student with a chilling past.
Laden down by this new burden, I move slowly to make my way to the door. My aim being to catch up with Leo, if that’s even possible now. If I can keep in time with him, I’ll be able to get a better vantage point to what’s happened. My hand sliding around the knob of the handle, I go to open it a little wider. But before I can, the door jolts from my hand and slams shut. Its echo reverberates around the office.
To my horror, I watch as a blue sheen begins to cover the frame; it forms a shield over the door and part of the wall, preventing me from leaving. At first all I feel is confusion — did Leo do this, but why?
Then the hair at the back of my neck rises. It prickles my flesh, leaving patchy bumps in its wake. Gulping down my pooling saliva, I slowly turn to face whatever faceless terror lurks there.
His eyes… My god, they’re as black as the void itself, empty of emotions. They stretch on for eternity, yet there’s nothing held within their blackened orbs. All that lives there is a fury set to burn us all.
“Hello, Snow.”
14
Wrath
I call her Snow, but she isn’t deserving of that name. Nothing I see before me resembles the warrior I knew; my Snow had been bold, fierce, unrelenting in her efforts. This girl is barely an adult, let alone a warrior. Even in spite of Leo’s training, she remains more human than supernatural powerhouse, the reach of her power confined by a closed mind and untrusting heart.
Disappointment swells inside of me. I’d expected more from her.
It’s taken me some time to get here, and my faculties have yet to return to their full strength, yet she’s still floundering about like a newborn lamb. It’s embarrassing, though also curious. How did she end up like this — has 1,000 years truly been that unkind to her memory? It’s disgusting to think she’s become this feeble. And all while her princes watch onward, none of them, not even Leo, aiding her enough to reach her full potential.
If they’d have done their duty, she could have been legendary in her magic. If Lucien hadn’t corrupted her, leaving the Lustful Kiss sealed away, Ebony could have been brilliant. Instead, she’s a worthless husk.
Yet, when I look at her, sadness still grips my heart. I don’t relish having to kill her, to snuff out a light that could bring so much joy to the world. However, she’s too great a risk to be left alive, not forgetting that my promise is ironclad. The other princes may have forgotten their oath, but I haven’t. I never will. Even in knowing this is the end for her, I promise to remember the sacrifice she made for a second time.
Her death won’t be in vain.
As my pupils dilate to take in more of her image, I can see her fear; I watch as it floods through her nervous system, spreading more of its poison to every inch of her anatomy. She’s so ripe with it I can smell it. No part of her is left unaffected, leaving Ebony to shudder on the spot, unable to think or act quick enough.
I take my chance. I could have taken in sooner, but she wasn’t a threat — she isn’t even a threat now.
A flick of my wrist is all it takes to send her screaming. Ebony’s legs and arms spring out in front of her while her stomach is pulled toward her spine; a contorted mass of limbs, she’s a sorry sight. Slamming into the wall, faint cracks spray from her point of impact. It’s strangely beautiful in its destruction. But I’m just getting started.
If I was at my fullest power, I’d have crushed her already: Ebony’s heart would have already been beating out its last in the palm of my hand. The only reason she still lives now is because time moves for no one, not even Wrath.
I can see her mouth mewling into a pained cry, the force of the collision leaving her debilitated. She should be acting, moving with grace like only a true fighter can. However, she continues to be a disappointment, a wretched stain on a memory of the finest woman I’d known. In knowing that, my temper flares: it dances and explodes, crackling as soon as it pops and whistles. If she could hear the war breaking out inside of me, she’d know to try harder, to focus her efforts better.
She’s a damn fool.
“P-ple… ease…” Ebony murmurs through cracked lips, the pretty mouth she’d used to seduce Leo now less than inviting. Loose morals will always be punished, this is just a harsh lesson for that point to be driven home. Straight into her, now, impure heart.
“Begging is useless,” I explain, tossing her aside with another twirl of my hand. Ebony shoots past me, her petite frame taking a full bodyslam into Leo’s desk. The crack she makes as she lands is unearthly. I take no comfort in hearing it, I’m only doing what must be done. “you knew it would come to this, you even asked me to make a promise to ensure the Evil Queen remained buried.”
“I-I… I… didn’t… know, I… had n-no memory…”
“You foolish girl,” I suddenly snatch her from the desk, her body peeling away as I lift her into the air. Her feet dangle beneath her, no life to be found in them as she fails to fight back. “it doesn’t matter if you didn’t know, you failed yourself by choosing the wrong guardians to watch over you. They’re as weak as you are.” My words spray on her face as I bring her closer to me. My fists shake with fury, my knuckles growing white from the tension they hold.
At this angle, I can see the fine pores of her unblemished skin. I can imagine the faintest of lines around her mouth from her infectious smile, as well as picking out the various shades of black woven into her hair. I can see all of her in fine detail. The fact that her face is flooded with fresh tears is only a small hindrance; it doesn’t detract from her pretty features.
What strikes me most of all is how frightened she looks. No, not frightened, she’s terrified. So frozen by the suffocating horror that all she can do is plead through the silence of her sorrow. It’s a beautiful disaster happening right before my eyes.
This is it, Snow White’s final moments.
Next will come her gasp, the release of her pain as she succumbs to a death long foretold. Drawing back one of my hands, my strength still able to carry her slight frame, I’m ready to plunge deep within and pluck out her beating heart. Only once it’s removed can I be sure she’s dead.
“P-please… d-do… n’t.” Her final words are frail, helpless, they’re fitting for the mouse she’s become.
“I hope you find peace.” I pray, hoping she finds comfort in my words, even in spite of her fear. As much as this needs to be done, I wish her a swift exit from this life into the next.
Then she appears.
A haze of black smoke billows and swarms, stinging my eyes as it engulfs the two of us. I feel an almighty tug as Ebony is stolen away from me, my arms fumbling in the growing murkiness.
Out of the plumes moves a long-legged monstrosity. The Queen herself. How far she’s fallen, her body too weak to maintain any shape except for her shadow form. She’s no match for me, but her sudden appearance throws me off balance long enough for her to whisper to Ebony. I can’t hear her words, however I sense the malice hidden within them. Ebony is too blinded by terror to hear the danger embedded in the lies, her mouth moving to accept whatever dark promises are being made.
I’d expected Ebony to be less susceptible than this, yet here she is, accepting the venomous lies of a beast who deserves the most excruciating of deaths. Ebony needs to die out of necessity, for the greater good, whereas the Queen needs to be slain regardless. She holds no merit. No redeeming qualities that make killing her difficult. She’s a monster, the poison that’s fated to take away the purest of lights from us. The process has begun, the transformation already underway. Everyone knows it, all except Ebony, and she’s too scared of her impending demise to think rationally. If ever I needed a moment to reinforce my noble quest, this is it.
I move swift and true, my hand still humming with the energy needed to take her heart… But they vanish. In front of my eyes, the two of them are plucked from existence, leaving the room to empty of the Queen’s vile essence.
Wherever th
ey’ve gone, I know I can’t follow. Not yet, not when I’m at half my power. Nevertheless, while I’m unable to venture to the depths of depravity the Queen has whisked her away to, that doesn’t alter my intentions. Snow White’s reincarnation must be destroyed.
They think they’ve bested me, but they’re naive to think it — if the Queen knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay away from me while she’s able to outrun me. Soon there’ll be nowhere left for either of them to hide.
They believe me stopped, yet all they’ve done is delay my plans.
Once I have the blood of Ebony upon my hands, the Queen will follow. And any others foolhardy enough to stand in my way, even those I once fought alongside in the last battle against the Queen. I’ll kill them all if my wrath demands it. My promise won’t be broken. All it can do is grow stronger as my resolve intensifies with it.
15
Ebony
Where the hell am I?
Looking around, all I can see is nothingness. It stretches on forever. No end, no beginning, all that belongs here is the murky grays and dappled black of its shadows. I instantly take a disliking to it. Yet if it wasn’t for this place, I’d be staring into the eyes of…
“Wrath!” I cry out, spinning around wildly to check he isn’t gaining on me.
To my relief, no one is there but me. I should feel safe in being alone with myself, however in not knowing where I am, such safety feels unstable. A lie. My mouth and throat growing ever drier, I nervously search for a way to escape this godforsaken place.
Where even is this place?
Awash with drab shades, it’s a hazy, dream-like vacant space. There’s no corners or creases, no hidden passages for me to explore; with no textures, and no one else to keep me calm, my grip on reality is at risk. The more I look for an exit, the more it makes me question if I’m even real anymore.
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