CHAPTER FOUR

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BONDED SOUL

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‘Now, only death can sever that bond, my love.’

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A profound stillness enveloped them as their souls locked in a harrowing gaze. Allen, overcome by terror, couldn't suppress the silent cascade of salty tears that streamed down his cheeks, glistening on his flushed skin. His wide eyes remained locked with the girl, whose scarlet irises beheld a macabre sight: her eyes and mouth oozed mahogany-hued blood that flowed in rivulets, staining her pale neck.

"Who is she, really? A zombie, perhaps? But wait, can a fictional character manifest in the flesh? Pull yourself together, Allen!" Allen's mind swirled in turmoil as he grappled with the possibility of her being a living character from fiction or the unfortunate encounter with a home-invading murderer.

She wore a short Victorian-inspired black dress, ending just above her pale knees. Black lace stockings and long laced-up shoes accentuated her slim, pale legs. A Victorian-style choker adorned her delicate neck, adorned with black rubies and black laced chains with ruby embellishments, while her long, sharp, claw-like black nails hovered near his tear-streaked cheeks. What highlighted her features more like a sore thumb was the bright raspberry-red color of her long and straight hair.

Her dark claws, which still rested upon the boy's trembling lips, gently brushed across his soft porcelain cheek, leaving a minor scratch that began to ooze blood. However, Allen remained captivated by the terrifying spectacle before him, panting heavily and soaked in sweat, oblivious to the slight swelling on his moistened cheek.

Observing the fragile state of the human boy, the girl with raspberry-colored hair lowered her hands from his lips, allowing him to breathe freely. She couldn't help but notice how adorable and innocent he appeared. Realizing that the boy was recovering, she gently grasped his wrist with her ice-cold hand.

Allen flinched but didn't pull away, too paralyzed by the unholy and diabolical presence before him to make a move.

Allen longed to scream and unleash a torrent of questions, but his fear was so overwhelming that he believed uttering a single word might sever his head from his body. He found her utterly brutal despite his complete ignorance of the girl in black before him. Her demonic presence was like an approaching tidal wave, filling him with dread akin to the relentless surge of ocean waves.

Her scarlet eyes ensnared the quaking boy's very essence as she guided his injured hand to her lips, where she began to sensually lick away the blood. To Allen's bewilderment, there was no pain, only an unexpected rush of pleasure coursing through his tense body. He was utterly perplexed, a faint blush gracing his cheeks as he observed the girl's artful yet wickedly sinful act of tending to his wound.

What sin had he committed to warrant this bizarre encounter? Had it been the relentless studying that left no room for leisure? He couldn't recollect any sinful act; after all, he had dedicated his life to learning from the moment he was born.

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As he attempted to withdraw his hand, the girl's pale fingers clamped around his delicate wrist, tightening their grip to the point where he winced in pain.

He shifted his gaze from her scarlet eyes to his hand, where the wound had mysteriously vanished as if it had never been there. This left him utterly bewildered. When he looked back at the girl, anxiety etched across his face, she found herself captivated by his every expression and gesture, as if she were reading an open book.

Her lips curled into a faint smile before her face transformed, the blood disappearing to reveal her deadly pale visage once more.

Despite her beauty, the earlier gruesome spectacle smeared across her face gave her an exceptionally sinister and ominous appearance, unlike any girl on the planet. Although there was little distance between them, she leaned in and noticed that Allen stood an inch shorter than her when she wore high-heeled shoes.

She chuckled with amusement before leaning in and delicately running her tongue over the boy's quivering cheek twice, miraculously erasing the small scratch and leaving behind a rosy blush. She pulled back, extending her clawed fingers to gently stroke his flushed cheek as she whispered, "I suspect you're quite in the dark about who I am and my purpose here in your home, aren't you?"

Allen's eagerness to unravel the mysteries was evident in his quick nod, but he couldn't muster the courage to meet the girl's scarlet gaze. Her very presence had a paralyzing effect on him, leaving him in a state of utter terror. How could he dare meet her eyes when she possessed the power to instill sheer dread?

The raspberry-haired girl smirked before licking her lips while thinking about how ravishing the boy looked in front of her that she really wanted to devour him. After all, innocent and virgin souls always had tasted the best, and… Allen was one of those rare souls.

Since his age, many teenagers have drowned in the ocean of unpleasant pleasures and even in seven deadly sins.

Two minutes passed in silence, during which the girl lost herself in her own thoughts and desires concerning the boy. Allen, summoning every ounce of his fractured courage, finally mustered the strength to pose a hesitant question, his voice marked by a nervous stammer, "U-umm... w-w-who are y-you? How did you-you get in here?"

"Not who, but what. Allow me to introduce myself, my dear. I am Circe, the demon you summoned and to whom you've bound your soul through a blood pact. Now, only death can sever that bond, my love," Circe responded, her voice a blend of intimidation and velvety allure, sending shivers down Allen's spine. He stuttered in response, "What? I-I think there's a misunderstanding because I didn't perform any pact. I-I don't even know anything about this demon stuff. More importantly... I never had any idea if demons truly existed or not."

Circe's dark smirk deepened as she took Allen's chin in her hand, a touch that bordered on painful, guiding his face up to meet her gaze. Leaning closer, she brushed her lips gently against the trembling boy's, all while saying, "Then, how did you acquire that rather nasty wound in the center of your palm?" Allen found himself utterly overwhelmed by the attractive demon's proximity and the startling revelations she delivered with a force akin to a hitting bulldozer.

His breaths came in pants, and his heart thundered, for even the slightest word would surely result in their lips brushing together, an inadvertent kiss hovering on the precipice. The proximity was that intimate, while Circe tenderly caressed his flushed, warm cheek with her dark claws. Oh, how those menacing talons sent shivers down his spine.

Allen couldn’t move away either because his back was already pressed against the countertop so, he had no chance, but to mumble out a few of his words, “I-I... umm... g-got-” Three unintentional and innocent pecks made the boy flush up madly while the demon was hungry for more.

Rather she was hungry for something else. Something that she knew this boy wouldn’t be fond of.

Allen came to an abrupt stop, his thoughts veering back to the ritual he'd witnessed at the graveyard. His breath hitched as he realized how they had inadvertently formed a pact. As this realization dawned on him, Circe observed the fear in his deep ocean-blue eyes.

In response to this revelation, Circe couldn't help but entertain sinister thoughts, her scarlet eyes gleaming with a malevolent smirk. She knew that this night was far from over, and she eagerly anticipated the torment she could inflict on the mesmerized young man.

Their awareness of the impending darkness weighed heavily on both of them.