A bloodied Abhay was limping down the road, carrying a body on his shoulders and dragging another alongside. A wooden stake was sticking out his sides. His black jacket was torn, pants had cuts showing the partially healed wounds, eyes and the veins on his face were deep black, in a sharp contrast to his otherwise pale skin. His fangs were showing and were red with blood, the blood of the corpse. He trotted down a dark toad towards a mansion covered with thick black vines. There was a pungent smell, smell of death in the air all around. In the front yard which looked like a graveyard of left over bodies and flesh, crows and wolves lurked around feeding on it. But when Abhay arrived even they gave way for him. He threw the corpse around in the yard for the benefit of those other dwellers of the mansion. The not-yet-dead person obviously sensed the impending danger and started to thrash.
“Now you wish, you were dead like your sister, don’t you?”, Abhay said in grim whispering voice.
The body was of a boy, a teenage boy who opened and closed his mouth to shout but his vocal cords had been ripped out while ensuring he did not die from it. He could only shed tears as Abhay knocked on the door and threw him on the floor aside. The woman who answered also had a pale skin and her lips were colored red with blood. She was wearing a regal midnight blue gown and carried a golden chalice in her hand. She looked at Abhay with her one eyebrow arched.
“I had nowhere else to go.” Abhay pointed to the wooden stake jutting out of his sides. “Help me, I brought present”, he leaned sideway, resting his back on the door giving way to the view behind him. Her eyes started to shine a shade of red as she looked at the body of the boy. She threw the chalice away which made the sound of clang as it hit the floor and leaned near the boy. Her long nails delicately scratched the cheeks of her prey.
“For future reference, I like it when they scream. Its like music to my ears.”, she pointed out before sinking her long sharp fangs into the boy, who couldn’t even let out a single scream. Within seconds his body dropped on the floor, his eyes were wide open and horrified, and body was shrivelled after all the vitals had been snatched from him to renew the colors of his predator's cheeks and body, and replenishing her warmth. She tore a piece of cloth of the body and dabbed her lips to ensure nothing was dripping and then pushed his body on the ground with her legs.
“But he was tasty. Princess Maithili liked your present.”, she declared and gestured Abhay to get inside. Abhay barely took a few steps before he collapsed on the carpet. His skins was shrivelling fast and he was loosing life.
*
Abhay woke up next morning with candles lit all around him in a shape of pentagon. He touched his sides and found the stake had been cut out just on the edge of his skin.
“It can’t be removed; it was enchanted. It will have to stay inside unless you want to lose your life.”
He heard Maithili’s velvety voice. Once he was sure of the fact that he was very much alive and saved, his consciousness brought his half nakedness to his awareness. His jacket and shirt had been cut and lay in the corner. “Thank you for saving my life.”
He was about to get up when Maithili rushed to him, “You are not leaving, are you?”, she asked holding him down, caressing his cold hard chest, running her finger up his spine.
Abhay looked at her in the eyes knowing her intentions full well. “Just because I came to you for one help, doesn’t mean we will be together Maithili. I love only her.”
Maithili cringed away hearing about her. “You have grown weak. The Abhay I knew, would have easily broken free from a witch’s spell.”
“We are not having this conversation again.”, Abhay got up to leave.
“If you go out now you can burn up, your wounds are still raw. Not to mention everyone will know your reality this way.”, she said in a casual tone, just as Abhay reached the door, pointing to his bloodied body. “I’d offer you my clothes but I only have gowns and I don’t think they’d fit you all that well.”
Abhay pressed his lips together suppressing his displeasure. She had chosen convenient way of making him stay until after the sunset. He sat on an armchair across her looking out the window with hard expressions.
“hmm so frosty. Tub’s filled if you want to bath”, Maithili said and then disappeared from his eyes.
He didn’t see her all morning after that. He felt tired and dirty with all the blood and grass and mud and remnants of his victim sticking to his body. He climbed the floor up and into her bathroom and found a really large bathtub which was filled with water. He peered around to ensure she wasn’t around and finally when he didn’t find her anywhere, he decided to take the bath. He looked in the mirror and shook his head. “She is right about one thing. I should bathe.” He dropped his pants and remaining clothes on the floor and entered the tub. The warm water felt good and just as he relaxed his head on the edge of the tub, he saw Maithili, sitting across him rubbing the soap bubbles on her legs, humming gently. He didn’t see or hear her come. His face hardened again and he was about to get up, “You have maintained your body. I like it.” She knew how to get on his nerves. He didn’t want to be in the tub with her but he didn’t want her to see him naked more.
“Maithili-“,
“Relax it’s a large tub. We can both be here. Enjoy the meal.”, she said taking a chalice from a bat brought her. Another bat brought Abhay one chalice and offered it to him before flying out. Abhay enjoyed the drink sip by sip while Maithili watched him longingly. She got out of the water, took a towel and went by Abhay’s side, sitting on the edge, flaunting her figure. She dabbed the napkin on his chest and sides cleaning the blood from his long-healed wounds. Abhay’s hands fisted into ball under water and he refused to look at her.
“So, tell me Abhay, does your witch accept this side of you. This dark, dangerous, blood-thirsty, monstrous side or does she cringe away?”
Abhay looked at her eyes with empty expressions.
“While you know I love this darkness in you.”
She bent down and cleaned the blood of his lips with her tongue. Abhay closed his eyes and pursed his lips. She was about to dip her hand into the water to touch him when he caught her hand, pulled her closer with her chin as if to kiss her and with sad, pitiful eyes he asked, “Why are you being so cruel on yourself? Coming down on me like this knowing all well that I won’t put out. Throwing yourself on me like a rejected ex girlfriend who knows she has no chance. Is this your way of punishing yourself for betraying me or have you started to enjoy my pity? Do you get some validation out of all this when I reject you? Again and again? Because let me spell it out for you, once again Maithili. If you were the last girl on earth and you lay there warm and alive like a human, I will still not love you.” He left her chin with a jerk, got out of the tub, threw his pants and her robe on his body and leaving Maithili behind he ran back towards the one he truly loved. His Piya.
Edited by InfinitySoul - 2 months ago
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