Burning Light

[Hollace Lutrov]

The cover of night should have provided a sense of comfort. Yet it offered nothing but the warm stench of unwashed bodies and rotting vegetation growing from the cracks in the stone sidewalk. Disguised beneath an inexpensive, tatty woolen cloak limped along a hunched over figure, breath rattling within their scrawny chest. Another cloaked person approached, revulsion stiffening their long stride. Hurriedly they spoke, their words a mix of rasp and cultured tones, conversation lost to the wind.

A can rattled in the distance, kicked by clumsy drunken feet, a cat yowled angrily. The taller of the two whipped his cloak about him and cracked away into the night. Cackling lowly within their throat, the hag limped away, darkness engulfed them until they disappeared. A sliver of moonlight cast shadows on the brick wall in the empty alleyway. The hunched figure slowly straightened, their shadow elongated and with a breathless laugh of exhilaration, the hood dropped.

Hollace Lutrov closed her eyes, palms pressed to the cool brick and mortar. Long hair, darker than melted chocolate, whipped down her back, smoothed against her head in a ponytail tied with a bit of ribbon she'd found lying in her house. "I did it," she whispered, a smile breaking the seriousness of her pale face. A goal set, met and exceeded. She'd pulled it off without a hitch, leaving Hades at home sleeping and Vritra at Cailie's for her first sleepover. Hollace sighed and rolled her neck, stretching the kinks out.

 

[Hades Styx]

Hades had returned home after killing an entire village of muggles, wiping them out and going to his bedroom. He had changed his blood drenched clothing to something cleaner. The light reflected off some little droplets of splattered on his white face. However, something moved from the corner of his eye. Hollace. Onyx eyes narrowed to see the lovely wife leaving. The darkness within caused him to smirk. With a wave of his hand, a cloak wrapped around his body. A hood hid his face, and he was ready. Hades smirked, glad that the night was his, and the demon would be released once more.

The murderous fiend apparated to the rooftops, his ebony eyes locked on Hollace from above. It appeared as though she were spying on someone, but was she aware that some dark figure was doing the same to her? After he saw her breath and say something, and that was when Hades' made his move.

Jumping down, he landed not too far from Hollace. Twirling a dagger in one hand, Hades dashed toward Hollace, and used one of his arms to slam her against the wall roughly. Not too hard though, not enough to break any bones. His hooded face was close to her, and it appeared as if he were just a stranger in the alley. He pressed the dagger against her throat, holding her in place. "Oh, the stalker had become the stalked, I see," murmured Hades into the night. He jerked his head back to remove the hood and allowed his blood streaked face to appear. The red against the white looked almost frightening. The dark eyes locked on hers, and Hades looked like a killer tonight, with a smirk on his face and a hungry look in his eyes.

But did she know that Hades was going through a subtle change, and after tonight, it would just get much worse?

 

[Hollace Lutrov]

Hollace bit back the scream that bubbled up in her throat as she painfully slammed into the wall. The cold brick, uneven and cruel in its unwielding texture, scored the flesh of her back even through the scarce layers. They were upon her before she could do more than gasp and flinch. Fear slicked the small of her back and shot painfully through her nerve endings. The knife, sleek and freshly sharpened, sprang from beneath her wrist with a twitch of her arm. She grasped the slim bone handle then froze as her attackers knife grazed the skin of her neck, slick wetness coating the blade in bright crimson. The blood appeared nearly black in the darkness. His scent speared through the fog of apprehension. Hollace's eyes glowed with anger and another emotion that she had only ever, could ever, feel with him.

His face, white in the darkness, would have frightened anyone he accosted in a dark alley. To his wife, though, it only brought the love she felt for him, the desire, the need, roar to life inside her. "You never let me be anything else, husband." Her dark brown eyes flickered between his, then down to the object she had pressed to his midsection. "Now what Hades?" she purred, eyes narrowed, full mouth taunting him. The dark flecks of blood, stark against his skin, scarred her. Thrilled her. Made her breath come faster within her chest. He looked wild, dangerous, even evil. The light that lingered within her rebelled at the madness, while the blackness within his eyes nearly hypnotized her. The challenge was within her eyes, in her voice, clearly stating; what would he do now?"

 

[Hades Styx]

Hades slowly pressed his body against the knife, so he could feel it slice against his clothes, into his skin. The pain made him smirk and sigh at the same time. All in the same, he was definitely closer to Hollace than before. Hades cooed suggestively, "Don't pull out a knife and press it to someone without cutting them first. It won't make fear come alive within the victims." Hades slowly leaned forward, and he whispered into her ear, "Fear is dead in me. You have awoken something much more fearsome." Hades slowly leaned away, his black eyes glistening with pure evil, and desire that could never truly be satisfied.

The dagger Hades held in his hand lowered and it sliced through both layers of clothing, as it rested just above her breast. The scent of copper filled Hades' senses and he lowered his lips to her neck, where blood pulsed out slowly. The delicious familiar taste of the liquid of life that ran through Hollace entered his mouth. Hades chuckled deep in his throat, and Hades' tongue traced the line of her wound. Hades normally had a difficult time with controlling his actions, but this time, Hades knew exactly what he was doing. His own stomach was slashed, and the pain only made him want more. Hades raised his head, and he smirked at her. Her blood, muggle blood was smeared on his white face. He did not look like himself, but he still looked as handsome as before, with a cannibalistic appearance.

 

[Hollace Lutrov]

What manner of man had she entrapped herself into marriage with? Her fingers jerked, the knife held firm and she felt every single centimeter of steel enter him. Her mind and heart cried out 'Don't!' yet no words crossed her lips. His lips, soft yet firm, brushed the delicate skin of her earlobe, his warm breath fanned into the shell. And Hollace melted. Run. Flee. Never come back. The light within demanded freedom, cried out to run to a new life, a new beginning. Hades words, spoken in his purring alluring voice, stabbed fear within her. He was insane. She had known this before. Had worked around it. Had nearly given herself to completely. This was different. It was wrong, it was...The sharp gasp ended by her biting her lip nearly through. Every muscle in her body spasmed, throbbed, convulsed.

The dagger retracted, clattered by their feet on the rough cobblestone alley. Hollace wound her hand through his hair and jerked his head down to hers, her lips meshing with his. Her neck throbbed and she wasn't ignorant to the fact that he still held his weapon. Logically she feared him, knew he walked in his own world, filled with death and secrets and a darkness she had yet to fully understand. To be truthful...Hollace didn't care. She couldn't face what he brought out within her, the fact that she could look upon his bloodstained face, taste her own blood on his lips, and through the fear, only crave more.

 

[Hades Styx]

The hand without the dagger touched her shoulder and Hades held her there. It was strange how Hades could easily taste the emotions with his tongue that pulsed within Hollace. His eyes closed, and yet he had not lowered his weapon. There was very little space between them, and Hades did not close it, which he probably should have done. His thoughts were nothing more but on this blood-filled kiss. The weapon sounding in the alley had no affect on Hades, even as his own blood seeped through this robes and started to soak his own jeans. It was nothing more but a flesh wound, something that could be healed even by his own abilities. However, what Hades did not expect to taste in this kiss...

It brought out the wrath he held in his body. Slowly, the dagger moved from her skin, which had not been broken yet. Hades could taste it. The light. His own paranoid allusions led him to the following actions. Hades purred against her lips, "Hollace..." He had to take a cool breath into his starved lungs, and it was still there. His eyes opened, and it revealed nothing more but murderous intentions. Hades drew the dagger back, aimed and ready to kill. "...pathetic, worthless being of light." Hades brought the dagger forward, with speed and enough power to stab through the stone wall if he missed. Hades was aiming from her heart, and that would easily sever that light that she had within her. How had something so desirable and full of lust turn so easily into a murderous desire? Hollace had little time to get away, and Hades would just hope that she wouldn't see it in time before her blood would fill the streets and the light would leave her eyes.

 

[Hollace Lutrov]

Hollace made a sound low in her throat, tasted his danger and reveled in it. His mouth, soft yet hard, moved with hers as though it was made for hers. Hades, her heart whispered with every strong, fast beat. She did not know that her light shone through so apparently, did not know how to mask how she felt for him. Nor did she want to. She loved him, yearned for him and even though he would one day surely be the death of her, she wanted more of him. It would never change. Perhaps not even if he did succeed.

Lazily her eyes slid open, met his as he murmured her name. Whatever she had hoped, wished, even thought to see there was no where in those dark orbs. Death, swift and no doubt painful, would have claimed her then had she not broke away. She spun on her heel and dove out of the way. Pain flared through her, not at hard impact of the rough ground. It was a pain that stabbed at her, ate at her insides, until with a cry, she grabbed the fallen dagger and flung it at him. She did not wait to see if it connected, could not bear to witness if it did. With a small crack like thunder, Hollace was gone, the alleyway lay empty and soon she was back at their house.

 

[Hades Styx]

The dagger scraping the wall allowed bright yellow sparks to light up Hades’ terrifying face. Hollace managed to somehow get away from him. If only had he broken the space between them and then would she have no where to run. Hades growled in aggravation as he turned to see Hollace crying out. The dagger she had wield came flying toward him. Hades did not get away in time. It stabbed into his shoulder, and Hades grimaced. It wasn’t in deep, thankfully. Just enough to bring a bit of blood and hot waves of pain. Hades tore the dagger out of his shoulder, and he glanced down at the blade. Stashing it in his trenchcoat, and his own bloodless dagger next to it, Hades turned and apparated. Hollace had guts. Hades admired that, but it was the light he had to kill. It was in her. Hades had to destroy it; even if he died in the process.

---

To be continued...