The Blood Painted Cage

Vincent held me tightly, even after Lucius had left the room. I waited patiently as I hummed to the parasite in an attempt to calm him down. I was feeling sad and nervous as I was held tightly. Lucius had told me I was the cause of Vincent’s hatred and anger towards him. I didn’t quite understand why but that was soon to be cleared up. I wasn’t going to let him wriggle away out of fear of enraging him. If just speaking to Lucius was enough for the parasite to take over, he needed to tell me what on earth was going on in his head.

Slowly his grip loosened as the parasite retreated, leaving the man holding me in his arm. I knew the instant his consciousness returned as he pushed me away and stepped back a few paces with a dark glare plastered on his face.

“Are you okay now?” I asked softly.

“Yes.” He said bluntly.

With one last long glare at me, he made to leave the room however I was not going to let him. As he reached the open door I mentally slammed it shut. He stopped sharply and stared at the door before he half turned to me with a dark expression on his face mixed with bewilderment. I clasped my hands together and took a step back with a sense of nervousness filling me.

“You’re stopping me from leaving?” He queried in an almost threatening tone.

Hesitantly I nodded. “This hatred towards Lucius; it has to stop Vince.” I said earnestly. “Your parasite is becoming active by just speaking to him now. Not only is it ridiculous but it’s dangerous.” Vincent didn’t speak but his glare intensified. “Lucius told me I was the reason you were getting so riled. Is that true?”

His bared his fangs at me in silent rage. “I won’t talk about this.”

“You have no choice Vince.” I said as firmly as I could. “You have no reason to hate Lucius. You have never met him before, he has never really had the chance to speak with you and you have rarely been in the same room as him, and yet you hate him so much you lose yourself.”

“Eva.” He snarled in warning but I ignored him.

“Am I the reason behind your hatred of him?” I demanded.

He remained eerily silent apart from the growling that was rumbling out from his chest until he suddenly snapped. “Fine!” He snarled. “If you want to know, yes, yes you are.”

My heart sunk at his snapped answer. I didn’t like the idea of being the cause behind Vincent’s anger and hate. I didn’t like it at all.

“Well, could you explain why?” I asked quietly.

He didn’t hesitate as his anger ruled his judgment and tongue. Snappishly and quite irritably he continued in an almost ranting manner, pacing back and forth in the room while he kept flexing his fingers.

“If I must tell you Lady,” He snarled horribly. “I hate the way you react to him. You smile with him, you laugh, you even get nervous and blush sometimes. What really irritates me is that he is a man worthy of you affection. He is kind to you, calm and noble; not someone who is constantly on the brink of going on a murderous rampage and has virtually no patience or kindness.” He stopped sharply and turned on me, watching my bright red face with an intense and enraged interest. “However, while I may believe he is the better man for you, I won’t hand you over. Just the thought of you in the arms of that bastard is enough to make me want to rip his throat out.”

He stood there, black with fury and fighting to keep in control of the murky darkness at the back of his mind, while I watched with shock and a pounding heart. Jealousy had been the cause of his hatred. He believed Lucius was the man I should be with, something I found quite laughable, while he should be the one tossed aside. He was wrong. I didn’t want to reject him. It had never occurred to me to do so.

“I feel nothing but friendship towards Lucius, Vince.” I mumbled.

“It’s just as well. I wouldn’t give you up so easily.” He snapped.

My chest tightened and I found it suddenly difficult to breathe. Whether it was from happiness, nerves or panic I wasn’t quite sure.

“Give me up?”

“You are mine Eva. You have been for four years.” He said darkly, watching me with a sudden fire in his eyes as he stepped towards me slowly.

I didn’t move, partly because my legs were frozen and partly because I didn’t want to. He came to stand in front of me and hooking in fingers in my belt hooks to tug me forward. My hands were clutched to my chest and my eyes were fixated on his shirt buttons. I didn’t want to look up at him. His eyes always overwhelmed me but they were unusually strong, so much so I felt my legs shake, so I kept my gaze lowered. Vincent nuzzled the top of my head before absentmindedly letting his mouth trail down the side of my face.

Ignoring I was now utterly frozen, Vincent lightly began to kiss my face as he spoke darkly to me. “I will fight tooth and nail for you Eva, whether it’s to protect you or to keep you beside me. Too many times in my nightmares did I witness you being torn limb from limb or in bed with another man. I won’t have it happen in reality.”

I swallowed thickly, trying my hardest to concentrate on his words as I felt his soft mouth press against my skin. “Are you telling me that you love me?” I said quietly, still keeping my gaze on his shirt buttons.

“What else do you think I am saying?” He growled deeply in irritation.

I couldn’t reply. My mind had become numb at the sudden, if slightly angry, confession of his affection towards me. I didn’t think he could love me but part of me knew. Then I remembered something.

“That time, back when we caught that assassin, you rejected me when you calmed down. Why did you when you are telling me you love me?” I asked, suddenly gaining my voice back as curiosity sank in.

He stiffened slightly before annoyance filled his mind. “The parasite; it reacts by my needs now and what I instinctively want.” He growled. “It’s why I have never harmed you when I am lost. I want to ensure your safety so it guards you. It also knows I want you so that is why it tried to kiss you. I didn’t want to force myself on you though and was quite annoyed with it when I woke up finding you blushing and scared and so close to my face. I wanted to know what you thought of me before I told you anything or acted. You’re quite hard to read, Eva. Your nature is genuinely embracing and loving so your kindness and warm expression towards me could’ve meant nothing special.”

“So why are you telling me this now?”

A sharp laugh erupted from his chest, banishing the dark dominating aura that had gathered since his calming. “You demanded I did, now didn’t you.” He reminded me, pulling back to see my face completely. “That and you told me you loved me.”

My face grew hotter and I desperately tried to remember when I had told him the warm feelings I had been harbouring for him. “When did I tell you?” I asked in a panicked tone.

I forgot my need to keep my eyes averted from his and glanced up at him. It was a mistake. His eyes were dark but so warm and passionate; an expression I had seen him give me a few times before. There was no mistaking his words were truth.

A rare smile was playing at his mouth. “In your fever you often babbled on about how much you adored me.” He said, his smile growing into something mischievous when he saw my expression become more alarmed from embarrassment. “You also asked me whether I loved you.”

“So that’s what you meant by your answer was yes.” I said with realisation, smiling now at finally having found out the question to his answer.

“That’s exactly what I meant.” He murmured softly.

His large hand cupped my face and his thumb brushed my lower lip. He lowered his head and let his mouth brush mine while his free arm circled my waist and pressed me close to him. My hands had become fists at this point, gripping his shirt tightly while I watched him with half closed eyes. Warmth, joy, disbelief and bliss was filling me now, making my body hot and my heart ache at its pounding speed.

“I have wanted to taste you for a very long time, Eva.” Vincent said thickly in a low tone, letting his tongue touch my lip.

I waited with my mouth parted, almost begging for him to kiss me. But something went wrong.

A sharp pain exploded in my head, making me flinch away from him and cry out in agony. Vincent snarled and his fury exploded into life as he felt my horrible pain. He lowered me to the floor gently, letting me curl into a crouch and grip my hair as sharp knives stabbed my mind. He hunkered down in front of me protectively with his eyes darting about the darkness. Shouts could be heard about the house and now and then a crash ripped the silence. I whimpered gently as the pain increased and Vincent growled threateningly. There was a pause in the house, as if it was holding its breath, then hell broke out.