Greys IV - Chains

Chapter 3 - Bonds & Binds

My eyes fluttered open to my room, my chest aching as my lungs fought the air like they knew they shouldn't be breathing it. I rolled my head to the side, roving my eyes down to see a blanket thrown over me, and by the way I felt the fabric against every inch of my skin, and how I had woken up shivering, I knew I was naked. I tried to remember more from before, but everything seemed distant, glimmering like a faraway star just twinkling into being at dusk.

Malachi sat a few feet from me, his back leaning against a wall with fewer scorch marks than the others. A bottle of whiskey and two glasses sat next to him, heavily poured and waiting.

"For me? You shouldn't have."

My voice came out quiet and rough, and my throat scratched like it was raw, but I swallowed the discomfort back.

"Welcome back to the land of the living - you going to try to end my subscription once more? Also, don't ever dive at me disrobed again."

He shuddered dramatically, and I felt my head cock in confusion. I didn't know what game he was playing at, but his banter was clearly forced. I played along anyway, trying to give myself time to remember why I had tried to kill him, why I had anger building in my bones by the second, why I was in my room looking like a bomb had exploded, and why I was bare under the sheet draped around me.

"So you really are all talk? Happy to offer me a good time until push comes to shove, then you back down? Typical," I taunted, but his lips stretched down in a microexpression of disgust before he replied.

"A lot has happened since you - since Ja-" he paused to swallow before restarting in that low, rumbling voice of his. Besides his one stutter, he sounded completely calm, unperturbed, but I saw through that too. "I have some things to fill you in on."

My eyes narrowed, but I let him continue.

"You remember that he is dead?"

I winced involuntarily, my eyes closing like the flinch before you get struck, but yes, I remembered it now—his blood, his father, and then screams and fire and a void, complete darkness. It came back in flashes, a clanging in my ears, and ice covered me, renewing my shivers so heavily I had to clench my muscles to stay still. I had thought I was dead, and I had woken before, here, with Malachi, but that wasn't me, it couldn't have been me, that black malice and hatred overflowing from within me.

I felt those same feelings growing again, crawling up me. I tried to focus on slowing my breathing, pushing back the pain, calming my pounding heart which was rushing in my ears like a flood, but dread was still rising, panic surging as my fingers curled of their own accord, my hands shaking from more than the cold now. I hid them under my thighs.

Malachi paused, to give me a moment or maybe to see if I would attack him again like before, like some wild thing. I ground my teeth, holding onto my composure by my fingernails, and gave him a curt nod, which he returned.

"Ailech sacrificed himself so I could get you out of there. I took his soul before he died so that Baraqiel couldn't have him. Which means he's back, well, he's a little bit back. He will be back. I'm working on it."

He paused again, his yellow eyes wary. And though I had about a hundred questions, I nodded him on.

"Only I can see him so far, he's uh, drawing strength from me. Also, he's here now, says hi. He kind of always has to be with me for now, to stay strong and to continue getting stronger. He can still pull power from our kind, use his Gift on us, as you experienced when the collar failed last time. Uh, and you have a collar now because you've been a little, mh, murdery every time you've woken for the past three days. Also, it's been three days. And you apparently can manipulate fire now, a fire which can't be shielded or blocked - Abby's tried everything he can think of. Hence the room's state, and mine, and well," he motioned to me and my nakedness with a downtown of his lips again. "Any questions?"