Dimande

Despite the fact that I had barely slept, I was feeling more alive than ever.

Making love to Usagi was unlike any other thing I had ever done. She smelled of sweet vanilla, she tasted of honey. Her lithe body spread and folded underneath me, on top of me, around me, and if I would've died that night, I would've been a happy man.

But as the first signs of light crested through the window, I knew our fate would be inevitable. Pitre wanted to know today whether Usagi would help him. What she agreed to, though, was irrelevant and I knew that. The seething bite of regret tugged at me. I knew from the beginning that Pitre's story didn't sound right, but I was more concerned about getting what I wanted from him. Back then, it didn't matter to me that Usagi could be spit up and chewed out under his callous rule.

Now, as Usagi slept, I knew there was no possible way I could let him lay a hand on her.

I did not want to manipulate her into using the crystal for Pitre. I did not want her to resist him and risk falling to him, either. Once again I had made a mess of things because of my shortsightedness and greed.

When it was all over, I promised myself, when we were finally rid of this, I would do anything to be with her and to make this all a distant memory. When I restored the Black Moon Clan to its former glory, I would take her as my queen by my side and I would never let a day pass that she did not feel loved.

She stirred next to me, her blue eyes fluttering open, hooded under the veil of sleepiness. Her pink lips parted and sighed, and all I could picture was them wrapped around my length, the look of passion swirling through her and she let me enter her mouth. Blood rushed and I could feel my cock twitch with insatiable need.

"Good morning," she whispered. She was lying on her stomach and the blankets were tangled in the crooks of her legs. Propping herself up on her arms, she shimmied toward me and planted soft kisses along my bicep. The sheet around her chest shifted down and out spilled her delectable breasts, her pink nipples pert against the fabric. Before we had gone to bed, I wondered whether she would wake up feeling shame. I was relieved to see it was anything but that.

"Good morning," I tucked my chin down to catch her lips. I wanted to drink her in so, so badly.

As we kissed, she moved closer to me, shaking herself loose from the tangle of blankets. She pushed herself up and crawled on top of my thighs and I could feel her bare skin around mine. After the previous night, I would've thought it impossible that the feel of her would continue to shatter me over and over, but as she pressed herself into me once more, it was like the very first time all over again.

She brought her mouth to mine and hungrily I responded. These were not soft, gentle kisses—they were rough and wild and bursting with passion. Her breasts lingered on my chest and the sheet that had barely covered her before fell to her hips.

I brought a hand down to her center and I nearly came undone at the feel of her wetness. As I explored her, a surge of lust throbbed through me, and I felt myself harden even more against the feel of her thigh. She bucked her hips up, positioning herself right on top of me and pushed down. I closed my eyes and savored the warmth.

She rode me slowly and sensually, filling every moment with a closeness I had never experienced before. I leaned forward and took one of her breasts in my mouth, playfully biting her nipple. Oh, how I loved to hear her moan, and every time my teeth grazed her, she let out an intoxicating whimper that made my dick even harder.

"Do you like that?" I whispered against her flesh. She said nothing, only nodding her head and gasping in my ear.

She continued to thrust her hips, moving them in a circle as she rose and fell. It wouldn't take long for her to reach her peak. Her nails dug into the backs of my shoulders and all I could do was look at her face as she reveled in her pleasure.

When I felt her tighten around me, I immediately reached my climax, not even caring that I was still inside. We sat together for a moment, letting our orgasms ride out against one another, and it was such a sweet sorrow when she moved off and laid back down.

"Dimande," she said breathlessly. "You're like a drug."

"I could say the same for you," I laughed, kissing her forearm. "And while I hate to be the one to ruin a good thing, we need to talk about Pitre."

Her expression went somber but it wasn't necessarily sad. She sat for a few moments, collecting her breath as she collected her thoughts. When she turned back to me, I could see in her eyes that she had made her decision.

"I am going to help him," she said quietly. "I don't know if it's a mistake to do it, but if what he says is true, I think he deserves a chance."

I nodded my head. For a brief moment, I considered talking her out of it, but I simply could not. Was it cowardly to do? Yes. I should've grabbed her, begged her not to let him take her magic, but without it, I was doomed to a life locked behind the Gates of Hell. I would never see my brother alive again, I would never avenge my people for the life they were subjected to. So I simply let her peel herself from the bed and walk into the bathroom to clean herself off.

Rubeus was waiting for us when we arrived downstairs and I could see by the smug smile he wore that he knew exactly what had transpired. Usagi gave me one last coy look before she walked toward the dining room. As I dug in my heel to follow, Rubeus pushed out his arm to block my path.

"Fraternizing with the enemy?" He ribbed. I rolled my eyes.

"So what if I did?" I shot back.

"Seems like an odd plan since you know what's most likely to happen," he said coolly. "Fall in love with the very person he wants to destroy? Now, how will you cope when things go south?"

"They won't." My jaw clenched. "I will make sure of it."

He laughed and crossed his arms, fluttering his eyes mockingly. "How romantic."

He didn't say anything else, instead opting to walk into the dining room with a confident saunter, all the while chuckling to himself. Despite my protest, he was right, and a growing ball of agony cemented itself firmly in my chest. If I were a smarter man, I would've never let my lust get between what was already a shoddy plan. Unfortunately, I had sunk my teeth a little too deep.

We sat at the dining room table and none of us said much. Usagi was blushing the entire time, casting flirty glances for the duration of our meal, and Rubeus enjoyed it all a bit too much. He was never a believer in my plan and now that I had entangled myself with Usagi, it was clear he wanted me to fail.

Was this revenge for what I had done to him before? If it was, I couldn't say that I didn't deserve it. My wrongdoings had been my motivation for expelling myself from the River and for sidling up to Pitre despite knowing what it might cost. And now another transformation was taking place, one I never imagined happening. Usagi had only been with me a few short days, and yet her hold on my mind choked the evilness right out of me. She believed I was a better man. In reality, I was someone who arrogantly looked past my flaws over and over again. For the first time in my life I desperately wanted to fix things.

The shadow of Pitre's power loomed over all of us and I wasn't sure what to expect when we all finally came face-to-face again. If there was ever a time to offer a mea culpa, it had to be now. I put my napkin down on the table and sat for a while, deciding what exactly to say.

"Rubeus," I said finally. "I haven't had a chance to tell you this before, but I'm sorry for the way things ended between us back on Earth a few years ago."

He gave me a skeptical look and considered whether to laugh or to offer a genuine smile. He took a long drink of water and watched me, searching for a sign of genuine remorse. My night of raw, pure love had already peeled back the suffocating layers I had put around myself and I hoped that he could see my heart was true.

"You never mentioned it," he said with a sincerity I had not heard from him in as long as I could remember. "Thank you."

Usagi looked pleased, and I hoped Rubeus would not see this as a means to impress her with my newfound personal growth. But he maintained his smile and continued tucking into his breakfast making no snide remarks or casting side-eyed glances for the remainder of our meal. After that, each of us remained silent, but I'm sure all of our minds were as loud as my heart was beating.

Pitre met us at the end of the meal in the salon where we spoke the previous night. His dark figure floated ominously and again the overwhelming feeling of shame nearly caused me to tell Usagi to run. Making a change in my life required baby steps and to defy him was much too far beyond my emotional capacity.

Pitre did not move, safe for his long, black cloak drifting in an non-existent wind. There was a power that encircled him, one that was not quite there in the River. If you stood close to him in his death-like form, you could feel the vibration of him scratching across your skin. I knew what being in the presence of dark magic felt like and up until then, I had blissfully ignored the soul sucking pull he had on those around him. Now, though, it was different. While I was not afraid to crash into his orbit, the thought of Usagi succumbing to him made me sick.

Usagi walked up to him with trepidation, examining him cautiously as she pulled out her brooch from a hidden pocket lined on the side of her dress. It sparkled in her hand, and while I could not see Pitre's eyes under the dark hood of his cloak, I knew he was gazing at it like the rest of us.

"Pitre," she said softly. "I want you to know that if I do this, you have to promise me you will only do good."

He nodded, the dark cloak shifting as he did it, and the smoke that swirled around him slightly pulsed.

No. It was caught in my throat. Don't do it. Please.

It was an itch festering beneath my skin.

Stop, please.

An ache cracking in my bones, nearly bringing me to my knees.

Don't help him, Usagi. Don't.

But I was breathless. The words were locked in my throat, wound so tight I was unsure that I could even manage a squeak if I tried. And by the time I had even mustered the courage to release a sound from my lips, Usagi was already transforming into Sailor Moon.

Her scepter in her hand, she extended her arm and pointed it at Pitre. She called her power into its center, and a brilliant beam of light shot out in a glittering stream. The darkness around Pitre shattered into a million little pieces and bleated against the light's incredible power. His body twisted and contracted and his white, bony hands shot out from underneath the sleeves of his cloak.

A sparkle emanated from his skin, and what was once a swath of decay became new again. His hands shifted and formed into those of a young man with pinkish skin. The cloak, too, stripped away, revealing an emaciated face that was hollow and dark, shadows dancing across his cheeks that looked frighteningly like the dead. But as the magic overcame him, his face molded into that of a human—the one I remembered from the River

Pitre was short and boyish. Had he been so young when we first met? He barely looked like he had reached manhood. How could a being so immature become such a malevolent creature? His eyes went from glassy grey to a brilliant green, and his black hair curled with a glossy sheen. Clothes appeared on his slender frame and he was dressed in a brilliant royal blue overcoat and pants with gold embroidery on the sides.

It killed me that he looked so much like my brother.

I was shocked. For so long I had been speaking to the dark Pitre, the one who hung in shadows and opined about his fleeting patience. He was ruthless and twisted; he was someone who did not mind crawling over others to accomplish what he wanted. The pink cheeked young man who stood in front of me was effervescent-a stark contrast to who he once was.

When the magic cleared and the smoke evaporated into the sky, Pitre stood examining his body. His hands ran down his front and the sides, and he whooped laughing at the realization he was alive once more. After catching his bearings, he rushed to Usagi and wrapped his arms around her in a grateful hug.

Perhaps I had overestimated Pitre's intent. Seeing him so jovial made me feel at ease—the pit of despair I subjected myself to walking into the room had drifted into the empty air. Maybe he was just a young man looking to avenge his people. Maybe his motivations were pure.

"Usagi," he beamed. "You've done it."

She examined him and a smile formed across her face. She was proud of the work she had done, and based on his reaction, she believed his intentions to be true. He grabbed her waist and spun her around like a bride on her wedding day and danced with her in a fit of glee. Rubeus and I watched gobsmacked.

He exchanged a look of confusion with me, and I responded with a similar sentiment, but we didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. If this was the real Pitre—the one unencumbered by the River and one free of a devious curse—we had actually managed to do something right. Despite it, my walls were still high.

I would believe it when I saw it.

"I cannot thank you enough," he grinned, putting Usagi down. "You truly are as wonderful as they say."

"Thank you," Usagi blushed. "I'm glad I could help."

"That wretched curse." I swore Pitre's eyes grew three times the size. "It was horrible, Usagi, I can't begin to describe it."

"If this was hiding underneath that," Usagi waved her hand in the air to the dissipating smoke. "I can believe it."

Pitre continued to finger his new jacket, pressing all of the buttons before finally running his hands through his thick head of curls.

"I know," he bounced up energetically. "This calls for a celebration."

Rubeus and I looked at one another again cautiously. Usagi, on the other hand, seemed to glow at this suggestion.

"Yes," he clapped his hands together. "A ball—here, tonight. If you give me some time, I can revive your brother and Esmeraude, and I can invite some of the deities that call this dimension home."

Before I had the chance to protest, Usagi was already nodding her head in agreement. This all felt like a very elaborate trap. My jaded sensibilities hounded me. Whatever he was conjuring in his mind might seem innocuous, but I was wiser. Evil men have a flourish that infects those in their crosshairs, and depending on who the victim is, it can stoke a false sense of security or an acute sense of fear.

But I let myself digress. His eyes sparkled and his smile was sincere. His face, now relaxed and full of a vibrant light, was dissuading me. As much as I tried to fight it, I wanted to believe this had been all a giant misunderstanding. Pitre was an innocent trapped in a life meant for a devil. He wanted to shower us—her—with adoration for the chance she had taken on him. A ball would be a reward well won, and it appeared Usagi thought so, too. It would be lovely to see her in a formal gown, I thought to myself, even lovelier to be the one to take it off.

So as Pitre sprung out of the room, chattering on about food and decorations and music, I simply let it happen. I let Usagi follow and fawn over him—I let her be proud of her decision to help a man down on his luck—and I did not question bringing her into this fold. It was my folly to believe that everything was exactly as it seemed.

If Pitre was acting, he was damn good at it.