The room she came into was brightened by a wall of windows up a set of wide stairs. There were only two sections of the place she could see. The first was where she stood, featuring a bar decorated with neon lights and a small kitchen whose main feature was a wide stove with an impressive wine rack hanging behind it. Directly in front of her was the stairs. They were not too high but went up to where the windows where and a massive corner sofa was slightly out from the wall. Everything was shades of cream and white, making the room feel even bigger than it was. Pieces of art were dotted along the walls, and she might have examined them further if she hadn’t been distracted by the figure standing with his back to her, watching out the window.
He was wearing a black shirt that complemented his slim waist and wide shoulders. She squinted at his back and could swear that the clothing bulged a little there. Right, he had wings. She would have to keep an eye out for anything else of note. His hair was messy, and he was sipping a drink in a crystal glass. The glass caught the sunlight as it streamed through the window, splitting it into rainbow colours that painted anything close to them.
Thea didn’t even dare breathe, hoping beyond belief that he might stay there for the whole visit and not see her at all. A voice in her head reminded her that she had to get him to warm up to her so that wouldn’t help but she still couldn’t find the courage to speak or move a step. She wouldn’t have been surprised to look down and find her feet encased in concrete.
“Are you getting a good look?”
Thea jumped when he spoke and he peeked over his shoulder at her, the corners of his eyes creasing when he smiled. She regained herself and cleared her throat.
“You asked for me.” She didn’t like that she sounded like a member of his staff.
“I did,” he motioned to the sofa, “Please take a seat. Make yourself at home.”
Thea wrung her hands together and slowly shuffled over to the sofa. A modern looking glass coffee table with another glass on it was in front of the sofa and Marcus strode to the drinks counter in the corner, bending over to rummage in it.
“What’s your drink?” he asked past the clinking of the bottles. Thea looked at the glass and gulped. She didn’t need to be drinking around him, but would it look strange if she refused him? Would he kick her out?
“I don’t know,” she said, doing her best to sound calm while her heart hammered, “Where I come from there isn’t much drink.”
Marcus chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.”
Thea didn’t see how that could be funny. “Yea we struggle to get water, let alone anything else.”
Marcus froze and Thea’s chest tightened with fear. She hadn’t meant to annoy him, but the comment had just slipped out. If he took offense at that then he might kick her out and the plan would fail. Or worse, he could kill her. The thought caused fresh sweat to spring up on her palms.
After a long minute he straightened and pointed to the kitchen. “There is water in there if you like it that much.” He was smiling but it didn’t reach his eyes like it had before. Thea held her breath and tried to think of how to do damage control.
All of a sudden he started to laugh, jovially coming to drop onto the sofa next to her. She was so startled that the impact of him landing almost lifted her rigid body off the cushion entirely.
“I’m messing with you. Damn I didn’t know that humans were so tense about water.” Marcus set his own drink on the table in front of her. “Here, try that. We will find a drink you like so you have an answer in the future.”
Thea forced herself to lift her hand. The glass was cold and heavy, but she brought it to her lips and sipped the contents. It was warm as it slid down her throat and rested in her chest. The aftertaste was a little bitter, but she found she liked that about it.
“Well?” Marcus raised an eyebrow at her.
“It’s good.” She nodded, finding that she wanted to have another mouthful.
“Then it’s yours.” He went back to the drinks cupboard and lifted out a bottle to read it. “It’s Jack Daniels Honey by the way. One of the best things that humans made in this world.”
Thea nodded and bit her tongue. She was tempted to tell him that there were plenty of great things on the planet before he had ruined it. She had to remember that she was supposed to be getting him on side.
He strode back to her and slowly settled onto the sofa without taking his eyes off her. Being scrutinised like this was making her skin break out in goose bumps. Rubbing her arms, she laughed nervously to try and break the tension.
“So,” he took a gulp of his new drink, “What is it that you came here for?”
Thea stiffened as she met his eyes. Did he know she had a plan? How could he know?
“Did you come here to talk and try the drink or..” he trailed off and moved closer to her. With him this close she was sweating in his heat and his scent was all around her. Honey and chocolate smells were coming off him in waves.
Thea didn’t know where to look. If she met his eyes it might make the moment more intense but if she didn’t then he would think she was intimidated by him. The memory of Freddie’s hands on her, chasing her across the dancefloor flashed through her mind and it was suddenly hard to breathe as Marcus touched her arm gently.
Without warning she shot to her feet and put some distance between her and the sofa. Her heart was beating so hard she was waiting for it to bounce out of her chest and fall onto the floor. Counting back from ten she focused on her breathing. Marcus was watching her intently with his head tilted. Very gradually, he rose and approached her with his hands where she could see them.
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
All panic was forgotten as Thea stared at him. Had he really just said that? Examining him, she looked for any sign that he was lying to her. He had to be manipulating her to get his way. There was no way that this monster from hell that had ruined the world was being nice to her for no reason.
“What?” Thea’s voice came out thin and small.
“We don’t have to…you know.” He nodded towards a door to the left of the room they were in. Thea was pretty sure there was a bed in there, big enough for the whole region. No doubt he had had each person in there at some stage.
He smiled gently. “You don’t have to look so surprised.”
Thea blushed and wrapped her arms around herself. “I just thought that you were used to getting whatever you wanted and…”
“I am, but that doesn’t mean I force myself on women.” His jaw had tightened. “Trust me, I don’t have to rape anyone. There are plenty of women here who would come to my home willingly.”
Red hot rage bubbled inside Thea at this statement. Of course, the monster had desperate groupies to rub in her face. Women with no respect for their race and what he had done to everyone. She didn’t need to know how many he had brought in here and bent to his will.
“Why not go and find one of them then!” Thea turned her back on him to hide her flushed face.
There was a stretch of silence. Eventually, the floorboards behind her creaked and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. He was right behind her, his voice close enough to tickle her ear.
“Sometimes, getting everything you want gets a little boring.” She could hear his smirk in his voice and was tempted to slap him. If only he knew how much her friends who kill to get anything they needed, never mind want.
“Besides,” he said, “no one else here snaps at me like you do. I have a soft spot for angry women.”
Thea whirled on him, glaring into his face. “I’m not an angry person. Just some people bring it out in me and…” She stopped when he started laughing. “What are you laughing at?”
He pressed his lips together, his cheeks bulging with laughter that wanted to escape. “I got you to relax again.”
Thea folded her arms. “I’m not relaxed.”
“You aren’t upset anymore.”
He had a point but no way in hell she was going to tell him that. “Go to hell.”
“Been there, done that.” He went and sat again. Thea was grateful for the distance between them and let out a long breath.
Now that she could focus again she examined the room closer. She had to remember that she was here for information not to get riled by him. There had to be some hint in here as to what he is or how to appeal to him.
Along the wall behind the sofa there was a painting of a woman, reclined on a massive bed, naked. The silk sheets were painted with thick strokes and her body was depicted in a soft light that emphasised her curves. Thea rolled her eyes, of course he had a picture of a naked woman on his wall. He must have had someone paint an image of one of his conquests for him so he wouldn’t forget how hot she had been.
“You admiring Tiffany?” Marcus lounged on the sofa, it creaked under his weight.
Thea gestured with her chin; her arms still wrapped around her middle. “She one of your fangirls?”
Laughing, a touch of pink coloured his cheeks. It was oddly endearing to see him embarrassed. Thea didn’t know monsters could feel embarrassment.
“She was my lover, if that’s what you mean.”
Thea made a face at him. “I can see that.”
She moved down the stairs again, acutely aware of the fact that his eyes never left her. Down here was a wide framed image of a landscape. It was all flames and darkness, tall structures halfway through falling down. A frozen moment of destruction. Distorted faces screamed at her from within the fires, their drawn features leaking dark tears as they suffered. There was something sad about the image, it made her chest ache and her throat close. Figures below fled some kind of darkness but they didn’t stand a chance. There were caged in by beautiful flames, oranges, reds and blacks morphing into a monster that was consuming everything. Thea shivered. She didn’t like this one at all. The longer she looked at it, the more she became convinced that she could hear their screams and wails, the crackling of fire as it sizzled off their skin and broke through the world around them.
The thudding of his shoes on the steps were Thea’s warning that he was coming after her. She glanced over her shoulder to find he was studying the picture as well. His eyes were keen but dark. He swallowed hard and Thea could swear the emotion on his face was similar to what she felt when she looked at the image. Did it make him sad too? Could someone like him feel sadness? She just assumed they liked destruction and death.
He paused alongside her, and she studied his profile while he looked at the painting. There was definite tension in his forehead and his shoulders seemed hiked higher than usual. Did he regret doing this to the world?
“Is it the earth? After you and the others…” She didn’t finish the sentence for fear of what she would say.
“It’s hell,” he said.
Thea squinted at the image. She supposed it was possible it could be either. But wasn’t hell where he was born?
“You were born in a place like that?”
He smirked and ducked his head. “Sort of.”
Stopping herself from pressing him for more information, Thea raked her brain for a way to get him to tell her more without making it too obvious.
“You’re a fan of art then?”
Thea shrugged. “I like something that makes me think. This does that because every time I look at it I notice something different.”
Glancing sideways at her, he asked her “Like what?”
It had been so long since she had had a conversation about something so trivial and interesting that it took a moment for her to gather her thoughts and put them into words. For once there was no need to come up with something or plan something. She just had to give her opinion.
Pointing at the left corner of the painting, she drew his attention to three trees. They were bent back, as if shying from the fire and all their leaves were burnt off. In place of the leaves were eyeballs, that looked at the flames with horror. “The first time I looked at it I didn’t see the trees. I was distracted by the buildings and the people. But now that I see them, it makes me wonder how they came to be, how did the eyes get on them?”
He snorted. “I don’t think you want to know that.”
“But I can think about it. That’s all that matters.”
He had his glass half raised to his lips but paused to watch her. There was an intensity to his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. It was as if he was committing every detail of her face to memory and heat rose to her cheeks. She reminded herself that she didn’t care what he thought of her, this was a trick, and she wouldn’t forget that. Still, the way he stared at her with open interest appealed to some deep part of her. No one had ever waited to hear what she had to say before with such rapture. It made her feel noticed and she hated it. There was no way that she should be feeling anything good because of this monster that tore down the world.
“Why do you like thinking so much? I could give you the answer, but you don’t even seem to want it.”
Thea pressed her lips together and dropped her gaze to her hands. This was the part where she looked childish and dumb. She had never said the reason out loud before. Hell of a first time to say it.
“I like thinking about things because it takes me away to somewhere else. If I know all the answers, then I have to live in reality. But if there is a mystery, then I can pretend there is a grand story behind it, somewhere where things are better than here.” Wilfully ignoring the reality of her situation wasn’t something she let herself do often. Only once in a while, she would pretend that there was something out there that was better, she just hadn’t found it yet. Even the simplest thing, like an abandoned shoe, could spawn a fantasy of the person who once wore it having left it behind to go to paradise somewhere across the sea. The fantasy could only go on for so long before the logical side of her brain reminded her that there was nothing good left.
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