Forbidden

Damian Wayne hated demons, magical trees, and curses with a burning passion. The supernatural world was the jurisdiction of the Justice League Dark and he was not part of that club, thankfully. But Zatanna had wanted a few magical artifacts gathered for a powerful spell and Batman had assembled the Batclan to help. Batman would get mixed up with whatever crazy scheme the stage magician was in, he scoffed to himself, Father never could resist a damsel in distress.

Which is why he found himself hacking away vegetation with his katana in a jungle of an oasis in a remote desert, cursing magicians in Arabic. How was it possible that an oasis could have such lush vegetation anyway? Wasn't this supposed to be the middle of the desert?

At last, he seemed to reach a clearing (finally), and there lay the answer to his question. A towering tree with silver bark and jade leaves stood in the center of the clearing, surrounded by diamond-shaped pillars in the shape of gems made of carmine crystals. The tree was laden with jewel-like fruit: rich ruby-red apples. It was an ethereal place but there seemed to be a vague feeling of unease persisting as if the presence of an unknown peril around it.

The apples seemed to beckon to him. He wanted to eat one, taste the fruit, and see if it really was rich, juicy, and delicious as it looked. He shook his head. Now was not the time for food. He had to grab the magic artifact and get back.

He moved towards the tree, looking at the brooch embedded in the tree. It was a ruby gem, the size of his fist set in a gold disc. The gem had an onyx outline etched into it, some sort of bird shape but he couldn't make out the exact kind. Was it a Crow? This was what Zatanna had sent him out for? A mere trinket? She really underestimated him.

As he reached to grab the gem, a rogue root tripped him. His katana flew out of his hand, but he managed to avoid falling flat on his face by grabbing a low branch. Stupid tree, he thought savagely. As if in response to his thoughts, the branch seemed to slip through his fingers until he found himself holding one of the ripe red apples instead.

'Do not eat the apple' A harsh warning rippled through his mind.' It is the forbidden fruit, which led to the downfall of humanity. It was a temptation by the serpent who guards the tree'. His subconsciousness thrummed with danger.

As if noticing his hesitation, the apple he was holding, broke off from the twig with a sharp snap that echoed around the clearing and almost rolled into his hands. And suddenly he was aware of the quiet in the clearing as if everything was holding its breath. He looked down at the seemed to hypnotize him, he held it up so he could see it better and then he sensed he wasn't alone.

" Hmmm," a rich throaty voice purred in his ear, a warm body pressing against his back, hands on his shoulders, silken strands of hair brushing against his cheek before the sensation vanished completely. Damian stiffened, a sense of danger racing down his spine. The form seemed to coalesce into inky smoke which wrapped around him, enveloping him in a scent of jasmine with an undercurrent of some unnamed spice. Something dark and forbidden. A hand made of shadows grabbed his wrist, and then manifested into a real, warm, soft hand, adorned with jeweled rings. The fingers caressed his pulse, rubbing circles on his inner wrist, relishing in the fact that his heartbeat seemed to slow and speed up at the same time.

"That. Looks. Tasty"

Her voice was pure temptation, each word sounding like an incantation, a spell weaving around him, binding him so as to prevent escape. He couldn't move, he didn't want to move. He raised his eyes to really look at her.

He found himself face to face with a girl, no- a woman, no- a temptress. Her hair was violet silk, her eyes the same color, full of sin and shadows, dark promises lurking deep in the void. He felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff looking out into the purple depths of the abyss. One false step and it would gladly consume him.

Down

Down

Just

Let

Go

.She peered at him from under smoky lashes, a cunning glint in her eyes. Those eyes were hypnotizing, like a snake charming its prey before devouring it. There was the allure of a thousand mysteries just begging him to unravel them.

As he gazed at her, he could feel himself relaxing, letting down his guard. His thoughts seem to slow down, flowing like molasses. His brain was trying to fight whatever she was doing to him, but it felt so easy to just let go.

" Run!" A voice echoed in his head

Keeping her eyes on him, she slowly guided his hand holding the apple, up to his mouth. Almost as if in a trance he parted his lips, the heady scent of the apple making his mouth water. A sinful smirk crossed her face and she leaned forward and

Oh...

So...

Slowly...

licked the ruby-red apple, humming a haunting tune to herself. Then maintaining that smugly infuriating eye contact, she ran her tongue lightly over his fingertips, tasting him.

Damian Wayne, also known as Robin heir of Batman and the Demon's Head forgot to breathe.

Keeping her eyes locked on him, she kissed the apple, his fingers grazing her lower lip. Then agonizingly slow she pulled back, her mouth in a pout. Damian felt like his world was shifting, nothing made sense anymore. His mission was forgotten, the artifact but a dim memory. The only thing he could focus on was her eyes (so dark, like twilight nights deepening with moon shadows and lilac oceans). Why did he want to kiss her senseless all of a sudden? Why did falling into the unknown sound like a good idea? And why was he suddenly jealous of a stupid apple?.

As if aware of his inner conflict, she smiled up at him. She knew she had won, and he would never leave, not now that her spell was complete, The tree had always been a beacon, bringing her new toys and this one she wanted to keep for a long time. To finish sealing the deal, she uttered three more words in that heady voice of her, each word a promise of darkness.

"Tastes. Even. Better."

Damian Wayne surrendered. And the purple abyss swallowed him whole.

Note: First Fanfic on FFN. writing is hard, but the formatting is a pain.

Raven is inspired by Eris (from Sinbad and Legend of the Seven Seas), the sultry goddess of discord and chaos. If you haven't seen the movie - GO SEE IT. Michelle Pfieffer voices her to perfection.

Thanks to the kind reviewers who let me know FFN messed up the formatting, Ms. BookW0rm, and El Manco99.