The Touch of Salvation

30: ZEUS

TRIGGER WARNING

SEXUAL ASSAULT

GOLIATH

I've realized several things about Adalind. The first, she picks her nails the same way Grace does, and she stares at her hands like she can't believe what they have done to survive. Second, she does not like the smell of Jasmine and hates the taste of coconut. Third, she always feels incredibly unsafe and craves security and she enjoys the massive size difference between us. She likes when I make her tea or wash her hair. She practically glows when I provide for her, not materialistic things, but things that make her feel more relaxed.

She's finally moved away from that corner and now she feels comfortable enough to sit with me on the couch where she reads by herself and I play Chess.

I can feel her eyes slither to me, eyeing me as if I can't feel her gaze on me. She's nervous to say what she wants judging by how her heartbeat picks up.

I push the board away and turn to face her, my arm slung over the back of the sofa. "How can I serve you, Adalyndra?"

Fourth - she loves and absolutely bursts with pride when I say her full name. She might not realize it, but she also grows incredibly aroused when I give her my full, undivided attention. She enjoys watching me spread my belongings, my weapons, my clothing, and my limbs to take up as much space as I desire to feel comfortable. And she knows and enjoys how I bend to her will.

Her breath hitches and she looks away for a second before gaining the courage to look at me again. "May I play?"

My brow lifts. "With me?"

I expect her to respond sarcastically like she used to. To say something witty. Instead she shrugs. "Never mind, I am sorry for bothering you."

"Daylight, you never bother me." I pick the board up and place it between us on the cushion. "I would love if you played with me. Do you know how?"

She nods. "Yes, but I'm not very good."

"What color would you like? White or black?"

Her eyes linger on the clay pieces for a second that are scattered on the checkered board. Then she picks up the black queen piece and starts setting up her side.

"Black, huh?"

She looks up sheepishly passed her eyelashes. "Dark things are appealing to me."

I grin. "Says the mother of Light."

"Even darkness prevails in light. "

"Here I thought only light belonged with light. Light is good-"

"People correlate darkness with bad and light with good. It's misleading. I have met awful people who were born within the gift of light and I have met amazing people with the gift of darkness," she says, her eyes fluttering up to mine only for a second. "There is good and bad in both light and dark."

"Then why do you feel as though you shouldn't have any darkness within you," I ask. "As if you are supposed to be untouched, the epitome of goodness? You aren't the darkness that you have experienced."

"Yet I feel," her voice bobs. "I feel as if there is no light left within me. There is no good. No hope. No..." Her hands fumble to finish setting up her side. I finished mine as she spoke. She moves her piece. I take a moment and consider if I should stop the game and ask her more pressing questions, but she looks at me like she's waiting for me to make my move and this is the first time in days she has spoken to me. So I take my turn.

"Adalyndra, you're everything good. You have protected your people, your friends and family..."

"And killed many many people to do so," she says. "Some of them I couldn't bend reality to save. I couldn't..." she hiccups. "Sometimes I was too weak to feed myself and I hate-"