A Priest's Deadly Obsession

Chapter 56 - A Demon's Disguise

** This chapter contains content that may be offensive to some readers**

Elizabeth stumbled forward into the house, thrusted forcefully inside by James. Her legs felt wobbly as she backed away from the door.

James closed the door behind him, the shadows of the low light covered his expression. In his black clothes all that could be seen as he blended in with the dark wooden walls was his pale lips, and his fingers that wrapped into fists at his side.

Elizabeth felt the terror crawl up her legs, the same terror she felt when she woke up in the cellar months ago. It was all coming back to her, the monster she thought was dormant these past few weeks was back and staring at her.

How could she have been so stupid and so blind to think that living like this, as his captor, as his doll to be played with at his leisure was in any way an acceptable way to live her life?

All this time she had tried to force herself to accept her new life but how can she when a demon dressed as a priest was getting away with murder? How can she laugh and smile and kiss such a man, and claim that she loves him just to keep the evil at bay, to keep him from lashing out and hurting her?

The shock was making her tremble as she looked at him, she had no idea what to do except she knew she didn't want to be near him. But she couldn't run, he was faster and stronger and would probably kill her the second he had a chance.

Elizabeth continued to back away from the door, her feet bringing her closer and closer to the kitchen.

The priest chuckled as he watched her actions, watched her terror filled eyes glisten with tears.

"Are you afraid of me Elizabeth?" he murmured.

Her shaky hands held onto the kitchen counter for support.

A knife...a knife...if I hurt him....

James took slow steps towards her, his hands tucked into his pockets. "My pretty wife, I do love those eyes of yours. No matter which way they look at me. In anger, in sadness....they're still the same."

Elizabeth held onto one of the cabinet handles, ready to open it and retrieve a knife for defense.

"...they haunted me for so many nights, you could not imagine. I woke up in a sweat thinking of you. Thinking of how you would feel, how you would taste," James continued to chuckle and laugh. "Even now that you're mine...they're still haunting me." His laughter was growing from his throat and escaping his lips, "It's as though this curse of yours just keeps getting deeper and deeper, infecting every living cell of mine."

"You..." Elizabeth breathed, words were so hard to push out of her lips. She was terrified, it had been so long since she felt such mortal terror. "How could you....Juliet...? I thought what happened with Albert...." she shook her head diffusing the images of dying Albert from her mind, "I thought...it was more of an accident...that you.....at least you didn't mean it...."Her eyes searched him for answers, "I thought you at least regretted hurting him!"

She remembered the day by the stream, how fragile he looked, how serene and somehow...still human. But now before her, he didn't appear to be anything but a demon disguised as human.

"I thought...you could change! Why did you do this!?"

But his answer was nothing more than a smile. And his smile horrified her.

As she cried from his sinister smile, his lips grew wider into a grin exposing his teeth until he burst out laughing, a laugh so morbid she felt trapped in a nightmare.