Reaper's Word

Chapter 30: The Issue at Hand

Clair sadly was not shocked by Isaiah having killed that man. She, like the rest, avoided them for the next couple days. However she seemed to recover faster. This was life here and she had accepted that. So she put her focus on thwarting Isaiah in being caught. She was more careful the next few times that she decided to shower. To be honest it was rather entertaining to purposely avoid him. She was always in a very good mood when she managed to avoid him for yet another day.

Those in the house held her in a bit more disdain or possible hate as she could move freely and they could not. Though she did bring food from the kitchen and leave it places. Sometimes Zeta would follow her and eat it thinking it was funny. Bitch.

Their numbers were dropping now and Clair was on her last few days of her three week allowance. She just wondered what would happen then. Once her last day approached.

She guessed it would be back to staying more in the walls and being even more cautious of Isaiah. She didn't think that she would get really any kind of promise anymore. It seemed more like he was just going to take from her rather than give her something in return. She rubbed her forehead in thought. She was starting to fold really fast when he did catch her and let him do what he wanted.

Clair sighed, she however was feeling rather good today. She'd had a decent meal again and cooked more than she needed leaving it for the others. She felt that they deserved something better than the canned food and what not. This was where they would die. On the dark side she was keeping Isaiah's food source healthy.

There really weren't many of them left, and a rather bad storm had been raging outside for the better part of yesterday and today. Water was pooling all over the yard and running in rivers down the drive. She guessed that perhaps four were left in the house and she was happy to know that both Carlos and Leanne were left.

Clair walked down the hallway with a light step and held her hand out in front of her. A small crystal rotated in the air above her hand. She smiled and dropped her hand, the crystal staying where it was and the exact same distance from her body. She'd been practicing it a lot, wanting to get it just right and perfect her skill. When she had nothing to do, she practiced, and practiced. She knew the day was coming that she would have to use it. She could feel it in her bones, and keeping everyone else ignorant was a must. Her ace, and it sure seemed like no one was picking up on it.

She brought her hand up and snatched it from the air. She set it down on a table in the hall and went into the ballroom. She turned in a quick circle, and then repeated it coming out onto the middle of the floor.

She mentally turned the music on flipping it to a song that she felt like dancing to. She was getting much better with her talents that was for sure. She thanked god for the one that mattered most, her ability to hide herself. One she'd used as a kid since she'd been bullied so much. It helped her go unnoticed and be left alone. Can't hurt what you can't find right? This place was a whole different level than that of course. Clearly it had given her an up.

Clair spun and moved across the floor, she wore a black dress today. It had a handkerchief bottom and it tied around the neck. She liked the way that it moved and twisted around her as she danced. It was just kind of freeing for her and after a while she felt her skin prickle. She became aware of his presence but she just did as she pleased. He didn't speak, and she didn't acknowledge him for a few minutes just waiting to see what he'd do.

"I'm in a good mood today. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tear me down." Clair stated.

"Seeing as you didn't flee the room when I entered I'll consider it." He said from where he leaned against the pillar watching her. She moved with ease, fluid and graceful. Just watching her was a pleasure in itself. His gaze trailed over her and clearly liked what he saw.

Clair felt rather than saw him move, his hand caught hers as she spun. Then made her reverse and spin back to face him. His eyes were still hazel in color. Always a good sign in her opinion. She let him lead. One it was customary for the man to do so, and he was a control freak. The thought amused her for some reason but she kept the smile inside.

"I have a slight problem Clair." He confided to her. His steps forward matched her steps back, before she spun around him coming back to take his hand and her other over his shoulder. It didn't even bother her right now, she was on guard if he were to do something. She still had a few more days, so it wasn't like today was the day he’d kill her.

"Which is?" She asked once again she kept her gaze from his. She did it for many reasons. Her main reason was that it was her form of control this time. He could not make her look at him if she didn't want to. He did not control her will.

"You." She'd half expected this to be the case. After all their situation was on her mind. She knew from the things that he said, no human ever lived very long. She had surpassed the expectations. Clair was the longest lived human in this place closing in on three months or so. Not including the winter sleep that they had.

"And?" She asked mimicking his uncaring tone. She saw the very slight smile from him. That was a first he normally reprimanded her when she did such things. She was close to him, her body brushing his. She felt a bit of heat spread through her. God she was turning hopeless. She should be fighting and kicking and screaming. No, what did she do? She instead would just lay down and take it, literally. If he wanted her, she'd let him and they both knew it. She'd do it rather than fight. Just one more thing that she had trained herself to get used to. Like the screams and death all around her.

"And I haven't decided whether or not I should leave you alive after your three weeks." Isaiah knew that the longer he kept her alive the more the chance was that she would get out. She knew the house. She

moved through it like he did or the hell hounds. The risk was growing, and if she escaped she would own him.

Eventually she might take a chance and try to escape. Any human that escaped the house would have direct control over him. That was any human that wasn't the one needed to free him, she fell into the control category. He'd be free as long as that human lived, but completely subject to their will. Yet she was the only one he had found for his needs. He really wasn't willing to give that up yet and go back to being so unsatisfied with the desire coursing through him.

"At least you haven't decided yet." She said in that soft musical tone of hers. If anyone had been watching them it would have looked as if the two of them had practiced this dance many times. Like they were completely at ease with the one dancing with them.

The mental turmoil in them both was impossible to see even with a trained eye. They were talking about Clair's life like it was a trivial thing. Isaiah was truly on the fence with this decision and that had never happened before.

Athena had been a simple lust filled moment that had ended up with him getting stuck here. He'd never been on the fence with her. He'd have outright done away with her if she hadn't been pregnant. That was an odd thing in itself. He'd been unable to kill her with that knowledge, and after it had sunk in, it had been almost appealing. However she'd been sacrificed, and so had his unborn child. Their souls and magic had fed what was already here and unless he found another to take their place he was stuck.

Clair was in a whole different category though from the lustful moment in the past. He enjoyed so much more about her than just her body and that troubled him. Oh, he could still picture killing her. He had no difficulty or guilt when thinking about it. However he found that he wasn't sure that he wanted to. So long, so long he'd lived without feeling. Without really seeing the things around him, everything was just kind of grey.

She fixed that somehow. She gave a new intensity to the things he wanted to do. The fact that she was exactly the kinds of things he'd want in a companion, if he had one, was the problem. Yes he had the hell hounds but it wasn't the same. They didn't think or see things the way that he did most times. At the end of the day they really were just his loyal pets. She interacted with him, spoke to him and offered a challenge as well. He was suffering the needs of the world of the living and hadn't realized how bad it had gotten. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

He'd met others, men and woman that knew a little of this a little of that and had entertained him for a while. In the end they just failed to really do anything for him. All so relieved to have something that he enjoyed. They just jumped at the chance to please him and do as he said. Not Clair, it annoyed and angered him at times but it was refreshing in a way.

"Not yet." He responded after the silent moment. But he did have one idea in his mind. The one problem he saw was her mortality. She was not going to stay the same, she'd age and she'd die. If he kept her he'd want her as she was right now, always youthful, always holding that spark of life that had served her so well these past months.

"You're too kind." She said and he felt that amusement flare up again. He stopped them and dipped his head down to take her mouth. She hesitated for a moment but then let him. There was a sharp gleeful part of him that relished that. She was normally very defiant in such things and that small allowance was something he'd been desiring. She might let him, but she wasn't truly letting him. This felt different and that excited him.

He pulled her against him before dropping his hands to bunch her dress up. His hands sliding up the smooth skin of her thighs. There was a sudden sharpness in his stomach and she froze. Then a cold feeling washing over them. He was forced to step back, the entry spell was in place. Isaiah moved toward the windows on the east side of the house. This wasn't exactly a normal visit, and he felt curiosity.

Clair moved away from him to the other side of the room and shut off the music and then moved to leave the room quickly. He let her, he was frowning at this. It was only a group of those that kept him trapped here. This visit wasn't for his blood either. However that would be soon, that was a yearly thing. Isaiah moved to the front entrance as the doors opened. He couldn't get within ten feet of the door. Leonardo tossed a man in the house. He went down sliding from the water that soaked him. Two others brought a man and a woman in and did the same to them.

"Have at them Isaiah." Leonardo said. "Do what you wish. I'm sure you'll be happy to lighten the drain on you."

"Why the gift?" He asked looking down at the members of Leonardo's family. The one man was his third son and his wife. The other man was his nephew.

"They thought to change certain things." He said and moved out the door. Michael looked at Isaiah a moment and glanced around. He was probably counting those that were still alive in the house with that talent of his.

"Staying Michael?" Isaiah asked, besides Leonardo he'd love to get his hands on this one.

"I'd hate to give you the satisfaction." He said moving to the door. "Vince will have to do instead." Anyone that had trapped him here would do. Sure the wife had nothing to do with it at all but she now leeched immortality from him.

"There's one more thing Isaiah. These three managed to bring a hell hound here. It's yours now wherever it is running around here. It escaped the van and ran around the back." They'd brought him a hell hound? How'd they manage to get it trapped for transportation?

If it was lose with no master then it could go where it pleased, do as it wished. He'd have to now track it down with the others and tie it to him. He wasn't in the mood for this. A hell hound could cause Isaiah

serious damage, he hoped it wasn't fully grown yet. The doors closed and the three tossed in, got up moving away from him. They weren't going to get far, all three of his hell hounds showed blocking them in.

"It wasn't our idea to put you in here." The nephew said.

"But you kept me in here, and the four of us have years to make up for. I haven't fed in a few days. You and your family have grown and are wearing me down faster." Isaiah said, which was true he could feel it. His hunger was growing. Perhaps killing these three would help some.

"They'll bring you more in four days. You don't need us." Leonardo's son said.

"No but I want to kill you." He emphasized the word want. They were surrounded and the second that the barrier came down the four of them were on the three. It took no more than five minutes to create a very bloody mess over the walls and floors. The blood would soak into the house, feeding it as well. Acting like a sacrifice to it.