Before I Fall

Chapter Sixty-six

Roman pulled away from Morgan quickly after his confession it was as if she'd burnt him, leaving her flustered and dumbfounded. Why did he have to constantly switch his moods on her? Being with him was hard enough as is. He'd thanked her in the past for giving her blood to him, he'd confessed that it was strange to finally hear his own thoughts and to know what true silence was. She'd noticed that he'd become a smidge more sentimental since taking her essence, which was probably a side effect. This obsession he had was something his twisted mind conjured so he could keep sinking his fangs into her and use her body for his pleasure and she allowed it. She hated how her body would always respond to him.

Roman walked away, heading to the winding staircase down to the ground floor. He led her through stretches of hallways until they began descending downward into darkness. Traumatizing flashes of being dragged down into Mignon's dungeon ripped her brain apart and Morgan stopped in her tracks, she refused to go any further. This could've easily been a trick so Roman could torture her for any unknown reason. The large man also stopped when he didn't hear her following behind him.

"What's the matter?" he asked. His deep voice bounced off the walls as he turned around to look at her.

Morgan bit down in the corner of her lip and chewed. Her anxiety was getting the best of her and she didn't know how to control the helpless feeling she had. Wringing her fingers, Morgan replied with a spiritless demeanor.

"I can't... I don't want to go down there."

Roman released a breath before replying. His hand rose to massage the tip of his brow in slight frustration.

"There is nothing to be afraid of Morgan. It would be too much of a bother to kill right now if that's what you're thinking."

When she didn't respond or move, Roman took three steps towards her and for a split second, Morgan saw a flash of compassion in his eyes. He raised a hand to brush his fingers against her cheek while he whispered something low under his breath. It was too low for her to decipher what he spoke but she leaned in to his gentle touch.

"Take my hand." Roman instructed. He left no room for argument because he wanted to reassure her that she was under his protection.

It took a while before Morgan complied by placing her smaller hand in his larger, warm one. He interlaced their fingers just like that post coital moment in car after the gala. He gently pulled her beside him as they continued their way down the inclined slope that leveled before a door. Her grip on his hand became tighter when she saw the old wooden door which she was pretty sure had two torture experts waiting behind it. Roman took out an ancient key ring with two rusty old keys on it and inserted one into the keyhole. The door opened with a loud groan and they both stood peering into the unholy darkness before them. Just as she was about to ask what manner of trickery was this, a gust of fire nearly burnt them to a crisp before Roman pulled them both towards the ground to avoid the blaze. A dragon?

When they both stood again, Roman snapped his fingers so a the torches within the dungeon lit up and Morgan almost fell to her knees at the sight of her old friend.

"Vigor?" she immediately released Roman's hand and stepped forward carefully.

His albino skin revealed the fire brewing inside belly and Morgan realized he was getting ready to release another fireball but she wasn't afraid anymore.

"It's me, Vigor! It's Morgan!"

The fire coming up in his throat quelled immediately when his big eyes squinted to look at her. The chuff sound from her scaly friend meant it was safe to approach. She wasted no time running towards the gigantic creature through puddles of piss and shit to hug his snout. She spoke to Vigor fondly as he practically purred at the touch of her hands.