The Demon’s Bride

The key somewhere looked familiar to Ian. He had seen it before but can't remember well when he had seen it before. Seeing how rusted the key was, Ian doubted it was a key to new rooms. The key seemed to be over twenty years old and he knew it by his experience.

"It's a key to my room," explained Elise. Now, seeing the key with brighter light, she noted the corroded color of yellowish brown with a coarse layer over the metals. The whole key that was once colored in gold, turned brown, and the one to notice this was not only her but Ian.

Ian placed his hand on his chin, folding four fingers with only his index finger tapping the side of his chin. His expression to Elise seemed as if he was thinking of something deeply with a frown. Did Ian know what she did and wh-

Ian pushed one hand over the side of her face, his hand landing on the wall where they had moved to get some shade. "Inviting me to your room boldly in the morning even though you don't want to sleep with me in the same bed. Are you leading me on, sweetheart?" Ian's finger slink on her neck, the touch as Ian was not using gloves had to be cold but instead it was warm and when it came contact to her cold skin, the different temperature made Elise's skin to contract and shudder.

Elise has noticed there was something in Ian that switched on and off to tease or being mean at some point to her. It was difficult for Elise to keep a straight head to him. Blinking twice, Elise looked away for a moment to distract herself from Ian's eyes that were always fierce, making her feel like a ball of nervousness. 

"The key cannot be use anymore," replied Elise. Her words coming weird as it didn't convert what she wanted to say. Because of Ian's words of her inviting him to her bed room, it was hard for Elise to build the concentration that had ruptured.

"I see that, I get it now," chuckled Ian and Elise doubt he really got what she mean. Her thoughts were confirmed when Ian continued, "You are inviting yourself to come in my room."

Elise didn't know why Ian's room was brought up again. At this point, she had a feeling that either her or Ian would be settling at one or another's room. 

Not knowing if she can handle that, Elise quickly say, "Last night I had a small talk with Hallow. I didn't put a check on the emotion I felt but in the middle of the conversation, I just had a slight temper while holding the key; and now it turns to be like this; rusted." 

The key bothered her for the rest of the night, but as she thought perhaps she had been the one to tamper the key just like the way she did to the glass. Although she can't remember it when the glass shattered on her her hands, Seoyeon didn't feel her head blanking out while turning the key to corrosion like she did when doing the glass. 

"Is this magic?" asked Elise while Ian inspect the key he now hold on his hand.

"Something similar," replied Ian, saying not yes and also not no. 

Unable to hold her curiosity, she asked, "Is there something similar to magic?" 

"I will tell you a secret just for you and me to know, Elise. Only for you," the way Ian made it special had Elise to faintly smiled. Ian swipe his index finger to place it over her lips. "I don't use magic," he said in a hushed voice, a seductive tone tinted his voice. "This power that I have comes from me being a demon. They called it demonic energy. Like my power which is similar to magic. I know there is more to what we have seen yet, about magic and alike. You just fell to be special."

For Ian to treat her special had Elise to feel her heart fluttered. Although she was unsettled with the power she had acquired, she felt calmer after telling her problem to him.

Then concern came again on between Elise's brows, "But will everything I touch turn like this?" The glass and the key, one shatter to pieces and the other turn to corrosion. 

"What's wrong?" Ian noticed the expression Elise had and her worries that didn't come from the key and glass alone. There had never been anything that Ian didn't notice from her, and Elise found this to be a quality from Ian.

Elise whispered, "I had a little nightmare," she had said little but in truth it was not little. The dream shocked her and shake Elise until afternoon came. She distract herself by working but the nightmare continue to haunt her.

Ian sensed Elise's heartbeat to be uneven, telling him the dream was not good and she had used the word nightmare. "Hm, continue, sweetheart," he beckoned, all his eyes on her.

"I just dream of waking up normally then I touched a desk but it turned to ash," she didn't know if she had transported the nightmare she dreamt. "I don't know what I did and Hallow came to me, I didn't want to touch him out of fear he would turn to ash. He continued to speak when he suddenly fell and I... helped him," she intended to, but in turn she convert her chick friend into ashes.

"And he turn to ash," Ian concluded. Since the past even when he was still a human, Ian never believe in dream manifesting into reality. Dream was just but a succession of image that occur when human was asleep, in their venerable state. For it to take place was impossible. 

Until now Ian still had the same thinking. And this was what make him to narrow his eyes.

Elise should not know that she could turn things to ash, like the time she did to the glass, the girl didn't notice how the shattered glass turned to ash by the time she had left his room. But the dream told her of her power, as if it was a warning.

"I'm afraid everything will turn to ash on my touch," replied Elise, "I don't know but I have a feeling that the dream will take place," thinking of it shuddered her. If she really had the ability to touch thing and turn them to ashes, without a way to stop her own power, what if a day came where she is unable to touch anything as it would turn to ash?

Elise's face was marred with worries and Ian sees the change.

"That was only a dream," replied Ian gently, raising his hand, he smoothened the top of her hair, "But dreams often come as a warning, from now be careful of your emotions. I could take that your power is strongly attached to your emotions. Be careful not to touch anything when you are angry and keep a check to control anger."

Elise, who had a feeling that would be so, was sullen when learning her new power. It was dangerous and she could not see how it would help anyone. 

She felt her chin pulled and Ian smiled, "Don't worry sweetheart. I am immortal so I don't die even if your power came to contact with me; and even if you kill anyone they turn to ashes which helped us from erasing evidence."

"I don't want to kill anyone," replied Elise, as it seemed that Ian was forming thought to teach her the rope to kill.

"Of course I know, I was just saying if. Nothing is wrong by thinking if," letting go of Elise's lower face he held, Ian shifted his eyes somewhere at the window of the castle, meeting another red eyes. 

He didn't stare long and looked at her again, "Elise, did you see shadows again since Lipton's house?"

"No I didn't," there was this power of her, the shadow, and her brother's ghost. Many things happen without reply that Elise needed and somewhere she felt unrest. "Was it something dangerous or crucial?" 

"We don't know yet," said Ian to Elise's disappointment, "Currently I am finding out what the shadow you see. Cynthia is on her way, tailing both Martha and Lipton. If anything happen to them, we will know what the shadow meant."

"Could it be that I had mistaken the shadow?" Elise was not confident to say that the shadow transpired behind the mansion or the woman as the second time she blinked, the shadow disappeared.

Ian shook his head, "I have been right in many things, Elise. This time too, I could tell that the shadow you see do hold significant meaning. We just need to find out about it."

Elise nodded her head, thinking that it would be better if nothing happen. Just as she was thinking what to do with her power, Elise felt Ian's height towering her. His hand smoothly slide over her waist, pushing down to her hips when his hand wrapped around it, "Your apron is loose," said Ian and he didn't stopped hugging her in the name of tying the apron from the front.

Elise bite her lips at the distance, her eyes focus on Ian's lips, the same mouth she had kissed and it was hard to bring herself to a composure.

Ian's finger didn't only touch her waist and her hips, having the chance, he took the liberty to moved his hands upper and lower. Elise still didn't know but her body shuddered when she felt Ian's finger brushed to her bottom, a little more and he would have her whole cheeks to one hand. 

"I will try to find out about your power, meanwhile be careful," Ian said when pulling away from her, "Also this evening accompany me in dinner, there is a guest that came and I want to introduce you to him. I will tell Maroon to make you a new key."

The guest, who was it? asked Elise in her mind. Giving a nod, Ian then played with her ribbon before smiling to leave. He turned his head at the same window where Beelzebub was standing for his smile to shorten.