"Here is my Family."The black cloth that had been over the painting slip to the floor. The room was just as Belladonna had left it the day she had been here, different paintings had been pulled down and cover and the room smelt a little dusty, but this wasn't the painting she had seen the day she came in.This painting looked different. Looked alive... somehow.In this big frame, there were four people.His Mother, a lean woman with piercing auburn hooded eyes that had a glint of humour in them, bold and black eyebrows, high cheek bones accompanied by a neck that looked like a bit of a stretch. Her auburn hair was made into one big cornrow, leaving only wavy strands out to cover some parts of her face.Next to her, on the small black sofa, sat a man with full mutton chopped beards and long black hair mixed with scattered strands og grey. His gaze was piecing brown, like he knew all the secrets there would ever be to be kept. He also looked similarly huge like Eli. In his hand was a
"They loved Lex's wild spirit more than my tamed one. Found him bathed in blood all too often for his age."Belladonna furrowed her eyebrows.At what age was it appropriate to be found bathed in blood? Blood!"Lex was a lot like my parents than I was. At a point," he chuckled, turning his gaze to her, "I almost started getting jealous, but," then he raised a finger up, "I could not hate my brother. I mean, he was my baby brother after all. I loved him. He made me happy. His presence, his laughter, his troubles, the way I would always have to clean up after his mess in the village when he would go barserk on the animals." He chuckled again, his eyes filled with warmth and absolute love. "I never complained. I took some of the blames of what he did, but like I said before, my parents knew who the psycho was." He looked back at the painting, folding his hands behind him. "At the end of the day, we are still family."Belladonna looked at the painting once again. What a happy family the
"I had not noticed it at first but each of them would always come to her every night, while we were in their little living room, by the fireplace. They would take her hand and lead her out through the door. They were all so kind to her, I did not suspect a thing."Belladonna could sense the rage that he was trying to hard to hide from his voice. Kestra must really mean a lot to him. That gave her mixed feelings.She was sure of one thing though, she felt horrible for Kestra. It explained more about her scars.She folded her arms across her, her face creased into a frown, her gaze planted on the floor, the color of which she couldn't even see since her focus wasn't on it.She shouldn't be feeling this way. It made no sense to."Kestra was good at hiding secrets. Even after I told her, everything about why I was in the forest, who I was and we had stayed tight friends for a whole month, she never told me about how her brothers used to abuse her sexually and physically. Till one night,
"Eli---""I will outline here." His words came out muffled, as he pressed gentle kisses along the crook of her neck. "And here," his fingers moved along her shoulder, up her neck, the rough leather grazing her skin, blood turning into fire in her veins. She bit her lips to restrain herself from making a sound but then his tongue flickered over that part of her neck and her arched her neck to him, tilting her head to the side. "Sadly," He pulled away, looking down at her, her hands holding her thighs, his grip tightening. "I am a terrible artist." He moved closer, his breath mingling with hers. "But I have other ways to appreciate the art that you are, when the time comes. Better ways, I promise you."His hand snaked into her hair, pulling it slowly, making her look right at him. He let out a gasp. "You intoxicate me, my Donna. More than the finest wine."Her hands glided up his robe, up to his neck, as she fought herself on her desire. It was strong. Consuming. But she had to b
"I have bored you with my family's histories, have I not?""You did not bore me.""It feels unfair that I did not ask of yours."She frowned, the book and that image drawn largely over it, blurring out, turning into a mere background as her mind moved to different thoughts from what was in front of her. All she could think about was how her family had been such a weakness to her, a vulnerable longing that the Bride Thief had easily used and almost gotten away with, if she had not been observant. Her mind centered around that lack and the emptiness fed her brain. She didn't want to think about it, so she wouldn't say."You already know.""There must be some that you would love to tell me personally?""No, Eli. I have nothing to say." She snapped, regretting it immediately. With clumsy hands, she pushed the book back on shelf, making it blend in with the others."I"m sorry. I just don't want to talk about them, they are not nice to remember.""That is alright." He took her hand, turni
Colin pulled the full basket of sweaters up in his arms, and walked out of the room. That was the last one.For Belladonna, it had been some days since she had started sewing and selling, Raquel had helped her pick a logo and so far, business had been working fine. In fact, it had been working great right from the very first day, which was something she had not expected but had happened anyway. "Ah, my Lady, I almost forgot." Raquel said, rushing back into the room. Panting lightly as she dropped a small palm size sack on the dressing table. "Coins from the sales, My Lady." Belladonna smiled, her gaze lingering on the small blue coin sack for only a moment before she stood up from the dressing chair, letting her body finally have a stretch. Raquel had been her happier self this days and Belladonna liked it. She hoped that whatever was making her happy would continue to make her happy. She liked to think that one of the reasons might have to do with Raquel's talk about her daughte
"How dare you?! You are such a liar.""And you've been nothing but a saint. Do you really think me stupid, that I will take off my necklace and have you do with me as you please." She folded her arms across her, standing straight."I am going through pain.""And that is exactly what I want. To punish you for everything you have done. You violated me, disrupted my thinking with your powers.""They were not even real. None of it. It was all an illusion." Then a slight pause. "Why would I even want to touch you. You are all undesirable humans!"Belladonna scoffed, her breath a little shaky with relief."I'm no use to you like this. Take off that stupid thing.""Lies! You are bound to your words by a bloodoath. Now shed your skin."A defeated sigh. "Fine."Everywhere went oddly quiet. The wave, still. The breeze, silent. The cold, slipping away. The only thing that seem to moved was the sand around the Bride Thief, moving up a grain after another, that glowed hot red like sparks of flame
Her hand stilled on her night robe, and she suppressed a smile that almost took over her face.A name.Eli had said anything would do and something about how the Bride Thief had said that, made her believe that he was telling the truth. Maybe this dream wasn't so useless after all."There must be some explanation behind this." His voice cut her out of train of thoughts, but he obviously wasn't talking to her, as the highest the tone of his voice went was something that she could barely hear. "It must be this realm. The human's mind is feeble. That must be the problem. Not me."She folded her arms across her before raising up a hand to her face and repeatedly clicking a finger against her lower lip."Can you describe how you look like." The clicking stopped, her finger resting there for a moment while she hummed, then folded her arms across her again. "I'm fighting the urge to imagine you as a broomstick.""A broomstick?!" He sounded horrified. "What nonsense. Look, human.""I would l