Blood Ink

Fifteen

I wasn't tired enough for the nap I had decided to take. I didn't want to sit around and stuff my face either. The passage of time seemed to flow way slower here on the estate. So many riches, so much space and yet I was absolutely bored out of my mind. My thoughts retraced the adventure with the dragon, I wonder what happened to Issei. Did the dragon of sorts return with reinforcements? I didn't know why I wanted to know the ending of how that fight went. Maybe he died?

I covered my face while laying on the silk bedsheets and stared out the french style doorway that lead to the balcony. This place was seriously like a princess castle out of some kind of fairytale. Everything was at a silent standstill, and I figured that Issei probably won. He was some sort of legendary myth after all.
According to Mathias. Still my mind couldn't process such a ridiculous notion.

He looked so ordinary.

I wondered how I wound up with that encounter. I thought about Cole and how I hadn't seen him in several days. Somewhere in those thoughts, I got up and began to wonder the grounds. I didn't have anything to look forward too, or any regrets about leaving my home. It was all too peaceful. Somehow, I could get used to a life like this.

A hand grabbed me from behind, and covered my mouth. Instinctively I bit down on the fingers and to my surprise a much too familiar sarcastic
"Ow" snarled into my ear. I let go.

Issei.

My mind went blank. "I didn't think you'd settle for the life of a pet." He muttered.

"What the hell are you doing here." I snapped. I remembered Mathias and his words on how he had mentioned Issei. How did he know I was here? How did he find me. Why was he here?

"You don't belong here." He said coldly.

"Last I checked you weren't listed as an employee here, so Im betting you're not here to cut the grass." He frowned at remark. "Also what do you know about where I belong or not?" I sneered.

Issei gave me a scowl and I felt something flutter in my chest. He looked around and began walking away from me casually. "Hey! Where are you going!" A question asked in vain since he didn't answer.

......

"Sir, we registered a security breach." A woman behind a desk full of camera's spoke up. "He's here." She said adjusting her glasses. Mathias sat at his desk and looked up at the maid. "We should greet our unexpected guest then." The maid whispered a command into the collar of her shirt and stepped back to her original stance in the corner of the room. Mathias couldn't help but laugh to himself at how ridiculously careless Issei had been. Coming here to his castle and estate to fetch a human who's only value came from a curse placed by an ancient one. Mathias erupted in laughter, Issei would finally be disposed of and he would be considered the new legend.

He sat up placing his cup down on the desk and pressed a small red button underneath his desk. "Welcome to the end, Issei." Mathias chuckled as silent alarms went off in the estate.

.....

I watched Issei freeze mid-step in the hallway. He looked at me strangely and then up at the ceiling. I opened my mouth to ask what was going on. Or more like, what exactly he was doing instead he darted down the hall. "WAIT." I called to him following him.

He didn't listen of course, I didn't expect any less from him since he'd done the same back at the house he partly destroyed with me.  I still felt guilt about the family suffering the damage, that had't been there thankfully. "We've been caught." He called and came to a halt at the swarm of security. We were both cornered. I didn't know there was so many guards employed in one place. Hundreds of armored personnel stood with weapons drawn. It felt like I was in the renaissance time period. Swords gleamed from the light cast by the crystal chandelier.

"We're trapped." I said and he sighed. Mathias parted the group like some kind of god splitting the seas, and he laughed. "How lovely for you to pay us a visit Issei." He announced and all weapons were pointed at us. "Come to me my pet." He held out his hand toward me. Issei made a tsk sound at the armored men. "Today your rule will come to end." Mathias declared. "To think all it took to lure you out of the shadows was this cursed one." He answered. I stood my ground. Cursed one? I didn't go to Mathias. "Being defiant now, pet?" His voice had irritation in it.

"This is wrong." I said to him. "Disobeying your master." His look of scorn was one I'd hadn't seen before and it was then that I began to see the monster he was. His human features changed, faltered, morphed into something I couldn't describe. Horns grew from his skull and his hair became longer. The monster under the flesh rose as his teeth sharpened. I was petrified and I felt Issei's hand on my shoulder.

"She's not a pet." He answered. "You choose him?" Mathias asked again bitterly. "No matter then, you will be slain with him." He stated coldly. "It'll put an end to your wretched bloodline that's been a stain in this world." What did he know about my bloodline? This was the first he had ever spoke of it. Did he know about my curse? Could he break it?

The guards moved forward to kill us and I looked at Issei, hoping he had a trick up his sleeve. He had a calculated expression lost in deep thought and I knew this was the worst time to be like this. I was going to smack him when he grabbed my arm and slit open my palm. "Ow!" I winced at the sing of his blade. He smeared my blood on a page with something written on it and threw it at a guard.

I watched the page ignite into a flame on its own and he began to do it to more scraps he pulled from his pocket. He chucked them in various areas in the room. The guards moved forward still as the fire began to grow. Issei stared at them and then shoved me to the ground and threw himself on me. "Shield your head!" He demanded. I curled and that's when I heard the explosions go off like fire crackers.

"Noo!" I heard Mathias scream. I couldn't see him and my hand still stung while more explosions went off. The shaking of the ground only made me squeeze my eyes shut harder. I could smell Issei on me, his warmth as things where flung about the room. "Why!" I screamed hearing my ears ring painfully. "Last resort." I could barely hear him say. I felt him move away from me as I stayed curled with my hands covering my ears. My hand was still bleeding. "We have to move!" Issei stated pulling on one of my arms.

I opened my eyes and the beautiful room that was once pristine white and full of white marble was up in flame, and covered in black smoke. Bodies where all over the floor, mangled and inhuman. I screamed and he let me, the scene was unlike anything I had ever seen. Their bodies were not human they were faces of monsters and I wanted to throw up. There was no time for puking, the ceiling was becoming structurally unsound. We were trapped in a ring of fire and Issei pulled another page and wrote water and smeared my bloodied hand on the page.

A ball of crystal clear water appeared in hands and he cast it toward the flames and then dragged me with him as he ran out. We almost collied into one of the corridor walls. I choked from the smoke inhalation and he did too. "ARE YOU CRAZY!" I choked out and he looked at me displeased.

"When I hoped you had a trump card, I didn't think you'd blow us up!" I yelled. "Get over yourself, princess. Im immune to fire." Issei stated coldly. I blinked. I didn't know that about him. "Really?" I was fascinated even though he'd almost got us both killed. He nodded and looked around. "Lets get the hell out of here." He looked tired. I suddenly felt bad for yelling at him, since he did save us. "Im not a princess so quit calling me that!" I huffed regaining my irritation at him. "Okay Pet." He answered sarcastically and suddenly princess didn't sound half as bad.

"Okay I prefer princess." I admitted and he laughed. I smiled at the sound of his laughter. A tone I could get used to hearing.