Radiance

“I haven’t tasted a soul as rich as yours in decades.” He purred, crouching down to twirl a lock of my hair around his fingers. “I’m glad I decided to savor this moment and didn’t kill you outright. A soul such as yours is very rare, you know.”

“Get away from me.” I groaned as I pushed through the searing pain in my limbs and used the wall to climb to my feet again.

He watched me with a bemused look of pride as I struggled to contain my shaking.

“I’ve decided I want to play a while longer.” He announced, nodding towards me. “Make sure you keep your wits about you and keep our little game to yourself. If anyone were to catch sight of that you’ll be thrown in prison before you can tell them they’ve made a mistake.”

“Hide what?” I mumbled before trying to clear my throat in an effort to hide my terror. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“You certainly can’t believe that.” He chided, “You allowed yourself to be soiled by a monster without as much as a fight. You’re just as guilty as the idiots who worship us.”

In the crook of my forearm there was a searing pain that refused to recede, and I was terrified to look at it. Petrified to see what he’d done.

But my avoidance to look only delighted the creature and he wanted to bask in his victory.

Tove clutched my arm and brought it up for me to see the damage he’d inflicted and laughed as a sob clawed at my throat at what he’d left behind.

“My fey mark,” He looked at the cursed thing with such reverence as his fingers dug into my arm but made a point not to touch the scarlet brand made of crimson snakes and harsh lines. “This binds your soul to me and me alone.”

He reached out to caress my face with his other hand, but I found the strength to knock his hand away, but my small act of defiance only made him grin.

“And when I’ve grown tired of chasing after you, I’ll use this to consume your soul.” He cackled, “To answer your question, no I’m not concerned about you saying a word about witnessing our little dispute. Because if you breathe a word of any of it, I’ll slaughter your entire family. They’ll all die because of you and only when you’re begging for death yourself will I shred your soul and consume your light.”

Pleased with my terror he let me go to take the time to straighten his suit that had wrinkled in our struggle.

I was too petrified to even think of trying to run and he was in no danger of me crying out foolishly.

“Do take a care and keep what you see to yourself.” He told me as he finished making himself look presentable. “You may belong to me but that won’t stop others from trying to sink their teeth into you in an effort to take what’s rightfully mine. Make sure you stay alive for me.”

With one last smirk, he ducked out from behind the Braeden colors and left me to silently panic in the shadows.

Hyperventilating silently, I lifted the edges of my billowing sleeve to reveal the shimmering hellish mark I’d dreaded to accept was seared into my flesh. A twisting geometric death sentence no bigger than the rim of a teacup.

I was going to die.

Either this soul eating monster would tire of playing with his food and kill me or my fellow humans would catch sight of this deadly promise and execute me themselves.

A mercy killing.