Retribution

“ooh interesting, you can feel every annoying little emotion flowing through you. But seeing as I can’t see any harm in it, we’ll keep it between us. You know us girls must stick together.” She said this while she rummaged through a wardrobe, looking for something.

I knew full well I would not trust this strange little creature, but I had no qualms with pretending for her benefit.

“What are you doing?” I asked, as I got closer and closer to where she was searching.

“Finding you something to wear silly, I mean it’s not my job. Menial tasks are beneath me if I’m to be honest with you, but Hades asked me to help get you settled. And you will soon learn that we do not deny his Lordships wishes or orders. A happy master means a happy life, you would do well to remember that.”

She re-emerged with a beautiful black gown, made almost entirely from silk. It cascaded like a waterfall, with layers of tulle and lace falling down the skirt and spreading out around the back into a train, that shimmered when the light fell upon it.

She helped me to put it on, much to my chagrin. She fitted the bodice around me, which had me gasping until I became accustomed to it. The bodice had fine detailing, which appeared to be delicate little flowers, with real rubies fitted to the middle of each of them.

She then put a choker around my neck, with a ruby dangling down and falling just above the gap between my breasts. She commented that it looked much better than the necklace I used to wear, but I had no memory to compare it to, so I just kept quiet.

The next item she had me wear a black sapphire ring that had lace coming off of the band and webbing over my hand and up to my elbow, she then did the same to my other arm, before placing ruby tear drop earrings into my ears.

I drew the line at letting her place shoes on me, which to be honest she seemed rather thankful for. She still made me put on ones of her own choosing.

Bloody high things, that had me fearing for the safety of my neck, but they turned out to be comfy. She justified the height by saying that I would still be below Malachi, but much easier to kiss.

I wasn’t sure that any of that would go on with someone who was a stranger to me, whether or not I was one to him.

The thoughts of him had drawn me back to the tattoo on my arm, one where I had seen his name written. It was strange to be fair, it said ‘Malachi. Your heart’s choice, but not your head’s.’ They had seemed rather peculiar words to my frazzled brain, but whoever had written this, cared enough for me to add these little reminders.

By the time she finished primping and preening me, my hair had been put up into a fancy twist with tendrils falling down the side of each cheek. My eyes were light, just highlighted by a gold colour and black eyeliner and my lips were a ruby red with a slight blush staining my cheeks.

She stated rather forcefully that I needed the blush seeing as I had grown even paler than before. She also indicated that I had lost weight since the incident but said that would soon be rectified. Especially with the banquet I was to attend, I’ll admit that I had been feeling nervous. I had no idea what to expect and I still did not understand what the hell the ‘Underworld’ meant.

The other thing that made my head spin was the fact that the words on my arms appeared different when I viewed them in a mirror. Intricate black vines wound up my arms to the top of my shoulders, with forget me nots and roses scattered here and there, with black inky shading around the flowers, that gave them a dark edge.

Yana soon left me to my own devices but advised that I should remain in my room until I was sent for. She said it was because I couldn’t navigate myself around safely, I doubted that was the real reason though.

I didn’t see any point in arguing with her about it, what can I say the girl was still giving off the creepy vibe.

I had no idea who I’d been expecting to retrieve me, but I shocked myself by how relieved I felt when Malachi knocked at my door and waited for me to allow him entry.

He’d already gone up in my estimation just by knocking on the freaking door, had I always been that easy to please or was this a new thing. Because if it was, I had already started to think up ways to fix it, I did not want to be one of ‘those girls.’

“Wow Unya, you look incredible. Although that’s not to say I didn’t like your old style, it was more you than this is, but it suits you.”

He was rambling, which brought a smirk to my face, but I let it drop away before he could notice.

I walked closer to him, mere inches away when I stopped. Seeing him swallow, it was clear that I seemed to make him nervous. I didn’t let myself dwell on it as I threaded my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, connecting my lips with his.

I felt him shudder against me, as his arms cascaded down my back and then rested on my hips, pulling me even closer. It was a thoroughly enjoyable moment, but too soon he pulled away.

“Sorry Unya, I shouldn’t have let that happen, you don’t even

know me anymore,” he stated, which just made him seem even more endearing again not that I had anything to compare him to.

“Look Malachi, I kissed you. One, because I wanted to see what it would feel like and two, I wanted to see if I could feel a spark of, well anything. I mean if I agreed to marry you then we must love one another right?”

Malachi had a moment where pain filled his eyes and I wanted to know what caused it, but it passed, and I lost the moment to inquire about it.

“I can’t tell you how you felt Unya, it just wouldn’t be right. How could I expect you to just take my word for it, but what I can tell you is what I felt and still do.

When I first saw you, you captivated me, you were such a firecracker. So much sass and attitude, you intrigued me from the start. And the more time we spent together and the more I got to know you, I just realised that I never wanted to stop getting to know you. The first time we kissed, I knew that it doomed me as an incubus and a man from that very point.”

“What the hell is an incubus?” I asked, trying not to lose myself in his words alone.