Rain pummeled the earth, plants heavy and grass slick with its onslaught. Lucca walked shakily through the forest, one hand dragging along the rocky surface at the base of a bluff, wandering aimlessly in the storm. The others were dry within the shelter of camp, but the nightmares that had plagued her for months had her in desperate need of air. Lucca looked up into the black sky, streams of water dripping from her short hair and running down the curves of her face, the tunic she'd thrown on before leaving her tent clinging to her as it soaked through.
The dreams were always the same. She would relive the moment Crono stood before Lavos, helpless as his body disintegrated to less than dust. Its monstrous eye would turn to her, and suddenly it wasn't just Crono that was lost: the bodies of her friends were sprawled around her in a grisly display of the beast's power, of the hopelessness of their goal. An ear piercing screech would ring out, and Lucca would wake in a cold sweat.
She didn't understand why she still pursued this fool's errand. Their chances of winning were laughable, and she'd spent the last few months in a quiet despair as she tried to accept that she was chasing Death. She gazed dully into the night sky, dwelling on her bleak thoughts, until she was jarred from her brooding by a low, derisive laugh in the shadows behind her. Lucca whipped around, fire already heating the tips of her fingers, and found Magus hovering at the edge of the trees. His long hair was flattened from the rain, and his usual armor and cloak were absent.
She didn't get a chance to blink before he had teleported to her, hand wrapping around her lean throat as he slammed her into the cliff, her glasses hitting the wet ground with a splash and his searing, carmine gaze robbing her of air as much as his chokehold. He dipped his head to the level of her ear, and murmured in a menacing tone, "You dare raise your magic to me?"
As he spoke, his warm breath caressed her neck and a shiver coursed through her. Instinctively, she slid her hands up into the wet tangle of his hair and pulled his lips to her skin, pressing her body against him. Lucca felt him smirk against her throat.
"So shameless," he growled, the vibration of his voice causing a small moan to escape her. His hand slipped from her neck to her tunic, working the buttons there with practiced fluidity. When the last gave way, he plunged inside to grasp her breast, thumb strumming the pert bud. Her breath hitched as he slid one leg between hers, pressing her even harder against the cliff.
The jagged stone dug into her back, undoubtedly leaving bruises. Magus lifted his head from her neck to crush his lips to hers, the action jarring her head against the unforgiving surface behind her. She opened her mouth to receive him, and was rewarded with a merciless bite, teeth sinking into the curve of her lower lip. Her eyes rolled shut as she whimpered with equal parts pleasure and pain, the familiar taste of blood filling her mouth as it ran down her chin.
There was always blood with him, their trysts carnal – near violent. Even the first time she'd lain with him he'd been brutal. She had sought him out a few days after finding him at the North Cape, after waking from one of the dreams. Not allowing herself to think or feel, she'd rushed down the stairs and found herself pounding on the door to his room. As soon as he'd opened the door she'd thrown herself at him, covering his mouth in a desperate kiss. With a snarl he'd shoved her off, fury filled eyes meeting her wild and determined ones as she stumbled further into the room.
For a time, all had been still and quiet, save for the sounds of Lucca's harsh, unsteady breathing. His eyes – colder than ice – narrowed, lips curling to reveal pointed teeth. In a moment he was on her, pushing her callously onto the hard mattress, one hand restraining both of hers above her head while the other forced the thin nightgown she wore over her hips. She felt his nails graze the skin below her navel, followed by the sound of ripping fabric as he tore her panties cleanly off before working at the clasps of his trousers.
Before she had a chance to react he'd parted her knees and plunged into her so savagely she'd screamed. She wasn't naïve enough to think he didn't notice her grimace of pain with each punishing thrust, or the blood on the sheets after that marked his taking of her innocence. And she wasn't naïve enough to think he cared. She didn't give a damn either.
It meant she was alive.
Things had continued from there, each encounter as vicious as the first. Lucca craved the abuse, and he was more than willing to provide it. She knew what she was doing was dangerous, that getting caught up with Magus was a life sentence marked with cruelty – his possessive nature no secret. But even if he would allow it, she didn't intend to stop; not with the life she felt rush into her with every mark he left.
Lucca gasped as Magus released her swollen, purpled lip, his own teeth stained red as he slid down her body, sharply nipping at her as he moved, sending jolts of desire through her. The blood from her mouth briefly clung to her skin before the rain carried it down her frame in small tendrils, his teeth leaving raised welts where they made contact with her flesh. His hands grasped the waistline of her shorts, yanking them down harshly. Lucca lifted one leg, allowing the garment to fall to the ground and free herself from their confines. This move did not go unnoticed by Magus, and he caught her by the thigh, fingers digging into the supple limb as he lifted it higher and descended onto her sex.
Lucca stiffened in surprise, the heat of his mouth scalding in contrast to the cold rain battering the forest, and soon found herself quivering against his tongue, hands balling into fists within the dripping mass of his hair. She barely stiffed a cry as he bit down on the nub between her legs, sucking on it mercilessly. So distracted by this, she didn't feel his other hand slide from her hip to the inside of her thigh, until he forced two long fingers into her depths.
This time she couldn't suppress it, her cry echoing off the rocks and drifting into the forest. Ruthlessly, Magus moved his fingers, claws scratching her innermost places while his tongue and mouth continued their ministrations. Tears pricked at Lucca's eyes from the intensity, her breathing ragged and interspersed with choked moans as the one leg she had on the ground trembled, threatening to fail her. Just as she thought she might split into two with her release, knuckles white in Magus's hair, he suddenly stopped, issuing one final, harsh bite onto her inner thigh. Lucca mewled in desperation, eyes heavily hooded as she gasped for air, eliciting a dark laugh from the man in front of her as he stood. Vaguely, she heard the sound of fabric hitting the wet forest floor
"Not yet," he crooned, voice an addictive poison as he looked at Lucca with a glint of malice. His hands slid back down her body, over the curve of her backside, snaking under both of her thighs as he hoisted her off the ground. "Not when I haven't had my fun."
He punctuated the last word with a violent thrust as he pulled her down onto his length. A shriek mottled with a sob tore through Lucca's throat, her cunt – sore from his claws raking along the inside – sharply protesting the sudden invasion. Magus took no heed of this, already beginning to pound into her. Lucca's back hit the rough stone of the cliff with every movement, the sharp edges leaving cuts and scrapes, her legs bobbing limply at Magus's sides as her discarded, rain-soaked shorts hung from one ankle.
The shock and pain began to subside as ecstasy consumed her, small moans and gasps escaping every time her back made contact with the rock behind her. She brought her hands over his shoulders, nails biting into his pale skin as she urgently clung to him. Magus shifted slightly, his cock striking her most sensitive spot. Throwing her head back against the stones, eyes sliding shut, Lucca inhaled sharply. In her fervor she raked her nails upward from where they were embedded in Magus's back, leaving jagged lines that quickly bubbled crimson and washed away in the rain.
With a snarl Magus released one of her legs and brought his hand up to twist into her tousled wet hair, wrenching her head to the side to expose the delicate skin at the base of her neck. He bit down viciously, inhumanly sharp teeth burrowing deep into her shoulder, adding to the mesh of silver scars he'd left there in the past. Lucca's eyes snapped open at the hold on her throat and gazed heavenward, a scream tearing through her from the intense pain-turned-pleasure as she came undone. Her climax seemed to last an eternity, his teeth still locked in her flesh while blood poured from the fresh wound. It mingled with the rain and ran down her chest, scarlet ribbons framing her exposed breast before they dripped down onto the ground.
Magus's movements grew more frantic as she spasmed against him, her free leg in a vice at his hip, and with one last feral thrust he grunted, his seed gushing into her with each throb of his cock. They stayed that way for a time, each breathing heavily. Finally, he let go of Lucca's shoulder and withdrew from her body, eliciting a whimper from her as the wounds began to ache.
She leaned against the bluffs on shaky legs as he pulled his clothing back on, and didn't resist him when he gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He ran his thumb over her bruised lip, smirking cruelly.
"Remember, Lucca," his voice was low and serious. Dangerous. It sent pleasure filled chills down her spine even as she felt her legs become sticky with semen, certain that she was bleeding from her cunt too. "Remember who it is you belong to."
Rivulets ran down his silver-blue hair as he glided away, leaving Lucca to clean herself up. Despite the injuries that she would have to explain away in the morning, and the veil of a threat Magus left her with each time they met, Lucca smiled.
This was no act of love; it was merely confirmation of life. If she was going to pursue an early grave, she would look into the hostile, red eyes of Death and fuck him.