Firefly

There's a stench in the air like skin.

“Come here love. Look into my eyes.” The girl does as she is told. He is beautiful, this cobra. He is glorious, with gold in his scales that glimmer in the moonlight.

The back of her shirt is damp with sweat.

“You want me.” He is smoke. He is fire, twisting one way and then the next. His eyes are fashioned of lapiz lazuli and ruby. “Repeat it.”

“I want you,” she parrots, but backs up anyway. The backs of her knees hit the wall first.

Somewhere inside of her, she is afraid, but she doesn't feel it now. Now there is only his eyes, his scales.
A scream rips the air.

“Tell me you love me,” he hisses in her ear. He is close enough to feel his breath tickling her neck, but he does not touch her.

“I love you.”

“Tell me you need me.”

“I need you.” She can feel a tear escape the corner of her eye. It is too dark here. She feels alone. She wants to go home. She doesn't want to die here, with her expensive heels dragging in a puddle of old coffee. The air here smells like rotting vegetables and cat piss, and this snake is hypnotizing her with his jewel bright eyes.

“Invite me in,” he says. She forgets about her shoes, the coffee, the cats. Home is here, with him, and of course she'll invite him. She is his.

“Come in,” she whispers, and he touches her finally, his fingers tucking her hair behind her ears, caressing her neck, tracing the line of her collar bone.

Something slimy with too many legs crawls over her dirty feet.

“It'll be okay,” he whispers against her throat. His tongue is hot against her skin. She whimpers.

“I don't want to die.”

“You won't,” he promises, and she shivers as his fangs scrape against her skin. “You'll be with me always.”
And his fangs pierce her, sliding into her skin. She flinches, and he holds her tighter, the snake with his victim wound in his coils.

“Please,” she cries softly, but cannot move away. “Let me go. Let me go. Let me go.”

Let me go...

Let me go....

Let me go...

….

….

Aries lifted his head, and wiped the life away from his lip. The girl's had been bright. Gold, pink, like sequins or glitter. She tasted like honey, and skipped through his stomach like a child.
Pretty, but nothing more.

He laid her down gently, tucking her curls around her face. Then he stood, and swooned. He could feel her hands pressing down on the inside of his head, slamming around on every side, desperate for a way out. He took a step and she clawed out behind his eyes. He went blind.

His sight came back slowly. He had to lean against the alley wall for a moment and catch his breath. She was driving the others into a fury, the screams echoing in his head.

He didn't scream with them. He hadn't in ages.

LET ME GO!

“Hush,” Aries whispered softly. “Hush.”

LET ME GO! she sobbed. LET ME GO! LET ME GO!

PLEASE!

HELP!

I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

“Hush,” he whispered to them. “Sleep. Please.”

Let me go...let me go....

“Shhhhhhhh,” he soothed. “Shhhhhhh....”

Let me go...

Until the last of their last words finally fell asleep.