Butch~
I wake on the black couch in the sitting room to the sun winking in from the partially closed curtains. I swallow but have no spit. My throat is dry as bone and I'm sure I've gone beyond the description of cotton mouth. I groan and feel out for Hecate desperate for assistance. Feeling fully disoriented and sick to my stomach.
"Hecate…" I say hoarsely but she doesn't stir form her spot on the manor's grounds, I send a wave down the bond to which she responds by appearing before me.
"I've been worried about you, I'm glad you're up amour." She uses the old pet name and my chest clenches. I grit my teeth and ignore the fact that it no longer means what it once did. She came prepared to aide me with water in one hand and one of her bags of brew in the other, if I can even stomach the brew. My gut lurches in response and I take the water gingerly. She lens in close to assess me and I catch her chin Her dark skin is contrasted with three vertical white dots on her chin and two large crescent moons on the apex of her cheek causing her deep golden eyes to become mesmerizing.
"Ceremony?" My voice cracks and I gulp down the water, "You stopped a ceremony to answer me?"
"It was a small one, nothing too fruitful." She coos, swiping the damp hair clinging to my forehead out of my eyes. She's never stopped a ceremony to answer me, no matter how small. Suspicion swallows me whole and I try not to keep my composure, if she feels it down the bond she doesn't show it. I breathe in her scent, whatever it is she's been working on it has a lot of herbs and….meat. It almost smells appetizing. Almost.
"What happened last night?" I groan, trying to piece together the evening. I don't remember much. Just feelings throughout the night. Lust, anger, admiration, irritation and finally a mix that I can't place.
"You're going to hate me amour." She frowns, eyes drifting to the window hwere blue smoke plumes up in the distance. A smug smirk plays on her lips before her attention comes back to me, "I had to slip you a heavy brew to help you sleep last night."
"What? Why? I feel like I did nothing but drink all night." I snarl running my hand across my face, "The last thing I remember is dancing with…."
I spring from the couch and feel for Buttercup's presence. Nothing not even a flicker of her.
"Amour she is fine!" Hecate soothes, "She's.." I grip her by the shoulders hard and her bones creak under the pressure.
"YOU LET HER GO?" I scream in her face and she flinches back. Anger is clouding my vison along with the dry feeling in my throat. No wonder I'm so dehydrated, I've taken in too much magic thanks to Hecate. A lot is riding on this girl, my future. Father's future. The magic bond around my arm tightens and burns as it deepens in color. Hecate's eyes flash with anger as she blasts me with energy, enough to make me take a step back. I lunge ready for a fight and hold onto her again. Blindly reacting to how I feel.
"Amour!" She shouts angrily, she's mad enough that her power is causing her voice to have several others to overlap each other, "If you'd just listen you'd know she's only at the Pits! Feel farther!"
And I do. She's at the Pits but I have no idea of knowing what she's doing or how she's doing. I sneer at Hecate.
"I don't know your intentions," I snarl, "I thought I did."
"By the Goddess, you should have been crowned the King of Drama. My intentions are to serve you. I am bound by it." Hecate hisses, tapping the bond on my bicep, "Or did you forget."
She massages circles into my muscle before I finally relax into her touch.
"No, how could I?" I want to cup those beautiful brown cheeks and kiss her, remind her of one of the reasons we made this bargain.
Hecate goes to say something but both of our ears perk as we tilt our heads to the front door. An unannounced guest is here and his name is Brick. I dress quickly and hold onto the pill Hecate shoves into my hand before disappearing to finish whatever it is she started. I stare down at the white pill and shove it down deep into my pocket along with my feelings for Hecate. I wave the door open as I descend the steps.
"What is it brother?" I ask, slowly coming off the last step as he comes through the threshold. He doesn't look happy.
"Father is pissed." He states, holding up a black envelope sealed with blood red wax, "You've gotten a Death Summons."
"Fuck…"I hiss, what a fucking bother this is. I snatch the envelope as Brick goes on.
"Father isn't pleased, what happened after we left?"
"Did something happen? I don't remember much except for Boomer." I growl his name as I rip open the letter. Shimmering black magic swirls out of the envelope and tries to cling to me but both golden and dark green magic disperse the black cloud. The magic fizzles out as I open the letter. Him's voice reads the letter to us aloud
Dear King of War,
You have been summoned to my office by noon today or there will be consequences to pay. Your summons is based off of actions that had taken place. At. My. Party. Please confirm you appointment with the messenger of this summons. You have t-minus.. Hmmm
Fifteen minutes. Be here Butch.
Love Father!
I find myself staring into the portal to Father's own dimension, the blackish red rip in time and space stares back at me as if I were a meal. I feel my lips twitch as I step through the portal into a place I have been pulled into many times before. Father waits for me on a red couch leg crossed and claw over knee wearing a knowing devilish smile on his ruby red lips. If I were to scream no one would ever hear me. I can't even feel the bond between Hecate and I. I avoid eye contact for now and peer over his shoulder to the screens floating behind him. I spy Boomer's face contort in pain as he pulls the last of his gauze off of his cheek, the wound nearly healed. Brick's bright head catches my eye next and I see him pacing in the garden near his home. Then I see myself like an outsider looking in. I see the back of my raven head and broad shoulders standing before Him, staring at the screens. Other's flash on the free floating screens but only my brothers and my own are fixated in place.
"Oh my green eyed son, I see you lived through my summons and you've made it with fifteen seconds to spare." His voice dips low and into many near the end, I smile in return, taking my seat on the couch across from him.
"I know you prefer me to be punctual Father." I smirk and hold eye contact. His eyes are pitch black all the way through the sclera and I suppress a shiver. I've seen those eyes more often than I'd like in my childhood. He would visit me in my nightmares and during my waking hours trying ruthlessly to make a deal. Father has never really been kind to me, probably the toughest on me as I had 'the most potential' at becoming his true heir. Because I'm a little bit sadistic and enjoy hurting others. Toying with their emotions and causing physical pain is my specialty but I never go as far as Father wants me to. I cannot break a woman the way he wants me to, women can be sacred. They breathe life into everything and if she's scorned Death into all things.
"You look awful." Father says waving a claw, a cup of coffee appears on the coffee table between us with little creams and sugars, "The bags under your eyes are horrendous. Has that vixen been keeping you up at night?"
"Ha. Not in the way you think Father." I say pouring tons of sugar but no creamer into my coffee. I sip at it as Father's smirk turns smug.
"Then what ails you son? You know I can fix anything." Father purrs, "And I mean anything."
"Nothing's wrong. I'm a busy man." But what's really been keeping me up is nightmares and fear. Fear that Buttercup will leave in the middle of the night and I'll never see her again. I can't place why that disturbs me so but Father mustn't know or he would exploit it. I finish the cup and Father refills it.
"I'll cut to the chase. I heard somethings that transpired at the party last night." Father sips his own coffee, "I heard your champion got into a fight with another King no less. Shredded his cheek with the points of his own crown, or should I say your mate?"
"Yes my mate was defending herself he was on top of her, his hands crushing her slender throat. He's lucky she got to him first." I growl, feeling my rage twist in my gut and causing my eyes to glow. I exhale sharply and get the anger to fade.
"That's not what I heard at all. I heard she threw the first punch." Father croons.
"And who pray tell told you that?"
"None other than Boomer himself but we digress." Father's eyes train in on me, "How are we going to lure the rebellion here when she is your mate?"
"Easy enough Father, there are two ways this can be done, the easy way and the easy way." I say leaning back into the couch placing my hands behind my head, Father sneers.
"Always so cocky. Fill me in."
"I can get her to fall in love with me and help me with the plan. A good old double cross."
"And if she doesn't."
"Who wouldn't fall in love with me?" I ask smirking and Father smiles too.
"And if she doesn't?" He prompts again.
"If she doesn't and wants to stop the plan I'll replace why she was angry in the first place. Alter the memeory to our advantage."
"Seems like a lot of effort for someone who can make her forget completely, for someone who can make her your mindless puppet and yet you let her have her free will. How does this benefit us?"
"A few reasons Father. One, the rebellion would know if she was a mindless puppet, Buttercup has this sparkle in her eye that I can't fake so restricting her free will is out of the question. Two, people always forget why they react but never the feeling of HOW they react. Eventually the feeling would overlap the false feeling causing the faux memory to fail. Three, I could change it to my benefit, have her fuel her own fire, lead the rebellion so a safe place that I've planted in her mind. It's going to be a long process either way."
"As if you've got the patience for that, when you were a child…"My nostrils flair and I cut him off.
"I am no longer a child. I have patience by the abundance and have had it for quite some time. War is like a chess match. Sure it's easier to just kill them all but where's the fun in that? Gotta give them some false hope before crushing their souls."
Father laughs and it sends a chill down my spine.
"Butch this is why you're my favorite son." His smile is deadly, "Why do you insist on Brick being my heir?"
"He is a better leader than me. I'm a better at enforcing, Father."
"This world doesn't need a leader. You have a mate, you could be heir now."
"If you made me first heir Brick would lose it and we'd have a civil war on our hands. Brick needs power to live Father. Plus then he will just claim his pet as his mate." I try to avoid saying the girls' names here, for some reason it sets Father off. I'm already trying my damnedest to defuse him now.
"Well your mate needs to be punished. The dress she wore showed off all of her wounds, which fine I'll let that slip but hurting Boomer, insulting Princess and then causing damage in a match I was not present for. I cannot let all of that go." Father munches on a butter cookie.
"Father I hardly think you can go by Princess' word. I was there when the two were speaking and she didn't insult her."
"What do you remember from last night my green eyed son?" Father asks re-crossing his legs. The last thing I remembered was dancing with Buttercup but I hadn't had anything to drink, no drugs or even a magic induced high. Unless Hecate gave me something.
"Dancing." I answer honestly.
"I will show you then." Him waves a claw and my screen becomes larger.
I watch Hecate pull Buttercup onto a balcony late in the evening. Hecate turns to her quickly, eyes glowing gold.
"What have you done child?" She asks, voice laced with concern and venom, "The audacity!"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Buttercup crosses her arms and turns away from her, facing the vastness of the night.
"Do not play dumb with me child!" She hisses, grabbing her roughly by the arm. A bruise forms and quickly dissipates under her touch, "You and I are bound through more than fate now." She touches the mark of their bargain, the triquetra pulse under her fingertips.
"Bound by a lie!" Buttercup tries to break free but Hecate holds tight. She is a powerful being, more powerful than I can admit.
"Not a lie, I told you the magic decides!" Hecate roars, the windows shake to the building. She pinches her nose trying to calm herself. Her ancient markings show when she is enraged, glowing deep gold.
"Show me the new bond."
"I.."
"NOW CHILD!" Hecate flicks her wrist and Buttercup's arm moves on its own accord, forearm out and palm up. A mark lies on her right arm, a black sun with a wicked smile. No eyes just a devilish curve and sharp teeth. I growl, I don't remember seeing this at the party. Who, who could have marked her?
I try to remember when I lost track of time but the throbbing in my head worsens. I remember drinking and dancing, having a really good time with my mate but after that it's all a blur. The scene unfolds before me and fills in the missing parts.
"Hecate? I felt a surge of power is everything…?" I watch as I stand rigid. My eyes flash green as I see the blotch of black on her skin.
"WHO THE HELL MARKED YOU?" The balcony shakes beneath us, the windows threating to shatter.
"Calm down, Master Butch." Hecate places her hand on me, "We will find out soon enough."
Buttercup struggles to move her arm to hide the mark, pulling on it with her left hand to no avail.
It stays suspended in the air, mark glaring at Hecate and I both.
The flares of the sun grow as does the body of it. Whatever is happening she must be breaking the deal. It grows to the point to where 85% of her arm is black from it, the tips of the flares teaming purple with magic.
"Enough." I growl, reaching out for the original mark with a dark green hand. The sun is so black that it makes the rest of the spreading bond seem charcoal grey.
The mark strikes before I can even get close. Purple lightning zaps my hand causing my own magic to fizzle out for a moment. Hecate reaches for it now, eyes wide that I could not get close. Just as she's about to grip her arm the mark releases a purple fog that hangs in the air.
Hecate and I blink hard as the bond returns to normal. She and I exchange a look.
"Didn't you go home?" I ask her, blinking again.
"She did." Buttercup chimes in. Arm by her side, mark still visible but Hecate and I either don't see it or ignore it, "I summoned her through my bond like you did."
"When did she teach you…"I start but Hecate cuts me off.
"Is everything alright? The air feels…"She starts, golden eyes looking her over, "Heavy."
"I was feeling very nauseous. I was going to see if you could take me home." Buttercup says barely above a whisper.
I sit on the velvet red couch the ceramic cup in my hand cracks and then shatters, sending hot coffee all over the fabric.
"Butch you're going to stain my upholstery!" Him whines, "It isn't that bad at least you know now. She is clearly up to something and I need you to find out what it is."
"She probably just made a bad deal. Deals happen all the time Father."
"Yes but not with such an important chess pieces." Him's voice dips low, sinister, "Not with one of my son's mates."
I stare him down, his black eyes bore holes into me.
"You need to get down to the bottom of this or else." He says, pulling one claw across his throat, "And that gesture isn't meant for you. Rid her of that contract."
"I will not disappoint Father."
"For her sake I hope you do not." Him shoves me out of his dimension and I am left standing on the other side of the portal. A small girl with red skin bows at her waist before guiding me to the corridor. Her skin is gnarled and burnt to give it a hue close to Him's. Because of this she walks slowly. I make a mental note to ask Hecate to re-teach me how to heal skin. Skin is much more complex magic than bones, or even muscles so I never could get the hang of it. The scar would always linger so I didn't bother to keep up with the practice.
Before I know it I'm standing outside, the reddish black clouds loom low and I sky rocket into the stratosphere. I growl and blast a giant energy ball to blow off some steam before trying to collect my thoughts. I float like a cloud and let the wind take me east as I think of what to do.
'Hecate.' I call down the bond; I feel her brush against it before responding.
'Yes Master?'
'Use your contract with Buttercup to find her current location.'
Silence fills my head for a moment as she searches. Then an image of her at a cross road on the out skirts of the city fill my head. I feel a pull towards her.
'I'll share the bond until you find her. Master Butch, please do not contact me unless it is an emergency for the rest of the evening. I need to prepare for this solstice and I will need to feed. I apologize on the short notice for both.'
Her voice is laced with concentration and worry.
'I understand, I'll see you tonight. I have too much energy anyway.' I joke but she doesn't answer.
I follow the pull, it leads me over the Pits telling me that she did start out here and something changed. The pull takes me through the champion row, through the woods behind and finally about four miles into the Outer Limits. I finally spy her clutching her left arm walking towards the Pits.
I land right in front of her furious. The pull on the bond leaves me as I glare down at her.
"Where have you been? You have a lot of explaining to do." I growl, reaching for her wounded arm. She jerks away and that's when I notice that her face is speckled with blood.
"A lot of explaining." I say again this time grabbing her arm. There is no wound but her bond is tight, like a rubber band wound around your finger too many times. It releases and spreads angrily up her arm.
"What part of the contract are you breaking?" I growl, soothing Hecate's magic back to the band that it once was. She sighs with relief, almost leaning on me. Then I notice the puckered skin on her right arm. I grab her wrist and turn her palm upward. The mark from last night is gone and all that is left is a welt from the magic being pulled from her body. Bond making is easy but breaking is hard on the body, even when you fulfill it.
"I can't talk about it alright?" She growls at me as I thumb over the swollen skin. I can still taste the magic in the back of my throat. Powerful bitter dark magic.
"Okay but you've broken the bond, so you can tell me who's done this, who coerced you into making a contract." My words come out with a bite and she slides her arm away. Pulling up the sleeve on her left arm, the one she was favoring.
"Another?" I snarl, the ground beneath us fissures and the sign a mile away burst into flames.
She bites her pouty lip in response.
"Can you tell me what you did to break the other bond?" I ask, rubbing my fingers over the raised crescent moon capping her shoulder. It causes my eyes to flutter and the back of my throat to tingle with bitter power. This is a fresh contract, minutes old. Her eyes are a little wild and by the blood splatter pattern I already know what she's done. She was always composed after a kill but after she's left alone in her thoughts it begins to crumble. I'm not sure how I know this but my gut is twisting seeing her like this. She grips my arm.
"Stop asking me." She hisses but her eyes are pleading. I sigh dropping the topic.
"Do you even know how contract magic works? You need to be careful." I pull her into a hug and her arms warp around my torso faster than I thought they would. She squeezes me tight before answering.
"No." She squeezes me again before pushing me away. Hot and cold this one.
"It's clear to me that you're going to continue to make contracts despite the reaction we had at the party the other night."
She blushes,
"How did you..?"
"The vow of silence is null and void for me with all future contracts with this particular wielder. Him showing me a replay of last night caused a loophole. Though that magic erased our memory, our spikes in power still alerted Him, he thinks you're up to something. I think you are too. But as far as I'm concerned you've already done what he's asked, so do not show these bonds to a soul outside of myself and Hecate."
"But if Hecate didn't see it…" She starts and I interrupt.
"I can show her down the bond. You need to know the basics of magic, so pay attention," I start tilting her chin up to me, for a moment I'm lost in her jade eyes and all I want to do is lean in to kiss her. She shakes her head of my grip but locks eyes with me anyway.
"You are putting yourself at the mercy of the wielder. There is a lot of grey area with magic. You need to be very specific on how the contract unfolds and what ends it. Look at the one with you and Hecate, it was a simple contract yet it was still broken by you on conditions the magic assumed Hecate would want. Magic is biased towards the wielder and not the receiver, ever. If it isn't all laid out on what needs to be done, if the magic assumes that the wielder will want something specific based on past contracts then you may never break a bond. You might always be tethered to whomever is marking you and the contract can be ever changing especially if you, the 'signer', takes no part is specifying the terms. Every contract, bond, or bargin is negotiable until you unclasp hands." I start; she nods, "So you need to say your most important condition first. Once you begin a contract, the second your palm touches the wielder, the signer has thirty seconds to say their first condition and then an additional sixty to list as many you can. The conditions said in the beginning cannot be negotiated nor voided or vetoed. The wielder can then list as many conditions as they like but three conditions that are listed can be vetoed by the signer. Wielders keep these things secret, again the magic is biased and so are they."
Her lime eyes tell me she's thinking hard of a good condition to start with. Worry takes over my emotions while anger fuels it.
"You will say these three at the beginning of each contract you make, no soul or life binding contracts, no feeder contracts, and no magic assumed changing conditions. This is a King's order do you understand Kitten?" I try not to snarl but it comes out that way. Her eyes flash murder but she crosses her arms instead.
"Do you even know what that means to us, to me?" She growls, eyes shining with hurt now.
"I don't want to lose you."
"You don't own me."
"I never said I owned you, I…the feelings I have for…." I grit my teeth and start again, "You're my mate and I cannot afford to lose you. Magic can consume you and kill you. If the bond, bargain, or contract is not completed or you do the opposite of what is required, I can very well lose you. Especially since you are a novice."
"Novice," She snorts, "What are we playing Skyrim now?"
"This is serious. Kitten, tell me you understand." The nickname changes her every time I say it. She becomes more obedient, submissive. Well as submissive as Buttercup can get.
"Yes King, I understand."
"And?"
"And I will state the three conditions." She sighs, arms dropping to her sides. I stare at the celestial body marking her as someone's, well partially someone's. It's as if she is on loan to them. There is a lot of symbolism to magic; the shape and placement of the mark are the most important. These help show the core conditions of the contract without having to be there. The sun could have meant illumination, enlightenment; at the same time it could have been to represent Huitzilopochtli, the sun God, the God of war in Aztecan times given the cruel smile. The moon could mean clairvoyance, immortality, cycles, or again since it is paired with a nasty wide smile it could also mean the darker side of a person's nature. This is why it's important to know who the caster is. If you can get in a caster's head you can piece together the symbolism and, if you're strong enough, break the bond. I glance at her throat and am so tempted to rip off her shirt, just to make sure that….
"Earth to Butch?" Buttercup says, "Hello, are you home?"
"Sorry. I was thinking."
"Tsk. It's amazing you didn't burst into flames." She laughs and I gently push her.
"Ha. Ha." I say dryly but she just smirks.
"Well before you started staring at me like a creep, I was actually asking for a lift home for once."
"One condition,"
"UGH YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!" She stomps and I get a ghost of a feeling that the earth should have shook from the force.
"Tell me what you can of the caster or your previous bond. I know you can't tell me your current one." I hold out my hand for her to take. I'll fly us home, draw her a bath with one of Hecate's calming brews. Sit next to her as long as she'll let me. I'm conflicted; I know I should be pretending to feel this way about my mate but actually?
I've been feeling this since the first time I laid eyes on her. How am I going to keep up my end of deal with Father?
At least I am not bound to Him by magic.