fallen hero | matthew fairchild

chapter 06 | unnecessary touching

The pain was enough to make Hero scream with all the strength of her lungs. She knew she was only exhausting herself, but the pain was everywhere. It was like a fire was engulfing her but only on the inside.

She was sure that if someone were the cut her in half, the only thing they would find inside her would be ash.

"Love," she cried out. "Please stop."

She was tied up to one of the many fancy velvet chairs Love kept at Clove Gardens. She was in the beautiful family room, wishing she weren't in so much pain so she could truly appreciate the stunning room around her.

Love was standing beside her. He was terrifying in all of his glory, with his dark hair and green eyes. The height difference between his standing state and her sitting state was enough to make her panic rise in her throat.

He had that terrifying look in his eyes. The look she knew would be followed by a painful act.

The color of his eyes was more akin to a babe's turd than a shimmering emerald.

"Stop whining, Hero," he said. "Stay still and it will be over soon."

"I hate you," she growled.

"Why?" he said, as he knelt. In his hand was a knife, shining from the polish he had applied only moments before. He gripped the bottom of her foot and without hesitation sliced the soft skin.

Hero screamed and screamed for mercy.

★

Hero jerked awake.

The dream had been painfully realistic. She was shivering from the malice in Love's eyes.

Even in sleep, she couldn't escape Love.

Hero's night had been horrible. She had vomited after Matthew had run from her room. Their interaction had her feeling so guilty it had brought her supper back up.

She then paced her room, hoping to hear the doors of the institute open. She wanted to go and apologize to Matthew for the harm she had caused.

The night passed on, but still, Matthew had not returned.

Hero knew that waiting all night would do her no good. She had already caused the damage, she could fix it in the morning.

But, her sleep had been plagued with the sight of Love's abuse.

She wondered if Matthew had returned, yet.

Hero quietly exited her room into the hallway. The only light offered in the entire institute was the moon's brightness filtering through the large window.

She silently made her way down the stairs and to the kitchen.

Out of all the places in the house, she liked the kitchen the best.

Shadowhunters were serious people.

They notoriously wore black because too much color was considered to be bohemian. The institute was a clear indicator of this. The walls were grey stone, while the bedrooms were all painted an eggshell shade.

The only pop of color was the brown of the oak floors.

This applied to all aspects, except for the kitchen.

The kitchen was slightly smaller than the dining room. The walls were painted a startling pink shade matched with pink tiles lined under the stove. Where there was no pink, there were windows lining the walls, allowing light to fall into the room.