Chapter 85
The Fire of Passion
With her violin case slung over his shoulders, Abhay picked Piya up in his arms and carried her back to the house. Fast asleep, she pressed her cheeks into his chest and softly breathed. Abhay kissed her hair, and stared up at the sky. Her dreams were vivid, colorful, and just of them. Taking small glimpses of them had become an inescapable habit.
“I love you….” He whispered, watching the winds blow over her tresses. If only they could have this peaceful silence everyday, without fearing for the safety of one another. He wanted to make this honeymoon absolutely perfect for that reason, to give her a sense of freedom and peace. His world was not a kind one. At the very least, this one should be.
He carefully put the violin away in the closet, after tucking Piya into bed. Jet-lagged and tired from traveling, she fell into the deepest sleep imaginable. No sound could jolt her awake. With a flick of his wrist, the fireplace on the opposite side of the bed lit aflame. He sat besides her, gently running his fingers through those silky locks, and touched the backs of his fingers to her cheeks.
“You’re so special…..so very special.”
He dwelled in her sight, for as long as his expected visitor hadn’t arrived. Three knocks on the front door reached his ears half an hour later. Donning his robe and making sure Piya was still undisturbed, he went to answer it.
The wind blew Seraphina’s silver locks over her own face, and some in her own mouth, which she proceeded to spit out. Abhay stifled a chuckle, seeing her so annoyed.
“Hey.”
“Welcome.” He said, stepping aside to let her through. “Did you bring the stone?”
She nodded, and pulled it out from her bag. He took it in his palms, and examined the broken off area. A fragment was missing, and according to Seraphina’s accounts, that fragment was with Piya.
“I come here in secret. Have you met Past before? I told you what happened, right?”
He nodded, and closed the door. Piya always mentioned the being with a fondness she gave to people close to her.
“A while back. Piya sees her as a friend, interestingly enough.”
“Friend? That is interesting. Did she say anything about the stone?”
Abhay offered her some wine, but she refused. No drinking on the job. He chuckled again, and put the bottle away.
“She mentioned Past giving her the missing piece. But she didn’t know what happened to it exactly.”
He put a finger to his lips, as they climbed the steps, and then opened the bedroom door without it creaking. Piya was sound asleep, hair spread all over the pillow and chest softly rising up and down. Seraphina took a concentrated look at her, and held up the stone. It glowed just as bright, along with a spot on the back of her neck. The pillow looked like someone shoved a lamp inside it. She still wasn’t waking up.
“Did it fuse with her or something? Can I be a bother and ask to turn her on her side? I want to see where that light is coming from.”
Abhay pursed his lips and nodded, walking to Piya’s side and turning her onto her right shoulder. Her skin was glowing right on the back of her neck, after brushing her hair aside. He touched it, and felt the slightest shiver.
“This stone’s purity…can counteract corrupted magic, you were saying?”
After Ayushmaan’s attack, Abhay had made contact with Seraphina to investigate the cause of Piya’s effectiveness in healing his serious injuries. Neither could link the stone and this occurrence until now.
“Correct. That’s why she was able to heal your wounds. As for the added strength…the stone is also a tangible form of your soul bond. Naturally as such, being near her would enhance your power.”
Abhay stared longingly at Piya. In some ways, this was good. She wasn’t completely vulnerable. He laid her on her back again and tucked her in. Seraphina found her turn to chuckle, seeing Abhay as a husband now. She couldn’t wait to tease Piya about it from time to time.
“You two seem to be doing well. How is it, being this close to a human? It’s the closest one can get in a relationship. Doesn’t it get hard to control?”
He swallowed once, and nodded, keeping his gaze on his sleeping beauty.
“Some things you have to learn out of necessity. But she lets me drink some on occasion. It keeps me in control.”
“That’s a lot of trust she places in you. Good.” She looked at both and shrugged. “Well, I should go now. Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon.”
“Thanks.”
He escorted her out, and went back to Piya without a second thought. His jaan. After joining her in bed, she curled up into his arms like a habit, pressing her soft cheeks against his chest. Tonight, he even felt like sleeping and joining her in her dream world. Adjusting them both to keep comfortable, he closed his eyes and drifted into a deep rest, letting the myriad of emotions reach her dreaming mind until they merged into one. He found her lying in the grass there, just like earlier, and joined her, to watch the stars together.
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Jet lag, of course, only meant one thing. Piya woke up at the oddest of hours, before the warmth of the sunrise. This time, Abhay was woken up by the sudden end of their dream. His eyes opened, and turned to face her.
“I don’t like this….” she said, rubbing her eyes. Wide awake, that too in the earliest hours of the morning. She noticed she was still wearing the frock from earlier, and wanted to change. Abhay kissed her forehead. “At least you don’t sleep that much. Now I won’t get bored.”
“You will adjust soon. Give it a day or two.”
She nodded, and threw the sheets aside, walking into the bathroom with a bundle of clothes in her arms. She readied herself like she would in the mornings, but still changed into a nightie. Awake, she was, but wanting to get out of bed she wasn’t. Abhay lay there, waiting for her. There was a smug look on his face, and a lustful stare in his eyes. The beast was emerging again, a hungry and possessive creature. She shivered as she changed, feeling his passion and lust manifesting upon her. It was as if he were right behind her, hands roaming and lips touching. She pressed her legs together and sighed with a blush coloring her cheeks.
Do you need help, jaan?
Even the voice of his thoughts was full of seduction. Deep and needy. She peeked outside the door, seeing him lay in bed as a tease. Bare chested, blanket carefully placed at the hips, exposing a v-line. He looked at her as if he were just readying himself to devour her.
Once she emerged from the bathroom, she walked to the bed, crawling upon it to Abhay. He seized her waist, and let her stare. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and smirked. Her palm touched his abs, teasing the v-line, and danced across his chest. She leaned closer and pressed her lips to his neck.
“Take a bite jaan....” he whispered. Piya let her tongue swipe near the base and gave him a tender bite, though not much of a mark was made. He groaned and pulled her closer, keeping it from healing. “You really know how to get me going, don’t you?”
Piya giggled but didn’t reply in words. She got up and away from the bed, only for Abhay to follow with ten times the speed and pin her to the wall. She heard the sound of crumbling paint from the impact his fingers made with the wall.
“Where are you running off to?” He asked, flicking his tongue over his extended fangs. Piya turned pink and held his arms.
“Nowhere.”
His hands reached under the nightie, feeling her wetness and accelerating his hunger. He ground his hardness into hers, begging for attention. Fingers touched her core, and made her melt and moan for more.
Dark red eyes, lustful eyes, possessive eyes. Hungry for just her. The beast was in control.
“Abhay…..”
He kissed her neck and returned her bite. This one stung so pleasantly.
“Yes, jaan?” He asked, teasing her core with his fingers. She arched into him and cried out his name once more. The nightie slipped off her shoulders.
He carried her back to bed, cocooning her with his body and with a never-ending kiss, made seemingly never-ending love to her. He entered and marked his love inside her, rocking the bed frame with each thrust. All she could think of was him. Her lips only opened to take his name.
A house of silence, besides their own, was heaven on earth. Sheets strewn everywhere, clothings misplaced, furniture in disarray, it all happened one after the other. Marks and scratches on their skin brought light to their busy night. His lips wandered over her chest as she tried to catch her breath, and he placed a kiss just over her beating heart.
“Beat just a little faster for me, please?”
Piya gasped and felt it increase on its own. Abhay smirked and kissed her chest again, fingers digging into the sheets on either side.
“I love its sound. It’s calling to me.”
His scarlet eyes bore into her, dark and swirling with possession. Her reflection. Just her. Piya touched his cheek and drowned herself in them, faring her hand over his mark, letting it glow. He breathed out heavily and leaned closer, letting her return the favor with her kisses. She wrapped her arms around his and traced the muscles on his back, closing her eyes and letting her body relax in his embrace.
“Love me like this always….” She whispered, running her fingers through his hair.
“Forever. I promise.” He replied, as his eyes faded back. She smiled, and pulled him in for another kiss.
Out of exhaustion, she dozed off again, this time until sunrise. Abhay stayed with her the rest of the night, until it was time to make breakfast. For her and for him. In the kitchen, a giant ice chest was tucked underneath the counters, blood bags stored inside. He didn’t have a wish to hunt when he could spend that time with Piya instead, but this stash also wasn’t enough for his appetite. He underestimated, and emptied two within a minute apart from each other.
He loved being near Piya, but she always made him so thirsty. Especially recently, where her touch seemed to give him more power, which meant more energy was needed to maintain it. He was drinking twice as much now.
She told him he could drink from her, but he always worried about taking too much.
“Just don’t hurt her…”
Abhay looked at his hands and sighed, rubbing his temples. His fangs cut into his lower lip as he chewed it in frustration. Piya’s heartbeat was ringing in his ears, even downstairs. He dove into the kitchen, immersing himself in cooking to keep his mind diverted. She would be hungry upon waking. Along with the stove, he gave attention to an old piano in the living room.
With the curtains drawn, he used his shadows as an appendage to play, whilst cooking at the same time. Their song. Its sweet melody woke Piya up, along with the smell of a hearty breakfast. Abhay was missing from the bed. But she felt he was the one cooking. It smelled like his cooking. After getting somewhat ready, she tiptoed downstairs. The piano was playing on its own, or rather with the help of a shadow, in a room devoid of sunlight. Abhay was in the kitchen, wearing an apron over a bare chest and black sweatpants. Piya swallowed and stared at him for a few minutes.
“Breakfast will get cold, jaan. Ogle me all you want later.”
Piya went behind him as he plated her food and touched the muscles on his back, along with the bat tattoo. Abhay shivered and caused Piya to blush. Her stomach growled.
“Let’s sate one appetite at a time. I’ll feed you, then you can feed me….”
His lips sucked on the hickey he left last night, cold breath brushing across her skin. He wanted her blood, and it was apparent to her. She nodded and rubbed his back.
“Okay. Me first.”
She sat on the counter and let him feed her the eggs, toast, and fruit. When she finished the last bite, Abhay placed the dishes in the sink and then held her tight by the waist.
“Don’t make a mess.” She chided.
He nodded and watched her brush her hair aside. A sweet hiss and sharp bite into her throat made her cling to Abhay harder. His hand cradled her head and the other rubbed her back, keeping her heart steady in the rise of adrenaline.
Relax.
Piya moaned and leaned her head back more. Abhay took the opportunity to sink his teeth deeper for more blood. So sweet and warm. Fresh. Not at all like the blood bags. Once she reached her limit, he removed his teeth from her skin and licked the wounds clean. They began to heal on their own.
“You’re an addiction, jaan,” he groaned, fingers crumbling the marble of the counter. He kissed the site and helped her sit up. Not a stain in his face, only fangs. Piya held his hands. Their noses touched.
“Breathe.”
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Holding a creased paper of their daily itinerary in her hands, Piya lay on the couch and kicked her feet in the air, waiting for Abhay to get ready. He had planned so much for the day, and she couldn’t wait to venture outside of the house for a change. Though she enjoyed the bedroom escapades with him just as much.
His handwriting is so beautiful.
Abhay donned a simple black shirt and jeans, and peered over Piya to give her a forehead kiss. Piya gazed upwards, and smiled, sitting up. He took her hands.
“Ready? You look excited.”
“That’s because I am. Let’s go!” She stomped her feet quickly and dragged him outside to the car. Like a schoolgirl on a field trip, she wanted it to get going as soon as possible. This was her first time abroad. There was no time to waste. First stop was a famous street market.
They passed by the Musikverein once again on their drive, and Piya peered out the window eagerly. Abhay smiled and took her hand, placing it in his lap. The concert was for tomorrow, along with another surprise afterwards. He planned to present the tickets to her the day of, a smaller surprise before the bigger one.
She wanted photos of everything and everywhere. The smallest and most unique of stalls and with the locals running them. Abhay became her translator. Everything he spoke in German, her heart began to flutter. The fluency and confidence in his tone was attractive.
At the entrance, she asked for a picture of them two together.
“You’ll show up in the camera at least right?,” she asked. Abhay chuckled and nodded. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Piya noticed some stares by some descript folks passing by, as she searched for someone to bother to take their photo. They moved quickly when she made eye-contact. Feeling some uneasiness, she grabbed Abhay’s sleeve and looked around. He looked at her, and touched her hand.
“What happened?” He looked around to find some of those individuals staring. He shook his head and cupped her cheek. “It’s fine. Those of my kind are everywhere, especially some judgemental ones.” He flashed his eyes red for a second, and those watching scurried off into the dark alleyways.
“It won’t get easier, will it?”
“Just ignore them, Piya. We have each other, don’t we?”
She nodded, and held up the camera. After finally asking several strangers to take their photos, she went through the camera to make sure Abhay wasn’t lying to her. He was there, with his dimpled smile. Piya beamed and showed them to him.
“Aren’t they nice?” She asked. He nodded and kissed her cheek, checking the photos together. Something normal, something peaceful.
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