Orpheus didn’t want to grow attached to her, didn’t want to be given additional pain that losing a human gave him, but it was hard not to lose himself in her beauty.
Her blonde hair was straight and came down to her waist, but it looked like pure streaks of sunlight. He wondered if they would be as warm as they appeared, or glossy against his direct fingertips without his gloves. Her skin was pale, yet he knew it would be remarkably soft, and he wondered how much it would yield under his palms before it pained her.
The gown she was in wasn’t the one she’d chosen to sleep in, but it was white and hugged her curves. He found all humans were squishy, but she seemed softer, like he could squeeze for a lot longer before he crushed her.
She wasn’t thin, wasn’t thick, but was somewhere in the middle. It made the feminine curves that all women seemed to hold more rounded. Her hips pressing against the skirt of her dress showed their width, and her breasts were straining against the material like it was too tight for their larger size.
“I really would like to see outside,” she eventually grumbled, taking his attention when he realised he’d been swallowing her entire body with his gaze – not that she would’ve known since his orbs wouldn’t show this.
“It is decided, then. First, you must bathe to hide your human scent.”
Her face paled, and Orpheus felt the tickle to chuckle in his chest.
After, once again, trying her hardest not move while he washed her with his gloves on, Reia dressed in the gown she’d put on when she got out of bed.
Part of the reason she had wanted to go outside earlier was because she’d truly thought she’d seen sunshine and wanted to know if her eyes were casting illusions. The other reason was because she’d been cuddling into her pillow when she’d awoken and realised, because she’d moved it from pressing against the wall, she had seen marks.
Inspecting them by using her thumb to brush over the carved straight lines, she immediately knew what they were.
Days. They were the carved markings to show how many days someone had been there. That was already ominous, especially since only eight days had been marked, but it was the fact that it appeared as though other people had marked into the same etchings to count their days as well.
Not just one, but a few. The deep gouges of the first three days marked that many didn’t make it that long. Five was next, and it seemed only one had made it to eight.
It was creepy, and she’d felt the urge to flee.
She didn’t get that far, and she didn’t think she actually would have once she got outside and saw the forest, but she’d wanted to know, needed to fully see the trees pressing her in like bars of a cage. She needed to remind herself that she was in a nightmare and that this cute cottage was nothing but deception and lies.
He’d asked her if she wanted to die, and at first, she’d thought it was a threat. Then, he’d given her the amulet tiara.
Once he explained what it did, an overwhelming amount of relief washed over her. His words had been like a blanket of safety and ease, and it was then that she knew he’d meant if she wanted to die at the hands of Demons.
Many have fled and died. Many have been taken. She’d remembered he’d said those words to her as he was kneeling in front of her while he was fixing it to her head. It finally registered that some of those marks on the walls belonged to those who hadn’t been killed by him.
Your life is precious. I will try to make sure it doesn’t end if I can. He wasn’t intending to hurt her, and the amulet was just further proof of that.
For the first time, she actually felt safe in his presence. Not just from the world outside, but him as well. Perhaps not truly comfortable, but safe nonetheless.
“I feel ridiculous wearing a wedding dress.” She sighed as she walked down the hallway and greeted him where he was waiting for her in the living room. He was just standing there idly with his arms limp by his sides. “I wish you had something different for me to wear.”
He tilted his head at her, which she was beginning to understand conveyed curiosity or thought.
“If you do not like any of the clothing, you are welcome to change them.”
She pulled on the skirt of the long dress and peered down at it. She was surprised that he didn’t mind, but she knew it wouldn’t matter.
“They’d still be white, though.”
“I have plants that can be used as dyes. They will not be strong, nor do I have many colours, but I’m sure we could find something that will stain them enough to your liking.” He lifted his hand and covered his snout while tapping it with a forefinger. “No one else has asked to change the colour, but I think I would appreciate the difference.”
“Yes, please!” she nearly squealed, bouncing on the spot as a bright smile spread over her lips.
I want to wear anything but the colour white! To no longer feel like some sacrificial virgin maiden.
His glowing orbs swiftly changed to purple at her smile, and a tiny flinch twitched her features. It was the second time she’d seen them turn to that colour, but she didn’t know what it meant.
When her joy faded, his eyes turned back to blue, and he made a sound as if he was clearing his throat. He turned away from her to head into the kitchen, reaching up high to open one of the cabinets she wouldn’t have a hope in the world reaching unless she climbed the counter.
After grabbing a large ceramic pot and a crudely made metal spike, he retrieved a key from his jacket pocket and unlocked the front door. Reia was both apprehensive and giddy about following.
The inside of this log cabin house was strangely beautiful as it held nature and trinkets within. She was curious to know what it looked like from the outside as well as to see this garden he apparently had.
“You must remain close to me until I have finished the circle, but once I have, you are welcome to venture within it.”
Her feet found a distressed wooden porch, and she poked her head out of the doorway hesitantly.
Made of wood, it had a railing where the corners had beams that held up a roof. The dill bundled ornaments with the rope, berries, bone, and bells hung from both corners.
“What are those?” she asked as she pointed to them.
“Minor protections that shield Demons from entering the house. They are weak as they can break under the wind, and once the living aspects of them have started to wither, the ward decays.”
She nodded in understanding before her eyes swept over the forest as she followed behind him when he started walking down the three porch steps she’d blindly walked up the day before.
Yep. It’s as gloomy as I’d thought it’d be. There was a grey mist smoking between all the trees, making the area appear ghostly and surreal. The further in she could see, the bluer and blacker it seemed within the shadows.
She was thankful it was quite a fair distance as the cabin was in the middle of a large clearing of short grass with patches of dirt.