Rabid For Her Revenge

Ushered straight from the car onto a private plane where I was to wait for Sarakiel, I was brought to the bedroom—yes, a bedroom—that was on the plane.

On the bed was a set of clean clothes that I assumed were for me. My hand brushed across the finely threaded pristine white sheet covering the bed before coming to the clothes.

The thick red sweater was one of the softest things I had ever brushed my hand against. I chuckled when my fingers flicked up the tag and I saw the price.

I was not surprised that this sweater was more expensive than anything I had ever owned. I did not put it on, however. My body was covered in red and silver blood, the red belonging to Myrin. I still smelled like urine and fresh blood was still dripping from my newly inflicted wounds.

I wasn’t about to ruin the sweater, not when I didn’t care if I was clothed or not. In fact, I took off the heavy jacket, my shoulders aching from the weight of it. It was hard enough for my body to hold up my own weight let alone anything else.

I laid the jacket on the floor, not wanting to ruin the bed or the carpet as I sat on the ground.

And there I sat and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Sleep was the last thing on my mind, and I did not mind the silence. The fact that my mind was silent was a luxury I had not experienced in a very long time.

For once there were no constant reminders to look up, to look around for Myrin. There were no words of panic as I heard a sound, there were no inner battles or thoughts of death.

I simply was.

Just a soul on this plane of existence.

The moment the door opened that feeling was shattered. Like I had been staring into a mirror that reflected back empty and suddenly fractured and then came crumbling down, washing over me like a wave.

The voices in my head came back, one urging me to kill Sarakiel now and make my escape while the other demanded that I play with the male, that I find out what he wanted because he could perhaps be of use.

“The clothes are for you,” he said to my back.

I remained motionless.

Silence stretched between us and I made no move to break it. It was Sarakiel’s move right now, and I had to be patient and see what play he would make.

“Is there anything I can get you?” His baritone voice sent vibrations through my body.

Taking in a deep breath I let my stomach expand with air and then exhaled it out through my nose, my shoulders dropping low. Slowly uncrossing my legs, I placed my palms flat on the ground and pushed myself up. My bones creaked and groaned in protest. I couldn’t feel my feet since they had fallen asleep a long time ago. Numbness did not bother me though, it was welcomed.

I turned to face the male then, my arms hanging slack at my sides. I noticed that his eyes stayed trained on me, not moving from my face.

The swirling grey eyes that shifted to shades of blue pulled me in again. I was stuck, trapped within the rolling stormy ocean waves. I forced myself to blink, to break the spell and pull myself out of them.

A voice told me to kill him now, not liking the power he had that had frozen me in place, but I pushed it down.

Cocking my head, I let my eyes wander up and down the male. “I think it is I who should be asking such a question.” I pulled my eyes back up to his face and tilted my head in the other direction. “What can I do for you, Sarakiel? After all, I doubt you saved me for nothing in return, so tell me, what is it I can get for you?” I took the two steps needed to close the distance between us and lifted my hand slowly to the green dress shirt he was wearing that made my skin crawl.

Green.

The color of Myrin’s eyes, the color of my very own personal devil and evil.

I let a singular claw slide loose and brought it towards Sarakiel.

The male did not move to stop me, but his gaze was focused on that one claw.

I brought the claw down so that it rested on the hollow of his throat. He did not flinch away, did not step back or command me to remove it. I focused on my own claw and moved it down where it hooked on the first button of his shirt. “Would you like to know the weapon that Myrin attempted to wield?” I asked, applying pressure to my finger and sliced through the fabric, the button popping off and landing at our feet. “Would you like to know why my blood runs silver and burns those who touch me?” I continued my path down his shirt, another button falling to the carpet. “Or perhaps you want to know all of the horrors I endured?” I lifted my eyes to his face, to his eyes that had never left my face. “Is that what you would like Sarakiel? A good story?” I smiled to myself. “I do so happen to enjoy stories myself.”

When he did not respond I returned my attention to his shirt and circled my claws around the next button. “Or maybe,” I said, my smile still intact, “you wish for me to submit to you so that you may add to your image?” My voice dropped several degrees as my claw dug into his shirt and poked at the skin beneath.

Sarakiel stiffened beneath my touch now that my smile had dropped.

I clenched my jaw as the voices inside me battled each other, one commanding me to end this male like I had killed Myrin, the other telling me that would be a mistake and I had much to gain from this male.

I squeezed my eyes shut and then flashed them open, yanking my claw down to send buttons flying and scattering across the floor. I seethed at the torn green fabric. “Is that what you hoped to gain by taking me?” I asked with a deadly quietness. “Were you hoping to finish what he started? Accomplish what he couldn’t?”

Had I simply traded one evil for another? Was Daedra so adamant to see me break that he refused to let me simply die?

“Because if that is the case,” my eyes snapped up to the male’s, “you will end up just like he did.”

The male did not balk at my threat, he did not laugh at me nor flinch away. He just stared down at me with those searching eyes and slowly shook his head in one back and forth movement. “I do not wish…” he began his eyes running down my body to where two words had been carved into my flesh in harsh jagged letters. “I do not want to break you, nor will I hurt you,” he spoke, his eyes following every edge, every curve of those cruel letters on my flesh as if trying to discern the story behind them himself. “Your assistance will be completely voluntary.”

I raised a singular brow although he did not see it as his eyes were moving from scar to scar on my naked body.

“I wish to be Paramount,” he admitted, his fingers twitching as he viewed a particular set of scars that had been the result of the claws Myrin dug in beneath my hip bones when he violently raped me. His hand lifted slightly as if to brush against them, but I took a small step back to avoid his touch and his hand fell back to his side and he lifted his eyes. “And I know you can help me achieve that.”

I hummed in response. “What an interesting notion.”

Sarakiel tapped his temple. “You have the key,” he said, “in here.” He then tapped his heart, “And in here.”

“And how have you deduced that?”

“You’ve been in many of the territories, you have more knowledge about the Ultimate and Paramounts than any other singular person. I am not foolish enough to believe that you were not searching for the answer for yourself. I know you’ve listened to the other Ones. I know that you understand what is coming.”

Humming again I ducked my head looking up at him through my white lashes. “Well, I never thought I’d see the day where a male would admit that a female could be intelligent and, dare I say, sly.”

“Help me and I’ll help you,” he offered me.

I ran my tongue across my teeth. “Explain.”

He did so without complaint of being commanded by a female. “You know what I want. You knew it when you licked my hand, that’s when I knew I had made the right choice.”

I pursed my lips urging him to just say what we both knew. I wanted the words out there in the open between us.

“I want you to submit to me, I want you to be another weapon behind me. More proof that I will be the Paramount and the others should ally with me and fall in line behind me.”

I let silence stretch between us before answering what I had known from the start I would say in reply to his request. “No.”

Sarakiel made a sound of annoyance.

“I will not submit to anyone, for any reason.”

The One shook his head. “It wouldn’t be like that.”

“There is no other way submitting can be,” I snapped back. “You are either beneath someone or you’re not. I choose not.”

“If you submit to me it would only be in public, behind closed doors you will be my equal. I want your advice. I need your input and your knowledge.”

I was already shaking my head. “No.”

“I would be the only one you have to submit to. You have my word I will never require you to submit to anyone else, no matter who they are. I don’t wish for you to be tamed. I just want your respect. I need your obedience in order for this to work.”

“No.”

Still, he pressed. “I will not prevent you from putting others in their place should they disrespect you. Help me become Paramount and you will stand above them all.”

“All except you.”

“Once I become Paramount, I will let you leave. I will give you a territory of your own to rule, if that’s what you want, as long as you give me your word you will not try and overthrow me once I sit on the throne.”

“N—what?” I did a double take, sure that I had heard him wrong.

The One nodded. “If you help me, the day I become Paramount you are free to go. I will give you a territory and I will do whatever I can to help you take your revenge after my throne is secure.”

“You…” my brows furrowed, “this is the truth?”

Again, he nodded. “Help me and I’ll help you.”

I bit my lip and mauled his offer over. If what he was saying was true…

It was exactly what I wanted. A place that I ruled, somewhere I was in control. And if I helped Sarakiel become Paramount and he promised me an alliance, I would be above all except him. Even so, if I never again saw him, I would basically be above all.

I just have to submit in public until you become Paramount?”

He nodded.

“And you won’t make me bow to anyone else?”

Another nod.

“And you will respect what I have to say, my opinions and advice?”

“Yes.”

“And after all of this is done, you will give me a territory to rule myself and you also promise to help me with whatever I require in order to I extract my revenge?”

The male never blinked. “You have my word.”

He’s lying. One of the voices in my head hissed.

Take his offer! It’s what we wanted. The other rebutted.

Or he’ll kill us after he gets what he wants.

We can kill him before he kills us if it comes to that.

I contemplated the different voices in my head. If Sarakiel was telling the truth, this was an offer I couldn’t pass up. If in the end he tried to double cross me, I would be on my guard and kill him before he could kill me. There was just one more option I wanted to explore.

“What if I don’t accept your offer?” I asked.

With a straight face and dead tone, he answered, “I’ll kill you quickly and painlessly.”

I smiled at his honest answer and then a dark laugh bubbled up from my lips. “Indeed, you will,” I said after my laughter died. “Alright,” I finally caved, “I’ll help you, but just one thing before we start,” I grabbed the fabric of his shirt and ripped it off his body. I balled up the green material and smacked it against his now bare chest. “Don’t ever wear such colors in front of me again or the shirt won’t be the only thing I cut the next time.”

The male looked down at me and I looked back, daring him to ask me why.

However, he only gripped the shirt and ducked his head slightly at me in acknowledgement.

I watched him leave then, staring at his back as he left through the door and closed it behind him.

I clicked my tongue.

What an interesting male.

What an interesting game.

What an interesting challenge.

What an interesting story this would turn out to be.

I grinned, and I did so love a good story.