The Demon’s Bride

The air was dark and gloomy that felt as if inside Ian's bed room there was a shadowy ashy clouds above her head when the sky could only be seen from the window to the balcony outside his room.

On Ian's question, Elise asked herself why did it feel to her as if Master Ian was pushing her away? She found this often. At one time he would be close. Close enough for her breaths to grow heavy to take but then there was time when he showed his cruelty as if to ask her if she would still accept him for who he is.

Elise wasn't dumb. She was considerably smart with only her weakest point to be oblivious at Ian's emotions as the man had an unreadable expression with the smile that always played on his lips but she could decipher some of his intention that stirred him to action.

Was this Master Ian's way to tell her to give up on him? Elise asked herself but she didn't want to give up on Master Ian. Her eyes looked back at Ian with a hint of braveness, "You will not kill me." and she ran her tongue over her lips to moisten the place she felt had gone dry.

Ian grinned, slowly with time Elise was changing and he was the first one to notice the changes inside of her, "Tell me, why do you think so, Elise?" asked Ian, his eyes brimming with curiosity as if he doesn't know why. "You must have heard some rumors of me, you've seen what I could do, and I have no remorse in any of my killings." He whispered as there was no need for him to speak aloud when there was only him and Elise in the closed space.

"I wouldn't hide it to you or how bloody and how dangerous I am." His red eyes stayed down at her grew dark, daunting that Elise couldn't help but felt pressured by the gaze he gave and her hands that rested on the side of her waist clenched.

Elise bravely stared back at his eyes, the same red eyes that looked bright as blood he mentioned which seemed to be studying her expression now, "I am not afraid of you. If you wish to kill me you had plenty of chances, Master Ian." staring back at Ian in the close distance had the effect for her heart to thrown into a storm of emotions. Her hands were shaking, not out of fear or nervousness but a swirl of emotions that overwhelmed her the second time after the death she witnessed.

"Also, the side of Master Ian that didn't hide what you did, I believe that side of you is kind." On her reply, Elise heard his footsteps that stopped grew closer for a moment and her feet almost moved back that she managed to stop again. With her eyes on Ian's face that held strong features, she lifted her chin to see him pull a grin, just one side of his sinful lips was pulled up.

"Me? Kind?" Ian's brows raised as if he couldn't believe her words and chuckles broke from his lips, "Oh, Elise, if everyone in Hell hear that, all devils and even Satan would run loose here to run havoc." There was sweetness he use as he uttered the word to her.

Elise found Master Ian' words odd but that was often it was not unusual for Ian to speak oddly but bringing up Hell which often marked as blasphemy, sometimes as a sign of misfortune make her question why would Ian bring Hell to the conversation when their talk didn't involve them? Was it only an expression?

Elise also took note on how Ian spoke Satan's name with a very lighthearted tone as if he was calling a friend which is impossible, thought Elise to herself. She had a bad habit of thinking or reading too much between the line and thought this was the same case as the formers.

"You could have killed me before when you had plenty of chances to. The people on White Mansion too, you could have killed them but you didn't." or else by now the ground in White Mansion would be filled with corpses added Elise in her mind.

"You have reasons, Master Ian to kill." She continued, "You didn't do it discriminatingly only to people you disliked which make me sure you are not evil." Elise's words turn to whispers as she spoken she could feel her own breaths brushing to Ian's chest and her eyes that looked at him moved down to have a better look at the broad plane of his chest where his skin was slightly tanned in a color that hinted with golden honey like color.

Staring at his chest for too long only make her heart spike and race harder, thus her eyes snapped up again to his red ones. Elise the felt the back of Ian's hand heating as it slide on her cheeks, moving to rub her skin.

With time passes Ian's lips broadened. He did expect Elise wouldn't call him evil but she had gone far to call him kind which was something he could truthfully say he never expected to come from her delicate lips.

Although he had to correct there was a few mistake slipping from Elise's words. He did killed without reasons and at a time he had killed people who had gone against him which he dislike, and also he had killed some people from the White Mansion with a reason. Elise didn't know but she had made her mind in it.

"Whether I did it without discrimination or blindly it still goes against the teaching of the Church, Elise. You are saying that I am still kind despite all the sins that I did which I may not be able to remember anymore with how long my sins are." Ian tested her, challenge hinted in his words.

"Even if I use the confession box for one year, it would still not enough for me to state all my sins." He joked, his lips still smiling even when his words had turned darker as the time passed.

Everything Ian did was indeed to test her. He couldn't accept any half bake relationship and he wants to know her words and emotions. Elise had her own thoughts that was still like a blank paper, free from ink and he was about to put his writings there, slowly, telling her everything she needed to know and have her filled with knowledge to then help her learn of her emotions together.

Ian took everything step by step, teaching her, followed by building her self confidence. It will take time but Elise was worth it. She was worth of every seconds he spend for her. Ian's finger continue to brush her cheeks, moving down to reach on her chin and slide down at her neck that made Elise who was in thought to shiver.

The room was cold without light but with Ian's question and his confession statement the room took a heavier turn. Elise stared back at Ian's eyes with her mind focus on the words he had said. Sins.

A/N: Continue to vote <3