His eyes were maddened as they looked upon the wall of his bedroom, covered in newspaper cuttings and crime scene photos, his arms hugged tight around his chest as he sat on the bed and mumbled to himself, occasionally moving to look at his hands before returning to his ramblings.
"Why haven't you come to me yet? My queens, my fiery angels of death, my ice cold ladies of truth… Is my tribute not enough?"
Clutching his head, he gave a pained shout of grief at the thought of his beloved Alabama Arsonists not seeing the feelings of his work. They had taught him the truth, they had shown him the light and he wanted to show to them in return that he understood their hearts, the burning passions of their desire… That he loved them equally for all their bloodstained glory.
"Mitchell, are you ok?"
His eyes snapped to the door of his room, the sound of his Omega mother's voice through the wood making him grit his teeth in panic. She'd never enter the room of her young Alpha son. She was nothing like his beautiful goddesses, they would have just barged in without care for gender status, seen the memorial that he had created and judged him without care for Alpha or Omega protocol. His mother could never be like them.
"I'm fine!"
Not yet. He couldn't be discovered yet. His work, his homage was not yet complete. But how could he show to the murderous pair that his work was a celebration of them?
His eyes re-lit with a fresh fire of insanity as a thought crossed his mind. Yes, it was perfect but it would take time, as all perfection must.
"Hannibal, what did you do?"
Will felt nervous as he looked upon the small gathering within Hannibal's parlour, watching as two Omega's flitted from guest to guest with grace and poise he had forgotten they could hold, their smiles genial but clearly staged to his empathetic mind. Something seemed strangely tamed about the pair. Felicia didn't have the calculating gleam to her eyes and Sera was wearing clothing that actually covered her ass and breasts this time. Something felt off and Will just knew in his gut that Hannibal was behind it.
Hannibal merely smiled and kept his eyes upon both Felicia and Sera, knowing that neither would dare set a foot out of line for this particular dinner party. After the disaster of his last dinner party, he had decided to make another attempt but on a smaller scale. Or, more particularly, without Alana present.
"Your insinuation wounds me good Will. I have taken no part in their good behaviour this evening"
*4 hours previously*
Hannibal could hear their laughter from inside the guest bedroom that Sera would be occupying that evening as he stood on the other side of the door, could hear them joking about their antics at his previous attempt at a dinner party as he wrapped his knuckles gently against the wood.
"Come in"
Felicia's voice was filled with mirth as he entered the room and greeted them separately, a kiss to Felicia's cheek and a genial smile to Sera as the pair seemed caught in the process of choosing their attire for that evening. He grimaced slightly at the revealing ensemble that Sera seemed to putting together, an overly revealing tank top and what appeared to be mini shorts that would barely cover the Omega's backside. He would not tolerate another farce like the last time. Turning to Felicia, he couldn't help but smile as he realised how far they had come since the sisters awakening from the coma, her smile was no longer faked or deceiving. She was genuinely happy to see his face.
They were both so close to regaining their perfection. His beloved mate, her sister that he felt was his own. His family was so close to completion.
"I won't keep you long. I simply saw fit to give you advice for tonight"
Felicia watched him carefully as he began towards the wardrobe at the other end of the room, a dangerous air encasing the Alpha as if to warn them that his next words were deathly serious.
"It is fair to say that, after the disaster of our last dinner party, I have endeavoured to lower the risk of this latest attempt. Dr Bloom shall not be present so as not to antagonise you, my beloved Felicia, and both caffeine and sugar shall feature at the end of the evening"
Sera was watching him also, ready for fight or flight if she needed too as he opened the wardrobe door and pulled two dresses from within. Both simple but different in their designs, not too fancy for the evening but tasteful, one a pale shade of teal that reached to knee length and had a modest neck line and long fluttering sleeves. This was clearly intended for Felicia.
The other was slightly longer, the flowing skirt reaching mid-calf and a beautiful shade of mystic purple, sleeveless with no neck line to show off any cleavage. Sera knew that this was Hannibal's way of telling her to keep her flashing to a minimum without actually putting it into words.
"I'm sure I do not have to emphasize the importance of tonight. If even the smallest of incidents occurs to throw my careful planning into chaos… The brimstone that I shall reign down upon the perpetrator shall be enough to make even God jealous. Are we understood?"
He didn't wait for an answer, simply left the room, laying a final kiss to Felicia's cheek as she and her sister stood in shocked horror, both barely registering the door closing before Sera broke the tension that had been left in his wake.
"Well shit! Who stuck a cactus up his ass?"
*Present time*
Hannibal concealed his smile as he took a gentle sip of his wine and continued to watch the girls. It seemed his persuasion had worked perfectly. Dinner had been a perfect occasion with nothing but pleasant conversation from the sisters and the occasional joke on his part, even some light teasing between himself and his mate. Just like old times as they gave the pretence of a normal mated couple to those around them.
Now, with post dinner drinks in full swing and Sera capturing the attention of her fellow guests with her humorous stories and well-practiced gift for entertaining, Hannibal could honestly say that he could not have been happier with the outcome as Felicia made her way towards him and made the night even more spectacular for him as she allowed him to bring her to his side and accepted his arm around her waist.
"Hannibal?"
"Yes my love?"
Her smile was small but beautiful to his keen eyes as she kept her eyes trained on the guests before them.
"I know that we have had our differences and I am aware that neither I or Sera have regained all of our memories yet but… If I could freeze time in this moment, I would do it in a heartbeat… I love you"
"As I love you dearest"
They shared a look before being drawn back into the activities of the night, both drawing apart to carry on their roles of host. But Felicia could feel a low undercurrent of tension still within the room, coming from two separate points, only one of which she could pinpoint as she noticed the heated glances shared between Sera and Will as they seemed to dance around each other. She knew it was because of Sera's impending heat, she just hoped her sister would not have the same misfortune as to break like she had done.
That only left the final source of tension. She felt that she was being watched. Like they were all being watched. Had Hannibal noticed it too as she occasionally found his eyes scanning the room also? What of Sera and Will? Unlikely in their current state. She took a moment to breath and clear her mind. She would not voice her concerns now. But whispered a single promise o herself before immersing herself in conversation once more.
"Later"
He stood in the night air, their figures clear in the window of the grand looking house as they conversed with people that he knew would never understand them like he did. It had taken him so long to find them, to know their habits and movements like he did.
He noticed one of them as she was held by a tall, slick haired man as he placed a kiss to her cheek, his blood boiling that this Alpha dared to touch his precious ice angel, or that another would dare to share such heated gazes with his fiery princess. They were his to love and to cherish, whether they knew it yet or not.
"Wait for me… I will save you from this hell and bring you back to your true glory"
He vanished into the night, his words nothing more than an ominous whisper on the wind.
