Pisachas

AN/ Okay I debated doing this chapter this way, but I feel like where chapter thirteen goes definitely makes it worth it. haha Hope you like the two chaps I'm giving you tonight ;). Enjoy ~Eisac

Chapter Twelve

"How is it possible you're bleeding?"

Gilia was sitting on the bed watching Sach wipe the streaks of blood from his cheek on a towel in the bathroom. He'd washed off his face in the cool water from the sink leaving droplets dripping from the end of his nose and chin, and pressed the towel over the cut to keep pressure on it.

She wasn't even sure how they'd returned so fast to Sach's place. One minute they were walking down a narrow hallway, the walls were smeared with dirt and moss. The scent of sweet moist earth filled her nostrils. Gilia had tried to ignore the black beetles crawling up the cracks, disappearing and reappearing from tiny holes, nudging the moss as they scurried underneath. Her pulse was already thumping hard in her throat as she held on to Sach's arm a little too tight; but when she felt the dark ominous wind swirl around, plunging her into another room, Gilia realized he'd brought them back to the immense, safe bedroom she'd spent so much time in since she'd been kidnapped from her home.

Sach stood in the doorway, blocking most of the light. The shadow over his body was vast and sinister. The only brightness she noticed were his ice blue eyes focused wholly on her.

"Because you died and now…" she continued attempting to ignore the unsettling feeling tossing in her stomach. Maybe not as safe as she first imagined.

"I was turned immortal, Gilia. True I did die, but that wasn't a good enough punishment for me." He removed the towel to examine the damage in the mirror again. The cut was starting to close up. A few minutes ago, Gilia could have sworn the thing needed stitches, only now it looked like a wide, but shallow cut.

"Oh," was the brilliant thing she came up with to say. "So…do you want to tell me how you got hurt?"

Sach dropped the towel on the lip of the sink and flipped the bathroom light off. He sauntered into the bedroom, his bedroom, and sat down next to her on the bed. The cut was barely bleeding now, mostly just a raw red, like an old wound where an animal clawed his flesh. "I had to fight Balan to get to you."

"Oh no. You did? What happened?" She turned her body to face his.

"Let's just say…Balan looks a hell of a lot worse than I do, not that it really matters. He heals faster than I do as well. A perk of being the devil's right hand man."

Gilia shuddered not wanting to think about the devil or his right hand man, so she focused on Sach instead. "I noticed your cut is much smaller and it's only been an hour. How is that possible?" Gilia raised her right hand to touch his cheek, but thought better of it. The bruise on his chin had reduced quickly to just a yellow stain. And when he walked, the need to wrap his arm around his stomach had lessened.

"Yes well. Gilia, there are some things we need to discuss."

"Such as…" she encouraged him nervously. Gilia really didn't think she'd be able to handle anymore new warped information about this place or the people. If there were ever a normal moment down here, Gilia had never witnessed it. And the only times she'd really felt safe was with Sach, ironically. But she knew that no matter what he had to say, Gilia would come to grips with it, like everything else she'd been forced too.

Sach ran his fingers through her hair, holding on to the ending strands lightly. Her scalp tingled from the sensation. If she'd ever needed to keep her head over a man, now would be a good time as any. "I know you must still hate me, since you tried to run away again, but I wanted you to know that I'm not mad about that," Sach explained, flipping the end strands against the skin of his hand. The backs of his fingers were brushing her collarbone and base of her neck, disorienting Gilia all together. Back and forth. "I admit at first I was, but I've been forcing myself to see this situation from your perspective. That's why I went to see him."

"See him? You mean Belial?" Gilia asked.

"Satan, yes. You don't have to call him Belial. The only reason he wanted you to call him that was because of its meaning." His movements stopped as she saw his teeth grind, remembering how he'd discovered her bucking on the devil's bed like a wild woman, making her cheeks turn bright red. Now that she wasn't being bombarded with lust, Gilia felt as though her actions had been embarrassingly foolish. "Another one of Satan's weaknesses; however, he refuses to see as such, is of course lust. He is a liar and plays games with your mind, Gilia. You must avoid him at all costs."

She nodded her head, definitely comprehending that warning. The guy was bad news and Gilia had had to fight damn hard to keep herself under control around him. Satan was powerful in his own right, but when he dug into your brain, influencing whatever he wanted was like planting a weed there. No matter how hard you tried to kill it, it continued to grow back, larger than before. Too bad she didn't have any 'weed-be-gone' for evil men. The only thing that had stopped Satan's influence over her had been Sach, and for that she'd be ever grateful to him. "I will."

"Good. Because it was my fault you were taken in the first place. And now I've put you at risk."

"How do you figure that? I was the one who idiotically traipsed around outside on my own."

Sach let her hair go, then held his fingers over her mouth, "Yes, but it's my fault he knows about you. I asked Satan questions about this myth of the chosen one and made him curious. Of course, he'd send out one of his minions to collect you. I should have seen that coming," Sach was saying more to himself now, removing his fingers. Gilia could taste him on her lips; an intriguing musk flavor.

"Hey, you couldn't have known what he was going to do. Or that I was dumb enough to go outside alone, ignoring your warnings."

He cupped her cheek in his large warm hand and for once Gilia didn't flinch at his touch. In fact, her heart began racing in a different way she wasn't used to. "You miss your family, little one. It is understandable you'd want to leave this place."

She decided to be honest, with herself as well as him. "I do, but it hasn't really been that horrible down here for me. You've done everything in your power to keep me safe and I want to thank you for that. I realize it must be hard to have me so close and that's why you leave all the time."

"Yes, it is very difficult, but my problem is I want to spend every moment with you, but I'm afraid I'll lose control and hurt you…again. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I'm exhausted from all this suffering and pain I'm forced to cause every second of my existence."

The collapse of his wide shoulders as Sach rested his head in his hands made Gilia's chest tight. God, why did this man, that had hurt her so, have such a strong effect on her? All she wanted to do was put her arms around him and assure him that everything would turn out alright, even though she had no idea if that were true.

His long raven hair was hiding his face as he drooped over the side of the bed. Gilia couldn't help herself as she brushed it aside like parting a curtain and tucked the soft strands behind his left ear. His face turned slightly towards her. The palpitations beneath her chest caused Gilia's hands and brow to turn clammy, but she surprisingly wasn't shaking like normal. He was such a beautiful man. She couldn't imagine someone who was so completely gorgeous with his obvious compassionate soul staring straight through his striking eyes, be a monster she once feared. That wasn't true now.

Gilia gave one small wish up to the heavens for courage and took Sach's face in both her hands. His eyes were questioning for a split second and then realized her intentions. Instead of snatching her up and ravishing her like Gilia imagined, Sach was like a stone sculpture, "Gilia…" he whispered.

Shaking her head, Gilia closed the distance, this time, eagerly covering his lips with her own. It wasn't like before when she was scared out of her mind trying to figure out a way to please this man so he wouldn't rape her. This was different…powerful. A surge of gooseflesh raced up and down her body along with sparks of anticipation. Heat pooled in her lower torso as Sach wrapped his long arms around her waist pulling her close. Their kiss deepened to unknown territory. Her taste buds danced victories as her tongue met his. His kisses were like fire in her gut and Gilia had never felt more alive in her life.

But the feeling was short lived when Sach lightened the kisses and pushed her back on the bed. "Little one. We can't do this now. As much as I liked to, we have to wait."

"Why? I don't understand; I thought you wanted me?"

He exhaled, closing his icy eyes and kissed her forehead tenderly, "I want you more than I've ever wanted a woman. But if we were to make love now, I wouldn't be able to protect you and your safety is everything to me."

"Am I still in danger? You already saved me."

"Yes, little one, but we are still in the Underworld and until I can figure out a way to keep you safe, we cannot make love."

"I'm still confused. What does us making love have anything to do with my safety down here?"

Sach smoothed his thumb over her cheek, "If we did, and it was consensual, I'd reclaim my soul Gilia."

When she didn't respond he explained further, "I'd become mortal again and I wouldn't be able to protect you."

He stood up from the bed, "Look, there are still a lot of things I'm unsure about. I've got to find someone who can help us, give us some answers. I want you to stay here. Don't leave under any circumstances."

Gilia nodded, but clasped his hand before he could walk out the room, "Wait! You aren't going to rape anyone while you're out are you?"

As he bent over pressing his hands on the mattress on either side of her hips, Sach's serious gaze unsettled Gilia. His nose was an inch from hers. "I have no intentions of ever raping anyone again. And despite how much I wish I could bury myself inside you right now," he watched her shiver. "For some reason your presence makes it easier for me to resist other women. So, relax," he said standing back up. "I'm going to see an old friend."

Gilia still had a grip on his large hand, "Please don't leave me here long."

Bringing her hand up to his lips, Sach kissed it quick and bowed his head. "I will make the trip quick."

She watched a cloud of black smoke swirl around Sach and dissipating his body to nothing.