Part 10

Cullen

It was her first expedition in months, and he had finally gotten back into the routine of his days. He settled back into the day to day of being back in his office, and barking orders as though he had never stopped. It seemed someone always needed him for something, or he was sending troops somewhere, or he had to handle a situation with the soldiers, or.. or.. or… The list was never ending.

It was late one night when he finally had been able to strip down to his small clothes and fall into his bed. It was still a strange sensation for him to be there rather than on a couch in Evie's quarters, but he was grateful for the space, especially when the nightmares came. He would never would tell anyone, but more than once while staying with Evie, he managed to throw himself onto the hard stone floor. He wouldn't ever tell her though. He was lucky not to wake her when it happened, because, he feared, she would never get back to sleep if he had.

His head was pounding, the familiar feeling of craving coursed through his skin. It was not one of his worst days, but he could recall better ones... The times he was with her, she somehow seemed to make it better, tolerable even. She made him want to be a better man. His thoughts drifted to times they spent together. Maker, he wanted more from her, but he could not, not after what happened. He needed her to feel the desire too. He felt a twinge in his gut, scolding him for having such thoughts, and he immediately was guilty. But the way she played with him that day in the secret library... the way she smelled of rose and jasmine wherever she seemed to go. The scent filled his memory as he drifted off to sleep.

He thought he had just dozed off when he heard the blaring of the horn signaling the return of the Inquisitor and her entourage. And he probably had, too, as the sky was black as ink when he opened his eyes. Fumbling for the lantern next to his bed, he turned the wick up slightly so he could see. It was so dark, he guessed the moon was clouded over, which would have made Evie's travel that much more difficult. Cullen reached for where he'd thought he had dropped his pants, but he couldn't find them. "Odd…" he said aloud, before reaching for the dresser that held his shirts. He couldn't get the drawer to open. He had half a mind to yell at Sera first thing in the morning, but the thought barely crossed his mind when he heard his door open quietly below. Deftly, he moved to the top of the ladder, looking to see who it was. He saw a soft glow of light and heard the door click shut, but no other sounds.

He knew Skyhold was one of the safest places he could be, but he never could be sure where an enemy would find a member of the Inquisition, and one could never be too careful. Cullen practically held his breath waiting to see if a figure emerged into his line of sight, such as it was with the darkness encircling him. He was not prepared to take out an intruder, nor was he really dressed to fight one, but he was going to have to make do if necessity dictated.

Slowly, the light made it's way to the ladder. Cullen held his breath and tried not to move. As a shadowy figure followed the light, he inhaled quietly before letting out a big gasp. It was a silhouette he would be able to pick out anywhere. Before the light could get any closer, he found himself half way down the ladder, racing to grasp the woman in his quarters. Evie had never come to see him in the middle of the night, especially right after returning home. She typically was in high demand, but she always required a bath and tea before settling down to work on business again.

"Evie! Eve-" He couldn't get her name out a second time before his arms were around her and his face was buried in her wild red hair. "You're back! So late? It's good to see you!" He wasn't sure where to start, he was just glad she had made it home from the excursion to the Hissing Wastes. When she didn't respond, he took a half step back to look at her. It was then that he realized something didn't look right. It was Evie, but she looked… off, somehow. The familiar, faint green light that usually emanated from her left hand was a pale shade of blues and purples. Her eyes looked sunken in, as though she hadn't eaten in weeks. It was then he realized this was not Evie. This was not the brave, strong woman he had come to know over the last months. He took another step back and shook his head.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" He demanded. he began making his way along the wall, feeling for anything he could use as a weapon. Why did his office seem so foreign to him?

"You will not survive." A voice that didn't belong to Evie croaked. "You cannot save yourself. You cannot save anyone." The figure moved toward him. Behind the form, Evie stood, his Evie. She looked broken down, and as soon as the shape moved from her, she sunk to the floor, her hands tied behind her back, her mouth gagged. She looked at Cullen with fear and pleading on her face.

"Demon, you cannot…" he continued feeling his way around the wall. "You… cannot… You cannot have her!" He felt the heat growing in his face.

"It is not her I want," the shape continued to morph. Before him transformed a Desire Demon, turning the light in the room shades of purple of blue. "But I will take her if I must."

"No!" He lunged toward her, but a small river of a deep blue liquid formed around her, springing forth out of the stone floor. He stopped before he touched it, reaching for her. The river was too wide to pull Evie across. Evie looked up at him, fear written across her face. He had never seen her so scared. "I will get you out of there."

The river - Lyrium he realized - set his blood on fire. A feeling like metal coursed across his tongue, and his head began to drum. He could dive in, and it would be gone. This all would be over. He could get to Evie, and his pain would be gone.

"You can't save her," the demon repeated. She raised her hand and made a whipping motion toward Evie, and a blue whip shot from her hand, whipping Evie across the face. Evie cried out, looking away, closing her eyes, and he saw the blood dripping down her face. The demon moved her titillating body seductively toward him, her bare breasts swaying, with their gold nipple rings reflecting the blue light of the room around him. "You are useless the way you are. Usless!" The s-sound sounded like a hiss off her tongue. "You know what you must do in order to save her…" The voice trailed off.

Cullen moved away from the river, looking at the Inquisitor, helpless to reach her, and the demon followed his moves. She moved closer to him, reaching out. The air around him became filled with a blue smoke. It swirled around him, caressing his shoulders as a lover would caress another. With another hand, the demon whipped at Evie again, drawing more blood. Evie screamed with pain, but Cullen could barely hear her now. He closed his eyes, and breathed deep, letting out a half moan that could only be brought about with the right type of touch. If he could just.. He could…Just a touch… from an old lover...

"NO!" He yelled, tears beginning to well. "No! Evie!" He finally found his way to his desk, but all he found was a lyrium set. He stared at it briefly.

"It's there and ready for you." The demon was close enough to caress his face. He picked up a vial in each hand, before smashing them both on the desk. Lyrium, broken glass and blood were all over his hands.

"I will not! She deserves better! I will not fail again! I will not let you take her from me!" He was sobbing, and flailing out to push the demon away. "I will not! No!" He sunk to the floor, looking at Evie, who could barely move, blood running onto her chin and shoulders, and he hung his head.