Demon

5. The Ceremony

"What's you name?" I realised then I didn't know it. I wanted to know it. If I was to make a vow with a demon I wanted to know what said demons name was, especially if it was to become mine.

"No one has used an actual name for me for so long, I can't say I remember. What shall we call me?" He took a moment to think, and I was trying to think what people call him if not a name. "Do you like mythology?" I had to nod, for I adored learning all the tales of mythology as a child and he seemed to know it too. "My name is Hades then; Hades Black." A long smile spread out over his lips, liking the name himself. God of the underworld, I gulped looking around at the church and the windows, I realised then the name couldn't be that random.

"Shall we begin, Master?" I hadn't realised we were no longer alone, I jumped when I saw the being next to us; he hadn't been there a second ago, I would have seen such a being. He looked as if he may have been human at one time, but now he had no eye to see with, they were sewn shut. Scars littered his face, some small, others deep. The robes he wore looked ancient but made him look like a priest.

I must have looked as scared as I felt because Hades gently pulled my chin to face him, to stop me looking at the creature. "Are you ready, my love?" I had to keep the image of Mars' empty, lifeless eyes in my head to stop myself from running far away, like my heart so desperately wanted.

I wanted Mars back more.

"I'm ready." I stood firm as he placed a soft kiss on my brow.

What I could only assume was once a woman came forward; she had similar scaring on her face to the priest and eyes sewn shut again. She holding a chest that she opened towards Hades and laying inside was a golden, jewelled dagger made of Damascus steel. He said he wouldn't hurt me! Her heart began to race quickly.

"Stay calm, I'll go first." He took the dagger from the box but placed it into her shaking hand. Even though the blade was now in her grip, he was still in control, with his hand now wrapped around hers. Taking her hand, he made the blade cut into his palm where the blood soon followed. The woman had exchanged the chest for two golden chalices; she used one to catch his blood in. His blood was dark, almost black. Nothing like Mars' blood. That's what she kept in her mind; the image of Mars' blood soaking into her pyjamas. Someone had placed a white ribbon over Hades cut hand.

With his other Hades took the dagger from my hand but kept hold of my palm. I could feel the soft ribbon on the back of my hands as he opened the palm of my hand. I figured out quickly what was coming and I wanted to watch, I didn't want to close my eyes anymore, and seem scared.

The blade cute into my palm like a knife through butter. My blood was the exact same shade as Mars', just like our eyes are the exact same shade of brown. It made me think that maybe no ones else's blood could match ours but I knew the thought was silly. The only reason Hades was different was that he was a demon. 

My blood ran into the other chalice that was ready and waiting.

The priest used the other end of the ribbon to wrap my wound and in the end mine and Hades' hands were tied together by the white blood soaked ribbon. In my other hand was placed the chalice full of his blood while he held the chalice filled with mine. The priest was speaking in a language I didn't recognise. Hades held my gaze as he brought his chalice to his lips; before he tipped it back he raised a brow as if telling me to do the same, and even though I figured out what to do next it was still hard to follow. I concentrated really hard on Mars; on his silly laugh I needed to hear again; on his ridiculous dancing he always pulls out to cheer me up and his warmth. His cold skin still made me shiver.

I had drunk the contents of the cup before I could process the taste, but the aftertaste was unavoidable. The metallic stung the back of my throat was almost burning. Hades watched my reaction intensively as if expecting me to go up in flames or drop dead. Maybe I was meant to. Once he was happy I was okay a long smile spread along his face. He took a step towards me, taking my face in his hand after dropping his empty chalice to the floor. He brought his head down, pulling my upwards and his soft lips brushed against mine so lightly at first, as if not sure he was about to kiss me.

'Was he not supposed to kiss me? Maybe this will end once we kiss.' I took the situation into my own hands dropping my own cup and placing my hand on his chest, pressing into him harder. Opening my lips ever so slightly to deepen the kiss and take his bottom lip between my own.

My hand started to burn. Where the ribbon tied our hands felt as though it had been set alight. I tried pulling away, but Hades held onto the back of my neck in a steel grip.

He took charge of the kiss slipping his tongue into my mouth.

The burning was becoming unbearable, I tried to scream but it was hard. Hades' own grunts told me it was hurting him just as much.

It felt as though the pain lasted forever, but it did end eventually. Hades pulled away with a bloody lip, at some point I had bitten his lip, but he only chuckled as he wiped the drop of blood away. I expected to find 4th-degree burns covering my hands but I was shocked to find a strip of silver; starting at my fingers wrapping around my palm and disappearing at my wrist up into my dresses sleeve, some lines overlapped; it was the same path the ribbon had set. I looked over at the hand that was tied to mine to see he had similar markings, but where mine were silver his were gold.

I thought that maybe it was over now but as I was examining my new found silver lines Hades took my hand and slipped a ring onto my finger; it was beautiful. The gold band was made up of intricate designs, at the centre sat a black diamond; neighboured were two tiny white diamonds. I was speechless. I had never been given something so beautiful in all my life. I started to pull away, but Hades kept his grip firm, as he slid another ring on the finger. The gold band had the same design as the one before it but there was no big diamond on this one just half a dozen smaller black diamonds across.

"Hades, I really can't-"

"It is customary to have two rings. The engagement," He ran his thumb against the first ring, "Better late than never." He gave her a smile "And then the wedding band." He touched the second ring. Turning towards the woman, she handed him something. "Speaking of which," He placed a very plain gold band into my hand, but on closer inspection there sat a tiny black diamond in the centre linking it to my own.

Taking his hand into my own I watch fascinated by our lines shimmering and moving together as if dancing. Placing the ring on his finger I dropped his hand to see our lines stop moving at the loss of contact.

"Wow." I breathed rather than said.

"Now that's all done, you kept your end, I think it's time I fulfilled my end of our vow." Coming forward he took my face in both his hands and didn't hesitate this time to kiss me. The kiss was different this time; electric. There was a need to taste him, to be as close to him as I could get. I realised these feelings could only have come from the ritual, and it scared me.

'What's happened to me? '

'What's happened to us?'

Was that my thought or his, I really couldn't tell. Pulling away from each other we were no longer in the chapel but back on the docks; I was no longer in a dress but my blood-soaked pyjamas. Turning around I saw my nightmare still there and time was still stopped at this horrific moment.

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So I've done a lot of work on this today! Please vote and comment!