A Faustian Bargain
Chapter 2: Chrono
OooO
I do come shackled with whatever people think I am.
-Kelly Lynch
OooO
Piercing, heated, ruby red eyes.
The eyes of a demon.
"Lookit that piece of shit."
Rosette was looking, all right. The wine-colored eyes gazed back at her, as sad and morbid as the falling rain. Long purple hair hung in a curtain around the demon's face, the color astounding against his pallid features. Leathery black wings sagged behind his back, torn in several places. Next to his mile-long legs Rosette first believed that his spine had popped out of his body. Upon more examination though, she could that it was a tail of some sort, ending in a deadly point. His fingers ended in the same sharpness.
He was chained up. Everywhere Rosette looked, metal links and weights were barring him down. He had two-inch wide cuffs around his wrists, held down by several chain links that secured him to the ground. His legs were bound down in three places-his ankle, his calf, and his thigh. More manacles extended across the wall behind him to bound his chest. Rosette had never seen something so shackled in her entire life.
"Mephistopholes," she whispered, having the overwhelming feeling to cry. He was nothing more than a circus animal chained up for the guard's amusement. How long had he been locked up like that?
"Hey!" Mr. Shelk was rapping on the plastic like a kid knocking on a fishbowl. "Stand up!" he demanded, roaring at his own joke. Rosette, still watching the demon, saw him weakly lift his arms but was unable to give himself any slack. Rosette's anger quickly turned on the warden.
"Stop it!" Rosette yelled at him, reaching out to grab the arm that was doing the knocking. "Leave him alone!" Mr. Shelk laughed, and before Rosette could process it he had slapped her across the face. She stumbled back, mouth agape in shock.
"Shut up, ya dumb bitch," the warden snapped. "He doan know what I'm doing. He's just some animal."
Unawares to the warden, the demon slowly lifted his head to watch them.
Rosette's face was on fire, and so was her blood. "You're the animal around here!" She screeched, throwing herself at him again. She managed to get one punch in on his chest before the vampire guards were restraining her. Their leather gloves squeezed her arms so hard that it forced all the air out of her body.
"Hold her still," the warden commanded. He fluidly slid the beating stick out of his belt. It was a long silver rod that could crack a man's skull in if swung hard enough. Rosette's heart went wild when she realized that he might just hit her with it.
That wasn't the case though. Instead he turned and started banging it on the wall of the cell. The sound it made was ear splitting. The demon's eyes slowly narrowed, and he began to tug at his manacles again. Rosette strained against the guards too, trying to make eye contact with the demon. Both shared in a helpless sort of desperation. One of the guards stood in her way, barring her vision.
Then Mr. Shelk turned to her. Rosette's blood went cold. "Miss Christopher," he clucked in a disparaging tone. "Finding it hard to breathe down here, aren't you?" Rosette couldn't answer him; she was too busy tearing him up in her mind. "I guess that's expected, since this place is seeping with despair. Pretty little thing like you probably can't handle all the evilness down here…"
"Screw you," Rosette panted out. It left her short of breath, but by darn it was worth it.
"Oomph!" she hacked as the warden's stick swung into her stomach. She was in shock for a moment, and then let out a deafening scream as the pain set in. Her rib felt broken.
Another roar accompanied her own scream. Despite the thick wall between them, Rosette heard it as clearly as crystal. It shook her to the core. The sound was unlike anything she'd heard before. She was sure no other animal could make a sound as livid as that.
"Oh, he's pissed now," one of the guards said.
"Like hell he is," the warden chuckled out. He grabbed her by the hair, making her scream more. The guards kept her from lashing out at him. The warden shoved her up against the plastic, her forehead and nose painful squished. Another roar came, nearly shattering her eardrums. She yelled again, because she was both terrified and because the sound was making her head throb.
Since she was being forced against the plastic, Rosette stared into the cell once again. The demon was watching her intently, his mouth open slightly to reveal deadly fangs. His chest heaved against the confines of the chains. His arms pulled insistently at the cuffs, and Rosette found herself urging him on in her mind. She desperately wanted to free him.
Mr. Shelk didn't laud the moment as much as she did though. While she was trying to fathom what the demon was really like, he began to resume banging on the barrier. No matter how much the sound drove the demon crazy, he was powerless to cease it.
"She's looks tasty, doesn't she?" the warden yelled, laughing. Rosette glared at him angrily, watching the demon's eyes in her peripheral vision. His body remained immobile but his eyes were quite active. He was becoming irate. The warden realized this too, and in a bout of spontaneity, struck Rosette across the face again. She cried out and the demon made another hideous shriek.
"I don't think it likes it when you hit her," one of the guards muttered. Mr. Shelk just laughed boisterously in his face. He laughed so hard spittle came out of his mouth. He had a few crooked teeth. Rosette wanted to knock them back into his throat.
"Doesn't like it? That thing looks at her and sees either something to screw or something to devour. It doesn't care about her." He laughed again and grabbed her by the front her shirt. The material twisted and wrinkled in his hands. "Here, I'll show you."
He nodded over to the end of the hallway. The guards frowned. "You think that's a good idea?" one of them questioned. "It might just tear her up…"
It wasn't an understatement to say that Rosette was extremely alarmed. "What are you doing to me?" she demanded.
"Shut up!" Mr. Shelk snapped at her. He turned back to the guards. "And it's fine. He's all chained up anyways. The whelp wanted to come down here too. Wanted to save a demon. Can't do that if she's behind a three foot wall, can she?"
The guards glanced dubiously at each other. "I don't know…." One of them whispered. "It hasn't had human contact like that for nearly a decade…it might freak out."
Mr. Shelk just smirked at them. He slid the beating stick back into place and readjusted his trousers. "That makes for a better show then, doesn't it?"
In that her fate was sealed.
"Let me go ya bastards!" she screamed and hollered as they dragged her around the back of the cells. Through another high security door was a dimly lit and faintly green-glowing testing center. Crosses hung from every corner and there was a sickening array of torture devices and scalpels. Rosette's screams turned fainter as she entered the room. Her stomach wasn't holding up so well and she still felt light in the head.
"Number 0077," the guards announced, standing her in front of a behemoth doorway. A huge Celtic cross barred the way. It took a card swipe, a guard identification, and several code entries to finally unlock it.
"Lucky number seven," one of the guards said, grabbing her by the wrist. He hauled her forward and pushed her up against the crack of the door. "Ain't no way in hell we're going in there, so we're just gonna throw you in real quick, alright sweets?"
"Better with him than you," she grounded out with vitriol.
The door made a tremendous creaking sound as Mr. Shelk and the guard dragged it open. It was barely a foot and a half wide when the guard roughly shoved her through the opening. Although she didn't resist, the guards still kicked her in. She landed on the ground with a sharp yell, the assortment of chains digging into her injured rib. She rolled onto her side with a groan.
The breathing was not much easier in here than it was out there. She still felt like a man recoiling from intense heat. Her rib felt fractured and she was beginning to hallucinate that it was impaling her stomach and inconspicuously bleeding out her insides. Seeing the myriad of lead chains was making her senile, she believed.
The walls were made of a black, unyielding stone and it was very cold. She could see the room in its entirety and there was no bed or even a toilet. Did he sleep? Urinate? She worried about the last time he'd eaten too. The floor held the same texture and temperature as the walls: frigid, grainy, and merciless.
Her ears were sensitive enough to pick up breathing, and Rosette became fully aware of where she really was. In what she hoped was an unnoticeable manner, she managed to shy away from the demon, putting a good seven or so feet between them. Although she felt sorrow at his predicament, it did not lessen the fact that being near him was intimidating.
The demon growled softly and then let out a cough. She frowned behind her curtain of blonde hair. She glanced quickly over at the demon, seeing his eyes clench as he swallowed. He looked like he was in pain. Even worse, the cough made it sound like there was nothing in his lungs. He was parched.
"Are you OK?" Rosette finally managed to ask, looking up at the demon. Intimidating, yes. She still couldn't shake a feeling of empathy for him though.
The demon's head drooped as he looked away. His chin hit his chest and Rosette thought for one startling moment that he had fainted. Then he answered, "I should be asking you that."
Rosette's mouth made an 'O' in shock. Velvet—that's all Rosette could think of. A rich, dark burgundy velvet blanket that wrapped around her frame and lulled her to sleep. The voice was a deep baritone that had a potential to be irresistibly seductive. Although she wasn't known for her daily contact with men, Rosette was sure that no other human male in the world sounded just like he did.
"Maybe," she said, a sudden feeling of complacency settling over her. She knew that any one in their right mind would be dashing for the hills. For some unexplainable reason though, she didn't feel like she was in any immediate harm. It had nothing to do with the chains, either. She thought that maybe it stemmed from the 'concern' he showed when she was struck.
"You shouldn't look so calm," the demon murmured in disapproval. His dry throat created a tone that was both husky and reproving. She nodded her head in agreement.
"I know."
Ever so slowly she slid her body over the chains, pulling herself closer to his body. The initial feeling of fear was slowly subsiding and she had an overwhelming urge to see him up close. The demon did not approve of this though, as his head shot up and he glared at her warningly.
"It's better if you stay back."
Rosette shook her head. "Why?" She glanced speedily at the chains and noted how compactly they wrapped around his body. The skin underneath them looked white and too tender for words. She just wanted to let him go. Was that too much to ask?
"Don't come!" The demon snapped, watching as she got within four feet of him. Unbeknownst to her, being in close proximity was hard enough for him. His chest ached with the need for human contact, but he couldn't allow himself the privilege. The last time he'd touched a woman…no. He wasn't going to let this poor girl any closer to him than she deserved.
"Don't touch me!" he snapped, when she reached out a curious hand to finger his tail. She quickly recoiled, hearing his tone of voice. He groaned in frustration, his head hitting the back of the wall as he leaned back. "Why aren't you afraid of me?"
"Am I…'posed to be?"
Rosette was crossing over a lot of invisible but definite lines, she knew, but she couldn't help it. Her lungs were close to bursting (which is why she was beginning to sound like an uneducated pig) and she was locked in a room with a male. Not just any male either, but a demon with claws sharp enough to penetrate the spinal chord. She was sure that went under Kate's list of Things Rosette Should Definitely Not Do.
"They want me to do something to you," he murmured, his beautiful voice traveling easy over the distance between them. "If you stay away from me and refrain from talking, they might let you out."
Rosette had an intense temptation to say that she would never want to be let out to go back with those men, but a quick look at his face told her he was in no mood to argue with her. She sighed softly and settled uncomfortably over the plethora of chains, trying as best she could to keep her hands to herself.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, getting the distinct feeling that she was intruding. Without waiting for an answer she laid back down, pressing her cheek against the cold surface of the floor. Lying and keeping silent were more merciful on her lungs and she nearly believed that she could stay like that for a while. She was locked in with a demon, she was going to die from lack of oxygen, and all was swell.
"Don't—" he began, watching her prone form.
Ping. Ping. Pingpingping.
The warden was banging on the cell wall again.
The warden was not happy that they were keeping their distance. Apparently she was cutting into his pornography reading time and he wanted compensation for that. She glared over at him, realizing how easy it was to locate where the sound was coming from. True, it was muffled by the plastic, but there was nothing that could veil where it was really coming from.
"Curse it," she heard the demon growl. A faint clicking sound drifted into her ear. A second later the cell became so blindingly bright that Rosette nearly saw God. She clenched her eyes shut, feeling like a celebrity trying to escape from the paparazzi.
And then the noise. It sounded like a million gates were being thrown open all at once. She was sure even the entrance to heaven didn't have a noise as riotous as the one she heard now. The shackles trembled beneath her legs and she had to firmly rest her hand on the floor to assure herself there wasn't an earthquake. She felt like she was five seconds away from being pulled asunder and hurtled to the center of the earth.
A sharp hissing sound made her eyes shoot open. She looked up to where the demon was…and saw an empty wall. Her scream died in her throat.
Hastily scampering to her feet, Rosette took in the new scene before her. Chains lay uselessly on the floor, no longer pulled taut against the ground. They now twisted and lay scattered like dead snakes. Cuffs were opened and without anything to hold. Blood that had been coating the other shackles was quickly congealing.
Rosette heard a loud rush of air and turned to look behind her. The demon was standing against the wall furthest from her, his hand braced against it for support. His chest had an assortment of bruises and every breath he took seemed to upset his body. He looked near collapse.
"What're you doing?" she demanded, not fully comprehending how he was completely unchained. She clambered painfully to her feet and stumbled toward him, one of her hands rubbing her injured side. The demon's eyes became wide as saucers as he held up his hand menacingly.
"Don't."
The warden was banging on the walls still. A swift glance in his direction told her he was the cause of the chains being released. She sighed. The man had a rape on his mind, she knew. She had a feeling though that even a small poke of the finger was a long way off with this demon.
"Please," Rosette said, holding her hands out, palms up. It alarmed the demon how unaware she was. Didn't she know what that looked like? Surely she knew what it meant to offer oneself to a devil…
"Sit down and don't touch me," he commanded, his lovely voice so full of quiet anger that she nearly complied with him. He was much more effective than Kate ever hoped to be—she should've been taking lessons from him.
"What's your name?" Rosette insisted, remembering how the criminals would often calm down once they realized she meant no harm. "I'm a nun," she added, not completely telling a lie. "I can help."
'A nun? Kill me.' The girl really was running bat-blind into a trap. The demon couldn't help but curse every deity out there for fitting him with her. Not did she emanate purity, but she was one of the holy ones, the few beings that he was absolutely banned from touching. Just to add to his list of insufferable dealings, she also happened to look just like her…
"It's better if you never know who I am," he whispered hoarsely, hating how her pretty face creased in sadness as he rejected her. He didn't understand why she was trying so hard to reach out to him. He was a fallen angel—he was nothing that she would ever want to have or ever even want to be near. He tried to console himself with the fact that she was young (painfully so) and didn't know what she was asking for. It wasn't helping much.
"Listen, I asked to come down here," she whispered, stepping closer. The demon looked close to murdering her for that simple act. Or maybe it was the words she just uttered. "I wanted a demon."
"Don't be foolish, girl," he said harshly to her, pushing himself flush against the wall as she refused to stop moving toward him. "I swear—if you—"
"Please," Rosette begged. "I help sinners."
The demon smiled weakly at the irony of it all. She helped human sinners, is what she meant. What could she do for him though? Could she really heal a demon was a past painted in blood? Was she good enough to wipe it all away and give him a clean slate? He wanted to believe that…but he was beyond all help's reach.
"Not this sinner," he whispered, shaking his head. She was in front of him now. His breathing had increased substantially and his heart was beating faster than it had in decades. "Don't," he tried again, his last warning.
"I have to," she said simply, and with that she laid her hand against his heart. He held his breath, closing his eyes. This wasn't happening, he attempted to convince himself. He wasn't beat into a corner, unchained for the first time in years. He wasn't standing here, letting a beautiful girl rub his chest as his legs threatened to give out beneath him. He didn't do things like that. He was just a sinner, and it was all he would ever be.
"I'll make a deal with you," she began.
"No," he whispered back quietly, eyes clenching shut. Memories of the last time a girl had said that rose up to meet him, threatening to drown him. Funny, how it was a nun that time too. He seemed to have a special taste for holy masochism. "Don't say that."
He wanted to remove her hand from his chest but he didn't want her to feel his claws. He didn't want to feel her yank her hand back in shock as she touched the hand that had killed many men, both demon and human. He didn't want to have to deal with this reality that she was suddenly heaping on him.
"Why—" she stopped. Her eyes widened. The hand that had been resting serenely against his chest suddenly curled as if she wanted to clench a fist. She didn't make it that far.
She began to fall backwards.
His sensitive hearing quickly picked up her heartbeat. He rapidly realized why she had stopped mid-sentence. Ever so slowly her heart rate was dropping. At the speed it was going, she would die before she even got out of the cell.
"Curse it," he growled, hating how that damn warden was stupid enough to bring her down. He should've known that the darkness was too much for a heart as clean as hers. Really, if she died down in his dungeon they'd have a lawsuit as big as Texas on their hands.
He quickly caught her before she hit the ground. Her eyes were frozen wide, and her mouth was parted slightly as she attempted to draw in ragged breaths. Her limbs dangled helplessly at her sides as her lungs fought for sweet oxygen.
His arms wrapped around her lithe form, not letting the sensation of her body against his reach his comprehension. He wasn't going to focus on how warm and small she felt; he wasn't going to allow himself the simple pleasure of thinking about her.
He carried her to the entrance of the cell, where she had been first thrown in. Releasing him was a blind and idiot move on the guards' part, he thought, as he was now able to put his muscles to good use. Settling her down on the floor for a moment (she resisted for a few seconds, grabbing feebly at his tattered shirt) he turned his attention to the monstrous door. There was no handle on this side of the door, but he efficiently made one as his fist impacted and caused a large dent. Even in her hazy state, Rosette couldn't help but be overcome with shock.
It took a few hits on his part to finally render the door useless. He was easily able to tug it open by the large, mammoth sized depression he had created in its side. When he pulled it open, two guards stood in front of it, guns lax at their sides. Their mouths hung open like basketball hoops.
He had his arms wrapped around her again when he spoke. "She's not breathing," he growled, red eyes bearing into the guard on the left. He was vacillating between shooting the demon and running for his dear life. Upon hearing the words though, he broke out of his stupor, yelling a string of expletives.
"Boss!" he screamed, running out to get the warden. His voice faded in the distance as he entered the hallway. "Boss, she's dying!"
The demon turned his bloody gaze onto the remaining guard. He remembered this one—the guard had a disgusting fancy for kicking him in the balls whenever he had the opportunity. The female in his arms was the only thing keeping the demon from ripping the defenseless guard to shreds.
The warden was back with the screaming guard seconds later. "Shit," he cussed, seeing Rosette's pale face and hearing her rattling sighs. "Get her out of here." He focused his eyes on the demon. "And you, get your ass back in that cell."
The demon didn't nod but instead released her from his hold. Although he hated the warden to the end of the earth, he knew that Mr. Shelk would let the girl go. He was smart enough to want to avoid any form of lawsuit. She would be free to breathe and live again. She would never step foot inside of the basement ever again. When she got married and had children, her meeting with him would all but be wiped clear from her mind.
That is, if she let go of his shirt.
"No," she gasped, hanging feebly onto him. The demon couldn't believe it. She was hanging by a thread for her life, and she couldn't leave him behind. Why was she torturing herself? Was she suicidal?
"What should we do?" one of the guards asked, watching the girl reach for the demon. Never had any one reached out for the creature like that.
The warden glanced at both of them. "Fuck it," he muttered. He grabbed the girl and threw her back into the arms of the demon. The demon looked about ready to let her fall to the ground than take her. "Take her."
"No," he ground out, moving back into the cell, pushing her toward them. "I won't."
"Shit boy, if you don't take her now, I'll kill every one of those prisoners up there and claim it was your doing," the warden threatened. "I'm not dealing with you anymore, ya hear that? You've been kept here for decades. Hell, see if I care if you go and massacre a whole other town." He pointed his finger to Rosette. "But if that dumb bitch dies down here, I'm in trouble, all right? So you take her, get her out of my damn sight, and go cause havoc in some other state."
The burgundy-eyed demon couldn't believe his ears. Was he being released? After all those years of imprisonment, he was being released on a whim? All for what, the puny creature in his arms?
The desperate heaving thing in his arms decided for him. With a growl venomous enough to poison a rock, he swiftly exited the lab. When he reached the hallway his stiff muscles shifted into action and he was able to fly over to the elevator. The guards easily let him pass as he boarded. The doors shut with a minute hiss and he was left alone in the space, a gasping girl in his arms.
"You'll be fine," he murmured, taking in her pained expression. His eyes were trained on her face, not once wandering lower. As the elevator rose higher her breathing returned with more confidence. By the time they had completely ascended, she was breathing easier and was resting her chest against his bloodied chest.
He walked down the dark hallway, out into the reception area. To the right he could see a bright yellow office with a woman inside. Seeing her sitting behind the desk, chewing gum, made him painfully aware that he was not human. His wings were already causing enough of a problem. He shrank back into the dark hallway, realizing the place was covered in policemen. Mr. Shelk might've set him free, but he had a feeling every one else wouldn't be that accepting.
"Hey," a small voice in his arms said. He looked down to see bright blue eyes staring up at him. "I can get you a jacket."
He frowned. "And how are you proposing that? You're in enough trouble as it is."
"We're in trouble," she reminded him. "Put me down." He willingly complied with her offer, needing to rid himself of her glorious heat. Years without contact…and then this? It was doing wonders for his sanity.
He watched uneasily (and a little curiously) as Rosette walked casually up to a coat rack in the corner of the 'regular' hallway. His eyes widened as she deftly grabbed one of the coats and walked back to it. He vehemently shook his head.
"No."
She shook the jacket at him. "Yes," she said. "We can't walk out of here with your wings sticking out like road signs. You have to cover yourself up until we can get back to my house."
"I'm not going anywhere," the demon ground out, moving back. "I belong down there."
Rosette took his hand. He jolted from the touch but she did not recoil as her fingers ran over his claws. "Do you really believe that? Come on, you were just granted arbitrary freedom. You should enjoy it."
"I deserve being down there."
Rosette helped him into the coat. "Oh, stop it. Your depression can sink the Titantic."
"Come on," she whispered, noticing how the demon was purposely not following her out. She sighed as he attempted to walk back to the elevator. "Hey!" She grabbed his hand. His eyes widened for a second, feeling her delicate fingers resting in his hand that was covered in dried blood. "Come on."
"No."
She glanced back into the hallway. From here she could see the receptionist. The old hag had gotten another piece of gum. "Will you melt in the sunlight?" Rosette asked, glancing back at the demon to gauge to his expression. He was frowning at her.
"No."
She smiled and tugged his hand forward. "Then lets go." They stepped out into the corridor, passing by the receptionist's office without her realizing it. They passed by a number of policemen, none of them giving the time of day. He couldn't believe how oblivious they were. They walked out of the entrance, passing by the same guards from that morning. If they found it odd that she had come in alone and left with a new companion, they did not say anything.
Hand-in-hand, Rosette and the demon traveled down the steps toward her beat up truck. Miraculously no one had stolen it. She liked to believe that had it been stolen, only good could've resulted from it. And besides…he could've just flown her home.
"What's your name?" she asked as she unlocked his side of the car. He refused to get in. She wasn't looking forward to forcing him inside the house. She had to wonder if she should go back to get some chains from his cell. She was sure she'd have to bind him to the car seat to prevent him from throwing himself out the window.
He didn't answer. She put her hands on her hips. "Hey, I have a rule. I have to know your name before you can ride in my car. It keeps my virtue safe."
He was in his right mind to tell her that her virtue had been destroyed the moment she held his hand. He just shook his head though. "What kind of rule is that?"
"My rule. Hurry up; my mom is going to kill me. I'm an hour late!"
He sighed and bent down to wrap his hand around the door handle. "Chrono," he answered finally. "Happy now?"
Rosette laughed. "Yes, Chrono Happy Now." He frowned at her and slowly slid himself into the car, grimacing as he was forced to lean against his wings. He couldn't shake the effect off of all that happened. Not to mention, he was also wearing a stolen jacket and was about to ride in a car with a young nun.
"My mom is going to kill me," she said conversationally. "Not just for being late either." She rubbed her rib one more time, frowning at the pain it was giving her. She glanced over at him, seeing how he was tugging in irritation at the jacket that was too short on him. "Oh, don't go yanking your wings out when I'm driving. I'm not that good to begin with and you might scare me," she warned.
He snorted. "I'll try not to puke."
Rosette smiled and started up the car.
OooO
A/N: How was it? I went through three versions of this before finally deciding on this. This doesn't even have the actual deal in it either! That's coming next chapter.
Chrono is so resigned and depressed, huh? I had to think for a while if I wanted him chained or not. It was also hard for me to decide what Rosette's reaction would be. My first version had her as terrified as hell, and I didn't like the atmosphere it created. The next one she was way too curious (almost to the point of being dirty). In the end though I think this one is sufficient enough.
Thank you for those that reviewed! I appreciate it a lot. It really motivates me, and I need a lot of that! It's intimidating writing in a new area, after all.
Next chapter: Rosette's a thief! And Kate discovers that Rosette brought home a "pet"…
Review or I will refuse to write! Ha!