ORPHEUS

Chapter 16

The sun was rising when Katherine had awoken due to another of her night terrors haunting her. She was gasping with wide eyes, trying to catch her breath as she sat up clutching at the heavy blanket of wolf pelt. Orpheus sat up beside her with her in his embrace, as he rubbed his hand up and down her back in an effort to sooth her. It was the second time this night and Opheus didn't know how she managed all these years. He was shushing her and cooing at her as she shook in his arms. In the darkened room, Orpheus caught site of her eyes. He was surprised out of his mind. Other than the fact that they were glowing eerily, it was no longer just the rim of her irises that were coloured gold, but everything was golden. As if her eyeballs were made of the precious metal. Her pupils and irises could only be distinguished by slight contours. Feeling distressed, he called her name gently, but received nothing in response. He shook her slightly and called her name again. She only sat there shaking, almost vibrating in his arms with tears streaming down her gold filled eyes. Orpheus felt as if he were going to panic. He shook her again sharply and when she did not respond he wondered if he should strike her. An obsurd thought, but she would not respond and he was lost. He held her face in his large hands as he called her name again and again. He stretched his arm to reach the cask of water he always kept on the table next to the large bed, poured some in his cupped palm and sprinkled the droplets onto Katherine's teary face.

No response from Katherine. She was still gasping and shaking in his arms. Dread was setting in Orpheus' chest as his attempts to rouse her failed. He had not encountered such a situation before and did not know what to do. He decided after a moment of contemplation, to let her wake on her own, and if she did not, he would have to ask for help, though he did not want to risk her safety by letting anyone know of her existance, if any harm comes to her while she was with him, he would never forgive himself. He lay her down gently, her head resting atop the soft feather pillow. He brushed aside a few stray locks from her brow and soflty kissed her forehead. He took her pale limp hand in his, rubbing the smooth skin with his own calloused fingers.

"Wake soon, sweet Angel." He whispered as his shadows slithered accross his arms onto her hands, as if to carress her. He had fallen asleep staring at her ethereal face with her golden eyes wide open, though her gasping had seized not long ago and her body no longer vibrating.

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Katherine was surrounded by nothingness, she was in what could only be described as a void. There were no shapes or sounds, just a bleak white existance. Nothing but emptiness.
Katherine had never recalled seeing this particular dream before, but she nonetheless preferred it to her usual night terrors. It was a thousand times better than being haunted by her deceased friend.

She wondered how long she would be here. Usually her dreams did not last long, but she knew that time moved differently here. She could sense it.

In the nothingness of the void, Katherine recalled the events of the hectic day that has passed with Orpheus. The wonderful morning, the brooding beast Orpheus called Deimos, the colorful markets, then the nightmare she had faced in the petite boutique. Then her mind ventured to the extraordinary moment she had experienced in Orpheus' arms before she dicovered what he was.

What he was. He was a Ghoul. He was a mystical creature. Katherine did not know how she had managed to get herslef tangled up in a mess like this. She wondered in he drank blood for sustainance. She cringed at the thought. No matter how much she liked him, drinking blood was not something Katherine could put up with. As she floated in her void, thinking of petty things like how beautiful their children would be if they were ever to get married, then she would wonder if she and Orpheus would be able to conceive at all. She found him to be almost perfect the more she thought of him. Almost.

In the void, as every minute passed, Katherine felt more content. It was as if she were healing somehow from wounds she didn't know were so deep.
Lost in her thoughts she closed her eyes and found herself drifting. But instead of falling asleep, she drifted awake. She woke from the strange dream and what surprised her was that she was feeling completely rejuvenated. It was as if yesterday hadn't occured. As if it was just a new day with the man she was falling in love with. She felt all giddy and giggly as she stretched in the huge bed. As she moved her arms away from her, she felt something block her movement, she jerked her elbow again. But this time she heard a grunt as her elbow hit what must have been another person. She gave a little shriek as she sat up and quickly shuffled away from the body. As she gained more lucidity, she realized it was Orpheus. It seemed in her hurry to get away, she had kicked him in the guts. She winced as she saw him clutch his stomach, hissing.
"Oof, Angel, what did I ever do to deserve such cruelty." He said, his voice just a low groan. She grimaced again and apologised meekly.

Suddenly as if something stuck him, Orpheus snapped his head towards her, his eyes wide with releif. He gushed out a breath as he scrambled towards her. "Oh thank the Lord, you're awake!"

He scooted closer towards her and Katherine's own eyes widened at his strange behaviour. "Are you alright Orpheus? You look frantic."

He held her face in his warm hands as he kissed her forhead. A soft touch that seemed to linger, the gesture was so sweet the it caused warmth in Katherine's chest and a small smile on her face to bloom.

"I was worried. Never do that again" and true to his word, Orpheus did look worried. His brows were scrunched on his forhead and his full lips were set in a firm line. Katherine did not know what he meant, had she fallen off the bed in her sleep?! She looked at him with what must have been confusion showing on her face.

"What was that?! Your eyes had gone golden, even the whites! You were shaking and panting. It was horrible. I didn't know what to do!" He said almost frantically. She sat there looking even more confused and more bewildered than before. She did know what he was rambling about and she was starting to think that he was going insane. Golden eyeballs! Was he dreaming?