“Such exquisite bone structure you have,” he whispered as he ran an index finger down her cheekbone seductively, ending it in a sweeping motion along her jaw. He moved the top half of his body away for a moment to continue his fingering exploration of her finer points.
“Has anyone ever told you that?” he asked as his index finger, now joined with his middle finger, ran along her collarbone before trailing off her shoulder.
The voice she heard ring in her ears was one of melodious enticement, drowning out every other sound in the room as if it were erupting from inside her head instead of entering through her ears.
“No,” she whispered faintly back at him.
“Then I’m honored to be the first,” he whispered huskily near her ear. “Exquisite bone structure and exquisite hair,” he confirmed as his fingers thread through her auburn locks. He pulled up a handful and let it cascade down.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I wonder greatly, is the rest of you just as exquisite as what my eyes can see?” he voiced.
She opened her eyes at that.
“No, no, no, keep them closed,” he said a bit playfully as his fingers slid down over her eyes to shade them with their lids.
“You don’t want to wake up now, do you?” he asked.
Confused, she pondered over his words in her head but decided to ask anyway, “What?”
“I certainly don’t want you to wake up. Stay in this private realm for a while with me. We could have one hell of a time,” he replied as he moved her closer, bending her backwards with his hand.
“What are you talking about? What’s going on here?” she asked, opening her eyes once more to watch him warily.
“This is all a dream, you know,” Belial’s suave voice told her. His head dipped as he nibbled on her chin with a devouring hunger as the fire blazed higher still.
This statement sent her thoughts reeling.
Is it? Is it all a dream, as he says? If so, does that change my feelings about this particular incident? Should it make a difference in my actions? Or are dreams merely a way to purge your potential sins? When did I fall asleep?
“Let yourself go. You’re free here. Upon awakening you will find yourself safe and sound in your bed where you now lie as if this never happened,” she heard him say somewhere, far away from her thoughts.
“I don’t believe you,” she whispered dryly. She didn’t want to believe him, for if it was true, if it was a dream, then it would make it that much easier to give in to her feelings and physical need for pleasure.
“It’s true,” he replied. “If you don’t believe me, look for yourself.”
Lifting her heavy eyes, she saw Belial move around behind her and felt his hands place themselves on her shoulders, directing her body around to face the fire once more. With a pale finger, he reached over her shoulder and pointed to the flames, instructing her eyes to follow. They did, and she beheld a vision within the rising blaze of heat. Within seconds a vision depicting her sleeping figure appeared, confirming Belial’s words that she was actually in her bed. Her brows knitted as she dreamily looked at herself through the flames, which in reality was merely an illusion brought on by Belial’s sorcery to trick her.
Though he was no longer in her line of vision she could feel his touch, the feel of his curved lips exciting her as they meshed with her flesh over various spots of her neck, and of his hands holding her tight and fondling the slight curves of her backside before reaching around to cup a breast. But her mind was wandering elsewhere as she fought against the small waves of arousal that had begun to wash over her.
This was not part of the mission, she thought. This is not what I was sent here to do. I’m not even supposed to be here in his domicile, this is not how it was supposed to go. But his touch is so inviting. Torn in two directions, she ran over what she knew in her head before his strokes and feverish kisses could consume her with blind passion. A storm was approaching, that much she knew when she had looked into his eyes moments before. Now her mind stood at a standstill debating the big decision of whether she should take shelter from the storm or just walk directly into it with no fear. Once the decision was made, she opened her eyes quickly and pulled away from him. Not expecting the resistance, he let her go.
“Stop it,” she ordered as she stepped farther away from him. She was back to her trembling self.
He took a step towards her but she quickly moved back.
“I mean it,” she spoke frantically, eyes widening in slight panic.
He stopped his advancement and shook his head mockingly, “Mara, Mara, Mara,” he breathed tauntingly. He released a smirk her way and the icy glare within his eyes magnified the effect, sending chills down her spine.
“Don’t you see that I’m just trying to make things easier on you?” he asked, offering her a smile though the look was far more predatory than she would have liked. “But you’re not letting me do that, are you?” The smile disappeared and in its place a look of disdainful scorn appeared.
His normally suave voice was dangerously low in tone and Mara could feel the tension in the room rise to suffocating levels as she looked about her to try and find a weapon. Snatching the closest thing to her, the fire poker, she held it out in front of her defensively. Then again, what good would it do? He was not a being that could be easily subdued, physically nor mentally, and he didn’t seem particularly frightened of the poker for an instant. There was no way to outrun him, she was sure of that. He hadn’t moved from his spot but that didn’t mean he couldn’t strike quickly if he wanted to.
“Are you?” he asked again, this time more sternly.
Completely baffled as to how she landed herself in this position so suddenly, she sputtered the words out in a jumbled mess, “I have no idea where you got the idea that you could just place your hands all over my body whenever it pleased you, or trick me into thinking this was all some sort of dream but you are sorely mistaken if you think I am that stupid. Your job was to take me to Lucifer? Right? Then take me to him and we’ll forget this ever happened. Otherwise, I’ll be sure to tell him upon meeting him that you were all too happy to disobey him.”
“Disobey him?” Belial asked in a tone that conveyed true bewilderment.
“Yes, you were supposed to escort me to his domicile this morning, you said so yourself yesterday. I’ve heard he doesn’t take too kindly to disobedient followers,” Mara said.
“So, you’re issuing a threat?” Belial inquired, wanting her to confirm it.
“Yes,” she answered, trying to sound as confident as possible.
“Afraid it won’t work,” Belial observed.
“Why is that?”
“I haven’t disobeyed him,” he answered matter-of-factly. She merely looked at him scathingly, trying to vent her anger through feverish huffing and puffing, but not making any progress.
“Are you going to take me to see Lucifer or not?” she finally asked after much consideration.
Belial thought for a moment, or made it look like he was debating and then with an ample amount of smugness, replied, “No.”
Sometime during this little argument, Mara’s fear had disappeared and only a heap of frustration remained within the confines of her flesh. Upon hearing Belial’s answer, the bubble inside of her burst.
“Then I’ll go myself,” she said indignantly.
Within moments she had started for the parlor entry, leaving Belial behind her by the fireplace. As she reached the hallway, it seemed odd to her that he wasn’t trying to follow her or yell for her return and she began to pray that what she was starting to suspect was not true. But her suspicions were correct, she found out as she ran through the hall and tried to open the main entry door, which wouldn’t budge.
Anxiety welling up, she pushed the latch down to try and unlock it but again, no luck. Trying to yank it open repeatedly did no good either. All she managed to do was shake the door on its hinges and pull a muscle in her arm. Cursing the door, she release
d the handle and ran to the nearest window. Grabbing a floor lamp, she hoisted it through the glass, shattering the window instantly. But one glance through the jagged hole of broken glass told her that was even more hopeless than the door. Surrounded by bars, they ensured that no one was getting into Belial’s chambers. And no one was getting out, for that matter.
Cursing, she issued a quick kick to the wall in front of her, venting her anger out on anything within her reach. Cursing herself for getting herself into this mess. Cursing Belial for tricking her and trying to make her a captive, cursing the whole mission, there was nothing safe from her blame and damnation in her rage. And after exhausting the possibilities, she condemned herself to walk back into the snake pit and turned to walk slowly back to the parlor. When she stepped through the parlor’s threshold, all she could do was glare at Belial, who was lounging next to his mantle looking at her with a look of surprise.
“My, such fearsome displays of an ill-temper,” he said, “I’m impressed.”
“Open the doors,” Mara demanded quietly.
“Come in here and have a chat,” he said, acting as if he didn’t hear her, while walking over to a chair and patting the seat as an invitation.
“If this is your idea of a joke, I am not amused,” she responded with quiet fury.
“No joke, I’m quite serious. I assure you. Hopefully over time you’ll be able to tell the difference, for your sake at least,” Belial stated. He was holding a glass in his hand filled with an amber colored liquid, and he swished it in the glass as he spoke the last sentence.
“You can’t do this. You can’t keep me locked up in here,” Mara argued.
“You think I want to lock you up? I have no desire to keep you locked in this house. You just left me no choice, that’s all. Just be a good girl and we can go back to the old arrangement. It’s up to you, really. You brought this lockdown on yourself,” Belial explained calmly.
He’s insane, she thought. A fool she was, to think for a minute that he was actually a misunderstood outcast. No one here was misunderstood by God. It would serve her better to remember that.
“Are you going to come in and chat or not?” Belial asked impatiently from across the room.
Not wanting to spend another minute around him, she shook her head, “No.”
He half shrugged and set the glass on a table before turning to her, “Have it your way.”
Before she knew what was happening, she was struck with a feeling of heavy drowsiness and could not keep her eyes open even if her immortal life had depended on it. The last thing she saw before the darkness overtook her was Belial smirking derisively in her direction as she collapsed onto the marble floor below.
Chapter Nine
Mara’s sense of touch was the first thing to awaken from her magically induced slumber as she found herself resting on her bed. Even before her eyes opened to the pitch blackness of the bedroom, she felt an undeniable sensation travel lightly down her right arm, dazzling her flesh with a soft caress. Almost as if someone was attempting to tickle her with a feather, but the object connecting with her skin was far more solid. At first she found it difficult to open her eyes, though she couldn’t fathom why until she realized they were covered. Enshrouded by a dark silky material, her eyelashes scraped against it as her eyelids fluttered beneath its cover. Instinctively her body reacted to her sight’s imprisonment, and she tried to lift her hand to brush away the blindfold, but found it impossible as her muscles refused to do her bidding. Meanwhile the caress along her arm had ceased and she felt the touch no longer as she tried to figure out what exactly was going on.
“Hello?” she called out, the question ringing through the air with a whispery tone, her voice thick with sleep.
She was surprised that her mouth and jaw could move so easily, as the rest of her body seemed suspended in some sort of paralysis. No matter how much she tried to lift her arms or move her legs from their straight positions, she was not only unsuccessful but found herself exhausted from the effort. The realization of her helpless position unnerved her greatly and the fact that she felt another’s presence within the chambers did nothing to ease her discomfort. Neither did the fact that whoever was there had decided not to respond to her question and left a formidable silence among them. Her jaw clenched as her tongue slipped out to nervously lick at her lower lip, slightly grateful that she had been granted at least the usage of her facial muscles, even if the rest of her body felt weak and beyond her control. Realizing it was useless to keep trying, she relaxed her will to move and lay there submissively as she listened closely for any more signs that the other presence was moving about.
But only dead silence met her investigating ears, until several moments later, as she heard the light taps of shoes upon the hard flooring approaching from somewhere off to the right. Tilting her head in that direction, she noticed they stopped fairly close to her but their creator did not utter a word as she heard the soft sound of metal clanking and then right after the feel of the top comforter being removed from the bed. The cold air in the room bit her flesh through the thin material of her clothing and the silky sheet which still covered her as she shivered inwardly from the unusually frigid temperature of her bedchamber. Assuming, of course, she was still in her bedchamber. In her current blinded state, she realized she could be anywhere, with anyone. But her uncertainty about her visitor’s identity was crushed as a familiar voice echoed through the darkness and found its way to her ears.
“How do you feel?” Belial’s smooth voice inquired from next to the bed. His tone was soft but she sensed a current of seductive balefulness underneath its mask of concern.
Wishing she could gain her sight back or even the ability to move, Mara did not have to think twice about her answer.
“Scared,” she replied a bit shakily.
“Why?” he asked in wonderment, as if he saw no reason for her unease.
“Why wouldn’t I be? How could you ask me that?” she asked in return.
“Because I’m curious,” was his reply. “Why are you scared? Give me a solid answer.”
“The darkness,” she answered simply, not thinking much on it as it was the first thing to pop into her mind.
“Ah,” she heard him say as the sound of his boots begin to click on the floor as he moved down to the bottom of the bed. “We all feared the darkness once, in the beginning, but that fear, that dread will fade I assure you. The darkness is all you will find here, best get used to it. It is here to embrace, let it give you the comfort you seek. Let that which you fear become your security.”
Swallowing her fear, she remained silent as he continued.
“However, are you suggesting your fear would…vanish if your sight was returned to you? Or would the knowledge of my actions heighten it as you watch them unfold before you as my flesh binds with yours? If you could see, dear Mara, my fingers inch towards your inviting core before moistening it with soft strokes to prepare it for my more pleasurable entry, would you be any less frightened? Would it put your mind to rest if you could physically see my attraction to you as it rises to fill your being with my gift to you? Personally I think it would prove more pleasurable for you with the blindfold on but if that is what you want, then so shall it be. If you truly want to see then see you shall,” Belial said enlighteningly.
Seconds later, the blindfold was removed and Mara found herself staring at the ceiling. She was lying flat on her back with her arms stuck at her sides, unwilling to move though she tried with all of her might. Covered only in a flimsy gown of sapphire chiffon, she vaguely remembered the previous events that led up to her being trapped in a darkened room with the malevolent demon who deemed her to be a captive within his walls. She could recall trying to leave the house and finding it to be damn near impossible, and she remembered Belial’s aggravation at her refusal to engage in lewd conduct with him just before she had passed out. How it was done to her was not so much important as why it was done and she shook her head to clear her c
louded thoughts as she looked about the room on each side of her to search for the elusive demon. It was quite dark though and she had to squint to see across the room as her eyes had not yet adjusted to the dimness. She could see nothing moving off to her right side so she turned her head to peer the other way. Again, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Confused, she looked about until she caught glimpse of Belial. He was bathed in shadows but she knew it was him, if only because of the shining light his hair gave off even in the tenebrous corners. He was standing a few feet from the bottom of the bed.
“What are you doing?” she asked him, with more authority than she had shown moments before. She got no answer though. He appeared to not have heard her as he continued his speech with a heightened sensual tone.
“Would it comfort you to know that I’m forbidden from causing you any lasting physical harm? As much as I’d love to make you feel the pleasure of pain upon your unmarked flesh, Lucifer has advised me against it. However, I cannot abandon every little aspect of my nature for any reason as it is what led to my assignment in the first place. Even he realizes that, I’m sure. Therefore, you’ll forgive any sudden appetites that arise from within my mind that need physical sating, won’t you,” the tone clearly marked more of a warning than a question as it left his lips.
Mara did notice that his voice sounded so far away, even though he was no more than ten feet from her now as he walked closer to the bed. It sounded as if it were an echoing whisper in the back of her mind. Making no attempt now to hide her heightening annoyance, she turned toward Belial, who was standing at the edge of the bed now wearing nothing but black slacks and his cloak. She could see the sweat beginning to glisten off his muscled chest in the dim light despite the coldness of the room.
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