If you had me alone
Locked up in your room for 24 hours and if we could do whatever you wanted
What would you do with me?
Tell me in my inbox... because its a secret.

Then repost this in your tale or comment
You might be surprised with the responses you get
Unknown "Prettiest Pet" Unwell - 15 years, 3 months, 6 days ago

Chapter VI
A thousand lifetimes of suffering and longing surged through her. She saw him training day after day, and building his collection of beauty. She danced in the back of his mind during those entire thousand lifetimes, though, always just out of reach. She was a vague picture in his heart, an image that tugged at his mind; the wind singing through the trees sometimes echoed her voice. No matter the beauty he collected, he suffered, for he could never be happy, and the collection could never be complete. Overwhelmed by the feeling of loss he had known, she collapsed into the katanas. The etched creatures seemed to smile as she neared, happy to taste blood once again, but they caused her no harm. Each cut he had made on her burned intensely, and then disappeared, though the bruise did not fade. Thanatos caught her around the waist, dropping the swords- both coy and dragon, vanity and strength, mortality and immortality, at once- and turned her towards him, drawing her against him, and she seemed very frail in the arms of that perfect predator. Trembling, she opened her eyes, and looked up at his face. He held her closer still, and kissed her for a very long time.
"How?" She asked, pulling her face away to peer trustingly into his eyes, which no longer haunted her.
"You loved me when I was a monster, love. You loved me when I was about to take your life. You weren't afraid of death, and you loved me so much that you weren't afraid of me. Deimos said that our fate would not destroy you if you were strong enough; you were."
She trembled from exhaustion, and he set her gently on the bed, kissing her more, cupping her face in his hands, and tilting her head back to drink eternal life from her lips.
"My lord?" Deimos asked from the doorway, clearing his throat.
"Deimos, leave!" Camilla and Thanatos commanded at once, as he drew her even closer, allowing the remains of her tunic to fall away.
Unknown "Prettiest Pet" Unwell - 15 years, 4 months, 9 days ago

Chapter V
She forced herself up, and before she knew it herself, Camilla was running. Deimos, prompted by her cry, came to her, full of concern. Before he could ask, though, she sprang into action. She ordered him to travel with her, and of course he had to obey. They spent that night in the hollowed base of a tree.
"Why does it kill him so much that I am mortal?" She asked the cat.
"Because he is not, Lady Camilla. He would rather one lifetime with you, than all the others he has suffered without you. It is only natural.," Deimos responded.
"And if I were immortal?" She demanded.
"Happily ever after, I suppose."
"Deimos, make me immortal."
He laughed, "It is not that easy, huntress. The only way I know of is to bathe in the pool beside the ancient runes, but they are past the castle, on the opposite side, and it can only be done at midnight when the harvest moon is directly overhead."
Does he know of it?"
"No. It is only legend. I don't know if it will work, so I never told him."
"But we'll have to near him to get by?"
"We could go all the way around, but that would take longer. We may not make it in time."
"Fine." She hissed.
~~~
A few miles away, in his chambers, with both katanas mounted on the wall and uncleaned from their first taste of blood, Thanatos yelled to the night. "Good riddance, then, both of you! A mortal, and a traitor!" However, he remembered the scent of her blood, and couldn't resist despite his strength, and despite the self-control he had built over the past weeks of her captivity. It awakened something even greater than his usual thirst, as the great wheel of Fate was set into motion; his hunt began.
~~~
The next morning, they covered ground in a great circumference around the castle. Little did Camilla know that her scent was being left in a telltale trail behind her, and that it was unavoidable. Deimos knew, but there was nothing he could do about it. He decided not to bring the matter to light, and let come what may.
They had reached the runes by nightfall the next day, traveling by both the sun and the moon. Thanatos had been tracking them since Fate intervened, but stayed a safe distance away. By the light of the harvest moon, a few minutes before midnight, Camilla stepped into the pool.
"All I must do is be in here?" She called to Deimos.
"You must be completely submerged at midnight." he said. She nodded. The moon crept higher, and the runes beside them pulsed with magic. Each monolith was at least three stories high, and appeared as black obsidian. Markings were etched into each; there were Greek letters, zodiac signs, and different symbols, all in red- all in blood. A minute before midnight, she sank into the water; a minute after midnight, she rose, again. She stepped from the pool and redressed, pondering how she would find out if it worked.
"Scratch me," she said to Deimos.
"I could never, Lady Camilla."
"I want to find out if I am immortal. Deimos, scratch me." She held up her arm, and he did so. Blood screamed from the wound. She sobbed from the pain of her failure, quickly wrapping her arm in a piece of fabric ripped from her tunic. Nearby, her blood had incited a predator- Thanatos. He stepped infinitesimally closer, quivering with desire.
"If I asked him, would he kill me?" Camilla asked the little black bobcat.
"Why, my Lady?"
" I would rather die than cause him more trouble. Come, let us return. If he comes after me, all the better."
She rose from beside the pool, and stepped lightly across the clearing with Deimos close behind. She was walking straight into him, but Thanatos held off, and followed them back to the castle.
It was morning by the time they had returned. She went all around the castle, and did not find him. His chambers were the last room she checked without success, and after days of traveling, sank into his bed and fell asleep. He waited in the shadows, once again, and she woke hours later, to his laughter.
She sat bolt upright, and called his name. He stepped from the shadows, into the doorway. She gasped at his appearance.
His eyes blazed with a hateful, hungry fire such that she had never seen. His skin was paler than ever before, and gleamed. His muscles rippled under his skin, eager to pounce. The canines were even more exaggerated than normal, and the power of his presence rose by multiple degrees.
Driven by instinct, she sprang to her feet. She backed slowly away from him, but before she could blink, he was behind her. She bolted for the doorway, but ran into his frame. Where once he had been a perfect man, he was now the perfect predator. Where once she was a huntress, she was now his prey. He toyed with her, circling her slowly, pinning her against a wall, and then altogether disappearing. No matter what he did, though, he always blocked her exit. She worked her way to the katanas, and reached for the coy. She was still not ready to die. However, he blocked her, wielding both. The predator materialized a few feet behind the huntress.
"Never turn your back on your opponent," he said, springing at her. Deimos appeared in the doorway.
"My bow and quiver, quick!" She yelled, dodging Thanatos. Deimos raced off.
Camilla grabbed two scimitars from the wall to defend herself. Unphased, Thanatos maintained his inhuman speed, allowing the katanas to kiss her, roughly, but never kill. The dragons and coy fish gleamed happily at the blood that rose from each shallow cut. Eight parallel wounds ran down each of her arms, one crossing the heart-shaped bruise, which had never faded; sixteen streams of blood dripped to match. Her tunic was shredded in the same meticulous fashion, and she marveled at his precision. She stood perfectly still, until the Deimos came back; she could not escape him, anyway, and perhaps her injuries would be less if she were motionless. Upon Deimos' return she threw both scimitars at Thanatos, as she retrieved her bow. She fitted an arrow to it quickly, and drew the bowstring. Thanatos crossed both katanas in front of him and drew the blades across each other. He laughed, again.
"You can't kill me, I'm immortal," he said.
"You can't kill me, I'm your soul mate," she volleyed back, not dropping her aim for a second. Her resolve to live softened, though. "Would you truly have been happier if we had never met, Thanatos? Would you truly be happier if I were dead? Is my mortality that much of a problem?" She asked.
"Yes," he growled.
"My lord!" Deimos said from the doorway. "You cannot mean that!"
"Deimos, leave," he commanded. The cat had no choice. He turned to her, "It is just you and I, Lady Camilla."
As he did so, he saw that she was kneeling. She put her bow and quiver down, and loosened the arrow from the bowstring. She placed the quiver atop the bow, and slid them across the floor to him. "If my death means that much to you, I shall die without a fight." She rose and turned her back to him. "Please be quick."
He rushed at her, as he did the first time, trapping her from the front with the crossed katanas, and from behind with his own body. She exhaled very shakily, and spoke her last mortal words.
"I love you," she whispered, just as he bit her neck.
Unknown "Prettiest Pet" Unwell - 15 years, 4 months, 9 days ago

Chapter IV
He led her to a room filled with tapestries that almost lived with the stories they portrayed. The next day, he led her to a library which held ancient, illuminated books. And so every day he showed her a new collection of beauty. The day after, he took her to his armory, where the blades smiled coldly at her. She examined a bow carved from stone.
"Is it strictly ornamental?" She asked, plucking the bowstring.
"Wield it." he said. She eyed him carefully, but followed his command. It weighed no more than a wooden bow. "It's enchanted."
She mounted it back where it belonged, and examined a katana with coy fish etched into the blade.
"I wish I knew my way around one of these," she murmured.
"I could train you," he offered. Her eyes sparkled. "When you are well enough to walk by my standards, you'll be well enough to train," he said, and then smiled, "but you do heal quickly."
He did not tell her where he led her, on a day, many collections later. Before he opened the door, he stepped behind her, covering her eyes.
She startled. "Why are you-" He shushed her.
"You'll see," he promised.
He opened the door, keeping one hand over her eyes. The other hand guided her by the waist, after they were inside. He led her to the very middle of the room, and released her with reluctance. She opened her eyes, but did not step away from him, at first. She found that she was becoming comfortable with him in close proximity. When she saw the room, she let out a little gasp. It was candlelit, a hall of mirrors; each one was unique, and intricately designed. She traced her fingers over golden border of one, made like gargoyles, with jewels set into the eyes.
"They're beautiful," she said.
He slunk behind her, pressing into her. His hands snaked around her waist, and he gently kissed her on the cheek.
"You're looking at the mirrors, love; look into them."
He led her to his menagerie on the next day, where she found that her hawk was, indeed, in good company, if not dark company; each one of his birds were black. He led her to his treasury upon the next day, which sparkled in the torchlight. He dressed her in a black gown thereafter, and led her to a ballroom, painted like the Sistine Chapel. In the ballroom, he taught her to dance. A day after that, he led her to his stables, and she was dressed in her own leather tunic, and trousers. She came up to a massive red-brown stallion, easily 19 hands high.
"No!" Thanatos cried, "Cercyon will kill you! He's more monster even than I!"
She put her hand up to his nose, fearless. His ears pitched back, and he snapped at her. She moved quickly, though, grabbing his halter, and spoke soothingly to him, while Thanatos watched on in disbelief and horror. She kissed his nose, and he was docile. The fire that burned behind his eyes slowed, and extinguished. She entered his stall.
"Love..." Thanatos begged, but Camilla ignored him, turning her attention fully to the horse.
"Which is your favorite mount, Thanatos?" she asked. He stepped to the stall of another massive beast, who nickered to him when he neared. "Can we ride?"
"You'll never be able to handle him," Thanatos warned.
She vaulted onto the back of Cercyon. He quivered, not with fear or hate, but anticipation. Resignedly, Thanatos handed her a bridle. Cercyon launched himself at the dark prince, who jumped back just in time. Camilla put the bridle on him without quarrel. Thanatos indicated a saddle.
"Bareback," she said.
Thanatos bridled his mare, Ismene, and unlatched Cercyon's stall from her back. As he had expected, the massive stallion bolted from his confines, and out of the stables. He and Camilla cleared the paddock fence with Ismene and Thanatos close behind. They slept that night on a grassy hill under the stars, which is to say that Camilla and the horses slept; Thanatos had no need for sleep, as a vampire. He watched over Camilla, and kept her warm, when the cool breeze began to blow.
On the trip home the next day, Thanatos had come to a decision.
"If you are well enough to handle Cercyon," he said in the stables, "you may begin training."
He told her to meet him in the courtyard after she had fed the horses, and put away the tack; he had something to retrieve. When she entered the courtyard, there was nothing there, and Thanatos was nowhere to be found.
"Liar," she muttered.
"Rule number one," he said cockily, from the courtyard wall, "things are not always as they seem." He jumped down carrying two katanas, the dragon, and the coy. He handed her the latter, and showed her how to hold it. She waited for further instruction, which he did not give. He engaged her. "The katana is based on natural movements. Where your instinct tells you to block, you block." He brought the katana down near her shoulder, and his sword was met by hers. "Also, move your feet. You are a huntress; move carefully, but more quickly, and with less fear." He stepped around her, so that she would have to react.
She was beginning to look more at ease with the unfamiliar weapon, and so he picked up his pace. They sparred for an hour, Thanatos' advantage slowly disappearing. She paused, with her blade at his breast.
"Fatality. Very good, love." He said, dropping his fighting stance; she dropped hers, as well. Thanatos dropped all the way down, and swept her feet from under her, in a smooth, circular motion. "Rule number two: Never drop your stance." He offered his hand to help her up, and she declined. She stood on her own, and engaged him. They locked swords for a moment, and were face to face. Metal strained against metal, and their faces drew closer, still. Suddenly, she leaned forward, and kissed him, making his stance drop. She dropped all the way down as he had done, and swept his feet from under him.
"Right. Never drop your stance," she taunted, putting the katana down, and walking away from him. Thanatos was suddenly infuriated. He picked both up, and dashed at her. He was upon her before she could react.
"Never turn your back on your opponent," he growled. He had crossed the katanas in front of her, and pressed in close behind.
She was terrified, but responded coolly, "Thanatos, release me at once."
He did not respond, but instead turned her in his arms to face him. He went to kiss her, but she backed away from him. In her panic, she backed into the katanas. The blades, which had never known a material beyond each other, sliced her tunic without difficulty. Her skin was no different. She fell to her knees from instantaneous pain, crying out. Awakened by her cry from his anger, Thanatos dropped both of the swords.
"Mortal!" He hissed, sinking to his knees and cupping her chin.
"I am," she said through tears. "How beneath you!"
Unknown "Prettiest Pet" Unwell - 15 years, 4 months, 9 days ago

Chapter III
She listened to him pacing across the floor, talking to Deimos, who had moved from her chest. Both thought she was still asleep, and so she lay with her eyes closed, breathing deeply, to maintain the illusion.
"I never asked for this. I never asked for her," Thanatos spat.
"My lord, mortals cannot choose their soul mates. Immortals are no different."
"I have suffered a thousand lifetimes before her, waiting for her to live, and will suffer a thousand afterwards, in grief of her death. She'll have only one lifetime- without any pain."
"If I may indicate, Lord Thanatos, you have caused her considerable pain."
"She had invaded upon my territory! How was I to know that she was not an assassin or thief, or meant me harm? Besides, she does harm me! I was right to break her; I should have killed her. What kind of monster am I that cannot kill a maiden? A mortal soul mate- how beneath me!" Despite her aversion to the dark lord, she found that his comment hurt her worse than her ribs or the bruise.
"My Lord-" Deimos protested.
"No! Why did you lead her here in the first place, Deimos? I thought you were to serve me. I would have been happier if I had never met her. What did you tell her while I was gone?"
"Only that you are soul mates, Lord Thanatos, and that you are a good master."
"And what did she say?" He demanded. Deimos hesitated. "Deimos, speak."
"She said that she did not intend to be a slave."
"Insufferable, mortal woman," he growled as he left the chamber.
She opened her eyes to find a platter of peaches on the bedside table, and Deimos sitting in the doorway.
"You heard the whole exchange, didn't you?" He asked, resignation written across his feline visage.
"I won't tell him, if you won't," Camilla promised the cat, shrugging, who pondered for a moment. She sensed an opportunity to discover his weakness. "Deimos, accept," she commanded, eating a peach.
"Yes, Lady Camilla," he said, almost mechanically, and then more gently said, "You know, he brought those for you."
She stared at the bitten peach in her hand, and remembered that he couldn't bring himself to kill her. There was little chance it was poisoned, and so she continued eating.
"Deimos, come." She commanded, again. The cat joined her on the fur-draped bed. "You must do whatever you're commanded?"
He did not answer.
"Deimos, speak."
"Yes, Lady Camilla, I must," he said, lying across her as he had before.
After another long, and secretly chloroform-induced slumber, Camilla could walk again- by her standards. She came to Thanatos in the courtyard, while he was training.
"Why are you walking?" He asked, irritation seeping into his voice.
"I am strong for a mortal," she retorted. "I heal quickly."
He swung the rapier he was training with in a low arc, spun, and aimed to behead her. Again, his perfect sword could only kiss her throat, and again she didn't flinch. "I still can't do it," he muttered, returning to his training.
She hesitated. "My Lord," she addressed him.
"Yes, huntress?"
"I am uncomfortable in only a gown," she said, not sure how to proceed.
"Very well then," he said, putting away the rapier in a chest to the side of the courtyard, and leading her inside.
She followed him up a spiral staircase and into the highest tower the castle had to offer. He had her stand aside, as he opened the heavy door at the top. Inside the room hung many garments, mostly women's clothing. All were black and red, with the occasional sapphire blue. Upon seeing the strange look she gave him, Thanatos spoke.
"They were a gift from the sorceress Medea," he said rolling his eyes, and added, appraising her," I collect beautiful things."
He handed her a pair of black, knee-high boots, that laced with red leather. They were as beautiful as they were practical. He next found a pair of black trousers, a red tunic, and a red-laced, black corset.
"Why a corset?" She complained.
"If you will insist on being out of bed," he said, "which I'm sure you will, I shall insist you take some measures to ensure your ribs set properly. We wouldn't want to have to rebreak them." He grinned.
"And if I refuse?" Her eyebrows raised.
"The alternative is that I bandage your torso for you." He grinned wider, flashing his exaggerated canines.
Her eyes blazed, as she took the corset from him.
"Your loss," he purred.
"Avert your eyes," she said. He stared at her. "Avert your eyes, please, my Lord," she said, bowing. He turned.
"Brat prince," she muttered so that he couldn't hear her.
"Insufferable woman," he muttered so that she could.
As she dressed, she began to wonder what he had meant earlier. She strode quietly behind him, and rested her forearms on his shoulders. He jumped, slightly, and she laughed.
"How does one collect beautiful things?" She asked, genuinely curious. He turned, and took both of her hands.
"You have taken note of my chambers while you were confined to the bed, did you not?" She nodded. "What did you see?"
"Swords, mostly. The occasional dagger. They were elaborate. The katana that..." She trailed off.
"I almost killed you with," he finished.
She blushed, looking down at her feet. "It was beautiful."
"Those are only a part of my weapons. Let me show you how to collect beauty."
Unknown "Prettiest Pet" Unwell - 15 years, 4 months, 9 days ago