CHAPTER 23: WHAT YOU DESERVE

Damien sensed her presence the minute he reached the third floor. He knew she was in his room. Grinning from ear to ear, he walked in on her. She was dressed in a red lace nightgown. It was mostly transparent and covered nothing. She was seated on the bed with her legs crossed. Her small lips which had red lipstick on them, were curved into an enticing smile.

'You're back,' Willow said as she stood up. She walked towards him gracefully, took his coat from his arms and placed it on the chair. He stretched his arms to hold her waist as she walked away to keep his coat for him.

'Mm…' he inhaled the scent of her curly hair. She smelled like spices.

'I've missed you,' she said as she turned around and teleported to the bed. She smiled and used her index finder to give him a 'come signal'. Damien took his shirt off and climbed the bed. He got on top of her and looked into her eyes as she held his neck with her left arm. He kissed her shoulders repeatedly. He trailed gentle pecks to her neck, but paused when he got close to her lips. Even though Willow didn't say a word, her eyes looked at him in suspense.

'What am I doing?' Damien cursed inwardly, not sure why he stopped. He loosed the two knots that kept her dress from falling off and pressed his palms on her bare skin. She sighed in response and waited for his next move, however she was disappointed. She opened her eyes to find Damien sitting at the corner of the bed.

'Wha? What…what?' She said in-between gasps.

'I have a busy day tomorrow. It was nice of you to visit but you have to leave.' He said as he stood and strode to the vanity steps away from him. He poured some whisky into a cup and looked at her as he drank. Willow searched for words but couldn't find any.

'What is wrong with this man?' she thought in shock of this behaviour. She observed him carefully. Neither his eyes nor his body language gave any emotion away.

'Did I do something wrong?' She finally said tying the ropes of her dress, she suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

'No.' He parted his thin lips from the cup to say, making Willow's heart break. She thought of seducing him, but she feared rejection. Unable to utter even a sound, she decided it was time for her to go. If she remained present any further, her ego would be hurt irredeemably.

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Lara held her bag tightly. She was scared and the fog increased her anxiety. The moon shone brightly, casting shadows on the trees and the animals that hung on them. Suddenly, she heard the rustling of leaves from behind. She turned in terror, but there was no one in sight. She heard the bats squeal as he fled the trees. The cold wind made her fingers freeze and her heart, burn. She strode as quickly as she could, she was losing it. She was close to the border between The Colossus and Megal covens. She knew getting passed the guards wouldn't be a problem, since she had family at the Megal. All she had to do was hurry up.

'You're almost there,' she encouraged herself.

Out of the fog, something emerged. Lara couldn't see the figure clearly. She squinted her eyes in a bid to make sense the figure she saw in the fog. As it came closer, she stepped backwards in reflex. The fog slowly cleared and a man in a black robe was visible. His eyes which peered into her soul looked like magma and he walked in her direction gracefully. Immediately, she knew who it was.

Master Forneius!

Lara's eyes began to water. Adrenaline pumped into her blood and her chest began to hurt.

'I used to give you all I thought you were worth. But now…' he was saying but then paused till he got closer to her.

'…I give you what you deserve.' He added. She froze, sure of the doom that was her fate. Her mind went blank and her knees became unreliable. As he approached, a thousand thoughts flooded her mind. She wanted to beg for her life, for mercy, to explain herself and defend her innocence, but she didn't need to be told of Forneius' ruthlessness. She fell to the rough, cold ground and closed her eyes in preparation for her punishment. In seconds, she made peace with her death.